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 (those who did not complete the full four year course of study) 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 (1997), The Sopranos (1999), and The Simpsons (2015). , 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:

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.

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 (along with state government officials) are noted in the succeeding sections.

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 within the Senate.

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 within the House of Representatives.

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.

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.

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.

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 ('74) is the only alumni to serve as mayor to two different cities (Lewiston and Auburn, Maine).

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 (including the U.S. district court system) and state judiciaries. Alumni who have served in executive positions, such as attorneys general (both on a state and federal level) are noted in the "federal officials and ambassadors" section above.

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.

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.

Academia and administration

University founders and presidents

Professors and scholars

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 ('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.

Business

Religion

Science

Military

Fictional people

Notable faculty

Sociology Modern languages Religious studies Economics English Debate Political science Philosophy History Visual art Theater Music Anthropology

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 (or spoken at commencements) are noted in the preceding sections.