70 Notable alumni of Seattle University
Updated: June 12, 2026 EliteDegrees
Seattle University is ranked #534 in the world and #167 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 70 notable alumni from Seattle 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 Seattle University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Sam Smith
1922-1995 (aged 73)
politician
Samuel J. Smith was a member of the Washington House of Representatives from 1959–1968 and served on the Seattle City Council for 24 years, including eight as president of the council. He was the first African-American to serve on the Seattle City Council.
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2. Keith Kreiman
1954-. (aged 72)
lawyer
politician
Keith A. Kreiman is an American politician who served as an Iowa State Senator from the 47th District from 2003 to 2011. He received his AA from Ellsworth Community College, his BA from Seattle University, and his JD from the University of Iowa College of Law. He works as an attorney in private practice.
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3. John Englehardt
1987-. (aged 39)
John Lewis Englehardt III is an American fiction writer and educator. His debut novel is Bloomland.
4. August P. Mardesich
1920-2016 (aged 96)
lawyer
politician
August Paul Mardesich was an American politician in the state of Washington.
5. King Lysen
1942-2017 (aged 75)
politician
King Lysen was an American educator and politician in the state of Washington. He served in the Washington House of Representatives and Washington State Senate as a Democrat. His wife was Toni Lysen.
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6. Carolyne Wright
1949-. (aged 77)
poet
writer
Carolyne Wright is an American poet.
7. Peggy Maxie
1936-2024 (aged 88)
politician
Peggy Joan Maxie was an American politician in the state of Washington. Maxie was the first African-American woman elected to the Washington House of Representatives, serving the 37th district from 1971 to 1983. She was the prime sponsor of the Landlord-Tenant Act in Washington state. Representing the Central District, Seattle, along with parts of Capitol Hill and Downtown, she worked...
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8. Plummer Lott
1945-. (aged 81)
basketball player
lawyer
judge
Plummer E. Lott is a retired American professional basketball player and a New York Supreme Court justice.
9. Mike Murphy
politician
Michael J. Murphy is an American politician who served as the 21st Washington State Treasurer from 1997 to 2009 as a member of the Democratic Party.
10. Ralph R. Beistline
1948-. (aged 78)
lawyer
judge
Ralph Robert Beistline is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska.
11. Charlie Brown
1997-. (aged 29)
basketball player
Charles Brown, nicknamed Sweet Charlie, was an American basketball player, known for his All-American college career at Seattle University, as well as his role as a part of two championship teams at DuSable High School in Chicago, Illinois.
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12. Fay King
1889-. (aged 137)
illustrator
cartoonist
journalist
Fay Barbara King was an American illustrator, journalist, and cartoonist. Some of her work represents an early example of autobiographical comics.
13. Rosemary McAuliffe
1940-. (aged 86)
politician
Rosemary Ann McAuliffe is an American politician from the state of Washington. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the Washington State Senate from 1993 to 2017.
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14. Greg Anton
1949-. (aged 77)
drummer
Greg Anton is a drummer, composer and co-founding member, with guitarist Steve Kimock, of the band Zero. Greg is also a writer and practicing attorney.
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15. Martha Choe
1954-. (aged 72)
politician
Martha Choe is an American banker, politician, and foundation executive. She was a two-term member of the Seattle City Council, elected to four-year terms in 1991 and 1995. Choe was the first Korean American elected to the city council and the first to serve in a public office in the United States. Choe succeeded retiring Filipino councilmember Dolores Sibonga and...
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16. Steve O'Ban
1961-. (aged 65)
politician
Steven Thomas O'Ban is an American politician and attorney who served as a member of the Washington State Senate, representing the 28th district from 2013 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a member of the Washington House of Representatives in 2013.
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17. Will Espero
1960-. (aged 66)
politician
William Calip Espero is an American politician who served as a state senator for the 19th district of the State of Hawaiʻi from 2002 until 2018. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
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18. Bret D. Daugherty
Bret D. Daugherty is a retired major general and the forner adjutant general of Washington state.. In this role, he was the commander of the entire Washington National Guard, including both the Washington Army National Guard and the Washington Air National Guard. He was previously assistant adjutant general under Timothy Lowenberg.
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19. Brian T. Moran
lawyer
Brian T. Moran is an American attorney who served as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington from 2019 to 2021. He was previously of counsel at the law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe in Seattle, Washington.
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20. Ron Howard
1954-. (aged 72)
film director
film producer
actor
film actor
screenwriter
Ronald Ford Howard is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills. He played college basketball for the Seattle Chieftans (now Redhawks).
