39 Notable alumni of Michigan State University – College of Law
Updated: June 13, 2026 EliteDegrees
Michigan State University – College of Law is ranked #8,137 in the world and #2,016 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 39 notable alumni from Michigan State University – College of Law sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Michigan State University – College of Law won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Eugene F. Black
1903-1990 (aged 87)
lawyer
judge
Eugene F. Black was a member of the Michigan Supreme Court from 1956 to 1972.
2. William A. Boos Jr
1922-2002 (aged 80)
lawyer
politician
William A. Boos Jr. was an American politician who served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives during the 1960s representing a portion of Saginaw County.
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3. Ronald Lee Buch
1965-. (aged 61)
lawyer
judge
Ronald Lee Buch is a judge of the United States Tax Court.
4. Wade Van Valkenburg
1899-1985 (aged 86)
politician
Wade Van Valkenburg was a Republican politician from Michigan who served as the Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives and as a local judge.
5. Arthur F. Lederle
1887-1972 (aged 85)
lawyer
judge
Arthur F. Lederle was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
6. George Edward Bushnell
1887-1965 (aged 78)
lawyer
judge
George Edward Bushnell was a member of the Michigan Supreme Court from 1934 to 1955.
7. Charles A. Roxborough
1888-1963 (aged 75)
lawyer
politician
Charles Anthony Roxborough III was the first African-American man elected to the Michigan Senate.
8. Frank Ellsworth Doremus
1865-1947 (aged 82)
lawyer
politician
Frank Ellsworth Doremus was an American politician who was the 49th Mayor of Detroit and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan.
9. William B. Fitzgerald, Jr
1942-2008 (aged 66)
politician
William B. Fitzgerald was an American attorney and Democratic politician who served in both houses of the Michigan Legislature and was Majority Leader of the Michigan Senate. He was later the Democratic nominee for governor in 1978 but lost to incumbent governor William Milliken.
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10. Eugene C. Keyes
1900-1963 (aged 63)
lawyer
politician
Eugene C. Keyes was the 45th and 47th lieutenant governor of Michigan from 1943 to 1945 and 1947 to 1949.
11. Clarence J. McLeod
1895-1959 (aged 64)
lawyer
politician
Clarence John McLeod was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
12. Stacy Erwin Oakes
1973-. (aged 53)
lawyer
politician
Stacy Erwin Oakes is a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. She has been a Democratic Party member of the Michigan House of Representatives and Minority Whip representing Michigan's 95th District (map), located in Saginaw County, which includes the cities of Saginaw and Zilwaukee, in addition to the following townships: Bridgeport Township, Buena Vista Township, Carrollton Township, James Township,...
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13. Carl M. Weideman
1898-1972 (aged 74)
lawyer
judge
politician
Carl May Weideman was a naval officer, politician and jurist from the U.S. state of Michigan.
14. Marianne O. Battani
1944-2021 (aged 77)
lawyer
judge
Marianne Olga Battani was an American jurist who served as United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
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15. Thaddeus M. Machrowicz
1899-1970 (aged 71)
lawyer
judge
politician
Thaddeus Michael Machrowicz was a United States representative from Michigan and later was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
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16. Jesse Paine Wolcott
1893-1969 (aged 76)
lawyer
politician
Jesse Paine Wolcott was a politician and soldier from the U.S. state of Michigan.
17. Robert C. Odle, Jr
1944-2019 (aged 75)
lawyer
politician
Robert C. Odle, Jr. was a public official in the Nixon Administration and Reagan Administration and an American lawyer, based in Washington, D.C.
18. George Anthony Dondero
1883-1968 (aged 85)
lawyer
politician
George Anthony Dondero was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan.
19. J. Bob Traxler
1931-2019 (aged 88)
lawyer
politician
Jerome Bob Traxler, also known as J. Bob Traxler or Bob Traxler, was an American lawyer and politician from Michigan. He served ten terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1974 to 1993.
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20. Louis C. Rabaut
1886-1961 (aged 75)
lawyer
politician
Louis Charles Rabaut was an American lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. He was a Democratic congressman representing Michigan's 14th congressional district from 1935 to 1947, and from 1949 to 1961.
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21. Elbert E. Martin
1881-1956 (aged 75)
lawyer
politician
Elbert Eli Martin was Theodore Roosevelt's stenographer. He is known for tackling perpetrator John Schrank after the attempted assassination of Theodore Roosevelt. Martin went on to serve in the Vermont General Assembly.
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22. Lowell Perry
1931-2001 (aged 70)
American football player
military officer
Lowell Wesley Perry was an American professional football player and coach, government official, businessman, and broadcaster. He was the first African-American assistant coach in the National Football League (NFL), the first African American to broadcast an NFL game to a national audience, and Chrysler's first African-American plant manager. He was appointed as chairman of the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...
