73 Notable alumni of Mercer University
Updated: June 15, 2026 EliteDegrees
Mercer University is ranked #1,376 in the world and #339 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 73 notable alumni from Mercer 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 Mercer University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Van C. Swearingen
1873-1943 (aged 70)
politician
Van Cicero Swearingen was an American attorney and politician who served as the 21st Florida Attorney General, serving from 1917 until 1921.
2. Thomas Adiel Sherwood
1834-1918 (aged 84)
Thomas Adiel Sherwood was a justice of the Missouri Supreme Court from 1873 to 1902.
3. Charlie Harris
1877-1963 (aged 86)
baseball player
Charles Jenkins Harris was an American Major League Baseball third baseman who played for the Baltimore Orioles in 1899. He stood 5'8" and weighed 200 pounds. He batted and threw right-handed. Born in Macon, Georgia in 1877, he attended Mercer University.
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4. Robert W. Everett
1839-1915 (aged 76)
politician
Robert William Everett was a U.S. representative from Georgia.
5. Edward Eugene Cox
1880-1952 (aged 72)
lawyer
judge
politician
Edward Eugene "Eugene" or "Goober" Cox served as a U.S. representative from Georgia for nearly 28 years. A conservative Democrat who supported racial segregation and opposed President Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal," Cox became the most senior Democrat on the House Committee on Rules.
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6. Charlton Greenwood Ogburn
1882-1962 (aged 80)
lawyer
Charlton Greenwood Ogburn was a lawyer who served as a public official in various capacities from 1917 through to the 1930s. He was employed as legal counsel both for government bureaucracies and labor organizations. His most widely recognized work was undertaken as counsel for the American Federation of Labor in the 1930s.
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7. Alexander T. Hawthorn
1825-1899 (aged 74)
Christian minister
merchant
army officer
lawyer
Alexander Travis Hawthorn was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the American Civil War. After the war, in company with a party of friends, he traveled extensively in Brazil as the guest of the imperial government, the policy of the government being to encourage immigration from the Southern...
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8. Thomas G. Lawson
1835-1912 (aged 77)
lawyer
judge
politician
Thomas Graves Lawson was a Congressional Representative from Georgia.
9. William Lee Robinson
1943-2015 (aged 72)
politician
William Lee Robinson was an American politician who was the Mayor of Macon, Georgia from 1987–1991, and a four-term State Senator of Georgia. At the time of his death, Lee Robinson was serving as the Circuit Public Defender of the Macon (Georgia) Judicial Circuit, which includes Bibb, Peach and Crawford Counties.
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10. Richard Malcolm Johnston
1822-1898 (aged 76)
educator
writer
Richard Malcolm Johnston was an American author.
11. Erasmus W. Beck
1833-1898 (aged 65)
lawyer
judge
politician
Erasmus Williams Beck was a slave owner and U.S. Representative from Georgia.
12. George Hillyer
1835-1927 (aged 92)
politician
George Hillyer was an American politician, serving as the 29th Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, as well as a state representative and senator. He was also an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
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13. George J. Walker
1934-2005 (aged 71)
George Jerry Walker served as an officer in the U.S. Army, including a stint in 1985 as Deputy Commanding General of the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM).
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14. William Augustus Bootle
1902-2005 (aged 103)
lawyer
judge
William Augustus Bootle was an American attorney and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia noted for helping oversee desegregation in the Southern United States.
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15. Lyman Hall
1859-1905 (aged 46)
scientist
Lyman Hall was a professor and president of the Georgia School of Technology (now called the Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech). Hall's administration introduced degrees in electrical engineering and civil engineering in December 1896, textile engineering in February 1899, and engineering chemistry in January 1901.
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16. Meldrim Thomson, Jr
1912-2001 (aged 89)
lawyer
politician
Meldrim Thomson Jr. was an American politician who served three terms as the 73rd governor of New Hampshire from 1973 to 1979. A Republican, he was known as a staunch conservative.