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21. Cam Weaver
1983-. (aged 43)
association football player
William Cameron "Cam" Weaver is an American former professional soccer player.
22. Nicholas Prasad
1995-. (aged 31)
association football player
Nicholas Prasad is a professional footballer who plays as a defender. Born in Canada, he represents the Fiji national football team.
23. John Tresvant
1939-. (aged 87)
basketball player
John B. Tresvant is an American former basketball player. Tresvant played from 1964 to 1973 in the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing for six teams, the St. Louis Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Cincinnati Royals, Seattle SuperSonics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Baltimore Bullets. His teams reached the NBA finals in 1970 and 1971.
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24. Martina Šamadan
1993-. (aged 33)
beach volleyball player
volleyball player
Martina Šamadan is a Croatian volleyball player. She plays as middle blocker for Greek club Panathinaikos.
25. Steven Haugaard
1956-. (aged 70)
politician
Steven Haugaard is an American politician and attorney. He has served as a Republican member for the 10th district in the South Dakota House of Representatives since 2015. He was elected Speaker of the House and served in that office from 2019 to 2021. He had been elected as Speaker pro tempore of the South Dakota House of Representatives and...
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26. William Marler
1957-. (aged 69)
lawyer
William "Bill" Marler is an American personal injury lawyer specializing in cases involving foodborne illnesses. He is the managing partner of Marler Clark, a law firm based in Seattle, Washington, that focuses on food safety litigation.
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27. Eddie O'Brien
1930-2014 (aged 84)
basketball player
baseball player
Edward Joseph O'Brien was an American Major League Baseball shortstop, outfielder and pitcher. He played his entire five-year baseball career for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1953, 1955–58). His twin brother, Johnny, was a second baseman and pitcher.
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28. Homer Bone
1883-1970 (aged 87)
lawyer
judge
politician
Homer Truett Bone was an American attorney and politician in Washington state, where he settled in Tacoma as a youth with his family from Indiana. He ran as a candidate for a variety of parties and was elected to the State House. In 1932, he was elected as a Democrat as United States Senator from Washington, and re-elected to a...
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29. John E. Cunningham
1931-2025 (aged 94)
businessperson
politician
John Edward "Jack" Cunningham III was an American politician from the state of Washington. A member of the Republican Party, he served in both houses of the Washington State Legislature as a member of Washington House of Representatives from 1973 to 1975 and a member of the Washington Senate from 1975 to 1977 representing Washington's 33rd legislative district, and a...
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30. Eddie Miles
1940-. (aged 86)
basketball player
Edward Miles Jr. is a retired American basketball player. His shooting ability was such, that he was known as "The Man With the Golden Arm".
31. Helen Whitener
judge
Grace Helen Whitener, known professionally as G. Helen Whitener, is a Trinidadian-American attorney serving as an associate justice of the Washington Supreme Court. Whitener was nominated by Governor Jay Inslee on April 13, 2020, to fill the seat of retiring justice Charles K. Wiggins.
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32. Tarra Simmons
1977-. (aged 49)
lawyer
politician
Tarra Denelle Simmons is an American politician, lawyer, formerly incarcerated legislator, and civil rights activist for criminal justice reform.
33. Charles Swift
1961-. (aged 65)
military officer
Charles D. Swift is an American attorney and former career Navy officer, who retired in 2007 as a Lieutenant Commander in the Judge Advocate General's Corps. He is most noted for having served as defense counsel for Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a detainee from Yemen who was the first to be charged at Guantanamo Bay; Swift took his case to the...
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34. Nkosi Tafari
1997-. (aged 29)
association football player
Nkosi Tafari Burgess is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC.
35. Johnny O'Brien
1930-2025 (aged 95)
local politician
baseball player
basketball player
John Thomas O'Brien was an American second baseman and pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1953, 1955–58), St. Louis Cardinals (1958) and Milwaukee Braves (1959). O'Brien batted and threw right-handed. His twin brother, Eddie, was also a major league infielder. In college, O'Brien was an All-American basketball player for Seattle University.
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36. Laurie Jinkins
1964-. (aged 62)
politician
Laurie A. Jinkins is an American politician, attorney, and public health official from Tacoma, Washington who serves as a member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 27th district. A Democrat, she has served as Speaker of the House since January 2020.
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37. Lorena González
1977-. (aged 49)
politician
Maria Lorena González is an American lawyer and former politician who was a member of the Seattle City Council from position 9. She was the first Latina elected to the council. She was a candidate for mayor of Seattle in 2021 but was defeated by Bruce Harrell 59 percent to 41 percent.
