Frederick Bates, Part 2

Photo:  St. Louis County, Missouri.  Thornhill Estate at Faust Park.

Frederick Bates was secretary of the Louisiana Territory under Meriwether Lewis. From the very beginning, the two men were adversaries and much is written about their on-going rivalry and disagreements.

Bates came to St. Louis in 1807 when he assumed the Secretary position for the new territory. He also was the Recorder of Land Titles and a member of the Board of Land Commissioners in Upper Louisiana. In these roles, he would determine whether Spanish, French, or American claims and customs would be predominate.

Born in 1777 into a planter-class family of Virginia, Bates settled in Detroit in 1797 and became its postmaster in 1803. While there he worked as an attorney and was appointed to a political position in Michigan Territory. President Jefferson appointed him to the Upper Louisiana Territorial secretary position in 1807, which he held until 1812.

When Congress renamed the Territory of Louisiana to the Territory of Missouri in 1812 to avoid confusion with the newly admitted state of Louisiana, Bates maintained the Secretary position and became acting governor during the frequent absences of Territorial Governor William Clark.

In the gubernatorial election of 1824, Bates defeated Lt. Governor William Henry Ashley and was sworn into office as the second governor of the state of Missouri in November. Unfortunately, on August 4, 1825, he died of pleurisy and was buried in the family cemetery near his home, Thornhill Estate. This home can be visited today in Faust County Park, Chesterfield, Missouri.