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17. Dwight Laing Rogers
1886-1954 (aged 68)
lawyer
politician
Dwight Laing Rogers was a U.S. representative from Florida.
18. Carlton Mobley
1906-1981 (aged 75)
lawyer
military officer
judge
politician
William Carlton Mobley was a jurist and politician from the American state of Georgia. He is one of the youngest people to ever be elected to the United States House of Representatives, having entered the house at the age of 25.
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19. Harry Stillwell Edwards
1855-1938 (aged 83)
novelist
writer
journalist
Harry Stillwell Edwards was an American journalist, novelist, and poet, born at Macon, Georgia. He studied law at Mercer University, Macon, and graduated in 1877. He was assistant editor and editor of Macon journals (1881–1888), gaining distinction as a writer of dialect stories. He wrote on the Georgia aristocracy as well as pro-slavery fantasies popular in the South. Amongst his...
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20. William Stanley West
1849-1914 (aged 65)
lawyer
politician
William Stanley West was a United States senator from the state of Georgia. He was a Democrat. He is notable for being the first person appointed to the Senate after ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment made that possible.
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21. Edward H. Hurst
1916-1997 (aged 81)
military personnel
Edward Hunter Hurst was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general. He is the recipient of the Navy Cross, the United States military's second-highest decoration awarded for valor in combat. He completed his career as director of Marine Corps Landing Force Development Center Quantico in 1968.
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22. Perry L. Wiggins
1961-. (aged 65)
military personnel
Perry Louis Wiggins is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who served as commanding general, United States Army North. He assumed command in September 2013, having previously served as Deputy Commanding General. He is the son of a former senior noncommisioned officer and earned his commission as an Infantry lieutenant from Mercer University in 1983. Wiggins retired on September...
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23. Ronnie Thompson
1934-2020 (aged 86)
politician
songwriter
journalist
businessperson
radio personality
Ronald John "Ronnie" Thompson Sr., also known by "Machine Gun Ronnie" Thompson, was an American gospel singer, politician, musician, and mental health caseworker. During the 1960s, Thompson became a household name across Georgia and parts of the American South for his live gospel music television shows. He also recorded and released his own contemporary Christian and country music albums and...
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24. Seaborn Roddenbery
1870-1913 (aged 43)
lawyer
judge
politician
Seaborn Anderson Roddenbery was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Georgia, known for his proposal of an anti-miscegenation amendment to the United States Constitution. He was elected to the 61st Congress to replace the deceased James M. Griggs, and re-elected to the 62nd and 63rd Congresses before dying in office.
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25. Michael L. Howard
military officer
Michael L. Howard is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who last served as the deputy commander of the United States European Command. Prior to that, he was the command's operations director.
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26. Henry Dickerson McDaniel
1836-1926 (aged 90)
lawyer
politician
Henry Dickerson McDaniel was an American politician who fought in the Civil War. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 52nd Governor of Georgia from 1883 to 1886.
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27. William D. Jelks
1855-1931 (aged 76)
politician
William Dorsey Jelks was an American newspaper editor, publisher, and politician who served as the 32nd governor of Alabama from 1901 to 1907. As the lieutenant governor of Alabama, he also served as acting governor between December 1 and December 26, 1900, when Governor William J. Samford was out-of-state seeking medical treatment.
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28. Joe Pettini
1955-. (aged 71)
baseball player
Joseph Paul Pettini is an American former Major League Baseball player and the former bench coach for the St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros.
29. Charles Frankel
1917-1979 (aged 62)
diplomat
philosopher
university teacher
Charles Frankel was an American philosopher, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State, professor and founding director of the National Humanities Center.
30. John Peyton
1964-. (aged 62)
politician
John Stephens Peyton is an American businessman and politician who is currently president of Gate Petroleum. He served as Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 2003 to 2011, when he was succeeded by Alvin Brown. He was the second Republican to be elected to the position since 1888. After his term he returned to Gate, his family business, and succeeded his...
