David Bates may refer to: David Bates (English artist) (1840–1921), English landscape artist David Bates (American artist) (born 1952), American modernist artist David Bates (footballer) (born 1996), Scottish footballer David Bates (historian) (born 1945), British historian and writer David Bates (physicist) (1916–1994), Northern Irish mathematician and physicist David Bates (poet) (1809–1870), American poet David Bates (rugby league) (born 1980), Irish rugby league footballer David Bates (swimmer) (born 1976), Australian open water swimmer David Bates (politician) (1941–2017), American politician David W. Bates (born 1957), American-born physician, biomedical informatician and professor