31 Notable alumni of Rhodes College
Updated: June 12, 2026 EliteDegrees
Rhodes College is ranked #2,230 in the world and #576 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 31 notable alumni from Rhodes 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 Rhodes College won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Hugh S. Hersman
1872-1954 (aged 82)
politician
banker
Hugh Steel Hersman was an American banker, businessman, and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from California from 1919 to 1921.
2. Walt Streuli
1935-2017 (aged 82)
baseball player
Walter Herbert Streuli was an American professional baseball player, a catcher who appeared in six Major League Baseball games over parts of three seasons with the 1954–56 Detroit Tigers. Streuli stood 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall, weighed 195 pounds (88 kg), and threw and batted right-handed. He was an alumnus of Southwestern College (now Rhodes College) in Memphis.
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3. Henderson M. Somerville
1837-1915 (aged 78)
lawyer
judge
Henderson Middleton Somerville was a professor, associate justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and a member of the Board of General Appraisers, which was the predecessor of the United States Court of International Trade.
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4. Carol Strickland
1946-. (aged 80)
art historian
Carol Ann Colclough Strickland is an American art historian who currently resides in New York City.
5. Kevin McMillan
1967-. (aged 59)
head coach
basketball coach
Daniel Kevin McMillan is an American college basketball coach and the current women's head coach at the University of Tennessee at Martin (UT Martin). The UT Martin Skyhawks are members of the Ohio Valley Conference and compete in the NCAA Division I.
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6. Robert L. Echols
1941-. (aged 85)
lawyer
judge
Robert Lynn Echols is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.
7. William L. Frierson
1868-1953 (aged 85)
lawyer
judge
William Little Frierson was an American lawyer, judge, and politician. During his career he served as the United States Solicitor General (1920–1921), United States Assistant Attorney General (1917–1920), and mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee (1905–1907).
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8. Thomas Watt Gregory
1861-1933 (aged 72)
lawyer
politician
Thomas Watt Gregory was an American politician and lawyer. He was a progressive and attorney who served as US Attorney General from 1914 to 1919 under US president Woodrow Wilson.
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9. Catherine Eagles
1958-. (aged 68)
lawyer
judge
Catherine Diane Caldwell Eagles is the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina and a former Superior Court judge in Guilford County, North Carolina. She is the first female judge to serve in the Middle District.
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10. Julie Story Byerley
1970-. (aged 56)
physician
Julie Story Byerley is an American physician who is known as a leader in the fields of medical education and pediatrics. Byerley has served as a clinical professor and Vice Dean for Education for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. She currently serves as President and Dean of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine as well...
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11. Peter Matthew Hillsman Taylor
1917-1994 (aged 77)
university teacher
novelist
writer
Matthew Hillsman Taylor Jr., known professionally as Peter Taylor, was an American novelist, short story writer, and playwright. Born and raised in Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, he wrote frequently about the urban South in his stories and novels.
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12. Claudia Kennedy
1947-. (aged 79)
military officer
Claudia Jean Kennedy is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Army. She was the first woman to reach the rank of three-star general in the United States Army. She retired in 2000 after 31 years of military service.
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13. Dustin Burrows
1978-. (aged 48)
lawyer
politician
Dustin Ray Burrows is an American politician, attorney, and businessman who has served as the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he has represented the 83rd district in the Texas House of Representatives since January 2015.
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14. MaryKay Carlson
diplomat
MaryKay Loss Carlson is an American diplomat who had served as the United States ambassador to the Philippines from 2022 to 2026. She was previously the United States chargé d'affaires in Argentina from 2021 to 2022, after having served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in the country from September 2019.
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15. John H. Bryan
1936-2018 (aged 82)
businessperson
John Henry Bryan Jr. was an American businessman who was the chairman and CEO of Sara Lee Corporation from 1975 until 2001. He also was the philanthropic driving force behind the creation of Millennium Park in Chicago.
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16. Sarah Lacy
1975-. (aged 51)
journalist
Sarah Ruth Lacy is an American businesswoman, former technology journalist, and author.
