List of Mercer University people explained
Mercer University is a private, coeducational university in Macon, Georgia, founded in 1833.
Mercer is the only university of its size in the United States that offers programs in eleven diversified fields of study: liberal arts, business, education, music, engineering, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, law, theology, and continuing and professional studies. Mercer enrolls approximately 8,300 students in its eleven colleges and schools.
Alumni
This is a list of notable Mercer alumni and employees.
Arts, education, media, and industry
- Tom Abbott – broadcaster with Golf Channel and NBC Sports
- Gregg Allman – musician, received an honorary degree in 2016
- Steve Berry – author of six novels including several New York Times bestsellers
- John B. Black – president, East Georgia College
- J. Buford Boone – Pulitzer Prize-winning author (1957); recognized for editorials against segregation
- David Bottoms – Georgia Poet Laureate, 2000–2012
- William H. Bruce – Mercer's first doctoral graduate (1890); president, Tarleton State University, 1899–1900; president, University of North Texas, 1906–1923[1]
- James C. Coomer – political scientist and author
- Harry Stillwell Edwards – former editor, Macon Telegraph; author of 19 books, including the Southern classic Eneas Africanus
- Erick Erickson – political contributor for John King, USA on CNN
- Nancy Grace – legal commentator and guest host for Larry King Live; hosted her own show, Nancy Grace on CNN
- Keitaro Harada – opera and orchestra conductor
- Rufus Carrollton Harris – president, Tulane University, 1939–1960; president, Mercer University, 1960–1979, co-author of the GI Bill
- Y. Lynn Holmes – president, Brewton-Parker College, 1983–1997
- Malcolm Johnson – Pulitzer Prize-winning author (1949); his reports were the basis for On the Waterfront, which starred Marlon Brando
- Anne B. Kerr – president, Florida Southern College
- William Heard Kilpatrick – career educator; first president of the Bennington College board of trustees, 1931–1938
- Landrum P. Leavell – president, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1975–1995
- Dr. Henry Lewis III – president, Florida Memorial University
- Bruce D. McDonald III – university professor, North Carolina State University
- Reg Murphy – former president and vice chairman, National Geographic Society; publisher, Baltimore Sun; editor and publisher, San Francisco Examiner; editor, Atlanta Journal-Constitution; author of Uncommon Sense: The Achievement of Griffin Bell
- William F. Ogburn – sociologist; former president of the American Sociological Society[2]
- George P. Oslin – former Western Union executive; invented the singing telegram in 1933
- Lyman Ray Patterson – law professor and copyright scholar; former dean, Emory University School of Law
- James Rachels – moral philosopher, university professor, and author; best known for his writing on euthanasia
- Ed Roberts – designed the first commercially successful personal computer in 1975; known as "the father of the personal computer"[3]
- Ferrol Sams – widely read Southern author, known for Run with the Horsemen and Whisper of the River
- Corbett H. Thigpen – psychiatrist; co-author of The Three Faces of Eve
- Ellis Paul Torrance – educator known for pioneering research in creativity; namesake of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development
- Phil Walden – music pioneer and founder of Capricorn Records; represented Otis Redding and The Allman Brothers
- Martin Christopher White – president, Chowan University, 2003–present; former president, Gardner–Webb University, 1986–2002
Law
For further alumni, see also: Walter F. George School of Law.