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23. Rodney Smith
1974-. (aged 52)
lawyer
judge
Rodney Smith is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
24. Brian Banks
1976-. (aged 50)
politician
Brian Roderick Banks is an American politician who served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017. Banks was a candidate for the 2nd District of the Michigan Senate in 2018. He has been convicted of eight felonies related to writing bad checks and credit card fraud.
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25. Frank Navin
1871-1935 (aged 64)
lawyer
Francis Joseph Navin was an American businessman and baseball executive who was the president of the Detroit Tigers in Major League Baseball for 27 years, from 1908 to 1935. He was part-owner from 1908 to 1919, and principal owner from 1919 to 1935. He also served as vice president and, in 1927, as acting president of the American League.
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26. Bernard A. Friedman
1943-. (aged 83)
lawyer
judge
Bernard Alvin Friedman is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
27. Bob Mann
1924-2008 (aged 84)
American football player
Robert Mann was an American professional football player in the National Football League (NFL). A native of New Bern, North Carolina, Mann played college football for the Hampton Pirates in 1942 and 1943 and the Michigan Wolverines in 1944, 1946, and 1947. Playing the end position, he broke the Big Ten Conference record for receiving yards in 1946 and 1947....
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28. Sean Cox
1957-. (aged 69)
lawyer
judge
Sean Francis Cox is an American lawyer who served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan from 2006 to 2025.
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29. Willis Ward
1912-1983 (aged 71)
athletics competitor
American football player
Willis Franklin Ward was an American track and field athlete, college football player, lawyer, and judge who was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 1981.
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30. Warren Evans
1938-. (aged 88)
politician
Warren Cleage Evans is an American law enforcement official, lawyer, and politician serving as the county executive of Wayne County, Michigan since 2015. Evans is a member of the Democratic Party. Evans served as Wayne County Sheriff from 2003 to 2009 and the chief of the Detroit Police Department from 2009 to 2010. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the...
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31. Mike Bishop
1967-. (aged 59)
business executive
real-estate agent
lawyer
politician
Michael Dean Bishop is an American attorney and politician who was the U.S. representative for Michigan's 8th congressional district from 2015 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003, and the Michigan State Senate from 2003 to 2010 where he served as majority leader.
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32. Dennis Archer
1942-. (aged 84)
lawyer
judge
politician
Dennis Wayne Archer is an American lawyer, jurist and politician from Michigan. A Democrat, Archer served as Justice on the Michigan Supreme Court and as mayor of Detroit. He later served as president of the American Bar Association, becoming the first black president of the organization, which, until 1943, had barred African-American lawyers from membership.
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33. Benny Napoleon
1955-2020 (aged 65)
businessperson
politician
Benny Nelson Napoleon was an American attorney, law enforcement officer, and politician who served as the sheriff of Wayne County, Michigan from 2009 to 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the chief of the Detroit Police Department, and was also a candidate for the office of mayor of Detroit in the 2013 election.
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34. John DeLorean
1925-2005 (aged 80)
entrepreneur
engineer
John Zachary DeLorean was an American engineer, inventor, and executive in the U.S. automobile industry. He is widely known as founder of the DeLorean Motor Company, as well as for his work at General Motors.
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35. Kwame Kilpatrick
1970-. (aged 56)
politician
American football player
Kwame Malik Kilpatrick is an American former politician who served as the 72nd mayor of Detroit from 2002 to 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the 9th district in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1997 to 2002. Kilpatrick resigned as mayor in September 2008 after being convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice. He was...
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36. Geoffrey Fieger
1950-. (aged 76)
lawyer
Geoffrey Fieger is an American attorney based in Southfield, Michigan. Fieger is the founder of the law firm Fieger Law, and is an occasional legal commentator for NBC and MSNBC. His practice focuses on personal injury, civil rights litigation and medical malpractice cases.
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37. Gretchen Whitmer
1971-. (aged 55)
prosecutor
lawyer
politician
Gretchen Esther Whitmer is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. A Democrat, she served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006 and in the Michigan Senate from 2006 to 2015.
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38. David Safavian
1967-. (aged 59)
lawyer
David Safavian is an American former lawyer who worked as a congressional aide, lobbyist, and later as a political appointee in the George W. Bush administration. A Republican, he served as Chief of Staff of the United States General Services Administration. He is a figure in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, having worked with the lobbyist on the Mississippi Band...
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39. Brian Sims
1978-. (aged 48)
lawyer
politician
Brian Kendall Sims is an American politician, activist and attorney. A Democrat, he was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 182nd district from 2013 until 2022. Sims is also a lawyer and advocate for LGBT civil rights. Sims became the first openly gay elected state legislator in Pennsylvania history. He won re-election on November 6, 2018....
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