List of Vanderbilt University people

This is a list of notable current and former faculty members, alumni, and non-graduating attendees of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Unless otherwise noted, attendees listed graduated with bachelor's degrees. Names with an asterisk (*) graduated from Peabody College prior to its merger with Vanderbilt.

Notable alumni

Academia

• Bob Agee, 13th president, Oklahoma Baptist University
• John Arthur, professor of philosophy
• Richard A. Batey, New Testament scholar
• William Leroy Broun, fourth President of Auburn University
• Jesse Lee Cuninggim, Methodist clergyman; moved the Scarritt College to from Kansas City to Nashville as its President
• Merrimon Cuninggim, desegregated the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University; later President of Salem College
• Antonio Gotto, Dean of Cornell University Weill Medical College
• Hoffman Franklin Fuller, professor-emeritus at Tulane University Law School, authority on tax law
• Sheldon Hackney, President, University of Pennsylvania; President, Tulane University; Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities
• David Edwin Harrell, historian at Auburn University
• Alfred Hume, Chancellor of the University of Mississippi, 1924–1930 and 1932–1935
• Umphrey Lee, Dean of the School of Religion at Vanderbilt; President of Southern Methodist University
• Walter M. Lowrey, historian at Centenary College of Louisiana
• J. Bernard Machen, President, University of Utah (1997–2003); eleventh President, University of Florida (2003–present)
• The Rev. Edward Malloy, 16th President, University of Notre Dame
• Glenn McGee, bioethicist; founding editor of the American Journal of Bioethics; Associate Director of UPenn Bioethics, 1995–2005
• Garnie W. McGinty, historian at Louisiana Tech University
• George Pullen Jackson (1874–1953), 1902 graduate; Assistant Professor of German at the University of South Dakota and later Professor of German at Vanderbilt University.
• Edwin Mims, alumni; Chair of the English Department, 1912–1942
• Herman Clarence Nixon, professor, member of the Southern Agrarians
• Donald Rawson (Ph.D., 1964), history professor and graduate school dean at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, 1960–1984
• Edwin Richardson, President of Louisiana Tech University, 1936–1941
• Charles P. Roland (1938), historian of the American Civil War and American South
• Kevin M. Ross, President of Lynn University; received a PhD from Peabody College in 2006
• Arnold Anthony Schmidt, Professor of English, California State University, Stanislaus
• Robert C. Snyder, English professor at Louisiana Tech University, 1947–1989; did graduate work at Vanderbilt
• John J. Tigert, Rhodes Scholar; President of Kentucky Wesleyan College (1909–1911); U.S. Commissioner of Education (1921–1928); third President of University of Florida (1928–1947); member of Vanderbilt football, baseball, basketball, and track teams; halfback (1901–1903), All-Southern (1903); College Football Hall of Fame (1970)
• Elyn Saks, Associate Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Southern California; noted scholar of mental health law and MacArthur Fellowship winner.
• Edward Kellog Strong, Jr. (1884–1963), Professor of Psychology at Peabody College from 1914 to 1917.

Art and humanities

• Alfred Bartles, composer of "Music for Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble"
• Cleanth Brooks, literary critic
• Donald Davidson, poet
• James Dickey, author and poet, winner of the National Book Award for Poetry, author of the novel Deliverance
• Ellen Gilchrist, National Book Award-winning author
• Laura Vernon Hamner, writer
• Kelsie B. Harder, onomastician
• Ross Hassig (M.A. 1974), anthropologist, author, Mesoamerica scholar
• Randall Jarrell, United States Poet Laureate
• Andrew Nelson Lytle, novelist and professor
• Delbert Mann, Academy Award-winning director
• Merrill Moore, poet
• James Patterson, bestselling contemporary writer of thrillers
• John Crowe Ransom, poet, essayist, and social commentator
• Tom Schulman, Academy Award-winning screenwriter of the film Dead Poets Society
• Allen Tate, United States Poet Laureate
• Robert Penn Warren, Pulitzer Prize winner; United States Poet Laureate

