List of College of William and Mary people

This is a list of distinguished alumni from the College of William and Mary. Those on the list either attended or graduated from the College of William and Mary.

U.S. Presidents

*George Washington, (surveyor's license), fourteenth Chancellor of the College, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, president of the Philadelphia Convention, first president of the United States.
*Thomas Jefferson, (Class of 1762, LL.D 1783), author of the United States Declaration of Independence, envoy to France, first Secretary of State, third president of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia.
* James Monroe, (Class of 1776), seventh United States Secretary of State, fifth president of the United States and architect of the Monroe Doctrine.
* John Tyler, (Class of 1807), tenth president of the United States and former Chancellor of the College.

U.S. Supreme Court

* Philip Pendleton Barbour, Associate Justice; United States Speaker of the House of Representatives
* John Marshall, fourth Chief Justice of the United States
* Bushrod Washington, (Phi Beta Kappa), Associate Justice; co-founder of Phi Beta Kappa

U.S. Cabinet and diplomats

* George M. Bibb, U.S. Senator, Kentucky (1811-1814); 17th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (1844-1845)
* John Breckinridge, Vice President to James Buchanan, 6th United States Attorney General
* John J. Crittenden, (Class of 1806), 16th and 23rd United States Attorney General
* Robert Gates, (Class of 1965; L.H.D. 1998), former Head of the Central Intelligence Agency (1991-1993); Deputy National Security Adviser (1989-1991); 22nd United States Secretary of Defense
* Susan Livingstone, (Class of 1968), Undersecretary, United States Navy
* John Nelson, (Class of 1811), 18th United States Attorney General
* Edmund Jennings Randolph, 2nd United States Secretary of State (1794-1795); 2nd United States Attorney General (1789-1794)
* Janet A. Sanderson, (Class of 1977), U.S. Ambassador to Haiti; recipient of U.S. State Department's Herbert A. Salzman Award
* William Short, (Class of 1779), 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)

United States Senators, Speakers of the House and Congressman

* 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
* Carter Braxton, (Class of 1755), signer of U.S. Declaration of Independence; member of Continental Congress; leader in the American Revolution
* Eric Cantor, (Law 1988), U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia (2001-present)
* Steve Chabot, (Class of 1975), U.S. House of Representatives, Ohio (1994-present)
*Henry Clay, Kentucky, Speaker of the House, US Senator, voted one of the top Senators in US historyFact|date=April 2008
* John Heath, U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia (1793-1797); founding member and first president of Phi Beta Kappa (1776)
* John Winston Jones, (Class of 1813), U.S. House of Representatives (1835-1845); Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1843-1845)
* John Francis Mercer, Delegate to the Continental Congress (1787); Governor of Maryland (1801-1803); United States Representative, Maryland (1791-1794)
* Alan Mollohan, (Class of 1966), U.S. House of Representatives, West Virginia (1982-present)
* Jackson Morton, (Class of 1815), U.S. Senator, Florida (1849-1855); Confederate Representative, Florida (1861-1862)
* John Nelson, (Class of 1811), U.S. Attornery General, 1843-1845; U.S. Congressman for Maryland's 4th District, 1821-1823
* Peyton Randolph, 1st President of Continental Congress (1774-1775); Attorney General, Virginia Colony; buried beneath the chapel of the College
* Andrew Stevenson, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1827-1833)
* Dina Titus, (Class of 1970), Minority Leader, Nevada State Senate; 2006 Democratic Gubernatorial candidate, Nevada

