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Prominent Alumni

US Senators : US Representatives :  State Governors :  Supreme Court Justices : ABA Presidents :  Interesting Notes

W&L Alumni who have served in the U.S. Senate

NAME Class 
Year		 State Term
1. Andrew Moore 1768 Virginia 1799-1804, 1805-09
2. John Brown 1773 Kentucky 1792-1805
3. John Breckenridge  1776 Virginia 1801-05
4. James Brown 1782 Louisiana 1813-17, 1819-23
5. Richard E. Parker 1803 Virginia 1836-37
6. Robert H. Adams 1806 Mississippi 1830
7. John J. Crittenden 1806 Kentucky 1817-19,1835-41,1842-48,1855-61
8. Powhatan Ellis 1809 Mississippi 1827-32
9. William C. Preston 1810 S. Carolina 1833-42
10. Robert Strange 1812 N. Carolina 1836-40
11. Jackson Morton 1814 Florida 1849-55
12. Henry S. Foote 1820 Mississippi 1847-52
13. Murphy J. Foster 1868 Louisiana 1901-13
14. George E. Chamberlain 1876 Oregon 1902-08
15. Robert L. Owen 1877 Oklahoma 1911-25
16. Miles Poindexter 1891 Washington 1911-23
17. Alfred E. Reames 1893 Oregon  1938
18. Nathan P. Bryan 1895 Florida  1911-17
19. Nathan Bachman 1897 Tennessee 1933-37
20. William James Bryan 1899 Florida 1907-08
21. Scott Marion Loftin 1899 (L) Florida 1936
22. William H. Smathers 1914 New Jersey 1937-43
23. William C. Revercomb 1918 W. Virginia 1943-49, 1956-59
24. John W. Warner 1949 Virginia 1979-
25. William E. Brock III 1953 Tennessee 1971-77
26. J. Bennett Johnston Jr. 1954 Louisiana 1971-97
27. Paul Seward Trible, Jr. 1971 (L)  Virginia 1983-89

 

US Senators : US Representatives :  State Governors :  Supreme Court Justices : ABA Presidents :  Interesting Notes