Athletics

Main article: List of Vanderbilt University athletes

See also: List of Vanderbilt Commodores in the NFL Draft

• Robert G. Acton, Vanderbilt's fifth football coach (1896–1898); previously played at Harvard; doctor; died of a morphine overdose
• Pedro Alvarez, corner infielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates; drafted second overall in the 2008 MLB Draft
• Chantelle Anderson, women's basketball player (1999–2003); three-time All-American (2001–03); WNBA San Antonio Silver Stars (2005–present); Sacramento Monarchs (2003–04)
• Bob Asher, NFL offensive tackle, Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears
• Earl Bennett, wide receiver, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns
• Lynn Bomar, end (1921–24); New York Giants (1925–26); College Football Hall of Fame (1956); later became warden of Tennessee State Prison and executed several men
• Mack Brown, head football coach at University of Texas; transferred to Florida State University
• Watson Brown, quarterback (1969–72); head football coach at Austin Peay (1979–1980), Cincinnati (1983), Rice (1984–1985), Vanderbilt (1986–1990), UAB (1995–2006), Tennessee Tech (2007– )
• Derrick Byars, men's basketball player (attended 2004–07, played 2005–07); SEC Player of the Year (2007), professional with several European teams
• Corey Chavous, safety (1994–98); St. Louis Rams (2006–present), Minnesota Vikings (2002–05), Arizona Cardinals (1998–2001)
• Josh Cody, tackle (1914–1916, 1919), College Football Hall of Fame (1970)
• Joey Cora, second baseman, Cleveland Indians (1998), Seattle Mariners (1995–1998/ All-Star in 1997), Chicago White Sox (1991–1994), first-round draft pick (1985, 23rd overall) by the San Diego Padres (1987, 1989–1990), third base coach for the White Sox (2004–present)
• Jay Cutler, quarterback (2002–2005); first-round draft pick (11th overall) by the Denver Broncos (2006–2009); Chicago Bears (2009–present)
• Art Demmas, football official and football player, football captain (1956)
• George Doherty*, football player and then coach
• Jamie Duncan, linebacker (1995–97), All-American (1997); Atlanta Falcons (2004), St. Louis Rams (2002–03), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1998–2001)
• Slim Embry, baseball player (1921–23); baseball captain (1923); Chicago White Sox (1923)
• Festus Ezeli, men's basketball player (2008–12); NBA player for the Golden State Warriors
• Ryan Flaherty, baseball player (2005–08), Major League Baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles (2011–present)
• Johnny "Red" Floyd, football and basketball player (1915–16, 1919–20), coached at Middle Tennessee State, namesake of Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium
• Jeff Fosnes, men's basketball player (1972–1976); first Academic All-American; only two-time Academic All-American in Vanderbilt basketball history; fourth-round draft pick of the Golden State Warriors (1976)
• Shan Foster, men's basketball player (2005–08); all-time leading scorer; second team Associated Press All-American; 2008 SEC Player of the Year; second round pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks
• Ewing Y. Freeland, TCU Horned Frogs, Millsaps Majors, SMU Mustangs, and Texas Tech Red Raiders head football coach; TCU Horned Frogs men's basketball head coach; Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball head coach; Texas Tech Red Raiders athletic director
• Matt Freije, men's basketball player (2000–04), Wooden Award finalist (2003–04); Atlanta Hawks (2006), New Orleans Hornets (2004–05), originally a second-round draft pick of the Miami Heat (2004)
• Clarence "Pete" Gracey, All-American center (1932)
• Sonny Gray, Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Oakland Athletics
• Arthur Guepe, quarterback, football coach at the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt; first commissioner of the Ohio Valley Conference