Governors

Virginia

* William Henry Cabell, Governor of Virginia (1805-1808), judge of the Virginia Supreme Court (1811-1851)
* John N. Dalton, (Class of 1954), Governor of Virginia (1978-1982)
* Mills E. Godwin Jr., Governor of Virginia (1966-1970 and 1974-1978)
* Benjamin Harrison V, Governor of Virginia (1782-1784), member of Continental Congress, signer of U.S. Declaration of Independence, father of 9th U.S. President William Henry Harrison
* Future president Thomas Jefferson served as Governor of Virginia from 1779 until 1781.
* Thomas Mann Randolph Jr., Governor of Virginia (1819-1822); Colonel of the Twentieth Infantry (War of 1812); son-in-law to Thomas Jefferson (died at Monticello in 1828)
* John Page, (Class of 1763), Governor of Virginia (1802-1805); American Revolution leader and militia officer; U.S. House of Representatives (1789-1797); closest college classmate of Thomas Jefferson
* James Pleasants, Governor of Virginia (1822-1825); U.S. Senator, Virginia (1819-1822)
* Edmund Randolph, Governor of Virginia (1786-1788)
* William Munford Tuck (Class of 1919); Governor of Virginia (1946-1950)

Other

* Benjamin Howard, (Class of 1797), last governor of the Louisiana Territory; first governor of Missouri Territory (1810-1812)
* Richard Coke, (Class of 1848), Governor of Texas (1874-1887)

Government

* Viola Baskerville, (Class of 1973), Virginia Secretary of Administration, former State Delegate, and former Vice Mayor of Richmond
* Sarah Kemp Brady, (Class of 1964), pioneer in handgun control; wife of Jim Brady, press secretary to PresidentRonald Reagan
* James B. Comey, (Class of 1982), Deputy United States Attorney General (2002-2005); General Counsel of Lockheed Martin (2005-present)
* John N. Hendren, Virginia lawyer and the second Treasurer of the Confederate States of America
* Jerry W. Kilgore, (Law 1986), former Attorney General of Virginia (2001-2005)
* George M.B. Maughs, Kansas City Mayor (1860)
* George H. Miller (Class of 1967, M.S. 1969, Ph.D 1972), Director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
* Michael K. Powell, (Class of 1985), former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (2001-2005); son of former Secretary of State Colin Powell; elected Rector of College of William & Mary (2006)
* Glen E. Conrad, (Class of 1971, Law 1974), U.S. district judge and a current federal judicial nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
*Shari Villarosa - U.S. ambassador to Burma
*Robert Rector - pioneer on social welfare reform, current Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation

Military leaders

* Lt. General David McKiernan, (Class of 1972), commanding general, Third U.S. Army, Coalition Forces Land Component Command in the Middle East (CENTCOM)
* General Winfield Scott, 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
* George Croghan, (Class of 1810), soldier who fought at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811

