List of Bates College people
This list of notable people associated with Bates College includes matriculating students, alumni, attendees, faculty, trustees, and honorary degree recipients of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Members of the Bates community are known as "Batesies" or bobcats. This list also includes students of the affiliated Maine State Seminary, Nichols Latin School, and Cobb Divinity School. In 1915, George Colby Chase, the second president of the college, opted that the college include former students as alumni in "appreciation of their loyalty". Throughout its history, Bates has been the fictional alma mater of various characters in American popular culture. Notable fictional works to feature the college include Ally McBeal , The Sopranos, and The Simpsons., there are 24,000 Bates College alumni. Affiliates of the college include 86 Fulbright Scholars, 22 Watson Fellows, and 5 Rhodes Scholars.
, the college counts 12 members of the United States Congress–2 Senators and 10 members of the House of Representatives–among its alumni. In state government, Bates alumni have led all three political branches in Maine, graduating two Chief Justices of the Maine Supreme Court, two Maine Governors, and multiple leaders of both state houses. Bates has graduated 12 Olympians, with the most recent alumni competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics. More than 20 universities have been led by Bates alumni as of July 2016.
This list uses the following notation:
- B.A. or unmarked years – recipient of Bachelor of Arts either at the Maine State Seminary or Bates
- B.S. – recipient of Bachelor of Science
- B.S.E. – recipient of Bachelor of Science in Engineering from an affiliated engineering school with Bates
- V-12 – recipient of the V-12 Degree through the college's V-12 Navy College Training Program
- S.T.B. – recipient of Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus from the college's defunct Cobb Divinity School, which merged with Bates' religion department in 1908
Notable graduates
Arts and letters
Literature and poetry
Journalism and nonfiction
Film and television
Music
Art, architecture, and design
Government
U.S. Cabinet-ranked officials
Although Bates alumni have served in a variety of capacities in American federal government, namely in executive departments and agencies, the following have served in Cabinet-level positions, advising the executive branch of the United States in one form or another. Other alumni–serving in secondary federal capacities–are catalogued in the succeeding section.| Name | Class Year | Notability | Degree | Reference |
| Edmund Muskie | Class of 1936 | United States Secretary of State | B.A. | |
| Robert F. Kennedy | Class of 1944 | United States Attorney General | V-12 |
Federal officials and ambassadors
The following catalogues notable officials or ambassadors in American federal government, typically in the executive, judicial, and legislative branches. Alumni who have served in leadership roles in federal government or in Cabinet-level positions are documented in the preceding section; members of the U.S. Congress are noted in the succeeding sections.| Name | Class Year | Notability | Degree | Reference |
| John Abbot | Class of 1871 | United States Ambassador to Colombia | B.A. | |
| Fremont Wood | Class of 1881 | United States Attorney for Idaho Territory | B.A. | |
| Meredith Burrill | Class of 1925 | United States Board on Geographic Names Executive Secretary | B.A. | |
| John F. Davis | Class of 1928 | 14th Clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States | B.A. | |
| Herbert Reiner Jr. | Class of 1936 | United States Foreign Service diplomat who caught Mahatma Gandhi's assassin in 1948 | B.A. | |
| Constance Berry Newman | Class of 1956 | United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs | B.A. | |
| Joyce Vance | Class of 1982 | United States Attorney for Alabama | B.A. |
U.S. Senators
From 1965 to 1968, both Edmund Muskie and Robert F. Kennedy served together in the United States Senate, representing Maine and New York, respectively. Many of the following alumni served in leadership positions within the Senate.| Name | Class Year | Notability | Degree | Reference |
| Edmund Muskie | Class of 1936 | United States Senator from Maine | B.A. | |
| Robert F. Kennedy | Class of 1944 | United States Senator from New York | V-12 |
U.S. Representatives
The first Bates alumni to serve in the United States Congress was John Swasey in the 60th United States Congress. During the 73rd and 116th U.S. Congresses, four Bates alumni served simultaneously–Carroll Beedy and Charles Clason during the former sitting with Ben Cline and Jared Golden during the latter. Approximately 45% of alumni elected to the U.S. House of Representatives have done so in pairs. Many of the following alumni served in leadership positions within the House of Representatives.| Name | Class Year | Notability | Degree | Reference |