17. Chris W. Cox
lobbyist
Christopher William Cox is an American lobbyist and public relations consultant. From April 2002 to June 2019 he served as executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, the lobbying arm of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA). As executive director Cox encompassed the roles of chief lobbyist and principal political strategist.
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18. A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr
1964-. (aged 62)
lawyer
Arthur Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He was formerly a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina.
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19. Charlaine Harris
1951-. (aged 75)
novelist
writer
film producer
actor
poet
Jean Charlaine Harris Schulz is an American author who specializes in mysteries. She is best known for her book series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, which was adapted as the TV series True Blood. The television show was a critical and financial success for HBO, running seven seasons, from 2008 through 2014.
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20. Abe Fortas
1910-1982 (aged 72)
lawyer
judge
Abraham Fortas was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1965 to 1969. Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Fortas graduated from Rhodes College and Yale Law School. He later became a law professor at Yale and then an advisor for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission....
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21. Kelley Paul
1963-. (aged 63)
political adviser
cheerleader
Kelley Ashby Paul is an American political consultant and freelance writer. She has worked as a consultant for The Strategy Group for Media, and she published a book titled True and Constant Friends in April 2015. Her husband is ophthalmologist and U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.
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22. Alison Lundergan Grimes
1978-. (aged 48)
jurist
lawyer
politician
Alison Case Lundergan Grimes is an American lawyer and Democratic politician who was the secretary of state of Kentucky from 2012 until 2020. Grimes was elected in 2011 after defeating incumbent Elaine Walker in the Democratic primary and Republican candidate Bill Johnson in the general election. She was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in 2014, unsuccessfully challenging...
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23. Amy Coney Barrett
1972-. (aged 54)
jurist
lawyer
judge
university teacher
Amy Vivian Coney Barrett is an American lawyer and jurist serving since 2020 as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. The fifth woman to serve on the court, she was nominated by President Donald Trump. She was a U.S. circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 2017 to 2020.
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24. Jasmine Crockett
1981-. (aged 45)
lawyer
politician
Jasmine Felicia Crockett is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 30th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented the 100th district in the Texas House of Representatives from 2021 to 2023.
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25. Dixie Carter
1964-. (aged 62)
entrepreneur
film director
Dixie Virginia Carter was an American actress. She starred as Julia Sugarbaker on the sitcom Designing Women (1986–1993) and as Randi King on the drama series Family Law (1999–2002). She was nominated for the 2007 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Gloria Hodge on Desperate Housewives (2006–2007).
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26. Verner Moore White
1863-1923 (aged 60)
journalist
painter
Verner Moore White, born Thomas Verner Moore White but informally known as Verner White, was an American landscape and portrait painter. White painted works for many of the business and political leaders of his time including commissions for three United States Presidents.
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27. Charles K. Wheeler
1863-1933 (aged 70)
lawyer
politician
Charles Kennedy Wheeler was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky.
28. Thomas U. Sisson
1869-1923 (aged 54)
lawyer
politician
Thomas Upton Sisson was an American lawyer and politician who served seven terms as a U.S. Representative from Mississippi from 1909 to 1923.
29. Patricia Spears Jones
1951-. (aged 75)
poet
writer
Patricia Spears Jones is an American poet. She is the author of five books of poetry. Jones is the editor of "The Future Differently Imagined", an issue of About Place Journal, the online publication of Black Earth Institute. Previously, she was the co-editor for Ordinary Women: Poems of New York City Women. Her poem "Beuys and the Blonde" was nominated...
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30. Allison Miller
1985-. (aged 41)
television actor
film director
actor
film actor
Allison Miller is an American, New York City-based drummer, composer, and teacher.
31. Cary Fowler
1949-. (aged 77)
author
agronomist
conservationist
Morgan Carrington "Cary" Fowler Jr. is an American agriculturalist who served as the U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security from 2022 to 2025. He was previously executive director of the Crop Trust. Fowler received the 2024 World Food Prize.
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