Arts and media

* Dylan Baker, (Class of 1978), actor (Kinsey, Thirteen Days, Road to Perdition)
* Thao Nguyen, folk rock artist signed to Kill Rock Stars with her band Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
* Katherine Boo, journalist; recipient of MacArthur Foundation "Genius Award" (2002); recipient of Pulitzer Prize for Public Service (2000) for her Washington Post series "Invisible Lives, Invisible Deaths"
* Christopher Bram, (Class of 1974), writer, author of "Father of Frankenstein" which was adapted into Academy Award winning film Gods and Monsters
* James Branch Cabell, (Class of 1898), regionalist author, favorite of Mark Twain.
* Henri Cole, (Class of 1978), poet; current Poet-In-Residence at William & Mary
* Glenn Close, (Class of 1974, Phi Beta Kappa), actress (Dangerous Liaisons, Fatal Attraction, The Shield and stage production of Sunset Boulevard)
* Steven Culp, (Class of 1978), actor (Desperate Housewives, "The West Wing", JAG, Thirteen Days, )
* Michael D'Orso, (Class of 1975), journalist; nominated for Pulitzer Prize; author of "Like Judgement Day: The Ruin and Redemption of a Town Called Rosewood"
* Perry Ellis, (Class of 1961), fashion designer (Perry Ellis International)
* Kate Fleming, (Class of 1987), award-winning audio book narrator
* Chris Genoa, (Class of 1999), novelist, author of "Foop!"
* John Gilstrap, (Class of 1979), author of thrillers "Nathan's Run", "Even Steven" and "At All Costs"
* Scott Glenn, (Class of 1963), actor (Hunt for Red October, The Silence of the Lambs)
* Karen L. Hall, (Class of 1978), television writer of CBS's "Judging Amy", "M*A*S*H"
* Sheri Holman, (Class of 1988), best-selling novelist; author of "A Stolen Tongue", "The Dress Lodger" and "The Mammoth Cheese"
* Martin Jurow, producer (Broadway and film)
* Linda Lavin, (Class of 1959), actress, Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe winner, starred on television sitcom "Alice"
* Bill Lawrence, (Class of 1990), television, creator/writer of "Scrubs" and "Spin City"
* William Ivey Long, (Class of 1969), costume designer, four time recipient of Tony Award
* Scott Miller, musician, founder of Scott Miller and the Commonwealth
* Patton Oswalt, (Class of 1991), comedian; film and television actor, CBS's "The King of Queens"
* Andrew Pang, (Class of 1988), actor, NBC's "Law and Order: Criminal Intent"
* Lewis Puller, (Class of 1967), lawyer; writer; winner of Pulitzer Prize for autobiography "Fortunate Son" (1991)
* Jason Pollock, member of the band Seven Mary Three, formed at William and Mary in 1992
* H. Reid, author, photographer and historian
* Jason Ross, member of the band Seven Mary Three
* Mark Stanley, (Class of 1978), director, New York City Ballet
* Jon Stewart, (Class of 1984), anchor and writer of Emmy-winning The Daily Show; host of 2006 & 2008 Oscars
* Kamara Thomas, (Class of 1996), professional musician; bassist/vocalist (Earl Greyhound)
* Audrea Topps-Harjo, (Class of 1988), founder of Obsidian Pictures, released "Raw Intensity" and "Hard Candy"
* John Weiner, (Class of 1976), actor, original Broadway cast of "La Cage Aux Folles"
* John C. Wright, (Law 1987), 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".

Law and academia

* Elizabeth Hill Boone, (Class of 1970), pre-Columbian art historian and professor of Latin American art at Tulane University
* John Boswell, history professor at Yale University and recipient of the National Book Award
* Jerry Coyne, (Class of 1971, Valedictorian), prominent critic of Intelligent Design Theory; professor at University of Chicago
* Theodore Roosevelt Dalton, (Class 1924, Law 1926), Republican candidate for Governor of Virginia in 1953 and 1957, U.S. District Court Judge
* David Ellenson, (Class of 1969), President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
* Joseph Ellis, (Class of 1965), history professor, Mount Holyoke College; author of "New York Times" bestseller "" which received 2001 Pulitzer Prize
*Carolyn Martin, (Class of 1973, Phi Beta Kappa), Chancellor of University of Wisconsin, Madison
* Haldane Robert Mayer, (Law 1971), Chief Judge of U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit, Washington, D.C. (1997-present)
* George H. Miller, (Class of 1967, M.S. 1969, Ph.D 1972), notable physicist, current director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
* William Barton Rogers, natural scientist; former Professor of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry at the College (1828-1835); founder of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1861)
* Elizabeth S. Scott, (Class of 1967), noted family law expert and professor at Columbia Law School
* Robert E. Scott, (Law 1968), law professor and notable contract law scholar at Columbia Law School, former dean of University of Virginia Law School (1991-2001); Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1999), Board of Visitors at College of William and Mary
* Bruce Spiegelman, (Class of 1974), professor of cell biology, Harvard Medical School and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, international authority on the physiology of fat production and maintenance
* Rebecca Beach Smith, (Class of 1971), U.S. District Court Judge, Virginia (Virginia's first female federal judge)
* William J. Stuntz, (Class of 1980), academic; professor, Harvard Law School (2000-present)
* Henry St. George Tucker, (Class of 1798, Law 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
* Mary Jo White, (Class of 1970, Phi Beta Kappa), former U.S. Attorney for Southern District of New York (1993-2002), partner at Manhattan law firm Debevoise & Plimpton (2003-present)
* George Wythe, legal scholar; America's first Professor of Law, William & Mary (1769-1789); Member of Continental Congress (1775-1776); signer of U.S. Declaration of Independence (1776)

