BATES, EDWARD 1869), American lawyer and statesman, was born in Belmont, Va., on Sept. 4, of a Quaker family. In 1814 he went to the Territory of Missouri of which his brother, Frederick, was secretary. There he began the practice of law and in 1816 be came prosecuting attorney at St.
Louis. He was a delegate to the State constitutional convention (182o), attorney-general of the State of Missouri (1820), mem ber of the legislature (1822), States attorney for Missouri (1824) and representative in Congress (1826 Anti-Democrat). After one term in Congress he devoted most of his time to the law, but served in the legislature in 183o and 1834, in the Chicago conven tion for internal improvement in 1847, in 1853 was appointed judge of the St. Louis land court and in 1856 led the Whig national con vention at Baltimore. He became increasingly prominent as an anti-slavery advocate and in the Republican national convention of 186o he received on the first ballot 48 votes for presidential can didate. He withdrew, however, in favour of Lincoln, who named him attorney-general in his first cabinet. In 1864 he resigned to resume the practice of law in St. Louis, where he died on March 25, 1869.