List of College of William & Mary alumni
This is a List of notable 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
- Thomas Jefferson, (Class of 1762, LL.D 1783), author of the Declaration of Independence, third President of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia
- James Monroe, (Class of 1776), fifth President of the United States, architect of the Monroe Doctrine
- John Tyler, (Class of 1807), tenth President of the United States, former Chancellor of the College
- George Washington (received his surveyor's certificate), American Revolutionary War general, first President of the United States, former Chancellor of the College
U.S. Supreme Court
- Philip Pendleton Barbour, Associate Justice; Speaker of U.S. House of Representatives
- John Marshall, fourth Chief Justice of the United States
- Bushrod Washington, (Phi Beta Kappa), Associate Justice
U.S. Cabinet and Diplomats
- George M. Bibb, U.S. Senator, Kentucky (1811-1814); U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (1844-1845)
- Robert Gates, (Class of 1965; L.H.D 1998), former Head of the CIA (1991-1993); Deputy National Security Adviser (1989-1991); 2006 United States Secretary of Defense nominee
- Susan Morrissey Livingstone, (Class of 1968), Undersecretary, United States Navy
- Edmund Jennings Randolph, U.S. Secretary of State (1794-1795); U.S. Attorney General (1789-1794)
- Janet A. Sanderson, (Class of 1977), U.S. Ambassador to Algeria; 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)
U.S. Senators 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, U.S. Secretary of State (1825-1829); U.S. Senator; U.S. House of Representatives, Kentucky
- John Winston Jones, (Class of 1813), U.S. House of Representatives (1835-1845); Speaker of the House (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, first President of Continental Congress (1774-1775); Attorney General, Virginia Colony; buried beneath the chapel of the College
- Dina Titus, (Class of 1970), Minority Leader, Nevada State Senate; 2006 Democratic Gubernatorial candidate, Nevada
Virginia Governors
- 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
- 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), American Revolution leader and militia officer; U.S. House of Representatives; Governor of Virginia
- James Pleasants, Governor of Virginia (1822-1825); U.S. Senator, Virginia (1819-1822)
- William Munford Tuck (Class of 1919); Governor of Virginia (1946-1950)
FCC and Government
- Sarah Kemp Brady, (Class of 1964), pioneer in handgun control; wife of Jim Brady, press secretary to President Ronald Reagan
- James B. Comey, (Class of 1982), former Deputy U.S. Attorney General (2002-2005); General Counsel of Lockheed Martin (2005-present)
- Jerry W. Kilgore, (Law 1986), former Attorney General of Virginia (2001-2005)
- Michael K. Powell, (Class of 1985), former Chairman of the FCC (2001-2005); son of former Secretary of State Colin Powell; elected Rector of College of William & Mary (2006)
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
Arts and Media
- Dylan Baker, (Class of 1978), actor (Kinsey, Thirteen Days, Road to Perdition)
- Katherine Boo, journalist; recipent 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 Liasions, 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
- 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, 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 Oscars
- Audrea Topps-Harjo, (Class of 1988), founder of Obsidian Pictures, released Raw Intensity and Hard Candy
- 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
- Vincent T. DeVita, Jr., MD, (Class of 1957), physician and pioneer in oncology, CEO of Yale University's Comprehensive Cancer Institute
- David Ellenson, (Class of 1969), President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
- Joseph Ellis, (Class of 1965), history professor, Mount Holyoke College; wrote New York Times bestseller Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation which received 2001 Pulitzer Prize
- Haldane Robert Mayer, (Law 1971), 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)
- 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)
- 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 lawfim 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.
- 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
- 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)
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
- 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, Cleveland Browns
- John Cannon, (Class of 1982), former defensive end (1982-1989), Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Lou Creekmur, (Class of 1950), eight-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle / guard from 1950-59 Detroit Lions, Pro Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
- Brendan Harris, (Class of 2001), infielder, Cincinnati Reds
- Ron Harrison, (Class of 1998), former cornerback Jacksonville Jaguars
- 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
- Rich Musinski, (Class of 2004), wide receiver, New England Patriots
- Billy Parker, (Class of 2004), safety, Carolina Panthers
- Curtis Pride, (Class of 1992), outfielder, Los Angeles Angels
- 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
- Jim Ryan, (Class of 1979), former lineman (1979-1988) and current defensive assistant coach, Denver Broncos
- 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 defensive coordinator, Minnesota Vikings, former defensive backs coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Jude waddy, (Claas of 1998), former linebacker, (1998-2002) Green Bay Packers