W&L Alumni who have served in the U.S. House of Representatives

NAME Class 
Year		 State Term
1. George Matthews 1755 Georgia 1789-91
2. Andrew Moore 1768 Virginia 1789-97, 1804
3. John Brown 1773 Virginia 1789-92
4. James Breckenridge 1779 Virginia 1809-17
5. John Baker 1785 Virginia 1811-13
6. Christopher Clark 1786 Virginia 1804-06
7. John McKee 1789 Alabama 1823-29
8. Samuel McKee 1790 Kentucky 1809-17
9. Benjamin Estill 1796 Virginia 1825-27
10. James D. Breckenridge 1803 Kentucky 1821-23
11. George W. Crump 1803 Virginia 1826-27
12. Severn E. Parker 1803 Virginia 1819-21
13. John J. Crittenden 1806 Kentucky 1861-63
14. Walter Coles 1809 Virginia 1835-45
15. Robert Craig 1810 Virginia 1833-41
16. John J. Allen 1815 Virginia 1833-35
17. Robert Allen 1815 Virginia 1827-33
18. Samuel McD. Moore 1815 Virginia 1833-35
19. James McDowell 1816 Virginia 1846-51
20. John Hill 1818 Virginia 1839-41
21. George W. Summers 1821 Virginia 1841-45
22. Edward C. Cabell 1833 Florida 1847-53
23. John Letcher 1833 Virginia 1851-59
24. Edward C. Marshall 1833 California 1851-53
25. Jacob K. Shafer 1842 Idaho 1869-71
26. Samuel Merritt 1848 Idaho 1871-73
27. John Goode Jr. 1851 Virginia 1875-81
28. John J. Davis 1855 W. Virginia 1871-75
29. Robert M. Mayo 1859 Virginia 1883-84
30. James B. Sener 1860 Virginia 1873-75
31. James F. Epes 1867 Virginia 1891-95
32. D. Gardner Tyler 1869 Virginia 1893-97
33. Charles T. O'Ferrall 1869 Virginia 1884-93
34. James Hay 1870 Virginia 1897-1916
35. Clifton R. Breckenridge  1870 Arkansas 1883-89
36. Dannite H. Mays 1870 Florida 1909-13
37. Theodore S. Wilkinson 1870 Louisiana 1887-91
38. Thomas C. McRae 1872 Arkansas 1885-1903
39. James L. Slayden 1873 Texas 1897-1919
40. Harvey B. Fergusson 1874 New Mexico 1913-15
41. Henry S. Tucker 1876 Virginia 1889-97, 1922-32
42. John S. Wilson 1878 S. Carolina 1895-1901
43. John B. Tyson 1879 Alabama 1921-23
44. Henry D. Flood 1883 Virginia 1901-21
45. George E. Peery 1891 Virginia 1923-29
46. Miles Poindexter 1891 Washington 1909-11
47. John W. Davis 1892 W. Virginia 1911-13
48. Wells Goodykoontz 1893 W. Virginia 1919-23
49. Edward Cooper 1894 W. Virginia 1915-19
50. Seward H. Williams 1895 Ohio 1915-17
51. Franklin Brockson 1896 Delaware 1913-15
52. Harry M. Wurzbach 1896 Texas 1921-29, 1930-31
53. John W. Flannagan 1907 (L) Virginia 1931-49
54. Hiram H. Ragon 1908 (L) Arkansas 1923-33
55. Clifton A. Woodrum 1909 (L) Virginia 1923-45
56. Elton Watkins 1910 Oregon 1921-23
57. Clarence J. Brown 1916 (L) Ohio 1939-65
58. Joel W. Flood, Jr. 1917 Virginia 1928-32
59. William F. Cravens 1920 (L) Arkansas 1939-49
60. William M. Tuck 1921 (L)  Virginia 1953-69
61. George W. Whitehurst 1950 Virginia 1969-87
62. John O. Marsh 1951 (L) Virginia 1963-71
63. William F. Brock III 1953 Tennessee 1963-71
64. Paul Seward Trible, Jr. 1977 (L) Virginia 1977-81
65. Robert W. Goodlatte 1977 (L) Virginia 1993-
66. James O. Davis III 1979 Florida 1997-2007
67. Addison Graves (Joe) Wilson 1969 South Carolina 2001-

 

US Senators : US Representatives :  State Governors :  Supreme Court Justices : ABA Presidents :  Interesting Notes

W&L Alumni who have served as Governors of States

NAME Class 
Year		 State Term
1. George Matthews 1755 Georgia 1793-96
2. Archibald Roane 1775 Tennessee 1801-1803
3. Meriwether Lewis 1791 Missouri Terr. 1807-09
4. John J. Crittenden 1806 Kentucky 1848-50
5. James McDowell 1816 Virginia 1842-46
6. Henry S. Foote 1820 Mississippi 1852-54
7. Alexander G. McNutt 1821 Mississippi 1838-42
8. John Letcher 1833 Virginia 1860-64
9. James L. Kemper 1842 Virginia 1874-78
10. Henry M. Matthews 1857 W. Virginia 1877-81
11. Murphy J. Foster 1868 Louisiana 1892-1900
12. Charles T. O'Ferrall 1869 Virginia 1894-98
13. Thomas C. McRae 1872 Arkansas 1921-25
14. Miles B. McSweeny 1872 S. Carolina 1899-1903
15. James H. Oliver 1872 Virgin Islands 1917-20
16. George E. Chamberlain 1876 Oregon 1903-09
17. Julius C. Gunter 1876 Colorado 1917-19
18. Laurence V. Stephens 1877 Missouri 1901-05
19. William A. McCorkle 1878 W. Virginia 1893-97
20. Duncan C. Heyward 1885 S. Carolina 1907-11
21. Luther E. Hall 1889 Louisiana 1912-16
22. Ruby Laffoon 1889 Kentucky 1931-35
23. Austen L. Peay 1893 Tennessee 1921-27
24. George C. Peery 1897 Virginia 1934-38
25. James H. Price 1909 (L) Virginia 1938-42
26. Homer A. Holt 1918, 23L W. Virginia 1937-41
27. William M. Tuck 1921 (L) Virginia 1946-50
28. Charles L. Terry Jr. 1923 (L) Delaware 1965-69
29. Clarence W. Meadows 1926 W. Virginia 1945-49
30. William W. Barron 1934 W. Virginia 1961-65
31. A. Linwood Holton Jr. 1944 Virginia 1970-74