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31. Myrtle Cagle
1925-2019 (aged 94)
teacher
aircraft pilot
Myrtle "Kay" Thompson Cagle was an American pilot and one of the Mercury 13 female astronauts group. She worked as a flight instructor and wrote about aviation in North Carolina.
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32. Allen D. Candler
1834-1910 (aged 76)
archivist
politician
Allen Daniel Candler was a Georgia state legislator, U.S. Representative and the 56th Governor of Georgia.
33. John Oxendine
1962-. (aged 64)
lawyer
businessperson
John W. Oxendine is an American politician and businessman who served four terms as Insurance Commissioner of the U.S. state of Georgia. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected commissioner in 1994 and was reelected in 1998, 2002, and 2006. Prior to entering politics, Oxendine owned and operated a small business and was a lawyer practicing in...
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34. Michael P. Boggs
1962-. (aged 64)
lawyer
politician
Michael P. Boggs is an American lawyer who served as the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia from 2022 until 2025. He served as an associate justice of the court starting in 2017. He is a former judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals and a former nominee to be a United States district judge of the United...
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35. Doug Barnard, Jr
1922-2018 (aged 96)
lawyer
politician
Druie Douglas Barnard Jr. was a United States congressman from Georgia.
36. Robert Reichert
1948-. (aged 78)
lawyer
politician
Robert Reichert is an American Democratic politician and former mayor of Macon, Georgia, the fourth largest city in the state.
37. Richard B. Hubbard
1832-1901 (aged 69)
diplomat
politician
Richard Bennett Hubbard Jr., occasionally referred to by the nickname Jumbo, was the 16th governor of Texas from 1876 to 1879 and United States Envoy to Japan from 1885 to 1889. He was a Confederate veteran of the American Civil War and was a member of the Democratic Party.
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38. Chauncey Sparks
1884-1968 (aged 84)
lawyer
judge
politician
George Chauncey Sparks, known as Chauncey Sparks, was an attorney and Democratic American politician who served as the 41st governor of Alabama from 1943 to 1947. He improved the state education of whites and expanded the state schools and centers for agriculture. He campaigned for passage of the Boswell Amendment to the state constitution, which was designed to keep blacks...
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39. Vicente Arze
1985-. (aged 41)
association football player
Vicente Arze Camacho is a Bolivian footballer.
40. Alan Walden
1943-. (aged 83)
literary agent
manager
Alan Walden is an American manager, publisher, booking agent, and promoter.
41. Beverly B. Martin
1955-. (aged 71)
lawyer
judge
Beverly Baldwin Martin is a former United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and a former United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
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42. Thomas W. Hardwick
1872-1944 (aged 72)
lawyer
politician
Thomas William Hardwick was an American politician from the U.S. state of Georgia who served as governor of Georgia, a United States Senator from Georgia, a member of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia, and a member of the Georgia House of Representatives.
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43. James Florence
1988-. (aged 38)
basketball player
James Brian Florence is an American professional basketball player for Sigortam.net İTÜ BB of the Basketball Super League. Standing at 1.86 m, he plays the point guard position.
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44. Blanton C. Winship
1869-1947 (aged 78)
military personnel
lawyer
politician
Blanton C. Winship was an American military lawyer and veteran of both the Spanish–American War and World War I. During his career, he served both as Judge Advocate General of the United States Army and as the governor of Puerto Rico. An investigation led by the United States Commission on Civil Rights blamed him for the Ponce massacre, where 19...
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45. Michael J. Moore
1968-. (aged 58)
politician
Michael Jonathan Moore is an American attorney and former politician from Georgia. Moore is a former Georgia state senator and United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.
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46. Ellis Arnall
1907-1992 (aged 85)
lawyer
politician
Ellis Gibbs Arnall was an American politician who served as the 69th Governor of Georgia from 1943 to 1947. A liberal Democrat, he helped lead efforts to abolish the poll tax and to reduce Georgia's voting age to 18. Following his departure from office, he became a highly successful attorney and businessman.
