George Joseph Bates (February 25, 1891 – November 1, 1949) was a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from the state of

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. Born in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

, he served in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

1918–1924. Bates was then elected

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Salem in 1924 at the age of 33. He served as mayor until 1937, at which time he was sworn in as a Republican member of the House in the 75th Congress. During World War II, he was an interventionist. After the fall of France and before the Nazi invasion of Soviet Russia,

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

was effectively fighting the Nazis alone, throughout this time period Bates was outspokenly pro-British, and he advocated aiding Britain in any way possible, in order to help in their war against the Nazis. In 1941 he was one of the few Republicans to abstain from voting on the 1941 Lend Lease Act. Bates voted in favor of arming merchant ships. Bates made good on his campaign promises and voted to increase lend-lease funding to the British military as well as food aid for British civilians during

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

. Bates was subsequently re-elected six times. Bates was born in Salem, Massachusetts, the son of Annie (Burns) and Thomas F. Bates. His first immigrant ancestor was Increase Bates who migrated from Buckinghamshire, England and settled in

in 1629. Bates died in the crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 537 in Washington, D.C. in 1949. He was replaced in the House by his son, William Henry Bates. He was buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Salem. Bates Elementary School in Salem is named after George J. Bates and his son. His daughter, Carolyn (Bates) Stanton, is the maternal grandmother of comedian

John Mulaney John Edmund Mulaney (born August 26, 1982) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He first rose to prominence for his work as a writer on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2008 to 2013, where he contributed to numerous ...

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*
Memorial services held in the House of Representatives of the United States, together with remarks presented in eulogy of George Joseph Bates, late a representative from Massachusetts frontispiece 1950
Mayors of Salem, Massachusetts Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Accidental deaths in Washington, D.C. 1891 births 1949 deaths Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts 20th-century American politicians Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1949 {{Massachusetts-MARepresentative-stub

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