- Griffin Bell – Judge, United States Court of Appeals, 1962–1976; 72nd Attorney General of the United States, 1977–1979[4] [5]
- Reason C. Bell – Chief Justice, Georgia Supreme Court, 1943–1946; Associate Justice, 1932–1943 and 1946–1949; Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals, 1922–1932[6]
- William Augustus Bootle – Judge, Federal District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, 1954–2005; ordered the first admission of an African-American to the University of Georgia in 1961[4]
- G. Harrold Carswell – Judge, Federal District Court for the Northern District of Florida, 1958–1969; Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 1969–1970; unsuccessful nominee to the United States Supreme Court, 1970[4]
- Barry Cohen – criminal defense attorney, 1966–2018[7]
- Linton McGee Collins – Judge, United States Court of Claims, 1964–1972[8]
- Brainerd Currie – law professor; noted conflict of laws scholar who developed the characterisation concept of governmental interest analysis[9]
- Thomas Hoyt Davis – Judge, Federal District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, 1945–1969[4]
- Beverly Daniel Evans, Jr. – Georgia Supreme Court Justice, 1904–1917; Federal District Judge for the Southern District of Georgia, 1917–1922[4]
- Albert John Henderson – Judge, United States Court of Appeals, 1979–1999; Judge, Federal District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, 1968–1979[4]
- Archibald Battle Lovett – Judge, Federal District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, 1941–1945[10]
- Scott D. Makar – Florida Solicitor General[11]
- M. Yvette Miller – Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals; the first African-American woman to serve on the court[12]
- Carlton Mobley – Chief Justice, Georgia Supreme Court, 1972–1974; Associate Justice, 1954–1972; United States Representative, Georgia's 6th Congressional district, 1932–1933[13] [14]
- Michael J. Moore – United States Attorney, Federal District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
- Willie Louis Sands – Judge, Federal District Court for the Middle District of Georgia; the first African-American to serve on the court[4]
- Jay Sekulow – chief counsel, American Center for Law and Justice[15]
- Hugh Thompson – Georgia Supreme Court Justice[16]
- Marc T. Treadwell – Judge, Federal District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
- L. Lin Wood – attorney and conspiracy theorist on President Donald Trump's legal team tasked with overturning the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election
Politics
U.S. senators
- Four Mercerians have served as United States Senators, all from Georgia.
- Walter F. George – United States Senator from Georgia, 1922–1957, served as President pro tempore, 1955–1957; namesake of Mercer's Law School[17] [18]
- Thomas W. Hardwick – United States Senator from Georgia, 1915–1919; Governor of Georgia, 1921–1923; as Governor, appointed Rebecca L. Felton as the first female United States Senator[19] [20]
- Thomas E. Watson – United States Representative, Georgia's 10th Congressional district, 1891–1893; United States Senator from Georgia, 1921–1922[21]
- William S. West – United States Senator from Georgia, 1914–1914[22]
Governors
- Eleven Mercerians have served as Governors: six of Georgia, two of Alabama, and one each of New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, and Texas.
- Ellis Arnall – Governor of Georgia, 1943–1947[23]
- Allen D. Candler – Governor of Georgia, 1898–1902; United States Representative, Georgia's 9th Congressional district, 1883–1891; namesake of Candler County, Georgia[24] [25]
- Nathan Deal – United States Representative, Georgia's 9th Congressional district, 1993–2010; served as Governor of Georgia 2011–2019[26]
- Thomas W. Hardwick – United States Senator from Georgia, 1915–1919; Governor of Georgia, 1921–1923; as Governor, appointed Rebecca L. Felton as the first female United States Senator[19] [20]
- Richard B. Hubbard – Governor of Texas, 1876–1879; US Ambassador to Japan, 1885–1889[27]
- William D. Jelks – Governor of Alabama, 1901–1907[28]
- Henry Dickerson McDaniel – Governor of Georgia, 1883–1886[29]
- William J. Northen – Governor of Georgia, 1890–1894; president, Southern Baptist Convention, 1899–1901; served as a Mercer trustee for 44 years, 1869–1913[30]
- Chauncey Sparks – Governor of Alabama, 1943–1947[31]
- Meldrim Thomson, Jr. – Governor of New Hampshire, 1973–1979[32]
- Blanton Winship – Governor of Puerto Rico (1934–1939)
U.S. representatives
- Twenty-one Mercerians have served as United States representatives; the most recent (as of 2021) was Scott Rigell of Virginia. Seventeen were from Georgia, three from Florida, and one from Virginia.
