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. , there are over 24,000 Bates alumni worldwide. This list also includes students of the affiliated Maine State Seminary, Nichols Latin School, and Cobb Divinity School. In 1915, president George Colby Chase opted to include former students as alumni in "appreciation of their loyalty". Affiliates of the college include 86 Fulbright Scholars, 22 Watson Fellows, and 5 Rhodes Scholars. Bates has been the fictional alma mater of various characters in American popular culture. Notable fictional works to feature the college include Ally McBeal (1997), The Sopranos (1999), and The Simpsons (2015), among others.
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. More than 20 universities have been led by Bates alumni.
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 NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceE. L. MayoClass of 1924Poet; winner of the 1982 American Book AwardB.A.Gladys Hasty CarrollClass of 1925Author of As the Earth Turns; received an honorary D.L.L (1945)B.A.Dorothy Clarke WilsonClass of 1925Author of The Prince of Egypt, a source for the Academy Award–winning film The Ten CommandmentsB.A.Carleton MabeeClass of 1936Author; won the 1944 Pulitzer PrizeB.A.Owen DodsonClass of 1936Poet and playwright of the Harlem RenaissanceB.A.Robert RimmerClass of 1939Author of The Harrad ExperimentB.A.Nicholas BasbanesClass of 1965Author of On PaperB.A.Ann TurnerClass of 1967Children's author and poet; published over 150 worksB.A.Pamela AlexanderClass of 1970Poet and professor at Oberlin College; winner of the 1985 Yale Poet AwardB.A.Lisa GenovaClass of 1992Author of bestsellers Still Alice and Left NeglectedB.A.Carrie JonesClass of 1993Author of the Need series, featured on New York Times Best Seller ListB.A.Natasha FriendClass of 1994Author of the award-winning young adult novels Perfect, Lush, and BounceB.A.Elizabeth StroutClass of 1977Author of Amy and Isabelle, Abide with Me, and Olive Kitteridge; winner of the 2009 Pulitzer PrizeB.A.
Journalism and nonfiction NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceLouis B. CostelloClass of 1898President of the Lewiston Evening Journal and The Lewiston Daily Sun (1945–1959); received an honorary LL.D. (1952)B.A.Emerson BakerClass of 1980American historian and archaeologist on the PBS show Colonial HouseB.A.Jon MarcusClass of 1982Author, journalist; editor of Boston Magazine; member of the adjunct faculty at Boston College and Boston UniversityB.A.Brian McGroryClass of 1984Editor-in-chief of The Boston Globe B.A.Carolyn RyanClass of 1986Managing editor of The New York TimesB.A.Michael BrooksClass of 2009Political pundit, writer, comedian and host of The Michael Brooks Show and The Majority Report with Sam SederB.A.
Film and television NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceDoug WhiteClass of 1967NBC television lead anchor, for which he won an Emmy AwardB.A.John SheaClass of 1970Actor, writer, and director; starred in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman; played Harold Waldorf, Blair Waldorf's father on Gossip Girl (2007–12)B.A.Bryant GumbelClass of 1970Television journalist; 15-year co-host of NBC's The Today Show (1982–1997) and CBS's The Early ShowB.A.John CarrafaClass of 1976Dancer and choreographer; best known as a two-time Tony Award-nominated choreographer of Broadway musicals Urinetown and Into The Woods and the Media Choreography Honors Award winner for the Robert Zemeckis film The Polar ExpressB.A.David ChokachiClass of 1990Actor and writer; starred in Baywatch and WitchbladeB.A.Corey HarrisClass of 1991Anthropologist and blues musician; featured in the 2003 PBS television mini-series The BluesB.A.Maria BamfordClass of 1994Actress and stand-up comedian, creator of Netflix's Lady Dynamite; won the 2014 American Comedy Award1990-92Andrew BaronClass of 1994Founder of Know Your Meme and RocketboomB.A.Daniel StedmanClass of 2001Youngest filmmaker ever invited to the Berlin International Film FestivalB.A.
Music NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceAlice Swanson EstyClass of 1925Soprano; arts patron; donated her collection of music manuscripts to Bates College in 1994 and 1995B.A.Eric ChasalowClass of 1977Composer and professor at Brandeis University; 1985 John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship and multiple awards from American Academy of Arts and LettersB.A.Mark ErelliClass of 1996Singer-songwriterB.A.Alisa AmadorClass of 2018Singer-songwriter; winner of the 2022 NPR Tiny Desk ContestB.A.
