Ernest Sutherland Bates (14 October 1879 – 4 December 1939) was an American academic and writer. He taught English and philosophy at

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

from 1903 to 1905, the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

until 1915, and the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

from then until 1925.

Early life and education

Bates was born in Gambier, Ohio, to Cyrus Sutherland and his wife, Lavern Bates. He obtained his A.B. and master's from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, and his PhD in 1908 from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Biography

Bates taught English and philosophy at Oberlin College from 1903 to 1905, the University of Arizona until 1915, and the University of Oregon from then until 1925. After Oregon he became literary editor of the ''

Dictionary of American Biography The ''Dictionary of American Biography'' was published in New York City by Charles Scribner's Sons under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). History The dictionary was first proposed to the Council in 1920 by h ...

''. He was also associate editor of ''Modern Monthly'' and a contributor to the ''

Saturday Review of Literature ''Saturday Review'', previously ''The Saturday Review of Literature'', was an American weekly magazine established in 1924. Norman Cousins was the editor from 1940 to 1971. Under Norman Cousins, it was described as "a compendium of reportage, ess ...

''. Bates was the co-author, with

John V. Dittemore John Valentine Dittemore (September 30, 1876 - May 10, 1937) was director of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, the Christian Science church, in Boston from 1909 until 1919. Before that he was head of the church's Committee on Publication in Ne ...

, a former director of the

Christian Science Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes informally know ...

church, of '' Mary Baker Eddy: The Truth and the Tradition'' (1932), which traces the early history of Christian Science and the life of its founder,

Mary Baker Eddy Mary Baker Eddy (July 16, 1821 – December 3, 1910) was an American religious leader and author who founded The Church of Christ, Scientist, in New England in 1879. She also founded ''The Christian Science Monitor'', a Pulitzer Prize-winning s ...

(1821–1910). The book has been praised for its use of original sources, such as manuscript collections of fifteen hundred Eddy letters and hundreds of letters from her students. According to historian

Ralph Henry Gabriel Ralph Henry Gabriel (April 29, 1890 – April 25, 1987) was an American historian. He held the Sterling Professor Emeritus of History at Yale University and was the founding father of the American Studies Association. Early life and education ...

, writing in 1933, the book "comes very close to being a definitive history of a strangely paradoxical woman." Historian

Sydney E. Ahlstrom Sydney Eckman Ahlstrom (1919–1984) was an American historian. He was a Yale University professor and a specialist in the religious history of the United States. Biography Ahlstrom was born on December 16, 1919, in Cokato, Minnesota, the son ...

has described it as a "solidly documented account". Ahlstrom, Sydney E. (1971). ''Eddy, Mary Baker''. In Edward T. James. ''Notable American Women, 1607–1950: A Biographical Dictionary, Volume 1''.

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retirem ...

. p. 560.

Personal life

Bates was married to lawyer

Rosalind Goodrich Bates Rosalind Goodrich Bates (July 29, 1894 – November 14, 1961) was an American lawyer and clubwoman, based in Los Angeles, California. She was a founder and president of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA). Early life and educa ...

in 1914; they had two sons before they divorced in 1919. He died in 1939, aged 60 years.

Bibliography

*''American Faith: Its Religious, Political, and Economic Foundations'' (1940) * ''The Story of the Supreme Court'' (1936) * ''The Story of Congress, 1789–1935'' (1936) * with

, '' Mary Baker Eddy: The Truth and the Tradition'' (1932) * (ed.), ''The Bible: Designed to be Read as Living Literature'' (1936) * ''Life of the Bible (The Biography of the Bible)'' * (ed.), ''Pocket Bible'' * ''The Four Gospels'' * ''Hearst, Lord of San Simeon'' (co-author) (1936) * ''This Land of Liberty'' (1930) * ''The Pageant of the States'' * ''The Friend of Jesus'' (1925; poetry, published in the UK as ''The Gospel According to Judas'')

Early life and education

Biography

Personal life

Bibliography

References

Further reading