Frederick Bates (D-R)

Overview

At a Glance

• Served as acting governor of the Louisiana/Missouri territory three separate times between 1807-1813 before being elected governor in 1824 after statehood was achieved

Personal History

On June 23, 1777, Frederick Bates, the fourth child among twelve in a Quaker family from Goochland County, Virginia, was born to Thomas Fleming and Caroline Matilda Woodson Bates. Although details of his early education are scarce, he began studying law at the age of seventeen in the office of William Miller, the Goochland County court clerk. During this time, Bates served as a deputy court clerk and a postmaster. In the fall of 1797, he was appointed to a federal position in the Army of the Northwest’s quartermaster department.

In 1800, Bates left his position in the Army quartermaster office to pursue a career as a merchant in Detroit, a venture he maintained until the summer of 1805 when a fire destroyed most of his belongings. Despite his business pursuits, he remained involved in federal service, becoming Deputy Postmaster of Detroit in October 1802. Although he briefly leaned toward the Federalist Party in his youth, he reverted to his Jeffersonian Republican roots, leveraging his Virginia heritage, family connections, and loyalty to President Thomas Jefferson to open new professional opportunities.

When the Michigan Territory was established in late 1804, Bates secured a significant role as the receiver of federal monies in Detroit and also served as the local federal land commissioner. In March 1805 he was appointed as an associate judge of Michigan Territory by the Jefferson administration, all while still engaged in his private mercantile business. This dual involvement led some in Detroit to claim a conflict of interest, and he faced local criticism for dating young women from British Canada. However, Bates continued to gain critical governmental experience in Michigan that would later benefit his career in Missouri.

While managing land titles and claims, Bates invested in property, developing his estate, Thornhill, in Bonhomme Township, near present-day Chesterfield, St. Louis County. At the age of forty-two, Bates married Opie Ball on March 4, 1819, and together they had four children between 1820 and 1826, the youngest born after the death of Bates. Bates died from pleurisy on August 4, 1825, at the age of 48, and was buried in Thornhill Cemetery in Faust Park.

Political History

In 1806, Bates moved from Detroit to Washington, D.C., where he strengthened his connections with the Jefferson administration. When the Burr-Wilkinson conspiracy came to light, Bates played a crucial role in addressing the administrative gap. Jefferson appointed Meriwether Lewis to succeed Wilkinson as governor of the Louisiana Territory, while Frederick Bates was designated as the territory’s secretary and the recorder of land titles.

While serving as secretary of the Louisiana Territory, Bates wielded considerable influence: in the absence of the territorial governor, the secretary served as acting governor. From April 1, 1807, until March 8, 1808, Bates functioned as the acting governor of the Louisiana Territory until Meriwether Lewis assumed the role. Upon Lewis’s arrival in St. Louis, he and Bates experienced conflicts over patronage appointments and Native American policy.

On October 11, 1809, Governor Lewis passed away, and Bates once again assumed the role of acting governor. President James Madison sought to appoint Bates as the permanent governor, but he declined the position due to a potential decrease in salary. Bates continued to fulfill his other roles while acting as governor until Benjamin Howard was appointed in 1810. When Congress established the Missouri Territory in June 1812, Bates retained his positions as secretary and recorder of land titles, serving as acting governor for a third time. Ultimately, he stepped down from territorial leadership for the last time on July 1, 1813. When statehood was achieved in 1821, Bates gave up his secretarial role, but remained in the land-title office until 1824.

When Missouri achieved statehood, many merchants and professionals from the St. Louis area, who were longtime associates of Bates, encouraged him to run for a seat in the United States Senate. Instead, he and his associates backed William Clark in his bid for the governorship. Despite their support, Clark was defeated by Alexander McNair in the election.

In the subsequent statewide election, Bates decided to run for governor. He received support from Senator David Barton, who was aligned with John Quincy Adams. Bates faced competition from William Henry Ashley, the state's lieutenant governor. However, he garnered endorsements from influential figures such as Senator Thomas Hart Benton and was able to secure the election. A year into his term, Bates fell ill and died in 1825. His lieutenant governor had resigned calling forth the President Pro Tempore of the Missouri Senate to step in as acting governor.

Historical Significance

Bates County in west central Missouri was named in honor of Gov. Bates in 1841.

During his tenure of acting governor, Bates, aided by William Clark, the U.S. Native American agent, organized the territorial militia and managed relations with Native American tribes. He also maintained his role as recorder of land titles.