- Doug Barnard – United States Representative, Georgia's 10th Congressional district, 1977–1993[33]
- Allen D. Candler – Governor of Georgia, 1898–1902; United States Representative, Georgia's 9th Congressional district, 1883–1891; namesake of Candler County, Georgia[24] [25]
- Edward E. Cox – United States Representative, Georgia's 2nd Congressional district, 1925–1952[34]
- Martin J. Crawford – United States Representative, Georgia's 2nd Congressional district, 1855–1861; Representative to the Confederate Provisional Congress, 1861–1862; Justice, Supreme Court of Georgia, 1880–1883[35]
- Nathan Deal – United States Representative, Georgia's 9th Congressional district, 1993–2010; served as Governor of Georgia 2011–2019[26]
- Robert W. Everett – United States Representative, Georgia's 7th Congressional district, 1891–1893[36]
- Phillip M. Landrum – United States Representative, Georgia's 9th Congressional district, 1953–1977[37]
- Thomas G. Lawson – United States Representative, Georgia's 8th Congressional district, 1891–1897[38]
- Rufus E. Lester – United States Representative, Georgia's 1st Congressional district, 1889–1906[39]
- Charles L. Moses – United States Representative, Georgia's 4th Congressional district, 1891–1897[40]
- James W. Overstreet – United States Representative, Georgia's 1st Congressional district, 1906–1907 and 1917–1923[41]
- Homer C. Parker – United States Representative, Georgia's 1st Congressional district, 1931–1935[42]
- Scott Rigell – United States Representative, Virginia's 2nd Congressional district, 2011–2017[43]
- Seaborn Roddenbery – United States Representative, Georgia's 2nd Congressional district, 1910–1913[44]
- Dwight L. Rogers – United States Representative, Florida's 6th Congressional district, 1945–1954[45]
- William J. Sears – United States Representative, Florida's 4th Congressional district, 1915–1929; United States Representative, an at-large Florida district, 1933–1937[46]
- Malcolm C. Tarver – United States Representative, Georgia's 7th Congressional district, 1927–1947[47]
- Carl Vinson – United States Representative for over 50 years, 1914–1965; long-time Chairman, House Armed Services Committee; has been called the "patriarch of the armed services" and the "father of the two-ocean navy"; namesake of the [48]
- Thomas E. Watson – United States Representative, Georgia's 10th Congressional district, 1891–1893; United States Senator from Georgia, 1921–1922[21]
- J. Mark Wilcox – United States Representative, Florida's 4th Congressional district, 1933–1939[49]
- John S. Wood – United States Representative, Georgia's 9th Congressional district, 1931–1935 and 1945–1953; Chairman, House Un-American Activities Committee, 1949–1953[50]
Other
- Brad Bryant – Superintendent of the Georgia public schools, one of Georgia's eight statewide executive officials, 2010–2011[51]
- Cathy Cox – Georgia Secretary of State, 1999–2007; first woman elected to this position[52]
- Luis Eduardo Díaz Granados – Colombian Representative[53]
- Walter C. Dowling – United States Ambassador to South Korea, 1956–1959; United States Ambassador to Germany, 1959–1963[54]
- Winfred Dukes – Georgia State Representative[55]
- John Oxendine – Georgia Insurance Commissioner, 1995–2011[52]
- John Peyton – Mayor, Jacksonville, Florida, the most populous city in Florida and the thirteenth most populous in the United States, 2003–2011[52]
- William Usery Jr. – United States Secretary of Labor, 1976–1977[56] [57]
- Julian Webb – Member of the Georgia State Senate 1963–1974 and the Georgia Court of Appeals 1974–1979[58]
- Samuel J. Welsch – Member of the Georgia House of Representatives, the Georgia State Senate, and mayor of Marietta, Georgia.[59]
Military
- John Birch – missionary, U.S. Army intelligence officer, and OSS agent in China during World War II; namesake of the John Birch Society[60]
- Ross W. Crossley, Brigadier General, U.S. Army – Commanding General, V Corps Artillery, 1983–85; Chief of Staff, V Corps, 1985–88[52]
- Benjamin S. Griffin, General, U.S. Army – Commanding General, U.S. Army Materiel Command, 2004–08[52]
- Richard E. Hawes, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy – commanded several vessels during World War II; recipient of the Navy Cross; namesake of the USS Hawes[52]
- Alexander T. Hawthorn, Brigadier-General, C.S. Army – Commander, 4th Arkansas Infantry Brigade, 1863–65
