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Bio

Henry Moore Bates
The Michigan Alumnus 10-17

The Tappan professorship of law
 has been filled by the appointment
 and acceptance of Henry Moore Bates, 
 Ph.B., '90, LL.B. (Northwestern), 
 '92, of the Chicago bar.

During his 
law course, Mr. Bates was a student, 
 and afterwards was a clerk, in the 
office of Williams, Holt & Wheeler. 
 The firm's business was largely corporation work, and among their reg
ular clients were the Sante Fe, the 
Elgin, Joliet & Eastern, and the
 Gardner, Waukesha & Southwestern
 railroads, the Illinois Steel Company, 
the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany, and the Wells-Fargo Express
 Company. Thus he early got an in-
sight into corporation and railroad
 work.

After leaving the firm named above, he was for a year with Norton, Burley & Howell, who represented
 the Northern Pacific R. R., and who 
had also a large business in pro
bating and administering estates. The
 following year he was assistant librarian of the Chicago Law Institute, in
 charge of the actual work, the libra
rian being an honorary officer who
 had supervision. From 1895 to 1898 
he practiced on his own account, but
 with a quasi-partnership arrangement
 with John Maynard Harlan.

In the
 latter year the two entered into a full
 partnership, which was dissolved by
 the acceptance of the professorship. 
 The firm had a general practice with
 more corporation and probate work 
than anything else. They represented 
the Southern Pacific R. R. and
 other corporations. Mr. Bates has
 never been in politics as an office
 holder or candidate, but has been 
active at primary elections and at 
party caucuses as a supporter of clean
 men and methods.

For some years 
he was an officer in the Civic Feder
ation and has been a working commit
tee man in the Municipal Voters'
 League. His other interests are shown 
by memberships in the Chicago University Club, various legal societies, 
and the American Historical Associa
tion. He is secretary and a director
 of the Homewood Country Club, 
 treasurer of the Western Golf Association, and vice-president of the Chicago
 University of Michigan Association. 


His interest in athletics, which has 
made him always a force in our athletic 
policy, has in no way dimmed his 
greater interest in the more serious
 work of the University. It is only fair
ness to the alumni, who have a right to 
know fully of the sort of men who from
 year to year take up the work laid
 down by other teachers, that allows the 
statement that even in these days of 
specialists the new professor of law
 was earlier asked to enter the faculty
 of another department of the Univer
sity. Professor Bates is thirty-four
 years old.

He was married in 1892 to
 Clara A. Belfield, '92 (Wellesley). They have one child.