• Lewie Hardage, football player; head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners football team
• Corey Harris, safety/kick returner (1988–91); Detroit Lions (2002–03), Baltimore Ravens (1998–2001), Miami Dolphins (1997), Seattle Seahawks (1995–96), Green Bay Packers (1992–94)
• Harvey "Gink" Hendrick, football and baseball player (1919–21). New York Yankees (1923–24), Cleveland Indians (1925), Brooklyn Robins (1927–31), Cincinnati Reds (1931–32), St. Louis Cardinals (1932), Chicago Cubs (1933), Philadelphia Phillies (1934).
• Hunter Hillenmeyer, linebacker (1999-02); Chicago Bears (2003–2010)
• Carl Hinkle, center (1935–1937), Southeastern Conference MVP (1937), College Football Hall of Fame (1959)
• John Jenkins, men's basketball player (2009–12), first-team All-SEC (2011, 2012), member of the USA national team at the 2011 Summer Universiade, NBA player with the Atlanta Hawks
• Elliott Jones, first football coach and captain (1890–1892)
• Matt Kata, Major League Baseball player
• W. J. "Cap" Keller, second football captain and coach (1893–1894)
• Everett "Tuck" Kelly, All-Southern guard (1923), football captain (1924)
• Roy Kramer, athletics director (1978–1990); Southeastern Conference commissioner (1990–2002), credited with being instrumental in creating the BCS (Division I-A's national championship game); as SEC commissioner, presided over expansion which brought in Arkansas and South Carolina, creating the first collegiate mega-conference
• Oliver "Doc" Kuhn, quarterback, shortstop, and men's basketball player (1920–1923), 3 straight conference titles in football, Honorable Mention on Walter Camp's list of All-Americans in 1922.
• Frank Kyle, quarterback (1902–1905)
• Dan Langhi, men's basketball player (1996–2000); Houston Rockets (2000–02), Phoenix Suns (2002–03), Golden State Warriors (2003), Milwaukee Bucks (2003)
• Clyde Lee, men's basketball player (1963–66); SEC Player of the Year (1965–66), All-American (1966); third overall pick of the San Francisco/Golden State Warriors (1966–74); also played for the Atlanta Hawks (1975) and Philadelphia 76ers (1975–76)
• David Lee, starting quarterback and team's most valuable player (1974).
• Allama Matthews, wide receiver (1979–1982), Atlanta Falcons (1983–1985)
• Billy McCaffrey, 1991–1993 basketball player; two-time All-American; led Vanderbilt to highest national ranking of number 5; holds record for most assists in a game at 14; SEC player of the year in 1993
• Dan McGugin, winningest football coach in Vanderbilt history (1904–17, 1919–34); College Football Hall of Fame (1951)
• D. J. Moore, cornerback (2006–08); Chicago Bears (2009–present)
• Garland "Gus" Morrow, men's basketball coach (1929–1931; 1944–1946); played football and basketball for Vandy in the early 1920s
• Jess Neely, halfback (1920–22), football captain (1922), athletic director (1967–71, 1973).
• Charles Martin "C. M." Newton, men's basketball coach (1982–89); chairman of the NCAA Rules Committee (1979–1985) during which time the 45-second shot clock, three-point shot and coaches box were implemented; Basketball Hall of Fame (2000), President of USA Basketball (1992–1996) credited with putting together the first Olympic "Dream Team"; chair of first National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Selection Committee (2006)
• Josh Paul, catcher; Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2006–present) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2004–2005), Chicago White Sox (1999–2003)
• Will Perdue, four-time NBA champion; Portland Trail Blazers (2000–01), San Antonio Spurs (1995–99), first-round draft pick (1988, 11th overall) of the Chicago Bulls (1988–95)
• Dick Plasman, end and captain (1936), Chicago Bears (1937–41, 1944), Chicago Cardinals (1946–47). Last NFL player to go without a helmet.
