Lawyer & businessman with large real estate holdings in Chicago.
Born in Williamstown, Vt., Bass moved to Chicago in 1854 to practice law. He was a friend of Abraham Lincoln, who appointed him U.S. District Attorney for Northern Illinois. He served as President of Illinois State Normal University (1861-1862), and was a member of both the Chicago and the Illinois Boards of Education. In 1875, he retired from law practice, but continued to manage his family's Chicago area real estate holdings for the rest of his life. In 1880, he relocated to Boston and Peterborough, N.H., leaving his brother, George, and nephew, Perkins B. Bass, to act for him in Chicago. He died in Peterborough on October 9, 1899.
From the description of Papers, 1879-1898 (bulk 1890-1898) (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 40464812