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38. Carl Otto Løvenskiold
1953-. (aged 73)
businessperson
Carl Otto Løvenskiold is a Norwegian landowner and businessperson. By birth, he is a member of Løvenskiold noble family.
39. June Preston
1928-2022 (aged 94)
opera singer
film actor
June Preston was an American child actress in the 1930s and early 1940s, who began her film career at RKO Pictures, with a minor role as Mrs. Blewett's daughter in the 1934 film Anne of Green Gables.
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40. Jawann Oldham
1957-2026 (aged 69)
basketball player
Jawann Oldham was an American professional basketball player who was a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Seattle Redhawks before being selected by the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 1980 NBA draft. Oldham played 10 seasons in the NBA for eight teams.
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41. Katrina Foley
1967-. (aged 59)
politician
Katrina Anne Foley is an American politician and attorney currently serving as the vice chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Foley first assumed office as a supervisor on March 26, 2021 and has represented the fifth district since 2023. She is chair of the Orange County Housing Finance Trust, and also serves on the boards of the Orange...
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42. Bob Gross
1953-. (aged 73)
basketball player
Robert Edwin Gross is an American former professional basketball player. A 6-foot-6-inch (1.98 m), 200 pounds (91 kg) forward, he attended Seattle University and California State University, Long Beach, and was selected in the 1975 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He was also selected in the 1975 ABA Draft by the San Diego Sails. Gross was the starting...
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43. Dave Barrett
1930-2018 (aged 88)
broadcaster
politician
social worker
lecturer
David Barrett OC OBC was a Canadian politician and social worker in British Columbia. A member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party (BCNDP), he was the 26th premier of British Columbia from 1972 to 1975. He was the first NDP premier in the province.
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44. Charles García
1988-. (aged 38)
basketball player
Charles Wayne García Jr. is an American-born Belizean professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Seattle University after first spending two seasons at Riverside City College.
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45. Emmanuel Lemelson
1976-. (aged 50)
businessperson
Emmanuel Lemelson is an American-born Greek Orthodox priest, social commentator and hedge fund manager.
46. Carl A. Anderson
1951-. (aged 75)
lawyer
Carl Albert Anderson GCSG GCSS KGCHS is an American lawyer who served as the thirteenth Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus from October 2000 until his retirement in February 2021.
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47. Alex Roldan
1996-. (aged 30)
association football player
Alexander Roldán León is a professional soccer player who plays as a right-back for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC. Born in the United States, he played for the El Salvador national team.
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48. John Spellman
1926-2018 (aged 92)
lawyer
politician
John Dennis Spellman was an American politician who served as the first King County executive from 1969 to 1981 and the 18th governor of Washington from 1981 to 1985.
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49. Anne Bremner
1958-. (aged 68)
lawyer
Anne Melani Bremner is an American attorney and television personality. She has been a television commentator on a number of high-profile cases, including in the murder of Meredith Kercher in Italy as legal counsel and as a spokesperson for the Friends of Amanda Knox.
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50. Peter W. Chiarelli
1950-. (aged 76)
military personnel
Peter William Chiarelli is a retired United States Army general who served as the 32nd Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army from August 2008, to January 2012. He also served as commander, Multi-National Corps – Iraq under General George W. Casey, Jr. He was the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense from March 2007 to...
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51. Dino Rossi
1959-. (aged 67)
politician
Dino John Rossi is an American businessman and politician who served as a Washington State senator thrice, from 1997 to 2003, in 2012, and again from 2016 to 2017. A Republican, he is a former chair of the Washington State Special Olympics.
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52. Jim Whittaker
1929-. (aged 97)
mountaineer
screenwriter
James W. Whittaker, also known as Jim Whittaker, is an American climber and mountain guide. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington. On May 1, 1963, he became the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest as a member of the American Mount Everest Expedition led by Norman Dyhrenfurth, alongside the Sherpa Nawang Gombu, a nephew of Tenzing Norgay....
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53. John Edward Hopcroft
1939-. (aged 87)
computer scientist
university teacher
John Edward Hopcroft is an American theoretical computer scientist. His textbooks on theory of computation (also known as the Cinderella book) and data structures are regarded as standards in their fields. He is a professor emeritus at Cornell University, co-director of the Center on Frontiers of Computing Studies at Peking University, the director of the John Hopcroft Center for Computer...