Business

* A. Marshall Acuff, Jr., (Class of 1962), managing director of Salomon Smith Barney
* J. Edward Coleman, (Class of 1973), CEO of Gateway, Inc.
* Beth Comstock, (Class of 1982), President, NBC Universal Integrated Media; former Chief Marketing Officer of General Electric Corporation
* David A. Eklund, (Class of 1982), chairman of reinsurance firm Aeolus Re; previous President of Renaissance Re
* Lewis Glucksman, noted Wall Street trader and former CEO of Lehman Brothers
* Jim Kaplan, (Class of 1957), owner of Cornell Dubilier Electronics, the world's oldest manufacturer of electronic capacitors; endowed the College's basketball gymnasium Kaplan Arena
* Raymond A. Mason, (Class of 1959), founder and CEO of investment firm Legg Mason, Inc.; namesake of William & Mary's Mason School of Business
* Mark McCormack, (Class of 1951), sports agency pioneer, founder of International Management Group (IMG), author of bestseller "What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School"
* Joseph J. Plumeri, Chairman and CEO of Willis (Insurance)
* Michael F. Rogers, (Class of 1981), president, Investors Bank & Trust Company
* Paul C. Saville, (Class of 1977), president and CEO of NVR, Inc.
* Janet E. Sever, (Class of 1986), Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter
* James Ukrop, (Class of 1960), CEO of Ukrop's Supermarkets and First Market Bank, large benefactor of College
* Henry C. Wolf, (Class of 1964, Law 1966) Chief Financial Officer and Vice Chairman, Norfolk Southern Corporation; benefactor of Henry C. Wolf Law Library at W&M

Aeronautics

* David M. Brown, (Class of 1978), astronaut, surgeon and pilot (died aboard the space shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003)

Medicine

* Vincent T. DeVita, Jr., M.D., (Class of 1957), physician and pioneer in oncology, CEO of Yale University's Comprehensive Cancer Institute

Pop culture

* John Dorian and Christopher Turk, fictional characters from the TV show "Scrubs"

