Joshua Bates (financier)
Joshua Bates | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Weymouth, Massachusetts, United States |
| Died | September 24, 1864 (aged 75) London, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Financier |
| Years active | Early 19th century – 1864 |
| Known for | Senior partner at Barings Bank; benefactor of Boston Public Library; advocate for Union during American Civil War |
Joshua Bates (October 10, 1788 – September 24, 1864) was a prominent American financier whose professional life was divided between the United States and the United Kingdom.
Early life
Hailing from Weymouth, Massachusetts, Bates was born to Colonel Joshua Bates, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, and Tirzah Pratt Bates. Following his father’s passing in 1804, his mother remarried Ebenezer Hunt. His sister Nancy wed Captain Warren Weston and became the mother of abolitionist Maria Weston Chapman, whose education in London was financially supported by Bates.
Career
Bates initially worked under merchant William Gray in Charlestown before relocating to London in 1828 to join Barings Bank, where he ultimately rose to the position of senior partner. In 1853, he acted as an arbitrator concerning claims related to the War of 1812.
In 1852, Bates contributed $50,000 toward establishing the Boston Public Library, with the condition that the funds be allocated for enduring literary works and sufficient reading facilities; he subsequently donated an additional 30,000 books. The main reading room of the library, known as Bates Hall, commemorates his generosity.
During the American Civil War period, Bates was a leading American expatriate in London who advocated for the Union cause alongside notable figures such as Charles Francis Adams and Henry Adams. As an art enthusiast, he commissioned pieces from Thomas Cole for his residence at Portland Place. Additionally, he constructed New Lodge near Windsor for his daughter and her husband Sylvain Van de Weyer, who held influential positions within Queen Victoria’s court.
Personal life
Bates was married to Lucretia Augusta Sturgis (1787–1863), a first cousin of Boston merchants Captain William Sturgis and Nathaniel Russell Sturgis. They had two children:
- William Rufus Gray Bates (1815–1834), who died at a young age.
- Elizabeth Anne Sturgis Bates (1817–1878), who became the wife of Belgian Prime Minister Sylvain Van de Weyer.
Joshua Bates passed away on September 24, 1864, and his remains were interred at Kensal Green Cemetery in London.
Descendants
Through his daughter Elizabeth, Bates was grandfather to seven grandchildren. Among them was Eleanor Van de Weyer, who married Reginald Baliol Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher. Their daughter Sylvia Brett later became the final Rani of Sarawak. Another granddaughter, Alice Emma Sturgis van de Weyer, wed the Honorable Charles Brand, son of Henry Brand, 1st Viscount Hampden.
See also
- Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, McKim Building
- Joshua Bates School, South End, Boston, Massachusetts
References
Publications
- Tribute of Boston merchants to the memory of Joshua Bates: October 1864
- Memorial of Joshua Bates (Boston, 1865)
- Persuading John Bull: Union and Confederate Propaganda in Britain, 1860–65
External links
- 1788 births
- 1864 deaths
- People from Weymouth, Massachusetts
- American bankers
- American autobiographers
- American expatriates in England
- Businesspeople from Boston
- Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery
- People associated with the Boston Public Library
- 19th-century American philanthropists
- 19th-century American businesspeople