Stephen Bates (1842 – June 10, 1907) was an American law enforcement officer who served as sheriff and police chief of the city of Vergennes, Vermont, for 25 years between 1879 and 1907.

Bates was born into slavery in 1842 on the Shirley Plantation, located on the James River in Charles City County, Virginia.

The maternal grandparents of Robert E. Lee owned the plantation, and decades later, Bates would regale dinner companions with memories of waiting on the future Confederate general and other Southern white elites at table.

He arrested suspects in murder, grand larceny, forgery, and other crimes in Vergennes and nearby towns such as Panton and Ferrisburgh.

[9][10] The Life of Stephen Bates, a short documentary film directed by Chris Spencer, premiered at the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival that same year.

"[1] He raised a family in Vergennes, attended Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, trained thoroughbred horses, campaigned for Republican candidates, and acted as an agent of the Vermont Humane Society.

[1] At the time of their marriage, Mason was working as a domestic servant and cook in the household of a retired hotelkeeper in Vergennes.

[3] Bates died from cardiac arrest while milking a cow in a neighbor's barn on June 10, 1907, at the age of 64.