James Woodson Bates
Encyclopedia
James Woodson Bates was an American
lawyer and statesman from Sebastian County, Arkansas. He represented the Arkansas Territory
as a delegate to the U.S. Congress
. He served in 1828 as a judge of the superior court of the territory. In 1835 he was s delegate to the constitutional convention for the new state of Arkansas.
Bates was part of a political family, the younger brother of Frederick Bates
, second governor of Missouri; and older brother of Edward Bates
, who served as US Attorney General to President Abraham Lincoln
.
at his parents' plantation
known as Belmont. He was the ninth child of Thomas and Caroline (Woodson) Bates. He started his advanced education at Yale
but soon transferred to Princeton
, where he graduated in 1807. He read law and then went west.
had been appointed in 1807 in St. Louis as the Secretary to the Missouri Territory
. James and his younger brother Edward
also moved to St. Louis
, where James began the practice of law (Edward would follow him in this profession).
In 1819 the Arkansas Territory
was created. James Bates moved to its capital, Arkansas Post
, to become one of the first lawyers in the new territory. That fall he was elected to be the non-voting delegate for the territory in the United States House of Representatives
. He served two terms, from December 21, 1819 until March 3, 1823, and chose not to stand for re-election in 1822.
While serving in Congress, he had moved to the small settlement called Poke Bayou. When the town plat was laid out in 1821, it was renamed Batesville
in his honor. When his Congressional term ended, he returned to Batesville and resumed practicing law. He became a local judge in 1824, riding the fourth circuit through the western part of the territory.
In 1828 President John Quincy Adams
appointed him to the superior court of the territory. Bates served until 1828, when President Jackson
named judge Charles S. Bibb to the post.
in Crawford County. He later served as a probate court judge and a registrar in the land office.
. He died in 1846, and was buried in the family plot on the Moore farm near Van Buren, Arkansas.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer and statesman from Sebastian County, Arkansas. He represented the Arkansas Territory
Arkansas Territory
The Territory of Arkansas, initially organized as the Territory of Arkansaw, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1819 until June 15, 1836, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Arkansas.-History:The...
as a delegate to the U.S. Congress
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. He served in 1828 as a judge of the superior court of the territory. In 1835 he was s delegate to the constitutional convention for the new state of Arkansas.
Bates was part of a political family, the younger brother of Frederick Bates
Frederick Bates
Frederick Bates , older brother of Edward Bates and James Woodson Bates, was an American attorney and politician. He was elected in 1824 as the second governor of Missouri and died in office in 1825...
, second governor of Missouri; and older brother of Edward Bates
Edward Bates
Edward Bates was a U.S. lawyer and statesman. He served as United States Attorney General under Abraham Lincoln from 1861 to 1864...
, who served as US Attorney General to President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
.
Early life and education
James was born in Goochland County, VirginiaGoochland County, Virginia
Goochland County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 21,717. Its county seat is Goochland. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area ....
at his parents' plantation
Plantations in the American South
Plantations were an important aspect of the history of the American South, particularly the antebellum .-Planter :The owner of a plantation was called a planter...
known as Belmont. He was the ninth child of Thomas and Caroline (Woodson) Bates. He started his advanced education at Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
but soon transferred to Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, where he graduated in 1807. He read law and then went west.
Career
His older brother FrederickFrederick Bates
Frederick Bates , older brother of Edward Bates and James Woodson Bates, was an American attorney and politician. He was elected in 1824 as the second governor of Missouri and died in office in 1825...
had been appointed in 1807 in St. Louis as the Secretary to the Missouri Territory
Missouri Territory
The Territory of Missouri was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 4, 1812 until August 10, 1821, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Missouri.-History:...
. James and his younger brother Edward
Edward Bates
Edward Bates was a U.S. lawyer and statesman. He served as United States Attorney General under Abraham Lincoln from 1861 to 1864...
also moved to St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, where James began the practice of law (Edward would follow him in this profession).
In 1819 the Arkansas Territory
Arkansas Territory
The Territory of Arkansas, initially organized as the Territory of Arkansaw, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1819 until June 15, 1836, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Arkansas.-History:The...
was created. James Bates moved to its capital, Arkansas Post
Arkansas Post National Memorial
Arkansas Post National Memorial, located about 8 miles southeast of Gillett, Arkansas, commemorates key events related to European-American history that occurred on site and in the vicinity: the trading post was the first successful French settlement in the Lower Mississippi River Valley ; site...
, to become one of the first lawyers in the new territory. That fall he was elected to be the non-voting delegate for the territory in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. He served two terms, from December 21, 1819 until March 3, 1823, and chose not to stand for re-election in 1822.
While serving in Congress, he had moved to the small settlement called Poke Bayou. When the town plat was laid out in 1821, it was renamed Batesville
Batesville, Arkansas
Batesville is the county seat and largest city of Independence County, Arkansas, United States, 80 miles northeast of Little Rock, the state capital. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 9,556...
in his honor. When his Congressional term ended, he returned to Batesville and resumed practicing law. He became a local judge in 1824, riding the fourth circuit through the western part of the territory.
In 1828 President John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
appointed him to the superior court of the territory. Bates served until 1828, when President Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
named judge Charles S. Bibb to the post.
Marriage and family
In the late 1820s while serving as a circuit judge, Bates met a wealthy widow, Elizabeth Moore. After they married, Bates moved to her Moore Farm near Van BurenVan Buren, Arkansas
Van Buren is the second largest city in the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area and the county seat of Crawford County, Arkansas, United States. The city is located directly northeast of Fort Smith at the Interstate 40 - Interstate 540 junction...
in Crawford County. He later served as a probate court judge and a registrar in the land office.
Later life
In 1835 Bates was a delegate to the state convention that drew up the first constitution of the new State of ArkansasArkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. He died in 1846, and was buried in the family plot on the Moore farm near Van Buren, Arkansas.