73 Notable alumni of Franklin and Marshall College
Updated: June 15, 2026 EliteDegrees
Franklin and Marshall College is ranked #1,777 in the world and #442 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 73 notable alumni from Franklin and Marshall College sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Franklin and Marshall College won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Walter Theodore Kostanski
1923-2015 (aged 92)
military personnel
funeral director
politician
Walter Theodore Kostanski Jr. was an American businessman and politician.
2. Ephraim Leister Acker
1827-1903 (aged 76)
lawyer
politician
Ephraim Leister Acker was an American newspaperman and educator who served one term as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania from 1871 to 1873.
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3. David McCulloch
1832-1907 (aged 75)
lawyer
judge
David McCulloch was an Illinois lawyer and judge.
4. Fred Benjamin Gernerd
1879-1948 (aged 69)
lawyer
politician
Fred Benjamin Gernerd was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania from 1921 to 1923.
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5. Thomas Bard McFarland
1828-1908 (aged 80)
lawyer
judge
politician
Thomas Bard McFarland was a miner, politician and judge in the U.S. state of California. He served as a state assemblyman, Superior Court judge, and associate justice of the Supreme Court of California.
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6. Salvatore Pansino
1934-. (aged 92)
engineer
Salvatore Rocco Vincent Pansino is a professor of electrical engineering at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. In 1992, he ran against Congressman Jim Traficant as the Republican candidate in Ohio's 17th congressional district, losing the race.
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7. Michael J. Mumma
astrophysicist
researcher
Michael J. Mumma is an American astrobiologist at the Goddard Space Flight Center; he is best known for his investigation of the chemistry of comets.
8. W. E. Metzenthin
1875-1942 (aged 67)
basketball coach
American football player
Waldemar Eric Metzenthin was a German American scholar, college sports coach, and athletics administrator. He served as professor of German studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He also coached the Texas Longhorns football team and men's basketball team from 1907 to 1908 and 1909 to 1911, respectively, and served as the athletic director at Texas from 1930 to...
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9. Isaiah Fawkes Everhart
1840-1911 (aged 71)
naturalist
surgeon
Isaiah Fawkes Everhart was an American physician and naturalist who founded the Everhart Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
10. W. U. Hensel
1851-1915 (aged 64)
lawyer
journalist
editor
politician
William Uhler Hensel was a Pennsylvania newspaper editor, lawyer, author, and state Attorney General. He was very active in politics, and a noted political speaker, but steadfastly declined any official post beyond his term as Attorney General.
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11. Edwin Duing Eshleman
1920-1985 (aged 65)
politician
Edwin Duing Eshleman was an American politician who represented Pennsylvania in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican from 1967 to 1977.
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12. Phillip Henry Bridenbaugh
1890-1990 (aged 100)
head coach
American football player
Philip Henry Bridenbaugh was an American football player and coach. A graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, where he earned a degree in teaching and spent four years on several of its sports teams, Bridenbaugh coached football at several places in his home state of Pennsylvania prior to being selected as the head coach of the Geneva College Golden Tornadoes...
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13. Robert A. Bernstein
1961-. (aged 65)
politician
Robert A. Bernstein is an American attorney and politician who represented the First Worcester District in the Massachusetts Senate from 1995 to 2001.
14. Albert Tobias Clay
1866-1925 (aged 59)
orientalist
anthropologist
linguist
historian
university teacher
Albert Tobias Clay was an American professor, historian and Semitic linguist. He was professor of Assyriology and Babylonian Literature at Yale University and served as founding curator of the Yale Babylonian Collection.
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15. William Stenger
1840-1918 (aged 78)
lawyer
politician
William Shearer Stenger was an American Democratic Party politician.
16. David R. Smith
1941-. (aged 85)
military personnel
David R. Smith was a major general in the United States Air Force who served as Commander of the United States Air Force Reserve Command, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington D.C., and commander, Headquarters Air Force Reserve, a separate operating agency located at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. As chief of Air Force Reserve, he served as the principal adviser...
