List of Virginia Military Institute alumni

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As of 2020, Virginia Military Institute alumni include two previous Governors of Virginia, the current Secretary of the Army, a Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, two Lieutenant Governors of Virginia, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, Pulitzer Prize winners, 13 Rhodes Scholars, Medal of Honor recipients, an Academy Award winner, an Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner, a martyr recognized by the Episcopal Church, Senators and Representatives, Governors, Lieutenant Governors, a Supreme Court Justice, numerous college and university presidents, many business leaders (presidents and CEOs) and over 285 general and flag officers, including service chiefs for three of the four armed services.

Contents

Two recent Chiefs of Engineers of the Army Corps of Engineers, Lieutenant Generals Carl A. Strock and Robert B. Flowers, as well as Acting Chief of Engineers Major General "Bo" Temple, were VMI Civil Engineering graduates. [1]

VMI alumni include:

Military

NameYearNotes
Edward M. Almond 1915Commander of U.S. Army X Corps during Korean War
Paul W. Brier 1981U.S. Marine Corps major general. Commanding General, 4th Marine Division; Commander, U.S. Marine Forces Africa and Europe; Deputy Commander, NATO Resolute Support Mission.
William A. Brown 1980U.S. Navy vice admiral, Deputy Commander, United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM)
Withers Burress 1914Professor of Military Science and Tactics at VMI; Commanding General, U.S. Army 100th Infantry Division [2]
Richard E. Byrd 1908U.S. Navy rear admiral, polar explorer, Medal of Honor recipient (1926)
Harold Coyle 1974U.S. Army major; novelist
Samuel C. Cumming 1917Decorated USMC Major General during World War II
Edward Edmonds 1858Confederate Colonel of the 38th Virginia Infantry, killed-in-action during Pickett's Charge
Robert B. Flowers 1969Lieutenant general and Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Lee S. Gerow 1913Brigadier General, U.S. Army; Assistant Commanding General of the 85th Infantry Division. A younger brother of General Leonard T. Gerow.
Leonard T. Gerow 1911General, U.S. Army; Commanding General, V Corps (1943–45) and U.S. Fifteenth Army (1945–48). Highly regarded by Eisenhower & Bradley. [3] Led at Omaha Beach [4] and Battle of the Bulge.
William H. Gill 1907Major General, U.S. Army; Commanding General of the 32nd Infantry Division. President of Colorado College 1949-1955.
James B. Hickey 1982Colonel and commander Operation Red Dawn, which captured Saddam Hussein
Thomas Goode Jones 1863Withdrew before graduation to join Confederate Army; wounded in battle four times; Governor of Alabama. [5]
John P. Jumper 1966Retired general and Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force
Charles E. Kilbourne 1894Recipient of Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross; lieutenant general, U.S. Army
James H. Lane 1854Confederate brigadier general, fought in Pickett's Charge, civil engineering professor, and founder of Virginia Tech
W. Patrick Lang 1962Retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer, intelligence executive, commentator on Middle East, and author
Cary D. Langhorne 1894Medal of Honor recipient
Sumter de Leon Lowry Jr. 1914Florida National Guard general and insurance executive. Veteran of World Wars I and II, received Distinguished Service Medal and Bronze Star.
George C. Marshall 1901General of the Army, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army in World War II, Secretary of State (1947–49), Secretary of Defense (1950), and Nobel Peace Prize winner
Richard Marshall 1915General during World War II
Frank McCarthy 1933Brigadier general, U.S. Army Reserve. Producer of the 1970 Academy Award-winning movie Patton .
Ryan D. McCarthy 1997Captain, U.S. Army, Secretary of the Army
John McCausland 1857Confederate brigadier-general, served under General Jubal Early
Darren W. McDew 1982General, U.S. Air Force, Commander, United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM). 1st African-American Regimental Commander of Corps of Cadets.
Shannon Meehan 2005U.S. Army Captain, Bronze Star Medal recipient, author and veterans activist
Thomas T. Munford 1854Confederate brigadier-general
Randolph McCall Pate 1921U.S. Marine Corps general and twenty-first Commandant of the Marine Corps
George S. Patton Sr. 1852Confederate colonel, 22nd Virginia Infantry; died in Battle of Opequon. Namesake son graduated from and grandson attended VMI.
George S. Patton 1907U.S. Army general. Namesake grandfather and father were both VMI graduates. Attended from 1903 to 1904 as a member of the Class of 1907 before leaving to attend the United States Military Academy.
Richard H. Pearce 1953U.S. Army Major, Bronze Star Medal recipient, Highest-ranking U.S. military officer to defect during the Cold War era [6] Pearce was granted asylum in Cuba. [7]
J. H. Binford Peay III 1962U.S. Army general, commander 101st Airborne, commander United States Central Command, and 14th superintendent of VMI
Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller 1922Resigned from VMI after freshman year to enlist as a private in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1918; became lieutenant general and most decorated Marine in U.S. history
Thomas F. Riley 1935Brigadier general in the Marine Corps, served as Inspector General of the Marine Corps. Following his retirement, he served as Orange County Supervisor 1974–1994.
Robert E. Rodes 1848Railroad civil engineer and Confederate major general killed at the Battle of Opequon in the Shenandoah Valley
Edward R. Schowalter Jr. 1951Medal of Honor recipient; colonel, U.S. Army
George R. E. Shell 1931Ninth Superintendent of VMI; Brigadier general, U.S. Marine Corps
Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr. 1917U.S. Marine Corps general and 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps
Scott Shipp 1856Superintendent of VMI (1890–1907). Led VMI cadets at New Market under Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge.
Adolphus Staton 1899Medal of Honor recipient
Carl A. Strock 1970U.S. Army lieutenant general and commander, Army Corps of Engineers
Clarence E. Sutton 1890Medal of Honor recipient, resigned in 1888, did not graduate
Sun Li-jen 1927 Republic of China/Taiwan lieutenant general, Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War
Surapong Suwan-ath1979 Royal Thai Army General, Chief of Defence Forces, 2016-2017
Walter H. Taylor 1857Confederate lieutenant colonel, General Robert E. Lee's aide-de-camp, lawyer, banker, author, railroad executive, Virginia state senator
William P. Upshur 1902Medal of Honor recipient; Marine Corps major general; Commander, Dept. of the Pacific, 1940–42
James A. Walker 1852Expelled in 1852 for "disobedience" in Stonewall Jackson's classroom, after challenging Jackson to a duel over a perceived insult. VMI granted him an honorary degree in 1872 in recognition of his Civil War service, where he rose to the rank of brigadier general and commanded the "Stonewall Brigade". [8]
Reuben Lindsay Walker 1845Confederate brigadier general and artilleryman.

