5 Notable alumni of Columbia Theological Seminary
Updated: June 15, 2026 EliteDegrees
Columbia Theological Seminary is ranked #5,732 in the world and #1,494 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 5 notable alumni from Columbia Theological Seminary sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Columbia Theological Seminary won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. John Leighton Wilson
1809-1886 (aged 77)
missionary
John Leighton Wilson, an alumnus of Columbia Theological Seminary, and his wife Jane Bayard Wilson were the first missionaries to West Africa by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.
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2. Knox Chamblin
1935-2012 (aged 77)
theologian
Knox Chamblin was a pastor and professor emeritus of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. He earned the B.D. and Th.M degrees in 1961 at Columbia Theological Seminary and, in 1975, earned the Th.D. degree from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. He taught for thirty-four years, first at Belhaven College (now Belhaven University) in Jackson, Mississippi,...
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3. Morton H. Smith
1923-2017 (aged 94)
Morton Howison Smith was an American Presbyterian minister. He was the first Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church in America, serving from 1973 to 1988, and also served as its Moderator in 2000.
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4. D. James Kennedy
1930-2007 (aged 77)
preacher
Dennis James Kennedy was an American Presbyterian pastor, evangelist, Christian broadcaster, and author. He was the senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from 1960 until his death in 2007. Kennedy also founded Evangelism Explosion International, Coral Ridge Ministries (now known as D. James Kennedy Ministries), the Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, the Knox Theological Seminary,...
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5. Benjamin M. Palmer
1818-1902 (aged 84)
writer
Benjamin Morgan Palmer was a Presbyterian minister and theologian in the United States. He served as first Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS) in 1861.
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