| John Swasey | Class of 1859 | United States Representative from Maine | B.A. | |
| Daniel McGillicuddy | Class of 1881 | United States Representative from Maine | 1877–80 | |
| Carroll Beedy | Class of 1903 | United States Representative from Maine | B.A. | |
| Charles Clason | Class of 1911 | United States Representative from Massachusetts | B.A. | |
| Donald Partridge | Class of 1914 | United States Representative from Maine | B.A. | |
| Frank Coffin | Class of 1940 | United States Representative from Maine | B.A. | |
| Leo Ryan | Class of 1944 | United States Representative from California | V-12 | |
| Robert Goodlatte | Class of 1974 | United States Representative from Virginia ; Chaired House Judiciary Committee | B.A. | |
| Ben Cline | Class of 1994 | United States Representative from Virginia | B.A. | |
| Jared Golden | Class of 2011 | United States Representative from Maine | B.A. |
Governors
State officials and cabinet-ranked officials
The following alumni have served in U.S. state governments, typically in the state judiciary and executive cabinet. Many of the alumni also served in additional leadership roles within state government.| Name | Class Year | Notability | Degree | Reference |
| Henri Haskell | Class of 1862 | Montana Attorney General | B.A. | |
| James Donavan | Class of 1880 | Montana Attorney General | 1878–79 | |
| Scott Wilson | Class of 1892 | Maine Attorney General | B.A. | |
| Rick Sullivan | Class of 1981 | Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs | B.A. | |
| Gurbir Grewal | Class of 1995 | New Jersey Attorney General | 1991–94 |
State Senators
Many of the following alumni served in leadership positions within their respective state's upper house, including president of the senate, majority leader, minority leader, as well as minority and majority whip.| Name | Class Year | Notability | Degree | Reference |
| Patrick Sleeper | Class of 1867 | Member of the Maine Senate | B.A. | |
| Charles Horace Hersey | Class of 1871 | Member of the New Hampshire Senate | B.A. | |
| Alonzo Marston Garcelon | Class of 1872 | Member of the Maine Senate | B.A. | |
| Nathan Willard Harris | Class of 1873 | Member of the Maine Senate | B.A. | |
| George Edwin Smith | Class of 1874 | Member of the Massachusetts Senate | B.A. | |
| Henry Chandler | Class of 1874 | Member of the Florida Senate | B.A. | |
| Albert Spear | Class of 1875 | Member of the Maine Senate | B.A. | |
| Oliver Barrett Clason | Class of 1877 | Member of the Maine Senate | B.A. | |
| Newell Perkins Noble | Class of 1877 | Member of the Maine Senate | B.A. | |
| Ansel LaForest Lumbert | Class of 1879 | Member of the Maine Senate | 1875–77 | |
| George Granville Weeks | Class of 1882 | Member of the Maine Senate | 1877–80 | |
| Frank Andrew Morey | Class of 1885 | Member of the Maine Senate | B.A. | |
| Harry Morrison Cheney | Class of 1886 | Member of the New Hampshire Senate | B.A. | |
| John Henry Williamson | Class of 1886 | Member of the Colorado Senate | B.A. | |
| William Ayer Walker | Class of 1887 | Member of the Maine Senate | B.A. | |
| Cyrus Nathan Blanchard | Class of 1892 | Member of the Maine Senate | B.A. | |
| Carl Miliken | Class of 1897 | Member of the Maine Senate | B.A. | |
| William Edwards Kinney | Class of 1889 | Member of the New Hampshire Senate | B.A. | |
| Harry Harding Thurlow | Class of 1900 | Member of the Maine Senate | 1896–97 | |
| Allison Prince Howes | Class of 1903 | Member of the Maine Senate | B.A. | |
| John Jenkins | Class of 1974 | Member of the Maine Senate | B.A. | |
| Jeffrey Butland | Class of 1984 | Member of the Maine Senate | B.A. | |
| Kevin Raye | Class of 1988 | Member of the Maine Senate | B.A. | |
| Gerald Davis | Class of 1989 | Member of the Maine Senate | B.A. | |
| Nate Libby | Class of 2007 | Member of the Maine Senate | B.A. |
State Representatives
Many of the following alumni served in leadership positions within their respective state's lower house, including speaker of the house, majority leader, minority leader, as well as minority and majority whip.| Name | Class Year | Notability | Degree | Reference |
| John Fullonton | Class of 1848 | Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Roscoe Smith | Class of 1869 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | 1866–67 | |
| Charles Horace Hersey | Class of 1871 | Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Liberty Haven Hutchison | Class of 1871 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Alonzo Marston Garcelon | Class of 1872 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Nathan Willard Harris | Class of 1873 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Edmund Randall Angell | Class of 1873 | Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Francis Low Noble | Class of 1874 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Edward Newton Merrill | Class of 1874 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | 1970–72 | |
