Tate, Jas W.

Tate was born in Franklin County January 2, 1831. At age seventeen, Tate served as a clerk in the Frankfort post office. He served as assistant secretary of state in 1854-1855 and 1859-1863. From 1865 to 1867 he held the post of assistant clerk to the Kentucky House of Representatives. Tate won election as a Democrat to the position of state treasurer in 1867 and was elected every two years for the next twenty years. Tate married Lucy J. Hawkins in 1856. The Tates had two children, a boy who only lived to age three, and a daughter, Edmoina. Spurred perhaps by rumors of an imminent investigation into the treasurer's office, Tate disappeared March 14, 1888. The subsequent inquiry turned up illegal advances given to state officials on their salaries, unpaid loans, and the disappearance of two sacks of coins and a roll of bills along with Tate. Governor Simon Bolivar Buckner announced the total embezzlement to be $247,128.50. Tate apparently also used state funds to invest in real estate and mines. In his absence, Tate was impeached, removed from office, and indicted. He was never brought to justice. Tate wrote secret letters for a time to family and friends from Canada, Japan, China, California, and Brazil. His eventual fate is unknown.

From the description of James W. "Honest Dick" Tate letters, 1870. (Kentucky Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 43033820