Bateman, J. Carroll

“I believe that public relations is a profession which should concern itself not with manipulation of people but with their continuing enlightenment” (Bateman, 1974, p. 6). So begins the credo that J. Carroll Bateman (1917–1982) wrote for public relations practice.

Bateman was a leader in public relations both nationally and internationally. He served as president of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in 1967, presiding over the PRSA board meeting in Philadelphia when it voted to establish the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). The national case competition administered by PRSSA is named for him. He served as president of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) in 1980. He devoted his last two years to public relations education after a long and distinguished career as a practitioner.

Born July 13, 1917, in Norwood, Pennsylvania, Bateman was raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He earned a bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins University and a master's degree from New York University, where he wrote a thesis titled “Communications in Education.” He was a reporter and feature writer for the Baltimore Evening Sun from 1934 to 1942 before becoming assistant editor of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's B&O Magazine. He served in the United States Army in World War II, returned to the B&O Railroad as public relations representative, and was promoted in 1951 to assistant director of public relations for the railroad. He joined the Eastern Railroad Presidents Conference in New York in 1953 as assistant chairman for public relations and advertising.

He served as public relations director of the Milk Industry Foundation in Washington, D.C., from 1955 to 1960. From 1960 to 1979, he functioned as general manager and president of the Insurance Information Institute, a public relations and public education organization supported by several hundred insurance companies in the property and liability field.

Bateman received numerous awards for his contributions to the field of public relations. He was named PR Professional of the Year by Public Relations News in 1973. He received the Gold Anvil Award from PRSA in 1975 for his contributions to the profession. During his tenure at the Insurance Information Institute, he received seven Silver Anvil Awards for outstanding public relations programs. He was editor and sole contributor to the Public Relations Journal's book review column. He was a frequent contributor to the Public Relations Quarterly and the IPRA Review, and he served in an editorial capacity with the Public Relations Review, Public Relations News, and Journal of Commerce. Bateman participated in several IPRA-sponsored World Congresses, serving as general chairman of the VII World Congress of Public Relations, which was held in Boston in 1976.

Bateman is revered in PRSSA history for his instrumental role in founding PRSSA during his presidency of the PRSA. He made education one of his initiatives in his term as president of PRSA in 1967. In his acceptance speech in November 1966, Bateman “stressed the advancement of education for public relations practitioners, one of the main goals of his regime” (Simon, 1968b, p. 30). In his inaugural speech as the new president of PRSA, Bateman “stressed his intention to underscore professional advancement through education as one of his chief goals” (Simon, 1967a, p. 37).

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