| William Henry Ham | Class of 1874 | Member of the Washington House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| George Edwin Smith | Class of 1874 | Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Albert Spear | Class of 1875 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Charles Sumner Libby | Class of 1875 | Member of the Colorado House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Oliver Barrett Clason | Class of 1877 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| William Pierce Martin | Class of 1880 | Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| John Scott | Class of 1880 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | 1867–77 | |
| Mark Trafton Newton | Class of 1880 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Daniel McGillicuddy | Class of 1881 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | 1877–80 | |
| George Granville Weeks | Class of 1882 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | 1877–80 | |
| Albert Millet | Class of 1883 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | 1879–80 | |
| Cyrus Harvey Little | Class of 1884 | Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Morrill Newman Drew | Class of 1885 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Frank Andrew Morey | Class of 1885 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Harry Morrison Cheney | Class of 1886 | Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| John Riley Dunton | Class of 1887 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Leonard George Roberts | Class of 1887 | Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Arthur Stevens Littlefield | Class of 1887 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| William Edwards Kinney | Class of 1889 | Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Joseph Harrison Blanchard | Class of 1889 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Thomas Cotter Spillane | Class of 1890 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | 1886–87 | |
| Cyrus Nathan Blanchard | Class of 1892 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Albert Field Gilmore | Class of 1892 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Jacob Roak Little | Class of 1892 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Lauren Monroe Sanborn | Class of 1892 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Carl Miliken | Class of 1897 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Oliver Henry Toothaker | Class of 1898 | Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Alton Chapman Wheeler | Class of 1899 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Alison Graham Catheron | Class of 1900 | Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Arthur Jesse Chick | Class of 1901 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Allison Prince Howes | Class of 1903 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Edmund Muskie | Class of 1936 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Alonzo Conant | Class of 1936 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Leo Ryan | Class of 1944 | Member of the California State Assembly | V-12 | |
| Marianne Brenton | Class of 1955 | Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Sawin Millett | Class of 1959 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Jeffery Roy | Class of 1983 | Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Ben Cline | Class of 1994 | Member of the Virginia House of Delegates | B.A. | |
| Bart Fromuth | Class of 2003 | Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Nate Libby | Class of 2007 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. | |
| Jared Golden | Class of 2011 | Member of the Maine House of Representatives | B.A. |
Mayors
There have been six Bates alumni to serve as the Mayor of Lewiston, Maine, the hometown of the college. The smallest city to be governed by a Bates alumni is Gardiner, Maine, while the largest is San Francisco, California. John Jenkins is the only alumni to serve as mayor to two different cities.| Name | Class Year | Notability | Degree | Reference |
| Holman Melcher | Class of 1862 | Mayor of Portland, Maine | B.A. | |
| Alonzo Marston Garcelon | Class of 1872 | Mayor of Lewiston, Maine | B.A. | |
| Nathan Willard Harris | Class of 1873 | Mayor of Auburn, Maine | B.A. | |
| Albert Spear | Class of 1875 | Mayor of Gardiner, Maine | B.A. | |
| Oliver Barrett Clason | Class of 1877 | Mayor of Gardiner, Maine | B.A. | |
| George Edwin Smith | Class of 1873 | Mayor of Everett, Massachusetts | B.A. | |
| Wilbur Henry Judkins | Class of 1880 | Mayor of Lewiston, Maine | B.A. | |
| Daniel McGillicuddy | Class of 1881 | Mayor of Lewiston, Maine | 1877–80 | |
| Frank Andrew Morey | Class of 1885 | Mayor of Lewiston, Maine | B.A. | |
| John Riley Dunton | Class of 1887 | Mayor of Belfast, Maine | B.A. | |
