William & Mary Alumni > Notable Alumni

When one thinks of the College of William and Mary, the first thought might be of the history of the institution -- or perhaps its place in American history.

Or, possibly those who attended might think back to their good times, the unforgettable campus or their focus of study. But none of those things are what makes a place of learning great. Though the College has them all -- it is the quality of the graduate and the ability to excell in whichever field of work or study that he or she persues.

It was Thomas Jefferson, Class of 1762, who said of education so eloquently: "Above all things I hope the education of the common people will be attended to, convinced that on their good sense we may rely with the most security for the preservation of a due degree of liberty."

This embodies exactly what his alma mater has been striving to do for more than 300 years of its proud history.

And understandably, William and Mary may have more than its fair share of the best and brightest of America to claim as its own. Here you can learn who graced the halls and who have left their mark on the rest of this proud nation.

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Presidents

George Washington, the first President of the United States received his surveyor's certificate from William and Mary and later served as the College's 14th Chancellor
Thomas Jefferson 1762, LL.D 1783, author of the Declaration of Independence, first Secretary of State, second Governor of Virginia, third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia
James Monroe 1776, fifth President of the United States, 12th Governor of Virginia, architect of the Monroe Doctrine
John Tyler 1807, tenth President of the United States and former Chancellor of the College

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Supreme Court

Philip Pendleton Barbour 1799, Associate Justice; United States Speaker of the House of Representatives
John Marshall 1780, Fourth Chief Justice of the United States
Bushrod Washington, Associate Justice; co-founder of Phi Beta Kappa

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Cabinet and Diplomats

George M. Bibb, U.S. Senator, Kentucky (1811-1814); 17th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (1844-1845)
John Breckinridge, sixth United States Attorney General
John J. Crittenden 1806, 16th and 23rd United States Attorney General
Robert M. Gates '65, L.H.D. 1998, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (1991-1993); Deputy National Security Adviser (1989-1991); 22nd United States Secretary of Defense (2006-present)
Susan Morrissey Livingstone '68, Undersecretary, United States Navy
John Nelson 1811, 18th United States Attorney General
Edmund Jennings Randolph, first United States Secretary of State (1794-1795); second United States Attorney General (1789-1794)
Janet A. Sanderson '77, U.S. Ambassador to Algeria; recipient of U.S. State Department's Herbert A. Salzman Award
William Short 1779, co-founder and president of Phi Beta Kappa (1778-1781); Charge d'Affaires of the Diplomatic Mission to France; First American Career Diplomat; Minister to Spain (1793-1795)

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Governors

W. W. Bibb 1796, Governor of Alabama (1805-1808)
William Bloxham 1855, Governor of Florida (1881-1885)
Gerard Brandon 1809, Governor of Mississippi (1825-1826)
William Henry Cabell 1793, Governor of Virginia (1817-1820)
William C. C. Claiborne 1790, Governor of Mississippi Territory (1801-1805), Governor of Territory of Orleans (1803-1812), Governor of Louisiana (1812-1816)
Edward Coles 1807, Governor of Illinois (1822-1826)
Richard Coke 1848, Governor of Texas (1874-1876)
John J. Crittenden 1807, Governor of Kentucky (1848-1850)
John N. Dalton '53, Governor of Virginia (1978-1982)
William Branch Giles 1781, Governor of Virginia (1827-1830)
Mills E. Godwin Jr. '34, LL.D. 1966, Governor of Virginia (1966-1970 and 1974-1978)
John Munford Gregory 1832, Governor of Virginia (1842-1843)
Benjamin Harrison V 1745, Governor of Virginia (1782-1784), member of Continental Congress, signer of U.S. Declaration of Independence, father of ninth U.S. President William Henry Harrison
David Holmes 1795, Governor of Mississippi (January 1826-July 1826)
John Francis Mercer 1775, Governor of Maryland (1801-1803), Delegate to the Continental Congress (1787); United States Representative, Maryland (1791-1794)
Andrew Jackson Montague 1874, Governor of Virginia (1802-1806)
Wilson Cary Nicholas 1779, Governor of Virginia (1814-1816)
John Page 1763, Governor of Virginia (1802-1805)
Walter R. Peterson '46, Governor of New Hampshire (1969-1973)
James Pleasants 1785, Governor of Virginia (1822-1825); U.S. Senator, Virginia (1819-1822)
John Pope 1790, Governor of the Territory of Arkansas (1829-1835), U.S. House of Representatives, Kentucky (1837-1843)
James Patton Preston 1773, Governor of Virginia (1816-1819)
Beverly Randolph 1772, Governor of Virginia (1788-1791)
Peyton Randolph 1739, Acting Governor of Virginia (1811-1812)
Edmund Randolph 1770, Governor of Virginia (1786-1788)
Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. 1783, Governor of Virginia (1819-1822); Colonel of the Twentieth Infantry (War of 1812); son-in-law to Thomas Jefferson (died at Monticello in 1828)
Thomas B. Robertson 1795, Governor of Louisiana(1820-1824)
Wyndham Robertson 1820, Acting Governor of Virginia (1836-1837)
William Munford Tuck 1917, LL.D. 1948, Governor of Virginia (1946-1950)
John Tyler, Jr. 1807, Governor of Virginia (1825-1827)
John Tyler, Sr. 1765, Governor of Virginia (1808-1811)

