List of United States Military Academy non-graduate alumni

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The United States Military Academy (USMA) is an undergraduate college in West Point, New York with the mission of educating and commissioning officers for the United States Army. The list is drawn from non-graduate former cadets and cadet candidates. It is not unusual for the service academies to have high dropout rates. Of the original 103 cadets in the Class of 1826, only 43 graduated. [1] Non-graduates of the Academy have entered a variety of fields. Notable non-graduates include Edgar Allan Poe (literature), James Abbott McNeill Whistler (art), Maynard James Keenan (music), Adam Vinatieri (football), and even the military: Jacob Zeilin, Lewis Addison Armistead, and Courtney Hodges.

Contents

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Non-graduates

As these alumni did not graduate, their class year represents the year they would have graduated if they had completed their education at the Academy.
NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
William S. Hamilton 1818Colonel; Illinois State Representative; Wisconsin Territorial Representative; son of U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, grandson of U.S. Senator and Major General Philip Schuyler; nephew of U.S. Representative Philip Jeremiah Schuyler; attended the Academy 1814–1817 [2]
Alexander Barrow 1820 U.S. Senator from Louisiana, lawyer; attended the Academy 1816–1818 [3]
James Fannin 1823 Texas War for Independence; entered the Academy as "James F. Walker" in 1819 but resigned in 1821 from the Academy due to poor grades, absences and tardiness [4]
Jacob Zeilin 1826First United States Marine Corps general officer, Commandant of the Marine Corps (1864–1876); part of Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan; appointed to the Academy in 1822, but discharged due to low grades [1] [5]
John Westcott 1827Surgeon in the United States Army and later Captain in the Confederate States Army; Florida State Representative; Surveyor General of Florida; brother of U.S. Senator James Westcott; entered the Academy in 1827 and left the same year for medical reasons [6] [7]
Benjamin Grubb Humphreys 1829General in Confederate States Army; 26th Governor of Mississippi; classmate of Robert E. Lee and Joseph E. Johnston; Humphreys and 38 other cadets were expelled in 1826 after a "Christmas frolic" turned into the Eggnog Riot [8]
John Archibald Campbell 1830 Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States; left the Academy after three years to care for family's affairs after father's death [9] [10]
Edgar Allan Poe 1834Served as a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army 1827-1829; author who excelled in language who was expelled for neglecting duties. [11]
Lewis Addison Armistead 1839 Confederate Brigadier General killed at Gettysburg; expelled for a fight in which he broke a plate over the head of fellow future Confederate general Jubal Early; later commissioned in the Regular Army, which he left as a major to join the Confederacy [12]
John Cleveland Robinson 1839Dismissed from the Academy after three years but joined the Army one year later; Major General in the American Civil War; awarded the Medal of Honor for valor in action in 1864 near Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia; Lieutenant Governor of New York (1873–1874); served two terms as the president of the Grand Army of the Republic [13]
George W. Morgan 1845Left the Academy after two years; served in the Army during the Mexican–American War and the Civil War; U.S. Representative from Ohio [14]
Charles Henry Tompkins 1851Resigned after two years for unspecified reasons; Brigadier General; recipient of the Medal of Honor for twice charging through the enemy's lines on July 1, 1861 near Fairfax, Virginia, making him the first Union officer of the Civil War to receive the Medal of Honor [b] [13] [15]
Wharton J. Green 1854 Confederate officer; U.S. Congressman (1883–1887); resigned before graduation [16]
James Abbott McNeill Whistler 1855Artist; discharged for academic and disciplinary problems after three years [17]
Robert Cobb Kennedy 1859Confederate operative; hanged in 1865 for his part in the plot to burn New York City; last Confederate soldier executed by the U.S. government during the Civil War; discharged for poor academic performance and drinking [18]
George F. Elliott 1872Tenth Commandant of the Marine Corps (1903–1910); successfully resisted attempts to merge the Corps into the Army; discharged due to low grades [19]