• David Price, first overall draft pick in 2007 Major League Baseball draft by Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
• Mark Prior, pitcher (1999; transferred to USC after freshman year); Chicago Cubs (2002–06)
• Shelton Quarles, middle linebacker (1990–93); Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1997–present)
• Tom Redmond, defensive lineman; played for six seasons in the NFL
• Gil Reese, first three-sport captain (1922–1925), halfback on the football team, forward on the basketball team, and outfielder on the baseball team
• Bobby Reynolds, tennis player; ranked No. 1 in NCAA and led Vanderbilt to NCAA team finals (2003), won 2006 RCA Championships (doubles) with Andy Roddick
• Herb Rich, NFL football player
• Bob Rives, All-Southern tackle (1924–1925), Newark Bears (1926).
• Bo Rowland, end (1923–24). Football coach at Henderson State and elsewhere. for many years.
• Sheri Sam, women's basketball player (1992–96); WNBA Charlotte Sting (2005–06), Seattle Storm (2004), Minnesota Lynx (2003), Miami Sol (2000–02), Orlando Miracle (1999)
• Henry Russell Sanders, football and baseball player; football coach at Vanderbilt and UCLA, where he won a national championship
• Rupert Smith, football player, leading scorer on the 1921 team
• Brandt Snedeker, PGA golfer, 2007 PGA Rookie of the Year
• Jeremy Sowers, pitcher (2002–04), college All-American (2004); first-round pick (sixth overall) in 2004 draft of the Cleveland Indians (2006–present)
• Bill Spears, quarterback (1925–27), College Football Hall of Fame (1962)
• Matt Stewart, linebacker (1997–2000); Cleveland Browns (2005–present), Atlanta Falcons (2001–2004)
• Jeffery Taylor, men's basketball player (2008–12); former NBA player for the Charlotte Hornets and current ACB player for Real Madrid
• Whit Taylor, quarterback (1979–1982), ArenaBowl I Champion (1987), SEC Football Legend (2003)
• Sir Henry Worth Thornton, highest-ranking American born officer in the British Army during World War I; President of the Canadian National Railways; Vanderbilt's football coach during the 1894 season (7–1); the only American football coach to receive a knighthood
• Pat Toomay, NFL defensive end and author
• Bradley Vierling, football center (2008–2009); Pittsburgh Steelers (2010); Jacksonville Jaguars (2010); Pittsburgh Steelers (2012–present)
• Bill Wade, quarterback (1949–51); Southeastern Conference MVP (1951); first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams (1954–60), Chicago Bears (1961–66)
• Wallace Wade, assistant football (1921–22) and basketball (1921-23) coach; won 3 national championships at Alabama; namesake of Wallace Wade Stadium
• Henry Wakefield, end (1921–1924), consensus All-American in 1924, All-Southern in both 1923 and 1924
• Perry Wallace, first African American basketball player in the Southeastern Conference; law professor at American University
• E. M. "Nig" Waller, quarterback (1924–1926), football and basketball coach at Middle Tennessee State (1933–1934)
• Jake Weiner, basketblogger (2013–present)
• Chris Williams, offensive tackle (2005–2007); Chicago Bears (2008–present)
• Jimmy Williams, defensive back (1997–2000); Seattle Seahawks (2005–present), San Francisco 49ers (2001–2004)
• Mike Willis, left-handed pitcher with Toronto Blue Jays, 1977–1981
• Jamie Winborn, linebacker (1998–2000); Denver Broncos (2007–present), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2006–2007), Jacksonville Jaguars (2005–2006), San Francisco 49ers (2001–2005)
• DeMond Winston, linebacker, captain in 1989; New Orleans Saints (1990–1994)
• Will Wolford, offensive lineman; (1983–1985); Pittsburgh Steelers (1996–1998), Indianapolis Colts (1993–1996), Buffalo Bills (1986–1993); voted to 3 Pro Bowls
• Todd Yoder, tight end (1996–99); Washington Redskins (2006–2009), Jacksonville Jaguars (2004–2005), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2000–2003)

