Sir Dawson Bates | |
|---|---|
 Bates (on left) in 1921 | |
| Minister of Home Affairs | |
| In office 7 June 1921 – 6 May 1943 | |
| Member of theNorthern Ireland Parliament forBelfast East Belfast, Victoria (1929–1945) | |
| In office 1921–1945 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1876-11-23)23 November 1876 Belfast, United Kingdom |
| Died | 20 June 1949(1949-06-20) (aged 72) Glastonbury, United Kingdom |
| Political party | Ulster Unionist Party |
| Spouse | Jessie Muriel Cleland |
| Children | 1 |
Sir Richard Dawson Bates, 1st BaronetOBE PC JP DL (23 November 1876 – 10 June 1949), known asDawson Bates, was anUlster Unionist Party (UUP) member of theHouse of Commons of Northern Ireland.
He was born inStrandtown,Belfast, the son of Richard Dawson Bates, solicitor andClerk of the Crown, and Mary Dill. His paternal grandfather, John Bates (d. 1855), had been a minor figure in the Conservative Party in Belfast, before his duties were discharged on a Chancery Court ruling of maladministration.
Bates was educated atColeraine Academical Institution. After studying atQueen's University Belfast, he became asolicitor in 1900, in 1908 founding a firm with his uncle – E and R.D. Bates, later R.B.Uprichard would be apprenticed, become a partner and eventually take over the firm of E and R.D. Bates and Uprichard, as Crown Solicitor. In 1906, Bates was appointed Secretary of the Ulster Unionist Council. During this time, he was instrumental in the events ofUlster Day and in the formation of theUlster Volunteer Force, organised theLarne gun-running and supported the formation of theUlster Unionist Labour Association to countersocialism.[1] He toured Northern Ireland, working hard to build up the Unionist Party, while portraying allRoman Catholics, thus Nationalists as traitors.[2] Bates heavy influence in the UUP meant his reluctance to co-operate with Roman Catholics had to be heeded if the party was to avoid splits.[3]
Bates stood down as secretary on his election toStormont in1921, where he represented firstBelfast East and laterBelfast Victoria. In the government ofJames Craig he was Northern Irelands firstMinister for Home Affairs and a member of thePrivy Council of Northern Ireland. On 15 December 1921 Bates authorized the closure of the County Councils for counties Tyrone and Fermanagh due to their pledges of allegiance to the new Irish Parliament (Dáil Éireann).[4] On 15 March 1922 he introduced theCivil Authorities (Special Powers) Act, which permitted search, arrest/detention without warrant, flogging and capital punishment for arms offences.[5] Internments began upon the Commencementof the Act (7 April 1922). By May 1922 up to 700 members of theIrish Republican Army (IRA) had been arrested.[6] In July 1922 many internees were transferred to the prison ship (hulk)HMS Argenta which has been described as a "floating gulag".[7] (SeeThe Troubles in Ulster (1920–1922))
In 1936 the BritishNational Council for Civil Liberties published a report on the Special Powers Act and the actions of Bates stating: "As soon as the Special Powers Act was passed and Regulation 23B in operation the minister of home affairs and the police acting under his authority proceeded to arrest many hundreds of people suspected of political opposition to the Unionist party, and to intern them, in the majority of cases for upwards of two years. No charges were ever laid against these internees, nor did the minister or the police give any reasons, in writing or otherwise, for having them arrested."[8] In late 1939 Bates responded to attacks along the border by again using internment, which delayed the start of the IRAsNorthern campaign.[9] Under his administration, Bates was accused ofgerrymandering, and of intervening to ensure that prison sentences were not imposed onProtestants who attacked Catholics.[1]
Bates was also a Deputy Lord Lieutenant ofCounty Down.
He married Jessie Muriel Cleland, daughter of Sir Charles John Cleland. They had one son, Major Sir John Dawson Bates, 2nd Baronet (an Oxford-educated Wykehamist, [1921-1998]).
He was appointed anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the1919 New Year Honours,[10]Knight Bachelor in 1921[11] and was made abaronet of Magherabuoy, nearPortrush, inCounty Londonderry on 7 June 1937.[12] In his retirement strained financial circumstances and security (he constantly required a police escort) led him to rent Butleigh House, nearGlastonbury,Somerset. It was here he died in 1949; Bates' body was flown back to Ulster for burial at Ballywillan Church of Ireland.[1]
Bates was a director and president ofGlentoran Football Club.[13]
| Parliament of Northern Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|
| New parliament | Member of Parliament forBelfast East 1921–1929 With:Herbert Dixon 1921–1929 Thompson Donald 1921–1925 James Augustine Duff 1921–1925 Jack Beattie 1925–1929 James Woods Gyle 1925–1929 | Parliament abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forBelfast Victoria 1929–1945 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary of theUlster Unionist Council 1906–1921 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| New office | Minister of Home Affairs 1921–1943 | Succeeded by |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New title Granted by King George VI | Baronet (ofMagherabuoy) 1937–1949 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