- Michael L. Howard, Brigadier General, U.S. Army – Deputy Commanding General, 10th Mountain Division, 2013–present; Commander, 4th Brigade (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, the only airborne brigade in the Pacific Theater, 2008–10[52]
- Claude M. Kicklighter, Lieutenant General, U.S. Army – Commanding General, United States Army, Pacific, 1989–91; after military retirement, served in senior civilian positions in the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs; Assistant Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs, 2001–05; Inspector General, Department of Defense, 2007–08[52]
- C. Stewart Rodeheaver, Brigadier General, U.S. Army – Deputy Commanding General, First United States Army, 2006–09[52]
- William T. Thielemann, Brigadier General, U.S. Army – Commander, 48th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized), Georgia Army National Guard, 1995–97[52]
- George J. Walker, Brigadier General, U.S. Army – Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, U.S. Army Forces Command, 1987–89; member, Military Intelligence Hall of Fame[52]
- Perry L. Wiggins, Lieutenant General, U.S. Army – Commanding General, Fifth United States Army, 2013–present; Commander, 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley, 2008–09
- Blanton Winship, Major General, U.S. Army – The Judge Advocate General (TJAG), 1931–33; Governor of Puerto Rico, 1934–39
Science
- Godwin Maduka – MD and founder of Las Vegas Pain Institute and Medical Center
Other public service
Athletics
Notes and References
- Web site: BRUCE, WILLIAM HERSCHEL. MINOR. DAVID. 12 June 2010. www.tshaonline.org.
- Web site: William Fielding Ogburn, President 1929 . 2009-03-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091213212630/http://www2.asanet.org/governance/ogburn.html . 2009-12-13 .
- News: Microsoft founders lead tributes to 'father of the PC' . BBC News . April 2, 2010 . April 2, 2010 .
- Web site: Archived copy . 2006-12-10 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160730115701/http://www.fjc.gov/public/home.nsf/hisj . 2016-07-30 .
- http://www.abpnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3748&Itemid=43
- Web site: Court of Appeals of Georgia. www.gaappeals.us.
- Web site: Legal lion Barry Cohen reveals leukemia and tells how it has changed his priorities. www.tampabay.com.
- Web site: History of the Federal Judiciary - Federal Judicial Center. www.fjc.gov.
- 1371392. Brainerd Currie: Five Tributes. Elvin R.. Latty. Philip B.. Kurland. Roger J.. Traynor. Leavenworth. Colby. Robert C.. Sink. 18 May 1966. Duke Law Journal. 1966. 1. 2–18.
- Web site: Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges, 1789-present - Federal Judicial Center. www.fjc.gov.
- Web site: Florida Attorney General - Scott Makar Biographical Sketch. myfloridalegal.com.
- Web site: Court of Appeals of Georgia: M. Yvette Miller, Presiding Judge. www.gaappeals.us.
- Web site: MOBLEY, William Carlton - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: The Political Graveyard: Monroe County, Ga.. Lawrence. Kestenbaum. politicalgraveyard.com.
- Web site: ACLJ • American Center for Law & Justice . 2008-05-13 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080513224050/http://www.aclj.org/About/Default.aspx?Section=11 . 2008-05-13 .
- Web site: The Supreme Court of Georgia :: Gasupreme.us. www.gasupreme.us . https://web.archive.org/web/20061115090700/http://www.gasupreme.us/justices_bios.php . 2006-11-15.
- Web site: Walter F. George (1878-1957). New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- Web site: GEORGE, Walter Franklin - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: Thomas Hardwick (1872-1944). New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- Web site: HARDWICK, Thomas William - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: WATSON, Thomas Edward - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: WEST, William Stanley - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: Ellis Arnall (1907-1992). New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- Web site: Allen D. Candler (1834-1910). New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- Web site: CANDLER, Allen Daniel - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: DEAL, John Nathan - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: HUBBARD, RICHARD BENNETT, JR.. DUNCAN, JEAN. S.. 15 June 2010. www.tshaonline.org.
