Benjamin E. Bates

Benjamin E. Bates
Bates in 1857
Chair of the Board of Trustees of Bates College
In office 1848–1857
Appointed by	Oren B. Cheney
Personal details
Born	(1808-07-08)8 July 1808 Mansfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Died	Boston, Massachusetts
Residence	Lewiston, Maine
Alma mater	Dartmouth College
Occupation	Industrialist, Philanthropist, Entrepreneur
Religion	Congregationalist
Signature	Benjamin E. Bates's signature

Benjamin Edward Bates (July 8, 1808 – January 14, 1878) was an American business magnate, philanthropist, and business executive. He initially gained wealth and influence as textile manufacturer and owner the Bates Mill. Bates played a critical role in the economic and educational development of Maine. He is widely known for his role in the financing of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, along with founder Oren B. Cheney and the construction of the tallest building in Boston at the time, the Church of the Covenant.

Born in Mansfield, Massachusetts, Bates grew up in religious and educated household that provided him with the connections needed to establish himself as a businessman. Known for his widespread business endeavors in the state of Maine during the 1850s and 1860s, he produced some of the most prominent academic institutions, buildings, and manufacturing sites in Maine. He generated considerable wealth during his lifetime and was committed to the philanthropic endeavors of charitable giving to educational institutions. Bates co-founded the firm of Davis, Bates & Turner (later Bates & Turner), which existed from 1833 until 1847. His businesses were the largest employer in the city of Lewiston, Maine, during the 1850s and 1860s. During the American Civil War, he provided thousands of French-Canadians and Europeans with employment in his mills.

He is the namesake and a founder of Bates College and the Bates Mill in Lewiston, Maine. His involvement in the college at the time of political unrest provided the college with financial stability in the financial panics of the 1870s. As an early benefactor of Bates College, he was a close adviser to Oren B. Cheney, suggesting that the college be located in a central point in Maine. He envisioned a college that was based in “freedom, civil rights, and the importance of a higher education for all who could benefit from it.”

Early life

He was born in Mansfield, Massachusetts in 1808 to Sarah and Elkanah Bates, a Yankee farmer, cotton manufacturer and merchant. Benjamin attended local schools and the Academy in Wrentham from 1823 to 1825. He then enrolled in Dartmouth College briefly before moving to Boston, Massachusetts in 1829. Bates entered the dry goods business with Barnabas T. Loring on Washington Street. At age 24, he made a public profession of Christian faith, and he was a lifelong Congregationalist and temperance supporter. Bates taught Sunday school at several churches in Boston including Park Street Church and was later an active member of Central Congregational Church in Boston. He was largely responsible for constructing the current church building, formerly the tallest building in Boston.

Business pursuits

His principle accomplishment during his business career was the establishment of Bates Manufacturing Company. Bates co-founded the firm of Davis, Bates & Turner (later Bates & Turner), which existed from 1833 until 1847. After the dissolution of the firm in 1847, Bates served as president and on the board of several banking, manufacturing and railroad corporations, including First National Bank of Commerce in Boston, the Union Pacific Railroad, and the Lewiston Water Power Company in Lewiston, Maine, which built the first canal in the city. Bates was also the largest investor in the Bates Mill in Lewiston, which opened in 1854 and produced textiles into the 21st century.

Correctly anticipating that the increasing talk of secession in the Southern states might eventually lead to a shortage of cotton, Bates bought cotton prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. During the War, Bates was able to produce uniforms for the Union Army as well as other textiles.

Bates Mill

Main article: Bates Mill

Bates Mill is a textile factory company founded in 1850 and located at 35 Canal Street in Lewiston, Maine. Bates produced Maine's largest employer through the 1960s through this Mill. Much of the capital generated from this mill was used in the foundation of Bates College. In 2015, the mills were renovated to house businesses, apartments, and a small museum. On August 16, 1850, Maine Governor John Hubbard signed the incorporation act and the mill was completed 1852. Bates positioned the mill in Lewiston due to the location of the Lewiston Falls which provided the mill with power. Under Bates’ supervision, during the Civil War, the mill produced textiles to the Union Army. His mills generated employment for thousands of Canadians, and immigrants from Europe.

Death and legacy

Bates College

Main article: Bates College

Bates was the largest of the early donors to Bates College. He first made substantial donations to the school when it was known at the Maine State Seminary through the Lewiston Power Company. In 1862, he personally pledged $6,000 to the school. Then in 1863 the Seminary's president and founder, Oren B. Cheney appointed him as a trustee of the college in 1848 and subsequently became Chairman of the Board of Trustee of the college due to his considerable donations. Cheney renamed the College after Bates without his knowledge. Bates' donations to the College totalled over $100,000 (1 million in 2015 U.S. dollars).

Panic of 1873

Main article: Panic of 1873

Bates has pledged another $100,000 to be paid after his death, but due to the economic recession in the 1870s, known as the Panic of 1873, Bates' estate was substantially lessened. During this financial crisis many go his properties lessened in value and he was forced to refinance. Due to the dependence of Lewiston on Bates many citizens suffered financially in the personal losses of Bates. After the stabilization of his properties and business contracts he began a further expansion into Lewiston's economic environment. He built Bates Mill No.5 which became his fastest growing Mill within years and provided the city with substantial employment.

File:Benjamin Bates grave.JPG

Bates' grave at the Mount Auburn Cemetery

Death

After his death in 1878, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts eventually ruled that Bates' heirs did not have to pay Bates College the pledged $100,000. This left the college financially burdened for two years. After this period of recession the college began to financially recuperate to a larger endowment. Over the next couple of years Bates College's endowment head grown slowly and steadily. Benjamin Bates was buried at the Mount Auburn Cemetery on Fir Avenue.

Bates College is currently one of the top ranked colleges in the United States and is commonly referred to as a "Little Ivy".

Legacy

Bates is widely regarded as one of the most crucial members of the development of the city of Lewiston and Bates College. Many buildings, streets, and churches are named after him. Bates College's inaugural president, Cheney said the following of Bates: “…Mr. Bates wanted labor for our laborers, education for our children, places of worship for our worshipers, light for our streets, water for our houses, and a hospital for our sick and our dying."

Connected institutions

The following is a list of institutions, developments, and national landmarks founded or greatly influenced by Benjamin E. Bates.

• Bates College
• Bates Mill
• The Bates Manufacturing Company
• The Bates Associacation
• Union Pacific Railroad
• Central Congregational Church of Boston
• Park Street Church
• Lewiston, Maine

• 

  Coram Library, Bates College

• 

  Dana Chemistry Hall, Bates College

• 

  Hathorn Hall, Bates College

• 

  Seminary Hall, early Bates College

• 

  Bates Mill, Lewiston, Maine

References

• Oren Cheney, "Eulogy on the Life of Benjamin Edward Bates," Bates Student, June, 1878, 131-149, (Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library, Bates College) (part 2).

External links

• Benjamin Bates Eulogy, pg. 131-149, Bates Student 1877-78 (part 2)