Jonathan Stanton

Jonathan Stanton (1834–1918) was an ornithologist and longtime professor[ambiguous] of Greek and Latin at Bates College, a librarian and a supporter of the debate program.

A native of Lebanon, Maine, USA, and an 1856 graduate of Bowdoin College, Stanton studied law from 1856 to 1857 and became a teacher at the New Hampton School in New Hampshire from 1857 to 1858.

[2] The local Stanton Bird Club is still active and owns the Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary.

The "Stanton Ride", where Stanton paid to have horses and carriages take the freshman class on a picnic where he would tell them the history of the college, continued as a tradition for over 100 years.

Referred to by students as "Uncle Johnny" and by college president George C. Chase as "the spirit of Bates", Stanton refused to leave Bates for any other colleges and remains one of the school's most influential professors[ambiguous] to this day.