Athletics

* Wade Barrett, (Class of 1998), Major League Soccer defender, Houston Dynamo
* Bill Bray, (Class of 2004), Relief pitcher, Cincinnati Reds
* Adin Brown, (Class of 2000), Norwegian Premier League soccer goalkeeper, Aalesund, two-time NCAA First Team All-American (1998 & 1999)
* Steve Christie, (Class of 1989), former National Football League placekicker
* Mike "Pinball" Clemons, (Class of 1986), former record-holding Canadian Football League player; current head coach Toronto Argonauts
* Lang Campbell, (Class of 2005), quarterback, Arizona Rattlers
* John Cannon, (Class of 1982), former defensive end (1982-1989), Tampa Bay Buccaneers
* Bill Chambers, (Class of 1953), a basketball player who set the NCAA all-time record for rebounds in a single game with 51
* Jeff Cohen, (Class of 1961), an All-American basketball player his senior year and future NBA draft selection for the Chicago Packers
* Jack Cloud, (Class of 1950), running back for the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins, also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990
* Lou Creekmur, (Class of 1950), eight-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle / guard from 1950-59 Detroit Lions, Pro Football Hall of Fame
* Michael P. Flood, (Class of 1984) former professional soccer player with Chicago Sting of NASL
* Kip Germain, (Class of 1996) former professional soccer player with Washington Diplomats, Atlanta Chiefs of NASL
* J. D. Gibbs, (Class of 1991), former NASCAR driver, President of Joe Gibbs Racing, owner #11 Fed Ex Chevrolet car
* Chet Giermak, (Class of 1950), an All-American basketball player and W&M career points record holder (2,052)
* Brendan Harris, (Class of 2001), infielder, Minnesota Twins
* Ron Harrison, (Class of 1998), former cornerback Jacksonville Jaguars
* Dan Henning, (Class of 1964), former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons (1983-1986) and the San Diego Chargers (1989-1991) of the NFL and the NCAA's Boston College Eagles (1994-96), former offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers (2002-2007)
* Brian Hyde, (Class of 1995), 1996 Olympian in 1500 meter run, American Collegiate Record Holder 1500 m, 3:35
* Steve Jolley, (Class of 1997), Major League Soccer defender, Red Bull New York
* Mike Leach, (Class of 2000), tight end / long snapper, Denver Broncos
* Sean McDermott, (Class of 1998), defensive backs coach, Philadelphia Eagles
* Bud Metheny, (Class of 1940), professional baseball player and longtime coach, Old Dominion University
* Rich Musinski, (Class of 2004), wide receiver, New England Patriots
* Adam O'Connor, (Class of 2006), professional football player for the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europa
* Rob Olson, (Class of 1982), former professional soccer player with Team America of NASL
* Billy Parker, (Class of 2004), safety, Carolina Panthers
* Curtis Pride, (Class of 1992), outfielder, Los Angeles Angels
* Buster Ramsey, (Class of 1943), the first head coach of the AFL's Buffalo Bills
* Vic Raschi, (Class of 1949), former pitcher, New York Yankees (1946-1953), St. Louis Cardinals (1954-1955), Kansas City Athletics (1956)
* Chris Ray, (Class of 2003), relief pitcher / closer, Baltimore Orioles
* Kevin Rogers, (Class of 1973), quarterback coach, Minnesota Vikings; former college coach of Donovan McNabb
* Jim Ryan, (Class of 1979), former lineman (1979-1988) and current defensive assistant coach, Denver Broncos
* William Scherer, (Class of 1975), assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach Cleveland Browns
* Darren Sharper, (Class of 1997), former safety, Green Bay Packers; current strong safety, Minnesota Vikings
* Dominique Thompson, (Class of 2004), wide receiver, St. Louis Rams
* Mike Tomlin, (Class of 1995), current head coach, Pittsburgh Steelers
* Jude Waddy, (Class of 1998), former linebacker, (1998-2002) Green Bay Packers
* Alan Williams, (Class of 1992), defensive backs coach for the Indianapolis Colts
* Charles Woollum, (Class of 1962), the most decorated head men's basketball coach in Bucknell University history

Notable alumni connections

* "Hollywoodland", the recent L.A. film noir centering around the mysterious death of Superman actor George Reeves, is based upon a book co-authored by W&M professor Nancy Schoenberger

* As a college student at W&M, Thomas Jefferson attended lavish dinner parties held by royal governor Francis Fauquier where he developed his early love for wine (his favorites were madeira and claret). [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/books/chapters/1203-1st-hail.html ‘Thomas Jefferson on Wine’ - New York Times ] ]

* There are elaborate catacombs running under the Wren Building leading to tombs under the Wren Chapel, which have been closed off due to student explorations.

* The reigning British monarch Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip spoke at the College on October 16, 1957, as did Prince Charles in 1993 at the 300th anniversary (or Tercentenary) of the founding of the College.

* Queen Elizabeth II made a second historic visit to the College on May 4, 2007, receiving honorary membership in the Class of 2007 and taking part in the ringing of the Wren Bell. [ [http://www.wm.edu/hermajesty/ Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Visits W&M ] ]

* The Steely Dan song "My Old School" with its lyric about William & Mary was widely thought to be about the College, but it is actually about songwriter Donald Fagen's student days at Bard College.

* Upon graduation in 1965, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award naming him the graduate that "has made the greatest contribution to his fellow man."

* Three people with ties to W&M, Chancellor Sandra Day O'Connor, Board of Visitors member Laurence Eagleburger, and alumnus Robert Gates were members of the 2006 Iraq Study Group.

* Scrubs' creator and executive producer Bill Lawrence graduated from William & Mary in 1990 with a BA in English. Most college flashback scenes involving Turk & JD show W&M memorabilia and merchandise in the background