List of Southwestern University alumni

Following is a list of notable alumni from Southwestern University.

Business

• James Marion West Jr. - Texas oil, timber, and ranching tycoon

Clergy

• Hiram Abiff Boaz ^[1] – Methodist Bishop and former president of SMU
• Stanley Hauerwas ^[2] – Theologian and ethicist
• Jay W. Richards - Philosopher, Theologian, Economist, Apologist, Social Researcher, Author
• William Angie Smith ^[1] – Methodist Bishop

Education

• Hiram Abiff Boaz ^[1] – Methodist Bishop and former president of SMU
• Serena DeBeer – Adjunct Professor at Cornell University and Head of Dpt. for Inorganic Spectroscopy at Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion
• Laura Kuykendall (1883–1935), dean of women at Southwestern from 1918 to 1935
• Margaret (Young) Menzel Florida State University scientist (1924-1987)
• Amanda Sheffield Morris Regents Professor of Psychology at Oklahoma State University

Entertainment

• Bill Engvall – Stand-up comedian
• Jerry Hardin – Actor
• Claude Porter White - Author and composer of operas
• Susan Youens - Musicologist
• The Bright Light Social Hour founders Curtis Roush and Jackie O'Brien – Musicians

Law

• William H. Atwell ^[1] – U.S. District Court judge
• J. Marvin Jones ^[1] – U.S. Court of Claims Chief Judge and U.S. Congressman from Texas (1917–1940)
• Joseph Tyree Sneed, III ^[1] – U.S. Court of Appeals judge
• Brent Webster – acting Texas Attorney General ^[3]

Literature and journalism

• J. Frank Dobie ^[1] – Author
• Abbie Graham – Author
• Hubert Renfro Knickerbocker – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author ^[4]
• John Murrell – Canadian playwright and a member of the Order of Canada
• Akshay Nanavati - USMC veteran, author of Fearvana (Class of 2009)

Non-profit

• Ernesto Nieto - Founder and President of the National Hispanic Institute
• Annie Clo Watson – social worker based in San Francisco

Politics

• Jessie Daniel Ames ^[1] – Civil rights activist
• Joan Bray – State senator in Missouri

• Robert L. Henry ^[1] – U.S. Congressman from Texas (1897–1917), Chairman of the House Rules Committee
• J. Marvin Jones ^[1] – U.S. Congressman from Texas (1917–1940), U.S. Court of Claims Chief Judge
• Earle Bradford Mayfield ^[1] – U.S. Senator from Texas (1923–1929)
• Pete Sessions – U.S. Congressman from Texas (2013-Current), Chairman of the House Rules Committee
• R. Ewing Thomason – U.S. Congressman from Texas (1931–1947), Mayor of El Paso
• John Tower – U.S. Senator from Texas (1961–1988)

Science

• Robert Simpson – Meteorologist, former director of the National Hurricane Center, and co-developer of the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

Sports

• Harry Ables ^[1] – Major League Baseball pitcher
• Mike Anderson- Major League Baseball pitcher and current pro scout with the Texas Rangers
• Solon Barnett – Offensive tackle and guard for the Chicago Cardinals and Green Bay Packers (1945–1946)
• Pete Cawthon ^[1] – Head football coach and athletic director of the Texas Tech Red Raiders
• Carlton Massey – Defensive lineman and pro bowler for the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers (1954–1958)
• Carl Reynolds – Major League Baseball player and member of Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Played for five teams over 12 years
• Mike Timlin – Major League Baseball pitcher

References

1. "SU Historical Alumni Directory: 1844 – 1920". Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2009.
2. "Stanley Hauerwas". Archived from the original on June 11, 2008. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
3. "Ken Paxton's Leadership Team | Office of the Attorney General". www.texasattorneygeneral.gov. Retrieved 2023-05-28.
4. Walter Prescott Webb, Eldon Stephen Branda, The Handbook of Texas vol. 3 (1952), p. 482