Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-09
His Public Career.

The death of Senator Bate terminates a
long career in public life. Mr. Bate was
born October I, 1926 near Castalian
Springs, Tenn. He received an academic
education, and when quite youth served a
second clerk on a steamboat between Nash
vile and New Orleans.
He served private throughout the
Mexican war in Louisiana and Tennessee
regiments. A year after he returned from
the Mexican war he was elected to the
Tennessee legislature.
Senator Bate graduated from the
Lebanon law school in 1852, and entered
upon the practice of his profession at Gal
latin, Tenn, in 1854. He was elected at
torney general for the Nashville district
for six years, and during his term of Office
was nominated for Congress, but declined to
be a candidate.
In 1850 he a presidential elector on
the Brecknridge-Lane ticket.
He entered the confederate army at the
breaking out of the a private. and
rose through the several grades of the
service until he became major general. He
surrendered with the army of the TenneS-
see in 1865. He was three times danger
ously wounded and received several other
wounds of a less serious nature. His serv-
ice brought him many high honors, and he
was regarded one of the leading military
comma nderS of the confederacy. Many of
his admirers believed he was in line for
promotion to the head of the confederate
army had there been an opening.
After the close of the war he returned to
Tennessee and resumed the practice of law
He a delegate to the democratic ma
tional convention in 1865 and served on the
national democratic executive committee
for Tennessee for twelve years. He was
an elector for the state at large of the
Tilden and Hendricks ticket in 1876. In 1882
Mr.. Bate was elected governor of Tennes-
see, and was reelected in 1884 without op-
position in his party: In January. 1887 he
was elected to the United States Senate to
succeed Senator WlitthOrne.
Service in the Senate.
Senator Bate continued to serve his state
in the Senate continuously ever since his
first election, and last Saturday was again
sworn in as a senator for the term ending
March 4, 1911. During the past winter he
represented the minority of the Senate in
the statehood fight. He contended for a
bill that would make many states as
possible of the territories in the southwest.
He was active during this entire fight,
and in the last days of Congress he at
tempted to join his forces with those Of
the majority in order to bring about some
sort of compromise that would at least
permit state to be made of Oklahoma and
Indian territory.
As one of the oldest members of the
Serate and because of his illustrious career
before he entered that body, Mr.. Bate was
held in high esteem.
He was elected a senator for the term
beginning last Saturday after very hard
fight. His most powerful antagonist for
the senatorship was Ex-Governor Mcmillan
The Legislature was tied up some days be-
fore the election of Mr.. Bate was assured
The legislature of Tennessee is now in
session and will in a few days proceed to
the election of a successor to Mr.. Bate.
His War Record.
General Bate lad war record that placed
him in the vanguard Of the illustrious men
who fought the battles of the confederacy
He rose to the rank of major genedAl by
sheer worth when there was preference
shown generally to graduates of West Point
for the highest places in the army.
What Lamar was to Mississippi, John c.
Breckenridge to Kentucky or Ben Hill to
Georgia. William B. Bate was to the state
or Tennessee, or even more one
OF those men served their people SO long
as he. The fighters ot either army who
0snntinued on Eiehth PAGE