As of November 2018[update], 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.
S.T.B.– recipient of Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus from the college's defunct Cobb Divinity School, which merged with Bates' religion department in 1908
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 (along with state government officials) are noted in the succeeding sections.
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.[47] Many of the following alumni served in leadership positions within the Senate.
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.
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 ('74) is the only alumni to serve as mayor to two different cities (Lewiston and Auburn, Maine).
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.
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 ('78) and Andrew Byrnes ('05) 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.
Cell biologist and immunologist; National Academy of Sciences trustee; upon his death was described by the New York Times as being "in the forefront of current studies of the body's defenses against infection"
In the episode "Compromising Positions" it is revealed that Ally McBeal's brother is a fictional alumnus of Bates. Later in the episode Ally meets her first love interest of the series, Ronald, who is another fictional alumnus of the college and was roommates with her brother.
In the television episode entitled, "College", Tony Soprano takes his daughter, Meadow on a trip to Maine to visit colleges that she is considering. They first visit Bates, while walking past the college's chapel she states, "[Bates College has] a 48-to-52 male-female ratio, which is great, strong liberal arts program and this cool Olin Arts Center for music."
Episode six, "The Young and the Headless", of the 13-part TV miniseries developed by Stephen King, based on Lars von Trier's The Kingdom (miniseries), and set in Lewiston, opens on a shot of a Bates College sign and visiting seismologist Richard Schwartzton (played by Gerard Plunkett) meeting dean of the college Bertram Swinton (played by William B. Davis).
The Netflix original series is loosely based on the life of Bates alumna Maria Bamford. Bamford plays a fictionalized version of herself whose character also attended Bates.
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 (or spoken at commencements) are noted in the preceding sections.
^Palmer, Joanne (October 15, 2018). "Fitting in, standing out | The Jewish Standard". jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved May 10, 2020. Mr. Grewal decided to try something different, so he went to Bates College, in rural Maine. "I thought I needed a small liberal arts college," he said. "I wanted to be a writer. But then I took one international relations course, and I was hooked."
^"About The Honorable Morton A. Brody". Colby College: Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs. December 18, 2004. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
^H. Jay Burns (21 April 2010). "James Nabrit '52". Bates Magazine. Bates College. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
^"Obituaries". Bates Magazine. Bates College. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
^"Ruth Rowe Wilson's Obituary". Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. February 25, 2012. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
^"1950s | Alumni". Bates College. Archived from the original on June 22, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
^Donald R. McClarey (July 18, 2011). "Warren H. Carroll". The American Catholic. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
^"King V. Cheek, Jr". The HistoryMakers. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
^William C. Hiss '66 (29 April 2010). "John Strassburger '64". Bates Magazine. Bates College. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Mary Johnson, "Hamilton Hatter," The West Virginia Encyclopedia (Charleston, West Virginia: West Virginia Humanities Council, Volume 22, December 2014).
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Dormin J. Ettrude, Edith M. Phelps, Julia Emily Johnsen. French Occupation of the Ruhr: Bates College Versus Oxford Union Society of Oxford College. (1923)