Bate, William B
soldier, lawyer, governor, United States senator, was born Oct. 17, 1826, in Castalian Springs, Tenn.
He received an academic education; served as a private throughout the Mexican war in Louisiana and Tennessee regiments; and a year after returning from the Mexican war was elected to the Tennessee legislature. In 1854 he was elected attorney-general for the Nashville district for six years; was a presidential elector in 1860; was private, captain, colonel, brigadier-general, and major-general in the confederate service, surrendering with the army of Tennessee in 1865; and was three times dangerously wounded. After the close of the war he returned to Tennessee and resumed the practice of law; was a delegate to the democratic national convention in 1868; served the national democratic executive committee for Tennessee twelve years; was an elector for the state-at-large on the Tilden and Hendricks ticket in 1876; in 1882 was elected governor of Tennessee, and re-elected in 1884 without opposition.
He was elected to the United States senate in 1887, and in 1893-99. on