- Web site: Alabama Department of Archives and History: Alabama Governors--William Dorsey Jelks. www.archives.state.al.us. 2009-01-12. 2014-11-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20141106061325/http://www.archives.state.al.us/govs_list/g_jelksw.html. dead.
- Web site: Henry McDaniel (1836-1926). New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- Web site: William J. Northen (1835-1913). New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- Web site: Alabama Department of Archives and History: Alabama Governors--Chauncey Sparks. www.archives.state.al.us. 2009-01-12. 2016-03-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20160305194518/http://www.archives.state.al.us/govs_list/g_sparks.html. dead.
- Web site: Meldrim Thomson, Jr., A Guide to Likenesses of New Hampshire Officials and Governors on Public Display at the Legislative Office Building and the State House Concord, New Hampshire, to 1998, New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. www.nh.gov.
- Web site: BARNARD, Druie Douglas, Jr. - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: COX, Edward Eugene - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: CRAWFORD, Martin Jenkins - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: EVERETT, Robert William - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: LANDRUM, Phillip Mitchell - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: LAWSON, Thomas Graves - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: LESTER, Rufus Ezekiel - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: MOSES, Charles Leavell - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: OVERSTREET, James Whetstone - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: PARKER, Homer Cling - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: RIGELL, E. Scott - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: RODDENBERY, Seaborn Anderson - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: ROGERS, Dwight Laing - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: SEARS, William Joseph - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: TARVER, Malcolm Connor - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: VINSON, Carl - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: WILCOX, James Mark - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: WOOD, John Stephens - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov.
- Web site: Georgia Department of Education - State Superintendent of Schools . 2010-07-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100727052834/http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/sup.aspx . 2010-07-27 . dead .
- Web site: Notable Alumni . Mercer University. April 2, 2013.
- Web site: Luis Eduardo Dìaz Granados Torres . 2024-06-19 . www.camara.gov.co . es.
- Web site: Walter C. Dowling. www.nndb.com.
- Web site: Representative Winfred J. Dukes's Biography. Project Vote Smart. April 2, 2013.
- Web site: U.S. Department of Labor History Secretarial Portraits: W. J. Usery, Jr.. www.dol.gov. 2011-08-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20140830001206/http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/usery.htm. 2014-08-30. dead.
- Web site: W. J. Usery Jr. (1923-2016). New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- Web site: Julian Webb, 1974-1979. Court of Appeals of Georgia.
- Winter–Spring 1987. 74. 4. The Emerald of Sigma Pi. Alumni News: Mercer University. 16.
- Nation: WHO WAS JOHN BIRCH? . https://web.archive.org/web/20080821054031/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,872243,00.html . dead . August 21, 2008 . Time . April 14, 1961.
- News: Stephanie . Pedersen . . . . Miss Warner Robins named 2015 Miss Georgia . June 20, 2015 . September 1, 2015.
- Web site: SEINAN GAKUIN UNIVERSITY | About SGU . 2009-01-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090402183824/http://www.seinan-gu.ac.jp/eng/aboutsgu/index.html . 2009-04-02 . dead .
- Web site: Louie D. Newton (1892-1986). New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- Web site: Steadman V. Sanford (1871-1945). New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- Web site: Olympians, Mercerians: One and the sameFormer Bears Jimmy Carnes, Cindy Brogdon lead past teams to podium. mercercluster.com. April 2, 2013.
- Web site: Mercer Football Historical Notes. Mercer University. April 2, 2013.
- Web site: Olympians, Mercerians: One and the same Former Bears Jimmy Carnes, Cindy Brogdon lead past teams to podium. mercercluster.com. April 2, 2013.
- Web site: Wesley Duke . databaseFootball.com . April 2, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130602131330/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerlog.htm?yr=2005&ilkid=DUKEWES01 . June 2, 2013 .
- Web site: Sam Mitchell. Baseball-Reference.com. April 2, 2013.
- Web site: Mercer University News. www2.mercer.edu. 19 March 2020 .