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Senators, Speakers, Congresspeople and Other Government

James Frederick Almand '71, J.D. '74, member of Virginia House of Delegates (1978-2003)
Richard Clough Anderson 1805, U.S. House of Representatives, Kentucky (1817-1821)
William Segar Archer 1810, U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia (1820-1835)
Archibald Atkinson 1813, U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia (1843-49)
Lynn Banks 1806, U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia (1838-1841)
William Taylor Barry 1804, U.S. House of Representatives, Kentucky (1810-1811)
John Strode Barbour 1809, U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia (1823-1833)
Phillip Pendleton Barbour 1802, U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia (1814-1825, 1821-1823, 1827-1830)
Burwell Bassett 1782, U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia (1805-1813, 1815-1819, 1821-1829)
Viola O. Baskerville '73, current Secretary of Administration for Virginia, Former Member of Virginia House of Delegates
Herb Bateman '49, U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia (1983-2000)
Thomas Hart Benton 1800, U.S. House of Representatives, Missouri (1853-1855)
Karen Beyer '91, Member, Pennsylvania State House of Representatives (2005-present)
Richard Bland, Member of Continental Congress (1774-1775); served multiple terms in House of Burgesses; Colonial rights advocate who publicly opposed England's Stamp Act
Schuyler Otis Bland 1892, U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia (1918-1950)
Theoderic Bland 1754, U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia (1789-1790)
Sarah Kemp Brady '64, pioneer in handgun control; wife of Jim Brady, press secretary to President Ronald Reagan
Carter Braxton 1755, signer of U.S. Declaration of Independence; member of Continental Congress; leader in the American Revolution
James Breckenridge 1785, U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia (1809-1817)
Robert H. Brink J.D. '78, Member of Virginia House of Delegates (1998-present)
Eric Cantor J.D.'88, U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia (2001-present)
Robert Eugene Cook '50, U.S. House of Representatives, Ohio (1959-1963)
Steven J. Chabot ' 75, U.S. House of Representatives, Ohio (1994-present)
William C. C. Clairborne 1790, U.S. House of Representatives, Tennessee (1797-1801)
James B. Comey ' 82, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Deputy United States Attorney General (2002-2005); General Counsel of Lockheed Martin (2005-present), proscuting attorney in the Marth Stewart trial
John Jordan Crittenden 1807, U.S. House of Representatives, Kentucky (1861-1863)
Benjamin Williams Crowninshield 1805, U.S. House of Representatives, Massachusetts (1823-1831)
Henry A. S. Dearborn 1803, U.S. House of Representatives, Massachusetts (1831-1833)
Mark L. Earley '76, J.D. '82 , Former Attorney General, Virginia.
Oilver Walter Frey 1915, U.S. House of Representatives, Pennsylvania (1933-1939)
Joseph H. Hawkins 1807, U.S. House of Representatives, Kentucky (1814-1815)
John Heath, U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia (1793-1797); founding member and first president of Phi Beta Kappa in 1776
Kristy Melker Hickman J.D. '94, State Attorney General, Maryland (2006-present)
Benjamin Howard 1797, U.S. House of Representatives, Kentucky (1807-1810)
John Winston Jones 1813, U.S. House of Representatives (1835-1845); Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1843-1845)
William Mallory Levy 1844, U.S. House of Representatives, Louisiana (1875-1877)
Ryan McDougle J.D. '96, Member, Virginia House of Delegates, State Senate
William McMillan 1775, U.S. House of Representatives, Territory Northwest of the Ohio River (1800-1801)
Duane Milne '90, Member, Pennsylvania State House of Representatives (2006-present)
William C. Mims '79 J.D. '96, Member, Virginia House of Delegates (1992-2005)
Alan Mollohan '66, U.S. House of Representatives, West Virginia (1982-present)
Jackson Morton 1815, U.S. Senator, Florida (1849-1855); Confederate Representative, Florida (1861-1862)
John Nelson 1811, U.S. Attornery General, (1843-1845); U.S. House of Representatives, Maryland (1821-1823)
Roger Nelson 1775, U.S. House of Representatives, Maryland (1804-1810)
John Calhoun Nicholls 1855, U.S. House of Representatives, Georgia (1979-1881, 1883-1885)
Thomas K. Norment, Jr. J.D. '73, Virginia State Senate Member
Michael K. Powell ' 85, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (2001-2005); son of former Secretary of State Colin Powell; appointed Rector of College of William & Mary (2006)
Peyton Randolph, first President of Continental Congress (1774-1775); Attorney General, Virginia Colony; buried beneath the chapel of the College
Thomas Bolling Robertson 1795, U.S. House of Representatives, Louisiana (1812-1818)
Samuel T. Sawyer 1819, U.S. House of Representatives, North Carolina (1837-1839)
Nicole Bibbins Sedaca '93 serves as the Senior Director for Strategic Planning and External Affairs in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor for the U.S. Department of State
Charles Lewis Scott 1846, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, California (1857-1861), Minister to Venezuela (1885-1889)
Harriett Stanley '72, member of Massachusetts State House of Representatives (2006-present)
Andrew Stevenson, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1827-1833)
David Trimble 1799, U.S. House of Representatives, Kentucky (1817-1827)
Malfourd W. Trumbo '77, J.D. '83, Former Member, Virginia House of Delegates
Dina Titus ' 70, Minority Leader, Nevada State Senate; 2006 Democratic Gubernatorial candidate, Nevada

