Henry L. Bates Papers

Henry Liberty "Prin" Bates was the last principal of Tualatin Academy and a Professor of Philosophy at Pacific University. Born on January 7, 1853 in Akron, Ohio, Henry Bates was educated at Oberlin College where he earned an A.B. degree in 1876. In 1881, Henry Bates was ordained as a congregational minister at Oberlin Theological Seminary together with Thomas McClelland (later to become president of Pacific University), with whom he became a lifelong friend. Henry Bates then served as pastor in Dover (Ohio), in Seattle (Washington), in Petaluma (California) and in Eugene (Oregon), before being recruited by Thomas McClelland to serve as the nineteenth principal of Tualatin Academy in 1893. The Academy was a college preparatory high school attached to Pacific University. During his tenure, Henry Bates mitigated a long-standing administrative dispute between Tualatin Academy and Pacific University. After the Academy's closure in 1915, Henry Bates accepted a position as Professor of Philosophy at Pacific University, and also served as Dean of Faculty. In 1918, Henry Bates was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by Pacific University in recognition of his work for Christian education. Henry Bates retired in 1926. The former president's residence on campus was named Bates House in his honor in 1960. Source: G. Miranda & R. Read. (2000). Splendid Audacity: The Story of Pacific University. Documentary Books, Seattle: WA.