Changes

In 1970, Cates was elected to succeed the two-term [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[Malouf Abraham, Sr.]], a wealthy businessman from Canadian in Hemphill County, whose District 84 was blended into revised District 79. Abraham instead ran unsuccessfully for the District 31 seat in the Texas State Senate against Democrat Max Sherman.<ref>''Texas Almanac 1972/1973,'' Election returns from November 3, 1970.</ref> Cates won his own [[primary]] in the spring by a margin of only two votes.<ref name=pampaarticle>Obituary of Phillip R. Cates, ''The Pampa News,'' August 1, 2014.}}</ref>

In 1970, Cates was elected to succeed the two-term [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[Malouf Abraham, Sr.]], a wealthy businessman from Canadian in Hemphill County, whose District 84 was blended into revised District 79. Abraham instead ran unsuccessfully for the District 31 seat in the Texas State Senate against Democrat Max Sherman.<ref>''Texas Almanac 1972/1973,'' Election returns from November 3, 1970.</ref> Cates won his own [[primary]] in the spring by a margin of only two votes.<ref name=pampaarticle>Obituary of Phillip R. Cates, ''The Pampa News,'' August 1, 2014.}}</ref>

For his second term, Cates moved to Pampa in reconfigured District 66. ''Texas Monthly'' gave him unfavorable reviews in 1973.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.texasmonthly.com/content/ten-best-and-sigh-ten-worst-legislators/page/0/5|title=The Ten Best (And, Sigh, The Ten Worst) Legislators|publisher=texasmonthly.com|date=July 1973|accessdate=June 29, 2015}}</ref> By 1974, Cates was residing in Shamrock in Wheeler County for his third and fourth terms in the legislature. When he was moved to District 66 with the 1972 election, only Gray and Wheeler Counties were held over from his original District 79.<ref name=tlrl/>

For his second term, Cates moved to Pampa in reconfigured District 66. ''Texas Monthly'' gave him unfavorable reviews in 1973.<ref>"The Ten Best (And, Sigh, The Ten Worst) Legislators,"  ''Texas Monthly,'' July 1973.</ref> By 1974, Cates was residing in Shamrock in Wheeler County for his third and fourth terms in the legislature. When he was moved to District 66 with the 1972 election, only Gray and Wheeler Counties were held over from his original District 79.<ref name=tlrl/>

After his four legislative terms, Cates became a lobbyist and worked in the capital city of [[Austin]], first, with former House Speaker Byron Tunnell from 1980 to 1989. He was a lobbyist for Tenneco of [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] for nine years in nine southeastern states. In Austin in 1989 and 1990, he was a lobbyist for the Texas Association of Business. In 1991, he joined the firm of former Speaker Bill W. Clayton, at which he remained until 1996, when he opened his own firm, Texas Stakeholders. He remained in that capacity until his death of [[lung cancer]]<ref name=pampaarticle/> in 2014 at the age of 67.<ref name=tsc>{{cite web|url=http://www.cemetery.state.tx.us/pub/user_form.asp?pers_id=9970|title=Phil Cates|publisher=cemetery.state.tx.us|accessdate=January 8, 2021}}</ref>

After his four legislative terms, Cates became a lobbyist and worked in the capital city of [[Austin]], first, with former House Speaker Byron Tunnell from 1980 to 1989. He was a lobbyist for Tenneco of [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] for nine years in nine southeastern states. In Austin in 1989 and 1990, he was a lobbyist for the Texas Association of Business. In 1991, he joined the firm of former Speaker Bill W. Clayton, at which he remained until 1996, when he opened his own firm, Texas Stakeholders. He remained in that capacity until his death of [[lung cancer]]<ref name=pampaarticle/> in 2014 at the age of 67.<ref name=tsc>{{cite web|url=http://www.cemetery.state.tx.us/pub/user_form.asp?pers_id=9970|title=Phil Cates|publisher=cemetery.state.tx.us|accessdate=January 8, 2021}}</ref>