Sanford Bates (July 17, 1884 in Boston, Massachusetts – September 8, 1972) was an American politician and public administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (1930–1937), a subdivision of the United States Department of Justice.

[2][7] Before he became an attorney, Bates worked as a clerk in the Boston Street Department.

[3] In May 1917,[3] Bates was elected to serve as a member of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1917, representing the 19th Suffolk District.

[9] From 1945 until his semi-retirement in 1954 he headed yet another prison system, the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

Among many other titles, positions and honors, Bates was the president of the American Prison Association in 1926.