Biographical Dictionary of Well-Known British Columbians (1890)
Bate, Mark (Nanaimo), youngest son of the late Thomas Bate, who was a partner in the widely-known firm of manufacturers in iron, Bramale, Cochrane &Co., Woodside, Worcestershire, England, was born at Birmingham, Warwickshire, on December 11th, 1837. Educated at Dudley grammar school, Worcestershire, and at the age of seventeen left school to engage with his father's firm. He remained in this business for two years, obtaining a thorough knowledge of the mercantile pursuits, and in 1856, left England on the Princess Royal for Vancouver Island, coming to the new colony by way of Cape Horn. He landed at Victoria in January 1857, and went direct to Nanaimo, where he was employed in the offices of the Hudson's Bay Company. He reached Nanaimo on the 1st of February, and has lived there continuously since that date.
The present handsome town was then a small collection of rude huts, inhabited by a handful of people, and Mr. Bate has therefore in his long residence of thirty-three years marked every gradation in the progress of his adopted city. By careful attention to business and assiduity in the company's interests, Mr. Bate rose rapidly in the service, and was appointed accountant and cashier at Nanaimo. This position he continued to hold till 1869, when the Nanaimo Coal Company's mines were purchased by the Vancouver Coal Mining and Land Company, and Mr. Bate was offered and accepted the position of manager of the new company. This position he continued to fill till 1884.
The City of Nanaimo was incorporated in 1874 and at the election for the first council, in 1875, Mr. Bate stood for the mayoralty against the late Mr. James Harvey and was elected by a sweeping majority. During the succeeding five years he was re-elected by acclamation. He declined the nomination for 1880, but in the following year the citizens insisted that he should consent to guide the affairs of the municipality and he was returned without opposition. In 1883 he again accepted the nomination and was elected by a vote double that of his opponent. In 1885 he was again opposed and again returned by a large majority, and from that time he has sat continuously in the mayor's chair till 1890, the present year, when he refused to allow his name to be placed in nomination.
During these eleven terms in which he was at the head of affairs, Nanaimo made remarkable progress, and the wisdom and energy of Mr. Bate's government are attested by the present condition of the city. In 1887, when it was doubtful if he would accept the nomination, a requisition, signed by nine-tenths of the voters, was presented to him, and in the following year he was made the recipient of a magnificent address from the citizens, accompanied by a gold watch, gold headed cane and a silver tea set. During his incumbency of the mayoralty Mr. Bate received all the Governor-Generals who have visited British Columbia since confederation.
His monetary interests are almost exclusively confined to the district, but he takes a pride in the Province at large, and regards with pleasure all evidences of progress and development. He, however, looks upon his own city with especial favor, and considers that she had resources which not only guarantee her permanent prosperity, but assure her a position second to none in the Province.
Mr. Bate was married in 1859 to Sarah Ann Cartwright, of Worcestershire, England, and has a
family of five sons and five daughters. He at present holds the position of assessor of
the district of Nanaimo, receiving his commission in 1873. He was the first chairman of
the Board of Education of Nanaimo and has been continuously connected with and interested
in the school system since 1865. He was for many years president of the Nanaimo Library
Institute and is the government nominee on the Hospital Board. He is a member of the
Masonic Order and Past Deputy Grand Master; Past District Chief of the Order of Foresters;
past Noble Grand [Master] of the Oddfellows; Past Noble Arch of the Druids; Past Commander
of the American Legion of Honor; Master Workman of the Ancient Order of United Workmen.
In religion Mr. Bate is an adherent of the Episcopal Church.
[Dictionary, pp. 96-97].
Biographical Dictionary of Well-Known British Columbians. With a Historical Sketch. By J.B. Kerr (Vancouver, B.C.: Kerr & Begg, 1890).