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47. Cory Gearrin
1986-. (aged 40)
baseball player
Cory Nathanial Gearrin is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, and Minnesota Twins.
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48. Langston Hall
1991-. (aged 35)
basketball player
Langston Avery Hall is an American former professional basketball player. He played at the collegiate level with the Mercer Bears, and was named Atlantic Sun Player of the Year in his final year.
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49. G. Harrold Carswell
1919-1992 (aged 73)
military officer
lawyer
judge
George Harrold Carswell was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. He was also an unsuccessful nominee to the United States Supreme Court in 1970.
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50. Walter F. George
1878-1957 (aged 79)
lawyer
judge
politician
Walter Franklin George was an American politician from the state of Georgia. He was a longtime Democratic United States Senator from 1922 to 1957 and was President pro tempore of the United States Senate from 1955 to 1957.
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51. Sam Mitchell
1963-. (aged 63)
coach
basketball player
basketball coach
Samuel E. Mitchell Jr. is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Playing at small forward, Mitchell's 18-year professional basketball career spanned three decades, and was most notable for his ten seasons with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, whom he also coached as an interim for the 2015–16 season. Mitchell coached for the Toronto Raptors from 2004 to 2008 as...
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52. Erick Erickson
1975-. (aged 51)
journalist
radio personality
Erick Woods Erickson is an American conservative talk radio host, blogger, and former politician. He hosts a three-hour weekday talk show on WSB 95.5 FM and 750 AM in Atlanta, which is syndicated to other radio stations around the U.S. He also writes a political blog called The Resurgent. Prior to this, he was editor-in-chief and CEO of another conservative...
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53. William Heard Kilpatrick
1871-1965 (aged 94)
pedagogue
philosopher
William Heard Kilpatrick was an American pedagogue and a pupil, a colleague and a successor of John Dewey. Kilpatrick was a major figure in the progressive education movement of the early 20th century.
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54. L. Lin Wood
1952-. (aged 74)
lawyer
Lucian Lincoln Wood Jr. is an American former attorney who made claims about the existence of widespread election fraud during the 2020 US presidential election. He has faced legal sanctions for lawsuits made in furtherance of these claims in the state of Michigan. In July 2023, while facing investigation and possible disciplinary action by the State Bar of Georgia for...
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55. Nathan Deal
1942-. (aged 84)
lawyer
politician
John Nathan Deal is an American politician and former lawyer who served as the 82nd governor of Georgia from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, he previously served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
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56. Nancy Grace
1959-. (aged 67)
podcaster
lawyer
journalist
television presenter
Nancy Ann Grace is an American legal commentator and television journalist. She hosted Nancy Grace, a nightly celebrity news and current affairs show on HLN, from 2005 to 2016, and Court TV's Closing Arguments from 1996 to 2007. She also co-wrote the book Objection! How High-Priced Defense Attorneys, Celebrity Defendants, and a 24/7 Media Have Hijacked Our Criminal Justice System....
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57. John Stephens Wood
1885-1968 (aged 83)
lawyer
politician
John Stephens Wood was an American attorney and politician from the state of Georgia, United States. He served as a Democrat in the United States House of Representatives, 1931–1935 and 1945–1953.
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58. Peter Zack Geer
1928-1997 (aged 69)
lawyer
politician
Peter Zack Geer was an American lawyer and a Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Georgia.
59. Griffin Bell
1918-2009 (aged 91)
lawyer
judge
politician
Griffin Boyette Bell was the 72nd Attorney General of the United States, having served under President Jimmy Carter. Previously, he was a U.S. circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
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60. Betty Maxwell
1994-. (aged 32)
model
beauty pageant contestant
Baciliky Andris "Betty" Maxwell is an American singer, actress, model, author, and beauty pageant titleholder from Warner Robins, Georgia, who was crowned Miss Georgia 2015. On September 13, 2015, she was crowned Miss America 2016 by Miss America 2015, Kira Kazantsev. She is the first Miss Georgia to be crowned Miss America since Neva Jane Langley, Miss America 1953.
