Joshua Bates

Who was Joshua Bates?

Joshua Bates was an American educator and clergyman. He was the third president of Middlebury College.

Born in Cohasset, Massachusetts, he was the son of Zealous and Abigail Bates. Bates graduated from Harvard College in 1800. He became a special student in divinity at Phillips Academy, serving as well as an instructor at Phillips Andover Academy. From 1818 to 1839, Bates was president of Middlebury College. During his tenure, Bates helped to stabilize the struggling institution and oversaw the construction of the Old Chapel, an icon of the college that is on the National Register of Historic Places. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1834. He was Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives for the twenty–sixth Congress. In 1843 he became minister at Dudley, Massachusetts where he remained until his death, aged 77.

TODAY'S LEGACY

His family still lives on today, all over Massachusetts.