Government and politics

NameYearNotes
Mitchell Werbell III UnknownMercenary
Harry F. Byrd Jr. 1935U.S. Senator from Virginia (1965–83)
Tom C. Clark 1921Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (1949–67), United States Attorney General (1945–49)
Charles Allen Culberson 1874U.S. Senator; Governor of Texas [9]
James U. Downs1963Senior resident superior court judge in western North Carolina, 1983–2013; lawyer in Hickory and Franklin, North Carolina
Richard Thomas Walker Duke 1844Confederate Colonel; Member of U.S. House of Representatives and Virginia House of Delegates
Grenville Gaines 1874mayor of Warrenton, Virginia; lawyer and banker [10]
Elmon T. Gray 1946 Virginia State Senator
George W. Hardy Jr.1920 Mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana (1932–34); state circuit court of appeal judge (1943–67) [11]
William Mahone 1847Confederate major general, Member of Virginia House of Delegates, U.S. Senator (1881–87), and railroad executive
Marshall McDonald 1860 U.S. Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries (1888–95)
Ralph Northam 1981 U.S. Army Medical Corps major, Virginia State Senator, 40th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, and 73rd Governor of Virginia
Lewis F. Payne Jr. 1967Member of Congress from Virginia
Robert Reid 1875Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court [12] [13]
Henry G. Shirley 1896Commissioner, Virginia Department of Highways
Joseph Short 1925 White House Press Secretary under Harry S. Truman
C. Bascom Slemp 1891Representative for the Ninth Congressional District of Virginia; philanthropist
Ernest O. Thompson1910General, Texas National Guard; Texas Railroad Commissioner, mayor of Amarillo, petroleum expert
Steven J. McAuliffe 1970Senior Judge of the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire, husband of the late Christa McAuliffe who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

Arts and entertainment

NameYearNotes
Mel Brooks Did not graduateDuring World War II, the U.S. Army used VMI to give technical education and training to soldiers who did not matriculate as cadets nor live within the VMI cadet system. Before becoming a filmmaker, he trained at VMI for 12 weeks. [14]
Dabney Coleman Did not graduateMovie and television actor, attended VMI for only two years [15]
John D. Ewing 1913Publisher of Shreveport Times , 1931–52
Moses Jacob Ezekiel 1866Sculptor
John Cherry Monks Jr. 1932Playwright, actor, author, screenwriter, producer and World War II U.S. Marine
Fred Willard 1955Comedic actor; U.S. Army officer

