Author: William Oscar Bates (1852 – 1924)

William Oscar Bates (1852 – 1924) was born in Harrisburg, IN (Fayette County). He attended Cornell University and then returned to Indiana to work as a journalist for the Indianapolis Journal, while also writing plays and working as a dramatic critic.

His obituary noted he was widely known in the literary world as a writer of exceptional depth and understanding, while also serving as a patron for aspiring young writers. He founded the Little Theatre Society of Indianapolis, the first community theater in the city, which would change its name to the Civic Theatre of Indianapolis in 1929 and then Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre when it moved to Carmel in 2011.

William O. Bates worked as a journalist, playwright and literary critic. Photo courtesy Indianapolis Star.
Many of William Bates’s plays had an Indianapolis connection, like this one centered around Pogue’s Run, a creek that runs through Indianapolis.
William Oscar Bates is buried in Section 39, Lot 235.