Andrew Jackson Houston 1875 U.S. Senator (1941); son of Sam Houston; resigned [20]
Johnson Chesnut Whittaker 1881Born into slavery; expelled after board of inquiry and court-martial {falsely} convicted him of staging an assault on his own person; verdict overturned by President Chester Arthur-but Whittaker still expelled on grounds he failed a exam. Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker by John Marszalek popularized the case and led to his posthumous commission in 1995 [21] [22]
Albert W. Gilchrist 1882 Governor of Florida (1909–1913); found deficient in experimental philosophy after three years at the Academy [23]
Lloyd Fredendall 1905 & 1906Lieutenant General in World War II; expelled for poor grades in mathematics and poor general deportment; readmitted following year and expelled again; later received a direct commission in 1907; relieved of command after the Battle of the Kasserine Pass and reassigned to training commands [24]
Courtney Hodges 1909General in World War II; dropped out after the first year because "found deficient" in mathematics, as was his second-year plebe classmate George S. Patton who graduated in 1909; Hodges then enlisted as a private and became the second person to rise from private to general; Instructor at the Academy after World War I [25]
Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance 1916American journalist, writer and actor from Winston-Salem, North Carolina who became internationally prominent as a spokesman for Indian causes. attended in 1916 on a Presidential appointment, left to join Canadian Forces en route to World War I [26]
James Millikin Bevans 1921 Major General; recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal; discharged in 1918 [27]
Walter French 1923Professional baseball player; later coached the baseball team at West Point. Was commissioned during World War II and retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel. [28]
Ralph Yarborough 1923 U.S. Senator from Texas (1957–1971); leader of the Democratic Party of Texas; resigned after two years to become a teacher; enlisted in Texas National Guard; lieutenant colonel in World War II [29]
Chris Keener Cagle 1930Professional football player; played football at the Academy during the 1926–1929 seasons; resigned in May 1930 after it was discovered he had married in August 1928 [30] [31]
Timothy Leary 1943Counterculture icon, LSD proponent; resigned [32]
Michael J. Daly 1945 Captain; resigned after one year to enlist so he could fight in World War II; received a battlefield commission; awarded the Medal of Honor for assaulting several enemy positions [33] [34]
Roger Donlon 1959Resigned for personal reasons; Captain, later Colonel; recipient of the Medal of Honor for repulsing a much larger attack [35]
James A. Gardner 1962Did not graduate; first lieutenant; recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions leading his platoon in the relief of a company that was engaged with a larger enemy force [35]
Richard Hatch 1986Winner of the first Survivor ; resigned [32]
Byron (Low Tax) Looper 1987Politician convicted of murdering his Tennessee State Senate opponent Tommy Burks in 1998; attended the Academy from 1982 to 1985; discharged due to a serious knee injury [36] [37]
Maynard James Keenan 1988Singer in the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle; would have been part of the Class of 1988 but he never started at the Academy as he was accepted to West Point in 1984 while he was a cadet candidate at United States Military Academy Preparatory School but decided to complete his term of active duty enlistment [38]
Adam Vinatieri 1995 National Football League placekicker for the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts; left the Academy after two weeks [39]
Dan Hinote 1999Professional National Hockey League (NHL) ice hockey player; resigned in 1996 when he was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche; first NHL player ever drafted from West Point [40]
Stephen Scherer 2011 10m air rifle competitor in the 2008 Olympics; transferred to Texas Christian University where he later committed suicide [41]
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe 2.jpg
Edgar Allan Poe
James Whistler Whistler Selbstportrat.jpg
James Whistler
Timothy Leary Leary-DEA.jpg
Timothy Leary
Roger Donlon Maj Roger Donlon.jpg
Roger Donlon
Maynard James Keenan Maynard James Keenan Roskilde 2.jpg
Maynard James Keenan
Adam Vinatieri Vinatieri, Adam (USAF).jpg
Adam Vinatieri