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17. William I. Troutman
1905-1971 (aged 66)
lawyer
judge
politician
William Irvin Troutman was a Republican U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania.
18. Justin B. Ries
1976-. (aged 50)
inventor
ecologist
Justin Baker Ries is an American marine scientist, best known for his contributions to ocean acidification, carbon sequestration, and biomineralization research.
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19. Daniel Ermentrout
1837-1899 (aged 62)
lawyer
politician
Daniel Ermentrout was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district from 1881 to 1889 and for Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district from 1897 to 1899. He also served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 1st district from 1873 to 1874 and the...
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20. Robert Courtney Davis
1876-1944 (aged 68)
military personnel
Robert Courtney Davis was an American military officer who was Adjutant General of the United States Army from 1922 to 1927.
21. J. Roland Kinzer
1874-1955 (aged 81)
lawyer
politician
John Roland Kinzer was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
22. Daniel M. Albert
1936-. (aged 90)
teacher
ophthalmologist
Daniel M. Albert is an American ophthalmologist, ocular cancer researcher, medical historian, and collector of rare books and ocular equipment. As of 2018, he is Professor of Ophthalmology at the Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University.
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23. Guy K. Bard
1895-1953 (aged 58)
lawyer
judge
Guy Kurtz Bard was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
24. Charles Thomas Campbell
1823-1895 (aged 72)
politician
military officer
Charles Thomas Campbell was a United States Army soldier, and a legislator, businessman, and town mayor. He also served as a Union Army general during the American Civil War, and was seriously wounded several times in the conflict.
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25. James A. Zimble
1933-2011 (aged 78)
military officer
James Allen Zimble was a commissioned officer in the Medical Corps of the United States Navy. His Navy career spanned 35 years of service, beginning in 1956 at the rank of ensign and ending in 1991 at the rank of vice admiral. He served as the 30th Surgeon General of the United States Navy from 1987 to 1991. After retiring...
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26. Mark A. Brilakis
1958-. (aged 68)
military leader
Mark Andrew Brilakis is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps, who served as the Commander of United States Marine Corps Forces Command.
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27. Ronald L. Buckwalter
1936-. (aged 90)
lawyer
judge
Ronald Lawrence Buckwalter is an inactive senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
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28. John P. Saylor
1908-1973 (aged 65)
military officer
lawyer
politician
John Phillips Saylor was an American lawyer and World War II veteran who served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania serving from 1949 until his death from a heart attack in Houston, Texas in 1973.
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29. Henry Harbaugh
1817-1867 (aged 50)
carpenter
teacher
preacher
writer
pastor
Henry Harbaugh was a Pennsylvania Dutch clergyman of the German Reformed Church.
30. Dave Nalle
1959-2021 (aged 62)
designer
game designer
role-playing game designer
David F. Nalle was an American political writer, game author and type designer. He was active in the early history of the development of the internet. Nalle was at one time Chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus, a group that promotes libertarianism within the Republican Party, Senior Politics Editor at Blogcritics online magazine, and was the CEO of Scriptorium Fonts.
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31. John D. Hoffman
1922-2004 (aged 82)
chemist
John Drake Hoffman was an American chemist and author who was awarded the Soldier's Medal, the United States Army's highest award for an act of valor in a non-combat situation, and the only one awarded to a member of the Manhattan District. After the war he worked for the National Bureau of Standards, becoming the director of its national measurements...
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32. William Edwin Hoy
1858-1927 (aged 69)
missionary
William Edwin Hoy was a Protestant missionary and educator in Japan and China.
33. Skyler White
1967-. (aged 59)
science fiction writer
novelist
Skyler White is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction, including the novel The Incrementalists co-authored with Steven Brust. She is also the author of two novels in the genres of romance and erotica.
