Frederick Bates (June 23, 1777 – August 4, 1825), brother of Edward Bates and James Woodson Bates, was an American politician. Born in 1777 in Belmont, Virginia, Bates started his career as a Justice of the Territorial Supreme Court for Michigan Territory in Detroit, Michigan. He received a significant promotion when the Aaron Burr conspiracy was uncovered. In February 1807, while in Washington, President Jefferson appointed Bates to be Secretary of the Louisiana Territory as well as a recorder of land titles. He held this position until 1812. Bates helped determine whether conflicting Spanish, French, and American land claims would be upheld.
Jefferson had already decided on the returning explorer and fellow Virginian Meriwether Lewis as governor of the huge new Louisiana Territory, which approximately equaled the size of the existing United States, but as Bates preceded Lewis to St. Louis, Bates became a powerful political force in the new territory and a political rival of Lewis until the latter's death while traveling from St. Louis to Washington on business in 1809. Later, as Secretary of the newly-formed Missouri Territory (1812-1821), he became acting governor in the frequent absences of Territorial Governor William Clark.
In 1819, he married Nancy Opie Ball (1802-1877), daughter of a wealthy Virginia colonel. The couple had four children, Emily Caroline (1820-1891), Lucius Lee (1821-1898), Woodville (1823-1840) and Frederick Jr. (1826-1862). In 1824, Bates became the second governor of Missouri, and died in office in August 1825, in Chesterfield, Missouri, due to a short illness thought to be pneumonia. Bates was buried at the family cemetery on the Thornhill estate near St. Louis.
During his time in Missouri, Bates acquired nearly 1000 acres (4 km²) of land which became the estate known as Thornhill. On the estate was built a reserved Federal style home with high ceilings for summer ventilation, fine woodwork and a sophisticated floor plan; all this would have been familiar to Bates from his childhood home, Belmont, in Goochland County, Virginia. The Thornhill estate still exists today and can be viewed by the public. It is located in Faust County Park in Chesterfield, Missouri.
Bates County, Missouri is named after Frederick Bates.
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| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Alexander McNair |
Governor of Missouri 1824-1825 |
Succeeded by Abraham J. Williams |
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