23 Notable alumni of McKendree University
Updated: June 15, 2026 EliteDegrees
McKendree University is ranked #4,379 in the world and #1,139 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 23 notable alumni from McKendree University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with McKendree University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Erastus D. Telford
1874-1936 (aged 62)
military personnel
lawyer
politician
Erastus Dalson Telford was an American politician and lawyer.
2. H. K. S. O'Melveny
1823-1893 (aged 70)
judge
politician
Harvey Kilpatrick Stuart O'Melveny was a Circuit Court judge in Illinois and a Superior Court judge in California during the 19th century. He was president of the Los Angeles, California, Common Council—the legislative arm of the city—in 1871–72.
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3. William Neville
1843-1909 (aged 66)
lawyer
judge
politician
William Neville was an American Populist Party politician.
4. Jesse Hale Moore
1817-1883 (aged 66)
diplomat
military officer
politician
Jesse Hale Moore was a U.S. Representative from Illinois. He also served as an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
5. William M. Farmer
1853-1931 (aged 78)
judge
politician
William Maurice Farmer was an American jurist and politician.
6. Bluford Wilson
1841-1924 (aged 83)
lawyer
Bluford Wilson was a Union Army officer in the Civil War and a government official who served as Solicitor of the United States Treasury.
7. Asa C. Matthews
1833-1908 (aged 75)
judge
politician
Asa Carrington Matthews was an American lawyer, judge, and politician.
8. Pleasant T. Chapman
1854-1931 (aged 77)
lawyer
judge
politician
Pleasant Thomas Chapman was a U.S. representative from Illinois.
9. Hugh G. Harrison
1822-1891 (aged 69)
banker
businessperson
politician
Hugh Galbraith Harrison was a real estate investor and banker who served as the second mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
10. Frank Hereford
1825-1891 (aged 66)
lawyer
politician
Frank Hereford was a United States representative and Senator from West Virginia.
11. George Washington Smith
1846-1907 (aged 61)
lawyer
judge
politician
George Washington Smith was a U.S. representative from Illinois.
12. Thekla M. Bernays
1856-1931 (aged 75)
journalist
suffragette
Thekla M. Bernays was an American author, journalist, artist, art collector, speaker, and suffragette.
13. William B. Anderson
1830-1901 (aged 71)
politician
military officer
William Black Anderson was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois.
14. William Hartzell
1837-1903 (aged 66)
lawyer
judge
politician
William Hartzell was a U.S. Representative from Illinois.
15. Jehu Baker
1822-1903 (aged 81)
diplomat
lawyer
politician
Jehu Baker was a U.S. representative from Illinois.
16. Lawrence Yates Sherman
1858-1939 (aged 81)
lawyer
judge
politician
Lawrence Yates Sherman was a Republican politician from the State of Illinois. He served as United States Senator, the 28th lieutenant governor, and as Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.
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17. Daniel Kerr
1836-1916 (aged 80)
lawyer
politician
Daniel Kerr was an American politician who served as a two-term Republican U.S. representative from Iowa's 5th congressional district in the 1880s.
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18. William A. J. Sparks
1828-1904 (aged 76)
lawyer
politician
William Andrew Jackson Sparks was a U.S. representative from Illinois.
19. Matt Cole
1996-. (aged 30)
American football player
Matt Cole is an American professional football wide receiver for the Wrocław Panthers of the European League of Football (ELF). He played college football for the McKendree Bearcats.
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20. William Ralls Morrison
1824-1909 (aged 85)
lawyer
politician
William Ralls Morrison was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Illinois.
21. Henry P. H. Bromwell
1823-1903 (aged 80)
mathematician
lawyer
judge
politician
Henry Pelham Holmes Bromwell was an American lawyer, politician from Illinois, and prominent Freemason. He was a lawyer and judge who served as a U.S. representative from Illinois from 1865–1869 and continued to practice law when he moved to Colorado in 1870 where he was appointed to compile the state's statutes. Bromwell was initiated into freemasonry in 1854, and he...
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22. Charles S. Deneen
1863-1940 (aged 77)
lawyer
politician
Charles Samuel Deneen was an American lawyer and Republican politician who served as the 23rd governor of Illinois, from 1905 to 1913. He was the first Illinois governor to serve two consecutive terms totalling eight years. He was governor during the infamous Springfield race riot of 1908, which he helped put down. He later served as a U.S. senator from...
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23. James H. Wilson
1837-1925 (aged 88)
military officer
engineer
writer
James Harrison Wilson was an American military officer, topographic engineer and a Major General in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He initially served as an aide to Major General George B. McClellan during the Maryland Campaign before joining Major General Ulysses S. Grant's army in the Western Theater, where he was promoted to brigadier general. In 1864,...
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