January 9, 1854 – Curtis Bates is nominated for Governor at the State Democratic Convention held in Iowa City.
In 1841, Curtis Bates – a 35-year old lawyer/politician from Ohio – came into Iowa City in order to start up a new law office. In 1843, Bates was one of fifteen well-established city leaders who served on the Board of Trustees for the newly-formed Iowa City College. In 1844, Bates was appointed a Judge, and along with James Robinson and Cyrus Sanders, was assigned to oversee local elections for the Iowa City precinct. Two years later, in 1846, Judge Curtis was elected to represent Johnson County at the Iowa Statehood Constitutional Convention held in Iowa City.
In a very close race for governor, Whig candidate – James W. Grimes of Burlington – won (1854), and in 1855, Judge Bates decided to step away from politics, sold his interest in his Des Moines-based newspaper – The Star, and with his health failing (1861), retired from his law practice and devoted his time to the care of his large property holdings.
A Day-by-Day Calendar of Historical Events In Iowa, William J. Petersen, State Historical Society of Iowa, 1946, p 8
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