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54. Patrick Henry Brady
1936-. (aged 90)
helicopter pilot
Patrick Henry Brady, is a retired United States Army major general. While serving as a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War, he received the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration for valor.
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55. Frank Murkowski
1933-. (aged 93)
politician
banker
Frank Hughes Murkowski is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States senator representing Alaska from 1981 to 2002 and as the eighth governor of Alaska from 2002 to 2006.
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56. William D. Swenson
1978-. (aged 48)
military officer
William D. Swenson is a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army who was awarded the Medal of Honor in a ceremony on October 15, 2013. He was the sixth living recipient in the war on terror.
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57. Richard A. Jones
1950-. (aged 76)
lawyer
judge
Richard Anthony Jones is an American attorney and jurist serving as a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. He previously served as a deputy prosecuting attorney for King County, Washington, attorney for the Port of Seattle, and assistant United States attorney in the region, in addition to private practice.
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58. John Juanda
1971-. (aged 55)
poker player
Johnson "John" Juanda is an Indonesian professional poker player of Chinese descent based in Tokyo, Japan. He has won five World Series of Poker bracelets.
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59. Clint Eastwood
1930-. (aged 96)
film director
restaurateur
director
television actor
activist
Clinton Eastwood Jr. is an American actor, musician, and filmmaker. After achieving success in the Western TV series Rawhide, Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy of spaghetti Westerns during the mid-1960s and as antihero cop Harry Callahan in the five Dirty Harry films throughout the 1970s and...
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60. Elgin Baylor
1934-2021 (aged 87)
actor
basketball player
basketball coach
Elgin Gay Baylor was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers. Baylor was a gifted shooter, a strong rebounder, and an accomplished passer, who was best known for his trademark hanging jump shot. The No. 1 draft pick in 1958, NBA...
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61. Mohamed Atiya
1956-. (aged 70)
entrepreneur
businessperson
Mohamed Ali Alabbar is an Emirati businessman known for founding Emaar Properties, a real estate development company involved in projects such as the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall. He is also the founder and chairman of Eagle Hills, a private investment and real estate development company based in Abu Dhabi.
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62. Angela Rye
1979-. (aged 47)
political pundit
lawyer
Angela Rye is a former executive director and general counsel to the Congressional Black Caucus for the entirety of the 112th Congress. Rye served on the boards of the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, Congressional Black Caucus Political Action Committee, Seattle University School of Law Alumni, and Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network.
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63. Bill Walker
1987-. (aged 39)
basketball player
William Martin Walker is an American attorney and politician who served as the 11th governor of Alaska, from 2014 to 2018. He was the second Alaska-born governor, after William A. Egan.
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64. Debora Juarez
politician
Debora Juarez is an American lawyer and politician who served as the president of the Seattle City Council. She was first elected in 2015 to represent the 5th district. A member of the Blackfeet Nation, she was the first Native American person elected to the council.
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65. Julie Larson-Green
1962-. (aged 64)
computer scientist
Julie Larson-Green is the former chief experience officer (CXO) of the Office Experience Organization at Microsoft, where she worked 1993 through 2017. She subsequently joined Qualtrics as their CXO.
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66. Stephen McAlpine
1949-. (aged 77)
lawyer
politician
Stephen Alan "Steve" McAlpine is an American lawyer and politician. McAlpine served as the fifth lieutenant governor of Alaska from 1982 until 1990.
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67. Sean Parnell
1962-. (aged 64)
lawyer
politician
Sean Randall Parnell is an American attorney and politician who was the tenth governor of Alaska from 2009 to 2014. He succeeded Sarah Palin in July 2009 and was elected to a full term as governor in 2010. In 2014, he narrowly lost his bid for re-election and returned to work in the private sector. He is a member of...
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68. Duff McKagan
1964-. (aged 62)
musician
autobiographer
sports journalist
journalist
bassist
Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan is an American musician. He was the bassist of hard rock band Guns N' Roses for twelve years, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. McKagan rejoined the band in 2016, following their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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69. Alex Jones
1987-. (aged 39)
basketball player
Charlotte Alexandra Jones is a Welsh television presenter, best known for co-presenting the BBC One magazine programme The One Show. She presented Tumble (2014), Close Calls: On Camera (2015–2016) and Shop Well for Less? (2016–2020).
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70. Mike Kelly
1942-2016 (aged 74)
businessperson
chief executive officer
aircraft pilot
politician
Colonel Michael Joseph Kelly, AM is an Australian former politician who twice represented the Division of Eden-Monaro in the Parliament of Australia, from 2007 to 2013 and again from 2016 to 2020. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP).
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