List of Mercer University people
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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Unsubst". 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
- Adam Ragusea – Popular food YouTuber and former journalism professor at Mercer University.
- 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
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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 Script error: No such module "WPSHIPS utilities".[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]
- Bobby Harshbarger - Tennessee State Senator (2025-present)[56]
- 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[57][58]
- Julian Webb – Member of the Georgia State Senate 1963–1974 and the Georgia Court of Appeals 1974–1979[59]
- Samuel J. Welsch – Member of the Georgia House of Representatives, the Georgia State Senate, and mayor of Marietta, Georgia.[60]
Military
- John Birch – missionary, U.S. Army intelligence officer, and OSS agent in China during World War II; namesake of the John Birch Society[61]
- 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[62]
- 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
- Kevin Greenaugh - First African American to earn a PhD in nuclear engineering from The University of Maryland College Park
Other public service
- Ed Bacon – rector emeritus of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California
- Betty Cantrell – Miss America 2016[63]
- Charles Kelsey Dozier – missionary and founder of Seinan Gakuin University in Japan[64]
- Louie D. Newton – influential Baptist minister; president, Southern Baptist Convention, 1947–1948; president, Georgia Baptist Convention, 1950–1951; pastor of Druid Hills Baptist Church in Atlanta for more than 40 years; namesake of Mercer's Newton Hall, a large chapel on the Macon campus[65]
- Steadman V. Sanford – former chancellor, University System of Georgia; namesake of Sanford Stadium at the University of Georgia[66]
Athletics
- Rob Belloir – former Major League Baseball infielder for the Atlanta Braves
- William Brennan – former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Cindy Brogdon – former basketball player who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics[67]
- Billy Burns – Major League Baseball outfielder in the New York Yankees organization
- Wally Butts – head football coach, University of Georgia (1939–1960), athletic director (1939–1963); member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame[68]
- Jimmy Carnes – head track & field coach, Furman University (1962–1964), University of Florida (1965–1976), U.S. Olympic team (1980); founding president of USA Track & Field (1980–1984)[69]
- Andrea Congreaves – women's basketball player in the WNBA and in Europe[52]
- Wesley Duke – former tight end for the Denver Broncos, 2005 AFC West Champions[70]
- Cory Gearrin – Major League Baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees
- Hilda M. Hankerson – high school basketball coach
- Big James Henderson – powerlifter who competed in the International Powerlifting Federation and won five world bench press titles (1994–1998)[52]
- Kyle Lewis – Major League Baseball outfielder for the Seattle Mariners
- Mike Mimbs – former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies
- Sam Mitchell – head coach, Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (2004–2008); selected as the 2007 NBA Coach of the Year[71]
- Joe Pettini – former Major League Baseball infielder and coach
- Bill Yoast – high school football coach made famous in the film Remember the Titans[72]
- Aldo Balsano – a former goalkeeper for Mercer University's men's soccer team, was named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshmen Team in 2005. Post-college, he contributed to the U.S. Beach Soccer National Team (2013 - 2016) and was nominated to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2025.
References
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