Martin Van Buren Bates

Lore & Background

Martin Van Buren Bates experienced a rapid growth spurt at age six or seven. By age 12 he was over 6 ft (1.83 m) tall and weighed over 200 lb (90 kg). He was attending university in Virginia when the American Civil War broke out, and he joined the 5th Kentucky Infantry of the Confederate States Army, eventually becoming a lieutenant and then a captain. He was severely wounded in a battle near the Cumberland Gap, captured, and imprisoned at Camp Chase in Ohio, from which he later escaped.

After the war, Bates returned to Kentucky. He had worked as a schoolteacher before the war. While a circus was touring in Halifax, Canada, he met Anna Haining Swan, who was 7 ft 11 in (2.41 m) tall. They married in 1871 at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London; the wedding drew thousands of spectators. Queen Victoria gave Bates an engraved watch and gave Swan a satin gown and diamond ring. The couple moved to Ohio in 1872, settling in Seville, Medina County. Their first child, a daughter born on May 19, 1872, weighed 18 lb (8.2 kg) and died at birth. They built a large house with custom furniture to accommodate their size. Bates later traveled with the W. W. Cole circus during the seasons of 1878, 1879, and 1880. A second child, a son born on January 15, 1879, was 28 inches (71 cm) tall and weighed 23 lb (10 kg) but also died.

Anna Bates died on August 5, 1888. Bates ordered a statue of her from Europe for her grave, sold the oversized house, and moved into town. In 1889 he remarried, to a woman of typical stature, Annette LaVonne Weatherby, and lived a mostly peaceful life until his death in 1919 of nephritis. He was buried beside his first wife and their son in Seville. He is one of the tallest known people to live to at least 80 years.

Reader's Guide

Martin Van Buren Bates remains a significant figure in the history of human stature and 19th-century popular entertainment. His height of 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) placed him among the tallest people of his era, and his marriage to Anna Haining Swan created a celebrated spectacle that transcended mere curiosity, drawing thousands to their wedding and gifts from Queen Victoria. Bates' life also illustrates the intersection of extraordinary physical traits with ordinary pursuits: he was a farmer, a schoolteacher, and a Civil War veteran. His autobiography provides a firsthand account of his experiences, including the construction of a custom-built home and his return to circus life. The eventual loss of his original house to fire and its replacement by a museum for the Seville Historical Society underscores how his legacy has been preserved locally. Bates' story contributes to the broader understanding of how society has viewed and recorded extreme human variation, and his longevity—living to at least 80 years—challenges assumptions about the health of very tall individuals.

Did You Know?

• Martin Van Buren Bates was known as the Kentucky Giant and stood 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) tall.
• He served as a captain in the 5th Kentucky Infantry of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
• His wife, Anna Haining Swan, was 7 ft 11 in (2.41 m) tall; their 1871 wedding in London drew thousands of spectators.
• Bates and Swan had two children, both of whom died shortly after birth; the son weighed 23 lb (10 kg) and was 28 inches (71 cm) tall.

The Kentucky Giant's Extraordinary Stature

Martin Van Buren Bates, born on November 9, 1837, in Kentucky, became one of the most physically remarkable individuals in American history. Known widely as the Kentucky Giant, he stood 7 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 475 pounds at his peak. His extraordinary growth was not a gradual process but a sudden, dramatic shift. By the time he was six or seven years old, his rate of physical development accelerated sharply. By his twelfth birthday, the boy already surpassed six feet in height and tipped the scales at more than 200 pounds—dimensions that would be extraordinary for a fully grown adult, let alone a child. This rapid and sustained growth set him apart from everyone around him from an early age and shaped virtually every aspect of his life, from the furniture he needed to the careers available to him. Despite his immense size, Bates lived to the age of eighty-one, making him one of the tallest known individuals in recorded history to reach at least eight decades of life.

Service in the Civil War

When the American Civil War erupted, Bates was a university student in Virginia. Rather than remaining on campus, he enlisted in the Confederate cause, joining the 5th Kentucky Infantry. His military career progressed quickly; he earned the rank of lieutenant and was subsequently promoted to captain. However, his service was cut short by a severe wound sustained in a battle near the Cumberland Gap. Following his injury, he was taken prisoner by Union forces and held at Camp Chase in Ohio. Despite the conditions of his captivity, Bates managed to escape from the prison camp. Before the war had interrupted his studies, his first profession had been as a schoolteacher, a role that likely reflected his intellectual side. The combination of his towering frame and his combat experience made his wartime story particularly memorable, though it was his escape from Camp Chase that became one of the more dramatic episodes of his life. After the conflict ended, he returned to Kentucky, where his extraordinary physical presence would soon draw him into an entirely different kind of public life.

A Marriage of Giants and a Life in the Spotlight

While the circus was touring Halifax, Canada, Bates met Anna Haining Swan, a woman who stood 7 feet 11 inches tall. The two quickly grew close, and in 1871 they were married at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London. The ceremony drew thousands of onlookers eager to witness the rare spectacle of two giants exchanging vows, and the couple's warm, approachable manner made the event even more memorable. Queen Victoria herself presented Bates with an engraved watch and gave Swan a satin gown and diamond ring. The pair settled in Seville, Medina County, Ohio, in 1872, where they built a custom-designed house with 14-foot ceilings and furnished it entirely to order. They also purchased a 130-acre farm, stocking it with short-horn cattle and Norman draught horses. Their domestic life was shadowed by tragedy: a daughter born in May 1872 weighed 18 pounds but died at birth, and a son born in January 1879, measuring 28 inches and weighing 23 pounds, also passed away. Despite these losses, the couple became the leading attractions of the W. W. Cole circus during the seasons of 1878 through 1880.

Final Years and Enduring Legacy

Anna Bates died on August 5, 1888, leaving Martin to grieve the loss of his extraordinary partner. In her memory, he commissioned a statue from Europe to mark her grave. He sold the oversized house they had built together and relocated into the town of Seville. The following year, in 1889, he remarried—this time to Annette LaVonne Weatherby, a woman of typical stature—and settled into a quieter existence. He lived out his remaining years in relative peace until his death on January 19, 1919, caused by nephritis. He was buried beside Anna and their son in Seville. His life spanned over eight decades, placing him among the tallest known individuals to reach such an age. The couple's 14-foot-ceilinged home later found a new owner in a family of average height. The original house in which they lived eventually burned down, and a standard-sized structure was built on the same site. That building was ultimately converted into a museum operated by the Seville Historical Society, preserving the memory of the giants for future generations.

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