Business and economics

• Jasbina Ahluwalia, founder and CEO, Intersections Match
• John D. Arnold, founder of Centaurus Energy, youngest self-made billionaire in Texas
• Bill Bain, founder of Bain & Company
• Michael Bickford, co-founder of Round Hill Capital, a real estate assets management firm; polo player
• Dennis C. Bottorff, co-founder and general partner of Council Capital; Chairman of CapStar Bank; member of the Board of Trust since 1990.
• Michael Burry, M.D., founder of the Scion Capital LLC hedge fund
• Monroe J. Carell, Jr., former Chairman and CEO of Central Parking Corporation
• Mark Dalton, attorney, CEO of the Tudor Investment Corporation; Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Vanderbilt
• Joe C. Davis, Jr., CEO of Davis Coals, Inc.; played tennis for Vanderbilt
• David Farr, Chairman and CEO of Emerson Electric
• Sam M. Fleming, President and Chairman of the Third National Bank of Nashville; Chairman of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust, 1975–1981
• Matthew J. Hart, former Chairman and COO of Hilton Hotels Corporation
• Bruce Henderson, founder of the Boston Consulting Group
• Frank K. Houston (1881–1973), president and chairman of the Chemical Corn Exchange Bank in the 1940s.
• Allan Hubbard, Director of the National Economic Council
• David B. Ingram, Chair and President of Ingram Entertainment
• John R. Ingram, Chairman and CEO of the Ingram Content Group
• Orrin H. Ingram II, CEO of Ingram Industries, Vanderbilt trustee
• J. Hicks Lanier, Chairman and CEO of Oxford Industries, Vanderbilt trustee
• Sartain Lanier (1909–1994), Chairman and CEO of Oxford Industries, Vanderbilt trustee.
• Chong Moon Lee, founder of Diamond Multimedia
• Mark P. Mays, President and CEO of Clear Channel Communications
• Derek Minno, partner at private equity firm Exigen Capital
• Ann S. Moore, Chairman and CEO of Time Inc.
• Jackson W. Moore, former Executive Chairman of Union Planters Bank and Regions Financial Corporation
• Doug Parker, Chairman, President, and CEO of American Airlines Group
• H. Ross Perot, Jr., Chairman of Perot Systems, real estate investor
• Charles Plosser, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
• Edgar E. Rand (c. 1905–1955), President of the International Shoe Company from 1950 to 1955; served on the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust.
• Frank C. Rand (1876–1949), President of the International Shoe Company from 1916 to 1930 and Chairman from 1930 to 1949; served on the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust from 1912 to 1949 and as its President from 1935 to 1949; Rand Hall is named for him.
• Henry Hale Rand (1909–1962), President of the International Shoe Company from 1955 to 1962; served on the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust.
• Mark Reuss, President of General Motors North America
• Russ Robinson, CEO of Global Steel Dust; board member of Academi
• Jeffrey J. Rothschild, billionaire entrepreneur; business executive; Vice President of Infrastructure Software for Facebook
• Charlie Soong, missionary, businessman, father of the Soong sisters
• Hall W. Thompson, businessman, golf course developer, Vanderbilt trustee
• Cal Turner, Jr., CEO of Dollar General
• William S. Vaughn, former President and Chairman of Eastman Kodak; former Chairman of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust
• David K. Wilson, co-founder and President of the Cherokee Equity Corporation; Chairman of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust, 1981–1991
• Muhammad Yunus, Ph.D., founder of Grameen Bank; pioneer of microcredit; 2006 winner of Nobel Prize in peace; winner of the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom

