Joseph Bengal Bates was a U.S. Representative

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...

 from Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

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Born in Republican, Kentucky, Bates attended the public schools and the Mountain Training School at Hindman, Kentucky

Hindman, Kentucky

As of the census of 2000, there were 787 people, 356 households, and 220 families residing in the city. The population density was 232.5 people per square mile . There were 415 housing units at an average density of 122.6 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 97.59% White, 0.38%...

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He graduated from Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College at Richmond in 1916.
He studied law.
He taught in the rural schools of Knott County, Kentucky

Knott County, Kentucky

Knott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1884. As of 2000, the population was 17,649. Its county seat is Hindman. The county is named for James Proctor Knott, Governor of Kentucky . It is a prohibition or dry county. Notable inhabitants include U.S....

, from 1912 to 1915,
was high school superintendent at Raceland, Kentucky

Raceland, Kentucky

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,355 people, 935 households, and 707 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,068.3 people per square mile . There were 1,002 housing units at an average density of 454.5 per square mile...

 from 1917 to 1919,
and worked as county clerk of Greenup County, Kentucky

Greenup County, Kentucky

Greenup County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1804. As of 2000, the population was 36,891. Its county seat is Greenup. The county is named in honor of Christopher Greenup....

 from 1922 to 1938.

Bates was elected as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 to the Seventy-fifth

75th United States Congress

The Seventy-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1937 to January 3, 1939, during the first two years...

 Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Fred M. Vinson

Fred M. Vinson

Frederick Moore Vinson served the United States in all three branches of government and was the most prominent member of the Vinson political family. In the legislative branch, he was an elected member of the United States House of Representatives from Louisa, Kentucky, for twelve years...

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He was reelected to the Seventy-sixth

76th United States Congress

The Seventy-sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1939 to January 3, 1941, during the seventh and...

 and to the six succeeding Congresses and served from June 4, 1938, to January 3, 1953.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1952, and unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination in 1956 for the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

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He practiced law and was a resident of Greenup, Kentucky

Greenup, Kentucky

Greenup is a city in Greenup County, Kentucky, at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Sandy Rivers. The population was 1,198 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Greenup County. Greenup is named in honor of Christopher Greenup....

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He died in Ashland, Kentucky

Ashland, Kentucky

Ashland, formerly known as Poage Settlement, is a city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States, nestled along the banks of the Ohio River. The population was 21,981 at the 2000 census. Ashland is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 census, the...

, September 10, 1965.
He was interred in Bellefonte Memorial Gardens, Flatwoods, Kentucky

Flatwoods, Kentucky

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,605 people, 3,114 households, and 2,282 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,691.9 people per square mile . There were 3,338 housing units at an average density of 742.6 per square mile...

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External links

• Joe B. Bates at Find-A-Grave