Ray Bateman, iconic N.J. senator, dead at 88

"When it came to public service, Sen. Ray Bateman was a giant. He was one of the people that I admired most growing up in a family that followed a similar path," Kean said in a statement. "He's someone that many of us who serve now try to emulate."

Bateman attended Somerville High School and graduated Wesleyan University magna cum laude. Between high school and college, Bateman served in the U.S. Army during the occupation of Japan in 1946.

He later 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 chairman of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority before resigning in 2001.

State Senate President Steve Sweeney called Bateman a "faithful public servant to the people of New Jersey, whose work in both houses of the legislature sought to make the state a better place."

"His commitment to higher education through the county college system, particularly at Raritan Valley Community College in Somerset County, is an inspiration to all of us who believe a top notch education is the key to a successful future," Sweeney said in a statement.

He established and ran the advertising and public relations agency, Bateman & Associates in Somerville, until it was sold in 1977.

The following year, after his failed gubernatorial bid, he started Public Affairs Consultants, a government advisory service for corporate and foundation management, where he worked until his death.

That same year, he was appointed to the board of trustees of Somerset County College (now Raritan Valley Community College) as vice chairman, rising to the position of chairman, a post he held until 2005 when he became a trustee.  During his tenure as chairman, Ray spearheaded the growth and expansion of Raritan Valley Community College.    

He was instrumental in persuading then-Gov. Christine Todd Whitman to increase state funding to community colleges by $48 million.  As co-chairman New Jersey's community colleges "Team for Tomorrow", a committee that advocated for tuition aid grants for community college students, he helped secure a $200 million increase in the Chapter XII community college construction and building renovation fund. 

Most recently, Bateman took to writing a column for the Gannett newspapers and mycentraljersey.com. 

He wrote on a variety of topics, rarely pulling punches. Recently, he said a Donald Trump presidency would be a disaster, he called on Christie to resign as governor before Christie jumped into the Republican primary and he came to the defense of Somerset County prosecutor Geoff Soriano during fallout over how his office handled the deaths of John and Joyce Sheridan, long-time friends of Bateman's.  

He also penned a spirited defense of Christie and said it was unfair that he was constantly under attack by "unabashed newspaper liberals."

U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th Dist.) said Bateman was a powerful influence on the state.

"Ray Bateman was one the preeminent leaders of New Jersey in the second half of the Twentieth Century.  He was a legislator's legislator and his tremendous positive effect on the state is virtually incalculable.  His children, including State Sen. Kip Bateman, and his grandchildren should be enormously proud of the life of this distinguished public servant.  Heidi and I extend our deepest sympathy to the entire Bateman family."  

He was predeceased by his wife Joan (nee Speer); his son, Raymond Jr.; and his daughter, Robin. In addition to his son Kip, he is survived by daughters Caren Bateman and Joananne Coffaro, son Michael Bateman and their spouses, and daughter-in-law Robin Bateman, as well as 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his friend and companion, Nancy Maulding.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on July 9 at Raritan Valley Community College Theatre. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to North Branch Reformed Church, The Ray Bateman Student Center for Student Life and Leadership at RVCC, or the Pleasant Pond Protective Association.