Entertainment and fashion

• Dierks Bentley, country musician
• Joe Bob Briggs, B-movie critic
• Randy Brooks, songwriter ("Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer")
• Paula Cale, actress, transferred to DePaul University
• Rosanne Cash, singer and songwriter
• Kim Dickens, actress
• George Ducas, country music artist
• William Gray Espy, actor, The Young and the Restless
• Amy Grant, contemporary Christian music artist (dropped out to pursue music career)
• Jill King, country music artist
• Lance Kinsey, actor
• Richard Kyanka, creator of humor website Something Awful
• Chris Mann, singer; fourth place in season 2 of The Voice
• Bettie Page*, model
• Amy Ray, singer, songwriter, member of the Indigo Girls (transferred to Emory University)
• Dinah Shore, singer, actress, and television host
• Scott Siman, artist manager, former chairman of the Academy of Country Music
• Molly Sims, model, actress (dropped out to pursue modeling)
• Brooklyn Sudano, model, actress, and singer
• Mikey Wax, singer/songwriter

Government, politics, and activism

• Greg Abbott, former Attorney General and current Governor of Texas
• Bill Alexander, United States Representative from Arkansas (1969–1993)
• Lamar Alexander, Governor of Tennessee (1979–1987), United States Secretary of Education (1991–1993), United States Senator from Tennessee (2003- )
• Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, President of Puntland; former Prime Minister of Somalia (2011–2012), AFGRAD Fellow of Economics; first Vanderbilt graduate to become a head of government
• Jim Bacchus, former U.S. Representative from the 11th and 15th districts of Florida, former Chairman of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization
• Theodore Bilbo, U.S. Senator and Governor, Mississippi; attended Peabody College and Law School but did not graduate from either
• David Boaz, Executive Vice-President, Cato Institute, leading libertarian thinker
• Richard Walker Bolling, U.S. Representative from Missouri, attended graduate school 1939–1940
• Bill Boner, former Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee
• Dick Brewbaker, member of the Alabama Senate; former member of the Alabama House of Representatives
• Beverly Briley, former Mayor of Nashville
• Bill Campbell, former Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia
• Brian Carlson, Ambassador to Latvia (2001–2004)
• Frank G. Clement, former Governor of Tennessee
• Robert W. Cobb, Inspector General of NASA (2002–present)
• William Prentice Cooper, Jr., former Governor of Tennessee and Ambassador to Peru
• William Prentice Cooper, Sr. (1870–1961), Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives.
• Brad Courtney, Chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin
• Yeda Crusius, Governor of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul (2007–present)
• Riley Darnell, Tennessee Secretary of State
• Jeff Davis, Democratic United States Senator from Arkansas; 20th Governor of Arkansas
• Karl Dean, Mayor of Nashville
• K. Terry Dornbush, former Ambassador to the Netherlands
• James Oliver Eastland, former U.S. Senator
• Hiram Wesley Evans, Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan
• Greg Fischer, Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky (2011–present); entrepreneur; co-inventor of the SerVend automated ice/beverage dispenser
• Vince Foster, former Deputy White House Chief of Staff
• John Nance Garner, former Vice President and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
• Bill Gibbons, Memphis District Attorney
• Al Gore, 45th Vice President of the United States; former U.S. Senator; former U.S. Representative; environmental activist; Nobel laureate (did not graduate)
• Tipper Gore*, activist, former Second Lady of the United States
• Douglas Henry, member of the Tennessee Senate representing the 21st district
• Bruce Heyman, current United States Ambassador to Canada
• John Jay Hooker, political figure
• Gus Hunt, Chief Technology Officer at the CIA
• Mickey Kantor, United States Trade Representative and Secretary of Commerce in the Clinton Administration
• Ric Keller, former U.S. Representative
• John Neely Kennedy, Louisiana State Treasurer
• Robert L. King, former Monroe County, New York executive, former chancellor of the State University of New York
• Bill Lacy, political operative, business executive, and Director of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics
• Leonard Lance, U.S. Representative from New Jersey
• Fritz G. Lanham, U.S. Representative from Texas
• James Lawson, civil rights pioneer
• William James Livsey, four-star general and military commander
• Harlan Mathews, former U.S. Senator
• Hill McAlister, 34th Governor of Tennessee, 1933–1937
• Marshall Fletcher McCallie, former United States Ambassador to Namibia
• James Clark McReynolds, former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (1914–1941)
• J. Washington Moore (c. 1868–1965), Eminent Supreme Archon of Sigma Alpha Epsilon from 1891 to 1894; Tennessee state representative; Nashville city attorney.
• Roy Neel, campaign manager for Howard Dean; Deputy Chief of Staff for former President Bill Clinton; Chief of Staff for Al Gore
• Seth Walker Norman, Judge of Division IV of the Criminal Court for Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee; former Tennessee Legislator
• W. Robert Pearson, former Ambassador to Turkey; President of IREX
• Bill Purcell, Mayor of Nashville
• Arthur F. Raper, sociologist
• Woodall Rodgers, Mayor of Dallas, Texas
• James Sasser, former U.S. Senator and Ambassador to China
• Nancy Soderberg, foreign policy adviser
• John R. Steelman, White House Chief of Staff under President Harry Truman
• Joe Straus, Speaker of Texas State House
• Jim Summerville, Tennessee Senator
• Fred Dalton Thompson, former U.S. Senator, actor
• Park Trammell, U.S. Senator from Florida
• Hans von Spakovsky, Federal Election Commission commissioner, appointed by recess, withdrew own nomination after controversy
• Volney F. Warner, Commander-in-Chief, United States Readiness Command
• Jack Watson, Chief of Staff under President Carter
• Don West, civil rights activist, labor organizer, poet, educator

Journalism and media

• Skip Bayless, ESPN personality and nationally syndicated columnist
• Roy Blount, Jr., humorist, sportswriter, and author
• David Brinkley, broadcast journalist
• Alonso Duralde, film critic
• Eric Etheridge, first managing editor of George magazine
• Willie Geist, humorist and host on NBC's Today and MSNBC
• Alex Heard, editorial director of Outside magazine and an author
• Molly Henneberg, correspondent, Fox News
• Henry Blue Kline, member of the Southern Agrarians
• Patrick McCauley (Master of Arts, 1957), journalist; edited The Huntsville Times, 1966–1994
• Ralph McGill, former Atlanta Constitution editor and publisher (did not graduate due to suspension related to an article he wrote)
• Buster Olney, ESPN baseball writer, former sportswriter for The New York Times
• Richard Quest, reporter for CNN International
• Wendell Rawls, Jr., journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner
• Grantland Rice, sportswriter
• Fred Russell, sportswriter
• Christine Sadler, Peabody graduate and pioneer female newspaper journalist
• Jeffrey D. Sadow, political scientist, columnist
• Bill Steltemeier, founding President of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN)
• Clay Travis, sportswriter, radio host, and analyst on Fox Sports (attended law school at Vanderbilt)
• E. Thomas Wood, author and journalist

