Robert Bates, a state legislator near the end of the 19th century, has been called the "Father of Knott County" because of his role in having Knott County created by the legislature in 1884.               

Not much historical information is available about Bates, who is believed to have died in the early 1920's.

In addition to the founding of Knott County, Robert Bates was known for being the brother to the Kentucky giant Martin Van Buren "Baby" Bates, who toured the world with various circuses, famous for his height. Bates was born in Kona, now Letcher County, at Boone's Fork of the Kentucky River.                           

Bates is credited with having the county formed with the assistance of Whitesburg attorney T. Y. Fitzpatrick and Fielding Johnson, an attorney who lived on Carr Fork.  During this first  term as state representative from Letcher in 1884, Bates sponsored legislation to form the new county named after sitting Gov. James   
Proctor Knott from parts of Perry, Letcher, Floyd and Breathitt counties.  Bates is believed to have owned land at the folks of  Troublesome Creek which was legislates as the county seat and  named after the lieutenant governor James Hindman.  Bates'; son-in-law, Chick Allen, had a store in the county seat.

The formation of the county created some political controversies. The "Louisville Commercial," critical of the county's formation told  the story of the founding of Knott County as follows in its July 1885 edition: "the last legislature included a plain looking of 45, of the average size, cheaply dressed, slightly bald and wearing spectacles--Robert Bates, the member from Letcher and some other counties.      
He occupied a seat in a remote corner of the House of Representatives, and never arose to speak even to a point of order.  The chief distinction he wore was that of being a brother to "baby Bates," the celebrated Kentucky giant, known to the patrons of every museum in the land. Back of the seat occupied by Bates, frequently leaning over the railing of the lobby to talk to hymn, sat an exmember named Fitzpatrick, tall,  awkward, smooth-faced, and always appearing the same heavy drab overcoat.  Before the session closed, an act was passed to create a
county to be named Knott, with a county seat to be called Hindman, in honor of the officials wearing these names."                                    

Lola Bates Honeycutt, 84, of Pinetop accepted the award for the Bates family.  she told the crowd Mr. Bates was her father.  Mrs. Honeycutt reported that Robert Bates was born in 1823 and lived to be 98 years old.

 Corbett Mullins
May 21, 2003