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34. Ted Daeschler
teacher
paleontologist
Edward B. 'Ted' Daeschler is an American vertebrate paleontologist and Associate Curator and Chair of Vertebrate Biology at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. He is a specialist in fish paleontology, especially in the Late Devonian, and in the development of the first limbed vertebrates. He is the discoverer of the transitional fossil tetrapod Hynerpeton bassetti, and a Devonian...
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35. Jim Stengel
1955-. (aged 71)
businessperson
James R. Stengel is an American businessman, author, professor and public speaker. He served as the global marketing officer of Procter & Gamble from 2001 to 2008. Stengel is currently the president and CEO of The Jim Stengel Company, where he advocates for ideals-driven businesses and brands. In December 2011, he released his first book, Grow: How Ideals Power Growth...
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36. Rahul Akerkar
1958-. (aged 68)
Rahul Akerkar is an Indian chef, restaurateur and the founder of Indigo, a Mumbai restaurant credited with introducing the concept of European fine-dining in the city, when it opened in 1999. In the 1990s nascent Indian restaurant industry, Akerkar was among the first Indian chefs and restaurateurs, working outside the Indian five-star hotel industry, to introduce independent fine-dining restaurants in...
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37. Earl Devaney
1947-2022 (aged 75)
U.S. Secret Service agent
Earl Edward Devaney was an American government official who served as inspector general for the United States Department of the Interior and chairman of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board.
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38. Edward George Smith
1961-2023 (aged 62)
lawyer
judge
Edward George Smith was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
39. George Frederick Baer
1842-1914 (aged 72)
lawyer
George Frederick Baer was an American lawyer who was the President of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and spokesman for the owners during the Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902.
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40. Harold F. Levison
1959-. (aged 67)
planetary scientist
astronomer
Harold F. Levison (born 1959) is an American planetary scientist specializing in planetary dynamics. He currently works at the Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado, and studies planetary orbits and their evolution through Solar System history.
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41. Rebecca Gratz
1781-1869 (aged 88)
writer
Rebecca Gratz was a Jewish American educator and philanthropist in 19th-century America. She was a member of the Gratz family, who settled in the United States before the Revolutionary War.
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42. Jeffrey M. Lacker
1955-. (aged 71)
university teacher
economist
Jeffrey M. Lacker is an American economist and was president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond until April 4, 2017. He was a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Economics at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business in Richmond, Virginia.
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43. Claudia Katz
television producer
Claudia Katz is an American animation producer. Katz is a partner and Executive Vice President of Rough Draft Studios.
44. Barry Finegold
1971-. (aged 55)
politician
Barry R. Finegold currently serves as a Democratic member of the Massachusetts Senate representing the Second Essex and Middlesex district since 2019. He previously served from January 2011 to January 2015. He is a former state representative of the 17th Essex district in Massachusetts.
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45. William H. Gray
1941-2013 (aged 72)
religious leader
businessperson
lobbyist
politician
William Herbert Gray III was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who represented Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district from 1979 to 1991. He also served as chairman of the House Committee on the Budget from 1985 to 1989 and House Majority Whip from 1989 to 1991. He resigned from Congress in September of that year to become president...
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46. Frances Wolf
1952-. (aged 74)
visual artist
Frances Donnelly Wolf is an American artist, oil painter and advocate for the arts. She served as the 45th First Lady of Pennsylvania during the tenure of her husband, Governor Tom Wolf, from January 2015 until January 2023.
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47. Don Wert
1938-2024 (aged 86)
baseball player
Donald Ralph Wert, nicknamed "Coyote", was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1971 as a third baseman, most prominently as a member of the Detroit Tigers where he was an All-Star player and was a member of the 1968 World Series winning team.
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48. Anthony H. Williams
1957-. (aged 69)
politician
Anthony Hardy Williams is an American politician, former businessman, and Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, representing the 8th District since 1998. Prior to entering public service, he worked at PepsiCo as a mid-level executive and later owned a small vending company.