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Millett, Allan Reed; Jack Shulimson (2004). Commandants of the Marine Corps. Annapolis, MD: US Naval Institute Press. pp. 85–96. ISBN   0-87021-012-2.
  2. ↑ "William S. Hamilton". Historical Marker Database.org. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Barrow, Alexander". United States Congress. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Fannin, James Walker Jr". Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Brigadier General Jacob Zeilin, USMC". Who's Who in Marine Corps History. History Division, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on May 16, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
  6. ↑ Knetsch, Joe (2007). "John Westcott and the Coming of the Third Seminole War: A Perspective From Within". Sunland Tribune. 32 (3). Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  7. ↑ Crawford, Bill (September 15, 2013). "Dr. John Westcott (1807-1889), president of the Florida canal company". Florida’s Big Dig. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  8. ↑ Terry, Judia; Terry, Ralph (September 9, 2013). "Benjamin Grubb Humphreys". RootsWeb.com.
  9. ↑ "John A. Campbell". Oyez – United States Supreme Court. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  10. ↑ "John Archibald Campbell". Confederate War Department. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  11. ↑ Silverman, Kenneth (1991). Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance (Paperback ed.). New York: Harper Perennial. pp.  34–37. ISBN   0-06-092331-8.
  12. ↑ Johnson, Charles Thomas (2000). Heidler, David S.; Heidler, Jeanne T. (eds.). Lewis Addison Armistead. Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 78. ISBN   0-393-04758-X.
  13. 1 2 "Medal of Honor Recipients Civil War (M-Z)". Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on February 23, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
  14. ↑ Congressional Biography
  15. ↑ "Fiddler's Green: Charles H. Tompkins". Crossed Sabres. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  16. ↑ "Green, Wharton Jackson". United States Congress. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  17. ↑ Blackwell, Jon. "A Salute to West Point". United States Military Academy. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  18. ↑ Johnson, Clint "A Vast and Fiendish Plot: The Confederate Attack on New York City" pg. 166
  19. ↑ Nofi, Albert (1997). The Marine Corps book of lists. Conshohocken, Pa.: Combined Pub. p. 144. ISBN   9780938289890 . Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Houston, Andrew Jackson". United States Congress. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  21. ↑ Marszalek, John (August 1975). "A Black Cadet at West Point". American Heritage Magazine. 22 (5). Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
  22. ↑ Purdum, Todd (July 30, 1995). "Week in Review: 115 Years Late, He Won His Bars". The New York Times. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
  23. ↑ Florida historical society (1909). Florida Edition: Makers of America, Vol. II. Atlanta, GA: A. B. Caldwell. p.  87 . Retrieved April 2, 2009.
  24. ↑ Perry, Mark (2007). Partners in Command: George Marshall and Dwight Eisenhower in War and Peace . London: Penguin Group. pp.  178. ISBN   978-1-59420-105-9.
  25. ↑ "General Courtney H. Hodges". United States Army Central. Retrieved March 22, 2009.[ dead link ]
  26. ↑ Handley, William R.; Lewis, Nathaniel (May 2007). True West: Authenticity and the American West. ISBN   9780803259768.
  27. ↑ "James Millikin Bevans". Department of the Air Force. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  28. ↑ "Abner Doubleday Would Have Been Proud". Society for American Baseball Research . Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  29. ↑ "Yarborough, Ralph Webster". United States Congress. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  30. ↑ "Chris "Red" Cagle". College Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
  31. ↑ "A Look Back at 100 Years: Decade Three 1920–1929" (PDF). University of Louisiana - Layfayette. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2008. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  32. 1 2 "Some 'OO' Facts of West Point". United States Military Academy. Archived from the original on June 5, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  33. ↑ "Medal of Honor Recipients World War II (A–F)". Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on June 16, 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
  34. ↑ "M. J. Daly dies, Medal of Honor recipient". Connecticut Post. July 25, 2008.
  35. 1 2 "Medal of Honor Recipients: Vietnam (A–L)". United States Army Center of Military History. November 24, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
  36. ↑ "Political opponent charged in slaying". Deseret News. October 23, 1998. Retrieved March 22, 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  37. ↑ Moehringer, J. R. (October 24, 1998). "Tennessee Lawmaker Killed; Election Opponent Arrested". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  38. ↑ Varga, George (October 31, 2004). "Fired up and emoting on the state of politics, and more". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on March 30, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  39. ↑ Battista, Judy (February 1, 2002). "Patriots' Vinatieri Has Quite a Foot and Quite a Tale". The New York Times. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  40. ↑ "Free-agent wing Hinote signs with Blues". ESPN.com. July 3, 2006. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
  41. ↑ "Student Found Dead at Off-Campus Apartment". TCU Daily Skiff. October 4, 2010. Archived from the original on October 11, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2010.

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