| William Bertram Skelton | Class of 1892 | Mayor of Lewiston, Maine | B.A. | |
| Leo Ryan | Class of 1944 | Mayor of South San Francisco, California | V-12 | |
| Art Agnos | Class of 1960 | Mayor of San Francisco, California | B.A. | |
| John Jenkins | Class of 1974 | Mayor of Lewiston, Maine, Mayor of Auburn, Maine | B.A. | |
| Rick Sullivan | Class of 1981 | Mayor of Westfield, Massachusetts | B.A. |
Royalty
Law and legal studies
Federal and state judges
The following section documents Bates alumni who have served in both the federal judiciary of the United States and state judiciaries. Alumni who have served in executive positions, such as attorney generals are noted in the "federal officials and ambassadors" section above.| Name | Class Year | Notability | Degree | Reference |
| Stephen Arthur Lowell | Class of 1882 | United States District Court for the District of Oregon | B.A. | |
| Scott Wilson | Class of 1892 | United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit | B.A. | |
| Frank Coffin | Class of 1940 | United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit | B.A. | |
| Morton Brody | Class of 1955 | United States District Court for the District of Maine | B.A. | |
| Whitman L. Holt | Class of 2002 | United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Washington | Bachelor of Arts |
State Supreme Court Justices
All Bates alumni who have gone to serve on a state supreme court have done so in the Maine supreme court system. There have been two chief justices and seven associate justices.| Name | Class Year | Notability | Degree | Reference |
| Enoch Fostor | Class of 1860 | 30th Associate Justice of the Maine Supreme Court | B.A. | |
| Albert Spear | Class of 1875 | 39th Associate Justice of the Maine Supreme Court | B.A. | |
| Scott Wilson | Class of 1892 | 50th Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Court ; Associate Justice of the Maine Supreme Court | B.A. | |
| Randolph Weatherbee | Class of 1932 | 80th Associate Justice of the Maine Supreme Court | B.A. | |
| David Nichols | Class of 1942 | 86th Associate Justice of the Maine Supreme Court | B.A. | |
| Vincent McKusick | Class of 1943 | 87th Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Court | B.A. | |
| Louis Scolnik | Class of 1945 | 94th Associate Justice of the Maine Supreme Court | B.A. | |
| Morton Brody | Class of 1955 | 98th Associate Justice of the Maine Supreme Court | B.A. |
Legal academics and other legal figures
Alumni who have served in political or judicial offices are noted above. The following catalogues notable alumni who have contributed to legal studies, the law, or maintained notability in academia.| Name | Class Year | Notability | Degree | Reference |
| Ella Haskell | Class of 1884 | Suffragist, first woman to argue in front of the United States Supreme Court; first woman to practice law in Montana | B.A. | |
| John P. Davis | Class of 1926 | Civil rights attorney and journalist, defense attorney for Soviet agent and alleged Communist Alger Hiss | B.A. | |
| James Nabrit III | Class of 1952 | Civil rights attorney; argued Shuttlesworth v. Birmingham before the U.S. Supreme Court | B.A. | |
| Karen Hastie Williams | Class of 1966 | Clerk to Chief Justice Thurgood Marshall, Chief Counsel to United States Senate Committee on the Budget | B.A. | |
| Nora Demleitner | Class of 1989 | Clerk to Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Dean of Washington and Lee University School of Law | B.A. | |
| Mark Helm | Class of 1992 | Defense attorney in the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping | B.A. |
Academia and administration
University founders and presidents
Professors and scholars
| Name | Class Year | Notability | Degree | Reference |
| Mary Mitchell | Class of 1869 | First woman to graduate from a New England college; professor of English at Vassar College | S.T.B. | |
| Edward C. Hayes | Class of 1897 | President and founding member of the American Sociological Association | B.A. | |
| Stella James Sims | Class of 1897 | African American professor at Storer College and Bluefield State College | B.A. | |
| Louis R. Sullivan | Class of 1914 | Anthropologist who wrote Essentials of Anthropometry | B.A. | |
| John Preston Davis | Class of 1926 | Intellectual, author and National Negro Congress activist | B.A. | |
| George Athan Billias | Class of 1948 | Professor Emeritus of American History at Clark University | B.A. | |
| William Stringfellow | Class of 1949 | Peace activist, human rights lawyer, theologian | B.A. | |
| Gerald Zaltman | Class of 1960 | Author, professor at Harvard Business School | B.A. | |
| William H. Tucker | Class of 1967 | Psychologist and author | B.A. | |
| Richard James Gelles | Class of 1968 | Dean of University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and Practice | B.A. |
Athletics
