Raymond H "Ray" Bateman was an American politician who represented Somerset County in the New Jersey Senate in the 1960s and 1970s and was the Republican candidate for Governor of New Jersey in 1977.
12 Facts About Raymond Bateman
1.
2.
Raymond Bateman was the father of Kip Bateman, who later occupied the same Senate district he held.
3.
Raymond Bateman served as executive director of the Republican State Committee from 1954 to 1958.
4.
Raymond Bateman entered the New Jersey General Assembly in November 1958, serving as the lone Assemblyman from Somerset County going on to serve as assistant majority leader in 1964 and majority leader in 1965.
5.
Raymond Bateman sponsored the 1962 legislation that established New Jersey's county-based community college system.
6.
Raymond Bateman was elected to the New Jersey Senate in 1967 and was reelected in 1971 from the 8th Legislative District which consisted of all of Somerset County.
7.
In 1977 Raymond Bateman won the Republican primary for Governor of New Jersey over Thomas Kean and two other candidates, but he lost in the general election to Brendan Byrne by a margin of 1,184,564 to 888,880 votes.
8.
Raymond Bateman served as chairman of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.
9.
Raymond Bateman resigned after a conflict with Governor of New Jersey Donald DiFrancesco in 2001 over construction of a new arena for the New Jersey Devils in Newark and plans for the proposed Xanadu complex.
10.
Raymond Bateman was married to Joan Speer Bateman until her death in 2003.
11.
Raymond Bateman died on June 25,2016, at Morristown Memorial Hospital after a shoulder break and pneumonia.
12.
Raymond Bateman is buried at the North Branch Reformed Church cemetery.