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Military & Aerospace

Capt. David M. Brown '78, astronaut, surgeon and naval pilot (died aboard the space shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003)
Maj. General James Michael Lyle '62, Former Commander of Reserve Officer Training Corps.
General David McKiernan '72, commanding general, Third U.S. Army, Coalition Forces Land Component Command in the Middle East (CENTCOM)
General Winfield Scott 1805, longest serving general in U.S. military history (1814-1861); commanded forces in War of 1812, Black Hawk War and Mexican-American War; general-in-chief of Union Army at start of the American Civil War; author of Anaconda Plan

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Arts and Media

Christopher Bram '74, writer, author of Father of Frankenstein which was adapted into Academy Award winning film Gods and Monsters
James Branch Cabell 1898, regionalist author, favorite of Mark Twain.
Henri Cole '78, poet; current poet-in-residence at William and Mary
Glenn Close '74, actress in such films as Dangerous Liasions and Fatal Attraction, the television series The Shield and stage productions such as Sunset Boulevard
Steven Culp '78, actor on such television shows as Desperate Housewives, The West Wing and JAG
Michael D'Orso '75, journalist; nominated for Pulitzer Prize; author of Like Judgement Day: The Ruin and Redemption of a Town Called Rosewood
Perry Ellis '61, fashion designer and founder of the firm Perry Ellis International
Kate Fleming '87, award-winning audio book narrator
John Gilstrap '79, author of thrillers Nathan's Run, Even Steven and At All Costs
Ed Grimsley '51, author of First, Let's Kill all the Humorists
Peter Frostic '01, Member of Old School Freight Train bluegrass band
Scott Glenn '63, actor in such films as The Right Stuff, Hunt for Red October, The Silence of the Lambs
Karen L. Hall '78, television writer of CBS's Judging Amy, M*A*S*H
Sheri Holman '88, best-selling novelist; author of A Stolen Tongue, The Dress Lodger and The Mammoth Cheese
Martin Jurow '32, late producer for both Broadway stage productions and film
Dick Lamb '63, radio personality and station owner in Southeastern Virginia
Linda Lavin '59, actress, Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe winner, starred on television sitcom Alice
Bill Lawrence '90, television, creator/writer of Scrubs and Spin City
William Ivey Long '69, LHD '04, costume designer, four time recipient of Tony Award
Peter Neufeld '58, Broadway Producer
Patton Oswalt '91, comedian; film and television actor on such series as The King of Queens
Andrew Pang '88, actor, on such television shows as Law and Order: Criminal Intent
Lewis Puller '67, lawyer; writer; winner of Pulitzer Prize for autobiography Fortunate Son in 1991
Jason Pollock '94, member of the band Seven Mary Three, formed at the College in 1992
H. Reid '47, author, photographer and historian
Jason Ross '95, member of the band Seven Mary Three
H. Mason Sizemore, Jr. '63, President and CEO, The Seattle Times
Joan F. Showalter '55, former Senior Vice President with CBS
Mark Stanley '78, director, New York City Ballet
Jon Stewart '84, anchor and writer of Emmy-winning television program The Daily Show; host of 2006 Academy Awards television broadcast
Audrea Topps-Harjo '88, founder of Obsidian Pictures, released Raw Intensity and Hard Candy
John C. Wright J.D. '87, author of The Golden Age trilogy and other science fiction and fantasy novels; called "this fledgling century's most important new SF talent" by Publishers Weekly