Law

• Cornelia Clark, Justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court (2005–present)
• Marci Hamilton, lawyer, won Boerne v. Flores (1997), Constitutional law scholar, professor at Cardozo School of Law
• Jack Kershaw, attorney and sculptor who represented James Earl Ray
• James Clark McReynolds, Supreme Court Justice (1914–1941); Assistant Attorney General (1903–1907)
• Eugene Siler, Federal Circuit Court Judge, 6th Circuit
• Mike Spivey, law school admissions expert and former Assistant Dean at Vanderbilt, Washington University, and Colorado law schools
• Fred Thompson, Vanderbilt Law School, former U.S. Senator; actor on NBC's Law & Order (2002–2007)
• Jack Thompson, Vanderbilt Law School, disbarred attorney and activist against obscenity and violence in media and entertainment

Ministry and religion

• William S. Hatcher, mathematician, philosopher, educator; served on several National Spiritual Assemblies; wrote several books on the Bahá'í Faith after his 1957 conversion while at Vanderbilt
• Walter Russell Lambuth, M.D., recipient of Theology and Medical degrees from Vanderbilt; Methodist missionary to China, Japan and Africa; later Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
• James Lawson, civil rights pioneer and student at the Divinity School; kicked out of Vanderbilt for his involvement in organizing civil rights protests in Nashville; later returned to Vanderbilt and is currently a faculty member
• W. Winfred Moore, Baptist preacher from Texas
• Mark A. Noll, progressive evangelical scholar, historian at the University of Notre Dame
• Thomas B. Warren, Restorationist philosopher and theologian

Science and medicine

• Edward Emerson Barnard, astronomer who discovered Barnard's star, Jupiter's fifth moon, nearly a dozen comets, and nebulous emissions in supernovae
• William H. Dobelle, biomedical researcher and artificial vision pioneer
• Michael L. Gernhardt, NASA astronaut
• Louis Lowenstein, researcher in hematology and immunology
• Stanford Moore, protein chemist, inventor of a method for sequencing proteins, winner of the 1972 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• George G. Robertson, senior researcher, Visualization and Interaction Research Group, Microsoft Research
• Norman Shumway, performed with his associates the first heart transplant done in the United States
• Mildred Stahlman, Vanderbilt professor and neonatologist
• John Ridley Stroop, psychologist known for discovering the Stroop effect, a psychological process related to word recognition, color and interference
• E. M. Toler (M.D., Class of 1900), physician, coroner, and member of the Louisiana State Senate from 1944 until his death in 1955

