[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 24, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING SHERRIFF STEPHEN BATES

 Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Mr. 
Stephen Bates, who was Vermont's first Black sheriff and chief of 
police. Mr. Bates was elected sheriff and chief of police of Vergennes, 
VT, in 1879, where he served as a public official until his death in 
1907.
  Mr. Bates faced many obstacles on his journey to his elected 
positions in Vergennes. Born in Shirley, VA, in 1842, historical 
records show that he and his family members were enslaved on the 
Shirley plantation. In August of 1862, Mr. Bates successfully escape 
from the Shirley plantation. Several months prior to the Emancipation 
Act of 1863, Mr. Bates courageously helped many other enslaved people 
escape to freedom.
  After the Civil War, when Mr. Bates was in the service of officers at 
Harrison's Landing, Mr. Bates was employed by U.S. Representative 
Frederick E. Woodbridge, of Vergennes, VT. Mr. Bates worked as 
Congressman Woodbridge's coachman and moved with him to Vergennes in 
1866. In 1871, Mr. Bates married Frances Mason of Elizabethtown, NY, 
and had two children, Rose and Fredrick. The Bates family lived on 
North Street in Vergennes until 1880, when their home was destroyed by 
a fire. The residents of Vergennes showed much support to the family 
following the fire, rallying to raise money to help them during that 
difficult time.
  During his time as chief of police, Mr. Bates was responsible for 
some notable arrests, including ``Brooklyn Slim'' and ``Ottawa Red,'' 
two members of a gang of post office burglars. He also had in his 
custody Oliver Curtis Perry, an infamous New York train robber of the 
time. Newspaper articles describe Mr. Bates as the arresting officer in 
murder, grand larceny, check forgery, and vagrancy cases in Vergennes 
and the surrounding area. In 1897, Mr. Bates was awarded $100 by the 
Assistant Attorney General of the Post Office Department for his 
extraordinary work in arresting two people involved with robbing post 
offices in Morrisville, Glover, and Windsor, VT, in 1894.
  Though Mr. Bates dedicated his life to his community, he still faced 
many challenges as the first Black sheriff in Vermont. During one 
incident, a man tried to kill Sheriff Bates while he was responding to 
a call. And while the man was charged with attempted murder, he was 
found guilty of obstructing, beating, and wounding an officer. 
Vergennes community members stated that Mr. Bates ``was almost entirely 
a self-taught man, and in the discharge of the duties of his office was 
cool and self-restrained, rarely if ever acting hastily.'' Despite 
this, Mr. Bates was not well-compensated for his work and was required 
to work a number of other jobs to provide for his family. As he was 
skilled at handling and caring for horses, he managed a horse company 
owned by Congressman Woodbridge's son. He also worked as a trusted 
night watchman at a local bank, as well as a custodian. Uniquely 
dedicated to his community despite the hardship he faced, Mr. Bates 
also served as an appointed agent for the Humane Society, and he and 
his family were active members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in 
Vergennes. Mr. Bates died from cardiac arrest while milking a cow on 
June 10, 1907.
  I am proud to honor the life and work of Mr. Stephen Bates. Though he 
remains relatively unknown by many Vermonters, it is encouraging to 
know that Vergennes and its residents came together not long after the 
end of the Civil War to elect Vermont's first Black sheriff and chief 
of police, who was an exemplary public servant and community leader. It 
is a remarkable American story that I am glad to honor and celebrate.

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