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Law & Academia

Hans Christian Ackerman '97, Rhodes Scholar
Dr. Warren Wesley Buck III MS '70, Ph.D. '76, Former chancellor, University of Washington, Bothell
Vincent T. DeVita, Jr., '69, LHD '04, physician and pioneer in oncology, CEO of Yale University's Comprehensive Cancer Institute
David Ellenson '69, President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
Joseph Ellis '65, history professor, Mount Holyoke College; author of New York Times bestseller Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation which received 2001 Pulitzer Prize
Penelope W. Kyle, M.B.A. '87, President of Radford University
Haldane Robert Mayer J.D. '71, Chief Judge of U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit, Washington, D.C. (1997-present)
William Barton Rogers, natural scientist; former Professor of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry at the College (1828-1835); founder of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1861)
Timothy J. Sullivan '66, Former President of the College of William and Mary (1992-2005), current President and CEO of the Mariner's Museum in Newport News, Va.
Rebecca Beach Smith '71, U.S. District Court Judge, Virginia (Virginia's first female federal judge)
George Edward Srour '05, Wm E. Simon Fellowship for Nobel Purpose
Henry St. George Tucker 1798, J.D. 1801, law professor at College (1801-1804); judge, Virginia Supreme Court (1824-1831); known for authoring the honor pledge in 1842 which has since be used as a model at numerous universities
Paul R. Verkuil '61, Dean, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, Former President of the College of William and Mary (1985-1992), appointed by U.S. Supreme Court - 'Special Master' for Ellis Island Dispute
Mary Jo White '70, former U.S. Attorney for Southern District of New York (1993-2002), partner at Manhattan law fim Debevoise & Plimpton (2003-present)
George Wythe, legal scholar; America's first Professor of Law, William and Mary (1769-1789); Member of Continental Congress (1775-1776); signer of U.S. Declaration of Independence (1776)

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Business

A. Marshall Acuff, Jr. '62, former managing director of Solomon Smith Barney
Jean Blackwell '76, serves Cummins, Inc. as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
J. Edward Coleman '73, CEO of Gateway, Inc.
Beth Comstock '82, President of Integrated Media for NBC Universal
Clyde E. Culp '65, Former CEO of Long John Silvers, Former CEO of Po Folks, Former President & CEO of Embassy Suites Hotel Division.
David A. Eklund ' 82, chairman of reinsurance firm Aeolus Re; previous President of Renaissance Re
Lewis Glucksman '45, the late Wall Street trader and former CEO of Lehman Brothers
Jim Kaplan '57, owner of Cornell Dubilier Electronics, the world's oldest manufacturer of electronic capacitors; endowed the College's basketball gymnasium Kaplan Arena
Raymond A. Mason ' 59, founder and CEO of investment firm Legg Mason, Inc.; namesake of William and Mary's Mason School of Business
Mark McCormack '51, late sports agency pioneer, founder of International Management Group, author of bestseller What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School
Joseph J. Plumeri '66, Chairman and CEO of Willis (Insurance), namesake of William and Mary's baseball stadium, Plumeri Park
Michael F. Rogers '81, president, Investors Bank & Trust Company
Michael Sapnar '88, senior executive at reinsurance firm Transatlantic Reinsurance
James Ukrop '60, Chairman of Ukrop's Super Markets, Chairman of First Market Bank
Henry C. Wolf '64, J.D. '66, former Chief Financial Officer and Vice Chairman, Norfolk Southern Corporation; benefactor of Henry C. Wolf Law Library at the College
Walter J. Zable '37, L.L.D. 1978, Chairman/CEO Cubic Corporation, benefactor of Zable Stadium at the College