US Senators : US Representatives :  State Governors :  Supreme Court Justices : ABA Presidents :  Interesting Notes

W&L Alumni who have served as U.S. Supreme Court Justices

NAME Class 
Year		 State Term
Thomas Todd Liberty Hall, pre-1789 Kentucky 1807-1826
Robert Trimble Washington Academy, pre-1800 Kentucky 1826-1828
Joseph Rucker Lamar 1881 Georgia 1911-1916
Lewis F. Powell Jr. 1929, 1931L Virginia 1972-87

 

US Senators : US Representatives :  State Governors :  Supreme Court Justices : ABA Presidents :  Interesting Notes

Of the 128 presidents of the American Bar Association, seven have been W&L alumni.

NAME Class 
Year		 Term
1. Henry St. George Tucker (27th president) 1876L 1904-05
2. John W. Davis (45th president)   1895L 1922-23
3. Scott M. Loftin (58th president) 1899L (LLD) 1934-35
4. Rosser L. Malone, Jr. (82th president)   1932L 1958-59
5. Lewis F. Powell Jr. (88th president) 1929, 1931L 1964-65
6. Roy William Ide III (117th president) 1962 1993-94
7. Robert J. Grey, Jr. (128th president) 1976L 2004-05

  Thanks to Rupert N. Latture '15, Justin T. King '95, Lisa McCown, and Scott Dittman for creating and maintaining the above lists.

 

US Senators : US Representatives :  State Governors :  Supreme Court Justices : ABA Presidents :  Interesting Notes

Other Notables

Interesting Notes:

Did You Know...

  • ...that Washington and Lee is the ninth oldest college in the country, tracing its founding to 1749. The University held a year-long celebration for its 250th Observance during the 1998-99 academic year.
     
  • ...that Washington and Lee has produced 4 U.S. Supreme Court Justices, 27 U.S. Senators, 31 Governors, and 67 U.S. Congressmen.
     
  • ...that U.S. Senator John Warner ‘49 (R-VA) holds the record as the graduate to serve the longest tenure in the Senate ... 28 years (1979-2007) to date and has served the longest of any alumnus in Congress.
     

  • ...that a June 1990 Fortune Magazine survey revealed that W&L ranked third behind Yale and Princeton in its ability to graduate future CEO's of Fortune 500 companies. A total of 1,891 present and former CEO's of Fortune 500 and Service 500 companies were asked to list their undergraduate alma maters. Harvard, Northwestern, Cornell, Columbia, Stanford, Michigan, Dartmouth (in that order) and the other big names you might expect trailed Yale and Princeton in sheer numbers of alumni CEO's. But when the schools were given a power factor and adjusted for class size, W&L vaulted ahead of mighty Harvard in launching alumni toward the corner office. By this measure, the order was: (1) Yale; (2) Princeton; (3) W&L; (4) Harvard; (5) Dartmouth; (6) Northwestern.
     

US Senators : US Representatives :  State Governors :  Supreme Court Justices : ABA Presidents :  Interesting Notes

           

           

 
      

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