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49. Patricia Harris
1924-1985 (aged 61)
human rights defender
lawyer
diplomat
politician
Patricia Harris is the chief executive officer of Michael Bloomberg's philanthropic foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies. She served as deputy mayor of New York City for administration from 2002 to 2005 and then as first deputy mayor of New York City from 2006 to 2013. She advised the Mayor of New York City, then Bloomberg, on administrative, operational, and policy matters. In...
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50. D. Brooks Smith
1951-. (aged 75)
lawyer
judge
David Brookman "Brooks" Smith is a senior judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He was previously Chief Judge of both the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and is the only judge in the history of the Third Circuit...
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51. Wanda Austin
1954-. (aged 72)
engineer
military flight engineer
Wanda M. Austin is an American aerospace engineer. She is a former president and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation. She was both the first woman, and the first African-American, to hold this position. Austin also served as interim president for the University of Southern California, following the resignation of C. L. Max Nikias. She was both the first woman, and...
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52. Henry Appenzeller
1858-1902 (aged 44)
translator
missionary
preacher
Bible translator
Rev. Henry Gerhard Appenzeller was an American Methodist missionary. He and four other missionaries, including Horace N. Allen, Horace G. Underwood, William B. Scranton, and Mary F. Scranton introduced Protestant Christianity to Korea from 1885 to 1902. He was known for his three major contributions to Korea: the Paichai College Hall, the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Seoul, and the...
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53. Tikhon Mollard
1966-. (aged 60)
Eastern Orthodox priest
Metropolitan Tikhon is an Eastern Orthodox bishop and the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, holding the title of Metropolitan of All America and Canada. Previously, he was the ruling bishop of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania. He was elected as Primate of the Orthodox Church in America on November 13, 2012 at the 17th All-American Council in Parma, Ohio.
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54. Daniel Ragsdale
service worker
jurist
politician
Daniel H. Ragsdale is an American lawyer and law enforcement official. From May 2012 through May 2017 he was deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He was named Acting Director of ICE on January 20, 2017, but was dismissed from that position on January 30, 2017 shortly after the dismissal of Sally Yates by President Donald Trump, retaining...
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55. Rebecca Meyers
1994-. (aged 32)
swimmer
Rebecca Meyers is an American Paralympic swimmer. She won three gold and one silver medals in Rio 2016. She was also a member of the 2012 Paralympic Team, and won a silver and bronze in London. Rebecca Meyers has also competed at the 2009 Summer Deaflympics which was held in Taiwan, which is also her only appearance at the Deaflympics....
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56. Kenneth Duberstein
1944-2022 (aged 78)
lobbyist
Kenneth Marc Duberstein was an American lobbyist who served as U.S. president Ronald Reagan's White House chief of staff from 1988 to 1989.
57. Richard Plepler
1958-. (aged 68)
chief executive officer
Richard Plepler is an American media executive, who is said to have ushered in the second golden age of television, and former chairman and chief executive officer of Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO) a subsidiary of Time Warner Inc, and AT&T's WarnerMedia. After 28 years, on February 28, 2019, it was announced that Plepler was leaving HBO, eight months after...
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58. Mary Lovelace Schapiro
1955-. (aged 71)
lawyer
politician
Mary Lovelace Schapiro served as the 29th Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). She was appointed by President Barack Obama, unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and assumed the Chairship on January 27, 2009. She is the first woman to be the permanent Chair of the SEC. In 2009, Forbes ranked her the 56th most powerful woman...
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59. Clifford A. Pickover
1957-. (aged 69)
novelist
science fiction writer
writer
non-fiction writer
journalist
Clifford Alan Pickover is an American author, editor, and columnist in the fields of science, mathematics, science fiction, innovation, and creativity. For many years, he was employed at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown, New York, where he was editor-in-chief of the IBM Journal of Research and Development. He has been granted more than 700 U.S. patents,...
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60. Chris Finch
1969-. (aged 57)
basketball coach
basketball player
Chris Finch is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was previously an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans, and Toronto Raptors. Finch also worked as a coach overseas, where he won a championship in the Belgian League...