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61. Cathy Cox
1958-. (aged 68)
politician
Lera Catharine "Cathy" Cox is an American academic administrator and former lawyer, politician, and journalist. She is president of Georgia College & State University. Cox, a member of the Democratic Party, previously served as Secretary of State of Georgia, a candidate for Governor of Georgia in 2006, dean of Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University, and as...
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62. Claude M. Kicklighter
1933-. (aged 93)
military officer
Claude Milton "Mick" Kicklighter Sr. is a retired United States Army officer. He is a former commander of the United States Army Western Command (later United States Army Pacific), which he held from 1989 to 1991. He was also Director for Security Assistance for the US Army Security Assistance Center and Chief of Staff for the US Army Materiel Development...
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63. William Usery
1923-2016 (aged 93)
trade unionist
politician
William Julian Usery Jr. was an American labor union activist and government appointee who served as United States secretary of labor in the Ford administration.
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64. Richard Henry Mills
1929-2023 (aged 94)
lawyer
judge
Richard Henry Mills was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois.
65. Thomas E. Watson
1856-1922 (aged 66)
politician
lawyer
editor
journalist
publisher
Thomas Eugene Watson was a United States Marine Corps General who served in the Marine Corps from 1912 to 1950. His last command (January 1, 1948 – July 1, 1950) was as commanding general, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. Previously, he had commanded the Second Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and was commanding officer of the famed Second Division...
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66. Godwin Maduka
1959-. (aged 67)
businessperson
Godwin Maduka //, is a Nigerian-American doctor, businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of Las Vegas Pain Institute and Medical Center. In 2008, he played a major role in the renaming of his hometown, from Nkerehi to Umuchukwu.
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67. Steven A. Boylan
1965-. (aged 61)
Steven Arthur Boylan, formerly a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad for General David Petraeus in the prosecution of the Iraq War troop surge of 2007 from February, 2007 to September, 2008. After leaving Iraq, he became the public affairs officer and the senior public affairs observer/trainer for the Battle Command Training Program (BCTP) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, according to U.S....
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68. Ed Roberts
1941-2010 (aged 69)
military officer
computer scientist
businessperson
inventor
physician
Henry Edward Roberts was an American engineer, entrepreneur and medical doctor who invented the first commercially successful microcomputer in 1974. He is most often known as "the father of the personal computer".
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69. Diana Harshbarger
1960-. (aged 66)
pharmacist
politician
Diana Lynn Harshbarger is an American pharmacist, businesswoman, and politician. Harshbarger has served as the U.S. representative for Tennessee's 1st congressional district since 2021. Her district is based in the Tri-Cities area in northeastern Tennessee.
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70. M. Brian Blake
1971-. (aged 55)
computer scientist
researcher
M. Brian Blake is an American computer scientist and software engineer who has been serving as the 8th president of Georgia State University since August 2021.
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71. Benjamin S. Griffin
1946-. (aged 80)
Benjamin Saunders Griffin, was a four-star general in the United States Army. He served as the Commanding General, United States Army Materiel Command from 5 November 2004 to 13 November 2008. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Department of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8. He retired from the Army after over 38 years of service.
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72. Scott Rigell
1960-. (aged 66)
entrepreneur
politician
Edward Scott Rigell is an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 2nd congressional district from 2011 to 2017. He declined to run for re-election in 2016, and he left office in January 2017. Rigell is the last representative from this district who did not serve in the United States Navy.
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73. Jay Sekulow
1956-. (aged 70)
lawyer
Jay Alan Sekulow is an American lawyer, radio, television talk show host and politically conservative media personality. He has been chief counsel of the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) since 1991. As a member of President Donald Trump's legal team, he served as lead outside counsel for Trump's first impeachment trial in the United States Senate.
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