During the 1912 Summer Olympics there were two Bates alumni competing in the sporting event, both representing the United States in baseball exhibitions. Nancy Ingersoll Fiddler and Andrew Byrnes are the only two alumni to compete in two Olympic Games, competing in two successive winter and summer olympics, respectively. Byrnes is the only Bates alumni to medal at the Olympic Games, winning a Gold Medal rowing for Canada during the 2008 Summer Olympics.| Name | Class Year | Notability | Degree | Reference |
| Harry Lord | Class of 1908 | Professional baseball player and founding member of the Boston Red Sox | B.A. | |
| Vaughn Blanchard | N/A | Baseball player, represented the United States at the 1912 Summer Olympics | B.A. | |
| Frank Keaney | Class of 1911 | University of Rhode Island head coach of basketball, baseball, and football, credited with inventing basketball's "fast break"; inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960 | B.A. | |
| Charles Small | Class of 1912 | Professional baseball player with the Boston Red Sox | B.A. | |
| Harlan Holden | N/A | Baseball player, represented Sweden at the 1912 Summer Olympics | 1910–12 | |
| Ray Buker | Class of 1922 | Track and field runner, represented the United States at the 1924 Summer Olympics | B.A. | |
| Arnold Adams | Class of 1933 | Runner, represented the United States at the 1932 Winter Olympics | B.A. | |
| Nancy Ingersoll Fiddler | Class of 1978 | Skier, represented the United States at the 1988 and 1992 Winter Olympics | B.A. | |
| John Henry Williams | Class of 1991 | Minor league baseball player, son of Ted Williams | B.A. | |
| Michael Ferry | Class of 1997 | Rower, represented the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics | B.A. | |
| Justin Freeman | Class of 1998 | Skier, represented the United States during the 2006 Winter Olympics | B.A. | |
| Andrew Byrnes | Class of 2005 | Rower, represented Canada at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics | B.A. | |
| Hayley Johnson | Class of 2006 | Rower, represented Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics | 2003–05 | |
| Emily Bamford | Class of 2015 | Downhill skier, represented Australia at the 2014 Winter Olympics | 2012–14 | |
| Dinos Lefkaritis | Class of 2019 | Alpine skier, represented Cyprus at the 2018 Winter Olympics | B.A. |
Business
Religion
Science
Military
Fictional people
Notable faculty
Presidents of Bates College
Commencement speakers and honorary recipients
The following lists notable people who have spoken at a Bates College commencement ceremony or received an honorary degree. Those who are counted as alumni of the college and have received honorary degrees are noted in the preceding sections.| Name | Degree | Date | Notability |
| James Blaine | Legum Doctor | 1869 | U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of State |
| Nelson Dingley, Jr. | Legum Doctor | 1874 | Governor of Maine, Congressman |
| Eugene Hale | Legum Doctor | 1882 | Abolitionist, U.S. Senator |
| Lillian M. N. Stevens | Magister Artium | 1911 | American temperance worker |
| Calvin Coolidge | Legum Doctor | 1920 | 30th President of the United States |
| Robert Frost | Litterarum Humanarum Doctor | 1936 | New England poet |
| William Vanderbilt III | Legum Doctor | 1940 | Billionaire philanthropist, Governor of Rhode Island |
| Lester B. Pearson | Legum Doctor | 1951 | 14th Prime Minister of Canada |
| Sylvia Porter | Litterarum doctor | 1959 | Newspaper editor and influential financial columnist |
| Margaret Chase Smith | Legum Doctor | 1967 | U.S. Senator |
| Buckminster Fuller | Sciential Doctor | 1969 | Inventor and architect |
| Coretta Scott King | Litterarum doctor | 1971 | Civil rights leader, wife of Martin Luther King |
| Amory Lovins | Doctor of Science | 1979 | Physicist; environmentalist, author, CEO of Rocky Mountain Institute |
| Julia Child | Doctor of Fine Arts | 1983 | Television show host and chef |
| Jimmy Carter | Legum Doctor | 1985 | 39th President of the United States |
| Paul Vocker | Legum Doctor | 1989 | Chairman of the Federal Reserve |
| Freeman Dyson | Doctor of Science | 1991 | Physicist and mathematician |
| Elie Wiesel | Litterarum Humanarum Doctor | 1995 | Holocaust survivor and historian |
| Olympia Snowe | Legum Doctor | 1998 | U.S. Senator |
| John Updike | Legum Doctor | 1998 | Novelist and art critic |
| Desmond Tutu | Litterarum Humanarum Doctor | 2000 | South African Chairman and peace activist |
| Ken Burns | Litterarum Humanarum Doctor | 2002 | Documentary filmmaker |
| Brian Williams | Litterarum Humanarum Doctor | 2005 | NBC news anchor |
| David McCullough | Litterarum Humanarum Doctor | 2006 | American historian |
| Geena Davis | Doctor of Fine Arts | 2009 | Actress |
| Fareed Zakaria | Litterarum Humanarum Doctor | 2009 | Indian-American journalist, television host, editor of Time Magazine |
| Robert De Niro | Doctor of Fine Arts | 2012 | Actor, director, producer |
| John Lewis | Legum Doctor | 2016 | Civil rights leader, U.S. Representative |