Norman was born in Londonderry, Vermont, on the 6th of November 1839, and he enlisted in the 4th Iowa Cavalry. There is not a lot known about his life, but it is known that his actions as a Sergeant on the 16th of April 1865 during the Battle of Columbus (Georgia) that would later earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

Capture of flag and bearer.

Norman received the Medal of Honor on the 17th of June 1865, and he married Almira Cummings, with whom he had three children. He and the family moved from Iowa, to Minnesota, to California, where on the 16th of October 1915, Norman Francis Bates died at the age of 75. He is buried with his family in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California: Section D, Plot C, Lot 23, Space 3.