Favorable or Unfavorable #35: Edward Bates

[vcczar]

Edward Bates of MO was a significant enough rival in the 1860 GOP nomination that Lincoln named him to the cabinet as part of the "team of rivals," a term used over a century after the time. He was briefly a Know Nothing when the Whigs collapsed. He supported the GOP primarily for reasons other than abolition, although he wasn't pro-slavery. He gave all of his former slaves freedom and even paid for one of them to go to Liberia to start a life there, presumably the former slave's desire. Nevertheless, he was a moderate on the issue, so much so he didn't support Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. 

Here are his actions:

Bates, Edward	1850	Declined Fillmore's Sec of War offer
Bates, Edward	1852	support for VP nom on Whig ticket
Bates, Edward	1860	Rep candidate for pres
Bates, Edward	1861	Confirmed Att Gen for Lincoln, serving through most of the Civil War
Bates, Edward	1863	Disagreed w/ Lincoln on Emancipation Proclamation
Bates, Edward	1864	Resigns as Att Gen after being passed over for Ch J of the SC

[vcczar]

I'll give him the edge for serving during a troubling time and being good at his job. His disagreement on the EP is worrisome, but I won't use that as the focus of my evaluation. 

[ShortKing]

I rated him favorably only because I am currently reading Team of Rivals and Goodwin spends a good amount of time discussing the risky gambit Lincoln was making in assembling a Cabinet made up of the candidates he defeated and how he needed their cooperation for this venture to succeed so Bates gets credit for that. 

[OrangeP47]

3 hours ago, vcczar said:

I'll give him the edge for serving during a troubling time and being good at his job. His disagreement on the EP is worrisome, but I won't use that as the focus of my evaluation. 

I'll do the same, though if he had anything to do with that habeus corpus fiasco I'd change my vote.  TBH he probably did.

[vcczar]

2 minutes ago, OrangeP47 said:

I'll do the same, though if he had anything to do with that habeus corpus fiasco I'd change my vote.  TBH he probably did.

That was Thaddeus Stevens. You don't have a Justice Dept until 1870, so Bates couldn't enforce anything. He just advised Lincoln on what was legal and what wasn't. Steven's bill argued the legality for it.