William Henderson Cate (November 11, 1839 – August 23, 1899) was an American politician, lawyer and judge. In 1889 and 1890, he served part of one term as a U.S. Representative from Arkansas. He was removed from his seat following an investigation of election fraud before regaining the seat in the subsequent election, serving an additional term from 1891 to 1893.
After a move to Jonesboro, Arkansas in 1865, Cate studied law, and was admitted to the bar in Arkansas. In 1866, he commenced the practice of law, counting among his clients the Iron Mountain and Southern Railroad and the St. Louis, Arkansas, and Texas Railroad.[3]
He was elected prosecuting attorney for Second Judicial Circuit on October 14, 1878,[6] Following the death of circuit judge James Frierson, Cate was appointed circuit judge by Governor of ArkansasJames H. Berry on March 17, 1884 to fill the remainer of the term. Judge Cate won election to a full term on the bench September 1, 1884.[7] He organized the Bank of Jonesboro in 1887.[3] He also served as a member of the Board of Visitors of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
Congress
In 1888, Cate ran as a Democrat for a seat in the U.S. Congress against Lewis Featherstone, a candidate of the Union Labor party. Cate won the election by slightly less than 1,000 votes.[3]
Cate subsequently presented credentials as a Democratic member-elect to the Fifty-first Congress where he served from March 4, 1889 until March 5, 1890.
Election challenge
Cate was removed from his seat following a House investigation.[3]
Featherstone had contested the election after having been put up as a candidate to oppose Cate by The Agricultural Wheel. In an agreement between The Wheel and the Republican Party, the Republicans in control of Congress agreed to support Featherstone against Cate. In return "The Wheel" agreed to support John M. Clayton against Clifton R. Breckinridge. The House Committee on Elections decided in favor of Featherstone, ruling that he won by 86 votes.[8]
Cate was appointed to return as 2nd Circuit judge following the resignation of J. E. Riddick on October 30, 1890, filling the remainder of the term.[9]
Return to Congress
Cate again challenged Featherstone in the 1890 election, winning by a vote of 15,437 to 14,834. Featherstone did not contest the results.[3] With his victory, Cate was elected to the Fifty-second Congress which ran from March 4, 1891 until March 3, 1893.[10]
Cate served on the Railways and Canals Committee, introducing bills to build a railroad bridge across the Black River, and to construct a levee on the nearby Mississippi River.[3]
He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1892 to the Fifty-third Congress.
^"The way is now clear for the House Committee on Elections to begin the work of purging the roll of the House of the names...". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. 1890-02-15. p. 9. ProQuest174425625.