- "I've never been so happy to be proven wrong."
- ―Patrick Gates[src]
Patrick Henry Gates is a former treasure hunter and the father of Benjamin Franklin Gates.
National Treasure
United Son and Father
He was estranged from his son Ben until 2004 (date of National Treasure). Ben goes to Patrick when on the run from the FBI after Ben and Riley Poole stole The Declaration of Independence. After Ben and Abigail Chase discover the Ottendorf cipher on the back of the Declaration, Ben asks Patrick for the Silence Dogood letters. Patrick reveals that he donated the letters, which were written by Benjamin Franklin, to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
Hostage and False Clues
Patrick is later held hostage by Ian Howe in order to be used as leverage to get Ben's cooperation. When the group goes to Trinity Church, in New York City, they find a secret tunnel. The tunnel leads to a shaft with an old, decrepit staircase and elevator. When they reach the bottom of the shaft, the group finds a room containing a lantern. Using the concept of a lantern Patrick, with Ben's help, give Ian a false clue as to where the treasure might be, telling Ian that the location is the Old North Church in Boston. Ian and his men, unaware of Ben and Patrick's trick, leave Ben, Abigail, Patrick, and Riley trapped in the shaft. Ben and Patrick finally reconcile when they believe the treasure has previously been moved. As they search for another way out, the group stumbles upon the real treasure chamber. Patrick, along with the entire Gates family, is credited for the find.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Clearing the Name
In the second movie, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Patrick works to help Ben clear the Gates family name. After Ben sends a picture of a centuries-old plank of wood with indecipherable hieroglyphics to Patrick, Patrick is coerced by Ben to take the picture to arrange a meeting with Dr. Emily Appleton, Ben's mother and Patrick's ex-wife. Emily translates part of the plank but says that it is incomplete.
Mount Vernon
Patick, along with Riley and Abigail, help Ben sneak in to the U.S. President's birthday celebration at Mount Vernon, where Ben kidnaps the President to learn more about the Book of Secrets. Patrick is later tasked with taking a photograph of the other half of the plank to Emily to translate; however, she is forced to lie to him due to threats from Mitch Wilkinson. Ben, Patrick, Abigail, and Riley then travel to Mount Rushmore, where they are forced to help Mitch, who has Emily hostage.
Mount Rushmore
When Ben and his team find the secret entrance into Mount Rushmore, Patrick and Emily are separated from the group. Eventually, all of them survive several traps before arriving at the underground site of Cíbola, the City of Gold. As they explore, they accidentally cause the cave to flood with water from a lake above. The only means of escape is through a drainage door that must be held pen on one side to allow the rest to escape and closed afterwards, trapping the one controlling the door. Though Mitch initially forces Ben to control the door, it ends up being Mitch who holds the door open in order for the Gates', Riley, and Abigail to escape. Ben later meets with FBI Agent Peter Sadusky and Ben is able to clear both his and Thomas Gates' names.
Sometime later, Cíbola's discovery is announced, with Ben, his tean, and Mitch given credit for the discovery. Patrick and Emily, happily working together, eagerly take to the task of analyzing Cíbola once it is drained of the water.