Sports

NameYearNotes
Ron Carter 1978former NBA shooting guard
Joe Fortunato 1954former NFL linebacker
Ryan Glynn 1995Professional baseball player in Japan
Sam Horner 1959former NFL defensive back
Pete Johnson 1958former NFL running back
Dan Lyle 1992Captain of the USA Eagles national rugby team
Joe Muha 1942former NFL fullback
Bosh Pritchard 1941former NFL running back
Ray Reutt 1942former NFL end
George Robison 1951former NFL offensive guard
Bobby Ross 1959Football coach of West Point, The Citadel, University of Maryland, Georgia Tech, San Diego Chargers and Detroit Lions
George Stallings 1886Major League Baseball player and manager
Mark Stock 1988former NFL wide receiver
Bobby Thomason 1949 NFL Pro Bowl quarterback
Reggie Williams 2008Led NCAA Division 1 scoring in 2006 and 2007, playing for the Miami Heat in the NBA [16]
Mike Wooten 1986former NFL center
Josh Winder 2018 MLB pitcher

Others

NameYearNotes
James E. Brown III 1976Fellow and past president of Society of Experimental Test Pilots and Fellow of Royal Aeronautical Society [17]
Josiah Bunting III 1963Superintendent of VMI, 1995–2002; Rhodes Scholar; author
Jonathan Myrick Daniels 1961American civil rights activist and one of fifteen modern-day Anglican Church martyrs [18]
Benjamin Franklin Ficklin 1849A founder of the Pony Express
Robert Q. Marston 1944President of University of Florida, Director of National Institutes of Health, Rhodes Scholar
Giles H. Miller1924Banker, President of VMI Alumni Association, Director of The George C. Marshall Foundation
George S. Patton (attorney) 1877California attorney and real estate developer. Namesake father also graduated from VMI and namesake son also attended VMI.
Jonathan Edwards Woodbridge 1865Shipbuilder and naval architect
Richard Harwood Pearce1953 Defected to Cuba in 1967.

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References

  1. ↑ "Stars Shine in Run-up to Commencement". The Institute Report. XXXI (7): 1 & 14. 16 April 2004. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  2. ↑ "Withers Alexander Burress". Arlington National Cemetery. Retrieved 2 Sep 2013.
  3. ↑ Weigley, Russell Frank (1 August 1990). Eisenhower's Lieutenants: The Campaign of France and Germany 1944–1945. Indiana University Press. pp. 758, n.6. ISBN   978-0-253-20608-4 . Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  4. ↑ Balkoski, Joseph (10 July 2006). Omaha Beach: D-Day, June 6, 1944. Stackpole Books. pp. 15–16. ISBN   978-0-8117-3376-2 . Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  5. ↑ "Alabama Governor Thomas Goode Jones". National Governors Association. Retrieved 28 Aug 2013.
  6. ↑ "Highest-ranking officer to defect during in [sic] Cold War era was from Fort Sam - ExpressNews.com". www.expressnews.com. 15 July 2017.
  7. ↑ "Army Major Defects to Cuba With Son, 4, and Asks Asylum - A MAJOR DEFECTS TO CUBA WITH SON Flight Plan Filed Adviser to Vietnamese Cuba Announces Arrival Pearce's Friends Surprised - Front Page - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. 25 May 1967.
  8. ↑ "Civil War Generals. James A. Walker". Archived from the original on 27 August 2005. Retrieved 12 September 2005.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ↑ "Texas Governor Charles Allen Culberson". National Governors Association. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
  10. ↑ University of Virginia; its history, influence, equipment and characteristics, with biographical sketches and portraits of founders, benefactors, officers and alumni. Vol. 2. Lewis Publishing Company. 1904. pp. 147–148. Retrieved 2023-04-27– via Archive.org.
  11. ↑ "Appeal court judge, former mayor dies". Shreveport Journal . 17 July 1967. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  12. ↑ "Robert Raymond Reid (1855 – 1923)". Louisiana Supreme Court. Archived from the original on 2019-06-09. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Justice Robert R. Reid Passes Away At Home At Amite". The Monroe News-Star. January 15, 1923. p. 8.
  14. ↑ "Historical Vignette 109 – Mel Brooks Was a Combat Engineer in World War II". U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. August 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  15. ↑ "Dabney Coleman". February 2000.
  16. ↑ "Reggie Williams '08 Signs With NBA's Golden State Warriors". Virginia Military Institute. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  17. ↑ Rogers, Paul (25 May 2006). "Keynote Speaker, James E. Brown III". U-Web Student Web Service. Santa Barbara, California: University of California Santa Barbara. Archived from the original on 9 December 2007. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  18. ↑ "American martyr: Jonathan Daniels". Episcopal Church. 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
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