The Biographical Dictionary of America/Bates, Joshua

​BATES, Joshua, banker, was born at Weymouth. Mass., in 1788, son of Col. Joshua Bates. He became London agent for Robert Gray, a Boston merchant. in 1809, and established a banking house with a son of Sir Thomas Baring, which was later merged into the house of Baring Brothers & Co. He settled various points at issue between the United States and Great Britain after the war of 1812. In 1852 he gave $50,000 to the Boston public library for the purchase of standard books to be accessible to the public in a room where one hundred could be seated. Bates Hall is named in his honor. He afterward gave his library of 30,000 volumes to the same institution. He died in London, England, Sept. 24, 1864.

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