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Sports & Athletics

Al Albert '69, M.Ed. 1971, graduate and professor/coach, one of all time winningest coaches in NCAA Soccer history
Wade Barrett '98, Major League Soccer defender, Houston Dynamo
Bill Bray '04, Relief pitcher, Cincinnati Reds
Adin Brown '00, Norwegian Premier League soccer goalkeeper, Aalesund, two-time NCAA First Team All-American (1998 & 1999)
Steve Christie '89, former National Football League placekicker, played in three Super Bowls for the Buffalo Bills
Mike "Pinball" Clemons '87, former record-holding Canadian Football League player (1989-2000); current head coach Toronto Argonauts (2001-present)
Lang Campbell '05, professional quarterback, 2004 Walter Payton Award winner
John Cannon '82, former defensive end Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1982-1989)
Lou Creekmur '50, eight-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle / guard from 1950-59 Detroit Lions, Pro Football Hall of Fame (1996)
Mark Duffner '75, current Linebackers coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars
Ivan Fears '76, New England Patriots running backs coach
Kip Germain '78, former professional soccer player with Washington Diplomats, Atlanta Chiefs of North American Soccer League
J. D. Gibbs '91, former NASCAR driver, President of Joe Gibbs Racing, owner #11 Fed Ex Chevrolet car
Robert Green '92, former professional football player, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears
Brendan Harris '01, infielder, Cincinnati Reds
Ron Harrison '98, former cornerback Jacksonville Jaguars
Dan Henning '64, former head coach with the Atlanta Falcons (1983-1986) and San Diego Chargers (1989-91)
Adam Hess '04, professional basketball player in Czech Republic's NBL
Brian L. Hyde '96, Olympic Athlete, 1500M
Steve Jolley '97, former Major League Soccer defender, Red Bull New York
Mark Kelso '85, former free saftey with the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills - played in four straight Super Bowls with the Bills, third on Bills' all-time interception list with 30
Mike Leach '00, tight end / long snapper, Denver Broncos
Sean McDermott '98, current linebackers coach with the Philadelphia Eagles
Bud Metheny '40, M.Ed. '53, former professional baseball player with the New York Yankees (1943-46), longtime baseball coach with Old Dominion University
Rich Musinski '04, wide receiver, New England Patriots
Rob Olson ' 82, former professional soccer player with Team America of North American Soccer League
Christine Paradis '84, Former pro women's lacrosse player, Amherst College women's lacrosse head coach
Billy Parker '04, safety, Carolina Panthers
Curtis Pride '92, outfielder, Los Angeles Angels
Vic Raschi '49, former pitcher, New York Yankees (1946-1953) St. Louis Cardinals (1954-1955) Kansas City Athletics (1956)
Chris Ray '03, relief pitcher / closer, Baltimore Orioles
Kevin Rogers '74, Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks coach
Jim Ryan '79, former lineman (1979-1988) and current defensive assistant coach, Denver Broncos
Darren Sharper '97, former safety, Green Bay Packers; current strong safety, Minnesota Vikings
Rip Scherer '74, current Assistant Head Coach and Quarterbacks Coach of the Cleveland Browns
Dominique Thompson '04, wide receiver, St. Louis Rams
Mike Tomlin '95, current head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers (2007-present), former defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings (2006), former defensive backs coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2001-2005)
Jude Waddy '98, former linebacker Green Bay Packers, (1998-2002)
Brant Weidner '83, Former professional basketball player, San Antonio Spurs
Alan Williams '92, Defensive Backs coach with the Indianapolis Colts (2002-present)

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