Alfred Madison Cate (December 12, 1822 – September 13, 1871) was an American politician, soldier and farmer who served two terms in the Tennessee Senate from 1865 to 1869.
A Radical Republican, he generally supported the policies of Governor William G. Brownlow, including ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Considering the Hiwassee bridge the most dangerous due to its location near a populated area (increasing the risk of getting caught), he decided to personally oversee its destruction.
After a 300-mile (480 km) journey in which he frequently hid out in caves to avoid capture, Cate arrived in Somerset, Kentucky, in early January 1862.
[1] In June 1864, Cate was appointed captain of Company G of the 6th Regiment Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, commanded by General Joseph A. Cooper.
[7][8] During the reorganization of the state government in 1865, Cate was elected to the Tennessee Senate seat for the Eighth district, which included the counties of Hamilton, Marion, Rhea, Bledsoe, Bradley, and Sequatchie.
[9] Cate aligned with the Radical Republicans, supporters of Governor William G. Brownlow who sought retribution against ex-Confederates and civil rights for freed slaves.
This legislative session quickly ratified the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and passed a controversial measure giving Brownlow unprecedented control over state elections.
In July 1866, Cate was one of fourteen state senators who voted to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment, which extended civil rights to African Americans.
During the Summer of 1868, Cate angered the party's Radical wing when he voted against two contentious bills Brownlow had proposed to quell rising Ku Klux Klan violence.
One bill imposed stiff penalties on anyone who aided the Klan or interfered with the election process, while the other empowered Governor Brownlow to call the state militia into service and declare martial law (with the consent of officials in the affected counties).
This move stunned both Radicals and moderates, and the motion was promptly tabled (Senter had served in the state legislature in 1861 after Tennessee had joined the Confederacy, though he was generally still considered a Unionist).
Although Senter had become governor following Brownlow's resignation earlier in the year, Radicals, including Cate, supported Stokes as the party's gubernatorial nominee in elections slated for that August.
When Senter's supporters tried to have Knoxville minister Thomas H. Pearne installed as chairman, Cate used a parliamentary maneuver to block the motion, sparking an angry debate that lasted throughout the day.