Asher B. Bates | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1810-05-02)May 2, 1810 |
| Died | June 1, 1873(1873-06-01) (aged 63) San Francisco |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Gertrude Judd |
| Parent(s) | Asher Bates ? Steel |
Asher B. Bates (May 2, 1810 – June 1, 1873) was a lawyer and politician in the United States state ofMichigan and in theKingdom of Hawaii.
His father was also named Asher Bates, so he is sometimes called Asher Bates Jr.[1][2]
Bates was born May 2, 1810, inLe Roy,Genesee County, New York.[3] He graduated fromUnion College in 1828[4] and came toDetroit,Michigan, in 1831, where he was an attorney, Justice of the Peace, City Attorney, and City Recorder. In 1838, he served asMayor of Detroit[5] after the resignation ofAugustus S. Porter to run for theU.S. Senate.[6] He was also an agent for the Protection Insurance Company of Hartford.[7]He married Lucilla Beals October 23, 1832, but she died in 1839.[8]
He established the practice of Farnsworth & Bates withElon Farnsworth. They were joined byHenry N. Walker in 1836, who had studied law in their office. In 1837, Farnsworth left the firm to become chancellor of the chancery court of Michigan and with the addition of Samuel T. Douglass, the firm became Bates, Walker & Douglass. The firm of Walker & Douglass continued after Bates' departure for several years until they were joined byJames V. Campbell. Both Campbell and Douglass served terms on theMichigan Supreme Court[9] and both Farnsworth and Walker served asMichigan Attorney General.[10]
He married Elizabeth Gertrude (or Gilmore) Judd (1810–?) December 6, 1843.At some point he moved from Detroit toJackson County, Michigan, where he ran unsuccessfully as aWhig Party candidate for Justice of Probate in 1844.[11]
By July 1848 he had emigrated to theHawaiian Islands and became a citizen of theKingdom of Hawaii.[12]Bates was brother-in-law ofGerrit P. Judd, a former American missionary doctor who was then a power cabinet minister.[13] He served from August 21, 1849, to 1853 on the Privy Council of KingKamehameha III. On November 1, 1849, he becameRegistrar of Conveyances until August 3, 1859.[14]Although the office ofAttorney General was not officially part of the cabinet since the resignation of flamboyant but short-livedJohn Ricord, Bates served as lawyer for the king.[15] Ricord had help design the executive branch and served as combined Attorney General and Registrar, or chiefNotary Public. Bates was succeeded by Thomas Brown who served until 1886.[16]
He moved to San Francisco in 1863 to become a bankruptcy judge and died on June 1, 1873.[17] ofleprosy contracted while in Hawaii.[18]
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