Art, architecture, and design NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceWilliam MillerClass of 1891Chief design officer appointed to steel magnate Andrew Carnegie; built the Gerald Hotel, the Auburn Public Library, the Waterville Public Library and other buildings in the New England areaB.A.Kate GilmoreClass of 1997Fine artistB.A.
Government
Note: alumni who have served in multiple political offices are noted in all relevant sections for continuity
U.S. cabinet-ranked officials Although Bates alumni have served in a variety of capacities in the U.S. 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.
NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceEdmund MuskieClass of 1936United States secretary of state (1980–1981)B.A.Robert F. KennedyClass of 1944United States attorney general (1961–1964)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 the federal government or in cabinet-level positions are documented in the preceding section; members of the U.S. Congress (along with state government officials) are noted in the succeeding sections.
NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceJohn AbbotClass of 1871United States ambassador to Colombia (1899–1913)B.A.Fremont WoodClass of 1881United States attorney for Idaho Territory (1889–1894)B.A.Meredith BurrillClass of 1925United States Board on Geographic Names executive secretary]] (1943–1973)B.A.John F. DavisClass of 192814th clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States (1961–1970)B.A.Herbert Reiner Jr.Class of 1936United States Foreign Service diplomat who caught Mahatma Gandhi's assassin in 1948B.A.Constance Berry NewmanClass of 1956United States assistant secretary of state for African Affairs (2004–2005)B.A.Joyce VanceClass of 1982United States attorney for Alabama (2009–2017)B.A.
U.S. senators From 1965 to 1968, both Edmund Muskie (1936) and Robert F. Kennedy (1944) served together in the United States Senate, representing Maine and New York, respectively. Many of the following alumni served in leadership positions in the Senate.
NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceEdmund MuskieClass of 1936United States senator from Maine (1959–1980)B.A.Robert F. KennedyClass of 1944United States senator from New York (1965–1968)V-12
U.S. representatives The first Bates alumni to serve in the United States Congress was John Swasey (1859) in the 60th United States Congress. During the 73rd and 116th U.S. Congresses, four Bates alumni served simultaneously–Carroll Beedy (1903) and Charles Clason (1911) during the former sitting with Ben Cline (1994) and Jared Golden (2011) 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 in the House of Representatives.
NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceJohn SwaseyClass of 1859United States representative from Maine (1908–1911)B.A.Daniel McGillicuddyClass of 1881United States representative from Maine (1911–1917)1877–80Carroll BeedyClass of 1903United States representative from Maine (1921–1935)B.A.Charles ClasonClass of 1911United States representative from Massachusetts (1937–1949)B.A.Donald PartridgeClass of 1914United States representative from Maine (1931–1933)B.A.Frank CoffinClass of 1940United States representative from Maine (1929–1933)B.A.Leo RyanClass of 1944United States representative from California (1973–1978)V-12Robert GoodlatteClass of 1974United States representative from Virginia (1993–2019); chaired House Judiciary Committee (2013-2019)B.A.Ben ClineClass of 1994United States representative from Virginia (2019–present)B.A.Jared GoldenClass of 2011United States representative from Maine (2019–present)B.A.
Governors NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceCarl MillikenClass of 1897Governor of Maine (1917–1921)B.A.Harry Morrison CheneyClass of 1886Acting governor of New Hampshire (1904)B.A.Edmund MuskieClass of 1936Governor of Maine (1955–1959)B.A.
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 them also served in additional leadership roles in state government.
NameClass yearNotabilityDegreeReferenceHenri HaskellClass of 1862Montana attorney general (1889–1897)B.A.James DonavanClass of 1880Montana attorney general (1900–1904)1878–79Scott WilsonClass of 1892Maine attorney general (1913–1915)B.A.Rick SullivanClass of 1981Massachusetts secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs (2011–2014)B.A.Gurbir GrewalClass of 1995New Jersey attorney general (2018–present)1991–94
State senators Many of the following alumni served in leadership positions in their respective state's upper house, including president of the senate, majority leader, minority leader, as well as minority and majority whip.