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61. Evelyn Farkas
1967-. (aged 59)
intelligence analyst
politician
Evelyn Nicolette Farkas is an American national security advisor, author, and foreign policy analyst. She is the current executive director of the McCain Institute, a nonprofit focused on democracy, human rights, and character-driven leadership.
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62. James Lapine
1949-. (aged 77)
television director
film director
director
librettist
music director
James Elliot Lapine is an American stage director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Sunday in the Park with George. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.
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63. Ken Mehlman
1966-. (aged 60)
lawyer
Kenneth Brian Mehlman is an American social entrepreneur and businessman. He serves as a member, global head of public affairs, and co-head of KKR global impact at investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. He oversees the firm's responsible investment efforts, leading the firm's Environmental Social Governance programs. Prior to joining KKR, Mehlman spent a year as an attorney and partner at...
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64. Franklin J. Schaffner
1921-1989 (aged 68)
trade unionist
film director
Franklin James Schaffner was an American film, television, and stage director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for Patton (1970), and is known for the films Planet of the Apes (1968), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), Papillon (1973), and The Boys from Brazil (1978). He served as president of the Directors Guild of America between 1987 and 1989.
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65. Jennifer Gareis
1972-. (aged 54)
model
television actor
beauty pageant contestant
actor
film actor
Jennifer Gareis is an American actress and beauty pageant titleholder. She is best known for her roles as Grace Turner on The Young and the Restless (1997–2000, 2002, 2004, 2014) and as Donna Logan on The Bold and the Beautiful (2006–).
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66. Bilal Ashraf
1979-. (aged 47)
actor
Bilal Ashraf is a Pakistani actor, producer, and visual effects director. After studying visual effects at Franklin Marshall College, he started his career as a visual effects director and then pursued his career in acting after making a brief appearance in the 2014 thriller O21. Ashraf has since starred in the romantic comedy Janaan (2016), the acclaimed war drama Yalghaar...
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67. Roy Scheider
1932-2008 (aged 76)
film actor
military officer
television actor
actor
voice actor
Roy Richard Scheider was an American actor and amateur boxer who achieved fame with his leading and supporting roles in celebrated films from the 1970s to the mid-1980s. He was nominated for two Academy Awards, one Golden Globe, and one BAFTA.
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68. Richard Winters
1918-2011 (aged 93)
army officer
Richard Davis Winters was a United States Army officer who served as a paratrooper in "Easy Company" of the 506th Infantry Regiment within the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. Winters was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his successful command of the assault on Brécourt Manor during the invasion of Normandy.
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69. Treat Williams
1951-2023 (aged 72)
children's writer
film actor
stage actor
television actor
actor
Richard Treat Williams Jr. was an American actor, whose career on stage and in film and television spanned five decades. He received many accolades for his work, including nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and an Independent Spirit Award.
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70. Scott Ritter
1961-. (aged 65)
writer
film director
director
military officer
William Scott Ritter Jr. is an American former United States Marine Corps intelligence officer, former United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) weapons inspector, author, and commentator.
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71. Lloyd Smucker
1964-. (aged 62)
politician
business executive
Lloyd Kenneth Smucker is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district, which includes Lancaster County and most of southern York County. He is a member of the Republican Party and represented the 16th district until the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania redrew it in 2018. He was a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for...
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72. William Ferrel
1817-1891 (aged 74)
meteorologist
astronomer
William Ferrel was an American meteorologist who developed theories that explained the mid-latitude atmospheric circulation cell in detail, and it is after him that the Ferrel cell is named.
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73. Tim Canova
1960-. (aged 66)
teacher
Timothy A. Canova is an American politician and law professor specializing in banking and finance. Canova was a candidate for Florida's 23rd congressional district, unsuccessfully challenging Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the 2016 Democratic primary, and again in the 2018 general election, where he ran as an independent candidate. He later supported President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
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