Notable faculty and staff

• Virginia Abernethy, Professor emerita of psychiatry and anthropology; population expert; immigration reduction advocate
• Camilla Benbow, Dean of Peabody College at Vanderbilt University, scholar on education of gifted youth
• John Keith Benton (1896–1956), Dean of the Vanderbilt University Divinity School, 1939–1956
• Alfred Blalock, Professor of Surgery; in the 1930s did pioneering research on traumatic shock, saving countless lives during World War II
• Constance Bumgarner Gee, art policy scholar, memoirist; advocate of the medical use of cannabis; former wife of Chancellor Gordon Gee
• George Arthur Buttrick, Christian scholar
• John Tyler Caldwell (1911–1991), Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University from 1939 to 1947; later Chancellor of North Carolina State University from 1959 to 1975.
• Kenneth C. Catania, neurobiologist, MacArthur Fellows Program award winner
• Stanley Cohen, biochemist, discoverer of cellular growth factors, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Alain Connes, mathematician, Fields Medal Winner (1982)
• Margaret Cuninggim, Dean of Women, 1966–1973, namesake of the Margaret Cuninggim Women's Center on campus
• Richard L. Daft, sociologist
• Max Delbrück, pioneering molecular biologist, winner of the 1969 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Arthur Demarest, Ingram Professor of Anthropology, Mesoamerican scholar
• Collins Denny (1854–1943), Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt until 1911; taught John Crowe Ransom; tried to "impose theological control over the university" when he became Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
• Jacob M. Dickinson, Professor of Law from 1897 to 1899 while he was an attorney for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad; later served as the United States Secretary of War from 1909 to 1911.
• Tony Earley, novelist
• Charlotte Froese Fischer, chemist and mathematician responsible for the development of the multi-configurational self-consistent field of computational chemistry
• Edward F. Fischer, Professor of Anthropology
• Jim Foglesong, member of the Country Music Hall of Fame
• Hezekiah William Foote, co-founder and Vanderbilt trustee; Confederate veteran, attorney, planter and state politician from Mississippi; great-grandfather of Civil War author Shelby Foote
• Harold Ford, Jr., former U.S. Congressman, candidate for Senate
• Bill Frist, Majority Leader (2002–2007); U.S. Senate (1995–2007); former transplant surgeon
• Sidney Clarence Garrison (1885–1945), second President of Peabody College (now part of Vanderbilt University) from 1938 to 1945.
• Ellen Goldring, education scholar
• Ernest William Goodpasture, pioneering virologist; invented the method of growing viruses in fertile chickens' eggs
• Alexander Little Page Green, Methodist minister; a founder of Vanderbilt; his portrait hangs in the Board of Trust lounge of Kirkland Hall on the Vanderbilt campus
• F. Peter Guengerich, Director of the Center in Molecular Toxicology
• Peter Guralnick, music critic and historian; author; screenwriter
• Carolyn Heinrich, economics professor and currently concurrently Sid Richardson Professor at University of Texas at Austin
• Nicholas Hobbs, Provost (1967–1975); former president of the American Psychological Association
• Elijah Embree Hoss, Chair of Ecclesiastical History, Church Polity and Pastoral Theology (1885–90); later a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
• Milton W. Humphreys, first Professor of Latin and Greek at Vanderbilt and later at the University of Texas at Austin; also taught at the University of Virginia; President of the American Philological Association, 1882–1883; married Chancellor Garland's daughter
• Bill Ivey, Director of the National Endowment for the Arts during the Clinton administration; director of the Curb Center at Vanderbilt
• Mark Jarman, poet and critic often identified with the New Narrative branch of New Formalism
• Edward Southey Joynes, first Professor of Modern Languages at Vanderbilt
• John Lachs, philosopher and pragmatist
• David Lubinski, psychology professor known for his work in applied research, psychometrics, and individual differences
• Nathaniel Thomas Lupton, Professor of Chemistry at Vanderbilt in 1875
• Thomas H. Malone (1834–1906), Confederate veteran, judge, Dean of the Vanderbilt University Law School for two decades.
• Richard C. McCarty, professor of psychology and provost of Vanderbilt University
• Roy Neel, Campaign Manager for Howard Dean; Deputy Chief of Staff for Bill Clinton and Chief of Staff for Al Gore
• Bruce Ryburn Payne (1874–1937), founding president of Peabody College (now part of Vanderbilt University) from 1911 to 1937.
• Michael Alec Rose, composer, author, and Professor of Music Composition at Vanderbilt's Blair School of Music
• Herbert Charles Sanborn (1873–1967), Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Psychology at Vanderbilt University from 1921 to 1942.
• Charles Madison Sarratt (1888–1978), Chair of the Department of Mathematics at Vanderbilt University from 1924 to 1946, Dean of Students from 1939 to 1945, Vice-Chancellor from 1946 to 1958, and Dean of Alumni from 1958 to 1978.
• Julia Sears, mathematician, pioneering feminist
• Margaret Rhea Seddon, astronaut
• Douglas C. Schmidt, computer scientist
• Albert Micajah Shipp, Professor of Exegetical Theology at Vanderbilt University in 1875; Dean of the Divinity School, 1882–1887
• William Oscar Smith, jazz double bassist; founder of the W.O. Smith Music School in Nashville; former professor at Vanderbilt's Blair School of Music
• Ronald Spores, archaeologist, ethnohistorian and Mesoamerican scholar
• Hans Stoll, his research revolutionized the field of financial derivatives and market microstructure
• Thomas Osgood Summers, Methodist theologian; Dean of the Biblical Department at Vanderbilt in 1878
• Earl Sutherland, physiologist; discoverer of hormonal second messengers; winner of the 1971 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Carol Miller Swain, professor of Political Science and Law
• Vivian Thomas, surgical technician working with Alfred Blalock; developed techniques that enabled key advances in the treatment of traumatic shock
• Wilbur Fisk Tillett (1854–1936), Professor of Theology, Dean of the Theological Faculty after 1884 and Vice-Chancellor after 1886
• William J. Vaughn (1834–1912), Professor of Mathematics; librarian
• Robert A. Young (1824–1902), Financial Secretary of the Board of Trust from 1874 to 1882, and Board member until 1902; Methodist minister.

Gallery of Vanderbilt notables

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  Al Gore
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  Max Delbrück
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  Amy Grant
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  James Clark McReynolds
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  Fred Thompson
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  Robert Penn Warren
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  Muhammad Yunus