RAYMOND H. BATEMAN ’50

RAYMOND H. BATEMAN, a former New Jersey state senator, acting governor, and community college advocate, died June 25, 2016, at age 88. The son of Charles P. Bateman Sr. of the class of 1921 and of Charles P. Bateman Jr. of the class of 1948, he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and received his degree with honors and with distinction in government. He served in the U.S. Army during the occupation of Japan. After graduating he attended the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. From 1951 through 1954 he was the associate editor of Forbes magazine and served as an assistant to then-State Senator Malcolm S. Forbes. He served as the executive director of the New Jersey Republican State Committee from 1954 through 1958. In 1958 he was elected to the New Jersey State Assembly and became majority leader in 1965. In 1967, he was elected to the New Jersey State Senate and became the Senate President in 1969. He was also the Acting Governor for a period during that time. In 1977, he became the Republican nominee for Governor. He co-authored the legislation that established New Jersey’s county-based community college system. As Senate President, he also chaired a study commission that ultimately established the Delaware and Raritan Canal as a state park, today’s most utilized park in New Jersey. In the 1960s, he established Bateman & Associates, which he ran as an advertising and public relations agency in Somerville until it was sold in 1977. In 1978, he started Public Affairs Consultants, a government advisory service for corporate and foundation management, where he continued to work for the remainder of his life.
In 1978, he was appointed to the Somerset County College (now Raritan Valley Community College) Board of Trustees as Vice Chairman. Soon after he became the Chairman, serving for 26 years until 2005, when he became a Trustee. During his tenure as Chairman, Ray spearheaded the growth and expansion of Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC). He was instrumental in persuading the Governor to increase State funding to community colleges by $48 million. He was also co-chair of New Jersey’s community colleges “Team for Tomorrow,” a committee that advocated for tuition aid grants for community college students, and a $200 million increase in the Chapter XII community college construction and building renovation fund. In 2003 he received national recognition with the Association of Community College Trustees 2003 M. Dale Ensign Trustee Award for his leadership role in advancing RVCC and community colleges throughout New Jersey. In 2014, in honor of his contributions, RVCC dedicated the Ray Bateman Student Center for Student Life and Leadership. In 1994 he was appointed as chairman of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. He was also a Visiting Professor at Rutgers University from 1979 through 2000. He had a large following as a columnist for the Courier-News, where he always wrote honestly and fearlessly. His columns ranged from such topics as politics, the environment and Rutgers, to Maine, sports, dogs and family. He also wrote for Forbes’ publications and the Somerset Messenger Gazette. Predeceased by his wife, Joan Speer Bateman, one son and one daughter, survivors include four children, three daughters-in-law, two sons-in-law, 12 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and his friend and companion, Nancy Maulding.