List of University of Tennessee people

The following is a list of people associated with the University of Tennessee system in all its campuses. The list does not include personnel associated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Politics and law

• Lamar Alexander, former Tennessee Governor, UT President and current US Senator
• John Justin Armitage, diplomat
• Victor Ashe, U.S. ambassador to Poland, former mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee
• John DeWitt Clinton Atkins, member of House of Representatives
• Richard W. Austin, member of House of Representatives
• Howard Baker, Ambassador and former Senate Majority Leader
• Howard Baker, Sr., member of House of Representatives
• William M. Barker, Chief Justice to Tennessee Supreme Court
• George White Baxter, Governor of Wyoming territory
• Marion Speed Boyd, former U.S. district and Chief judge for Tennessee
• John Lafayette Camp, politician and Civil War veteran
• Brett Carter, U.S. House of Representatives Candidate
• Saxby Chambliss, U.S. Senator
• Walter Chandler, former mayor of Memphis, Tennessee
• Philander Priestly Claxton, Jr., U.S. State Department official; president of the World Population Society, 1975-1985
• Clement Comer Clay, former Governor of Alabama
• Bob Corker, former mayor of Chattanooga; U.S. Senator
• John Hervey Crozier, member of House of Representatives
• Arthur B. Culvahouse, Jr., former White House Counsel
• Lincoln Davis, member of House of Representatives
• Jim DeMint, South Carolina U.S. Senator
• M. Jerome Diamond, Vermont Attorney General, 1975-1981
• Lurita Doan, current Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration
• Jimmy Duncan, member of House of Representatives
• John Duncan, Sr., member of House of Representative
• Winfield Dunn, former Governor of Tennessee
• Charlene Fite, Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Crawford County, Arkansas
• James B. Frazier, former Governor of Tennessee and U.S. Senator
• Bart Gordon, member of House of Representatives
• Al Gore, Jr., former Vice President of the United States, US Congressman, US Senator, Professor, and Environmentalist, recipient Honorary Doctorate, 2010
• Albert Gore, Sr., member of House of Representatives and U.S. Senator
• Ronnie Greer, U.S. District judge for eastern Tennessee
• Bill Hendon, former member of U.S. House of Representatives
• Van Hilleary, U. S. Congressman
• John C. Houk, former member of U.S. House of Representatives
• Thomas G. Hull, former member of U.S. House of Representatives
• Amadou Scattred Janneh, former Secretary of State for Communication, Information and Technology, from The Gambia
• Ray Jenkins, Senate counsel during the Army-McCarthy Hearings
• William L. Jenkins, member of U.S. House of Representatives
• Ed Jones, former member of U.S. House of Representatives
• Joel A. Katz, entertainment lawyer (UT College of Law)
• Estes Kefauver, former U.S. Senator
• Alvan Lafargue, M.D. 1910, Louisiana physician and mayor of Sulphur, 1926-1932
• Arthur Larson, politician
• Dan Lipinski, U.S. Congressman (D-IL) and former professor
• William Gibbs McAdoo, former United States Secretary of the Treasury
• John E. McCall, former member of U.S. House of Representatives
• Jimmy Naifeh, Speaker of the House, Tennessee House of Representatives
• John Randolph Neal, Jr., Scopes Trial attorney
• Thomas Amos Rogers Nelson, former member of U.S. House of Representatives
• George W. Ochs, former Mayor of Chattanooga
• Michael C. Polt, U.S. Ambassador to Serbia
• Percy Priest, former member of U.S. House of Representatives
• Bob Ramsey (born 1947), Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives.
• Glenn Reynolds, UT law professor and author of the Instapundit political weblog
• Mercer Reynolds, former U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland
• Madeline Rogero, first female mayor of Knoxville
• Kenneth Rush, former U.S. Ambassador to Germany
• Edward Terry Sanford, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice
• Jim Sasser, former U.S. Senator
• Ronald L. Schlicher, former U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus
• Margaret Scobey, former U.S. Ambassador to Syria and Egypt
• Heath Shuler, U.S. Representative from North Carolina, former NFL player
• Paul Summers, former Attorney General of State of Tennessee
• John S. Tanner, member of House of Representatives
• Deborah Tate, United States Federal Communications Commission Commissioner
• George Caldwell Taylor, former U.S. district judge
• Lawrence Tyson, former U.S. Senator
• Gary R. Wade, Tennessee Supreme Court appointee, as of 2006
• Herbert S. Walters, former U.S. Senator
• Zach Wamp, member of House of Representatives
• Allen West, U.S. Representative from Florida
• Washington C. Whitthorne, former U.S. Senator

Education

• Edward L. Ayers, President of the University of Richmond
• Guy Bailey, 15th President of Texas Tech University; President of the University of Alabama
• Philander P. Claxton Sr., founder of the UT Department of Education and U.S. commissioner of education, 1911-1921
• Bob Clement, President of Cumberland College and politician
• Margaret Cuninggim, former Dean of Women at the University of Tennessee
• David L. Eubanks, former President of Johnson Bible College
• John Gaventa, political sociologist
• John Rice Irwin, historian, founder of Museum of Appalachia
• Graham Leonard, BA '47 International Relations; PhD in Education from Harvard University; worked for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, helping implement a national education system for Palestine; Visiting Scholar at Oxford University, 1968-1969
• William Allen Montgomery (1829-1905), graduated in 1850; lawyer, planter, Confederate chaplain and Baptist minister; President of Carson–Newman University from 1888 to 1892.
• John Thomas Mentzer (~1951-2010), marketing and supply chain scholar
• F. Ann Millner, 11th President of Weber State University
• Brian E. Noland, 9th President of East Tennessee State University, Chancellor of the West Virginia Higher Education Commission
• Linwood H. Rose, 5th President of James Madison University
• W. I. Thomas, sociologist
• Bernie L. Wade, Chancellor, International Circle of Faith Colleges and Seminaries

Actors, directors, and entertainers

• Clarence Brown, Academy Award-nominated film director
• Dixie Carter, actress
• Henry Cho, comedian
• John Cullum, actor and singer
• James Denton, actor, Desperate Housewives
• David Keith, actor and director
• Constance Shulman, voice-over, actress

Artists and musicians

• Jeff Baxter, Nike designer
• Deana Carter, country music singer and songwriter
• Ashley Cleveland, gospel singer
• James Denton, actor
• The Dirty Guv'nahs, rock band
• Thomas Fulton, opera conductor
• Drew Holcomb, singer and songwriter
• Ellie Holcomb, singer and songwriter
• Wardell Milan, artist
• John Howell Morrison, composer
• Park Overall, actress
• Dolly Parton, country music singer, recipient Honorary Doctorate, 2009
• Cheryl Lynn Studer, opera soprano
• Carl Sublett, painter
• Pam Tillis, country music singer
• Richard Aaker Trythall, composer and pianist
• Sarah Webb, artist
• Delores Ziegler, opera singer

Authors

• Travis Beacham, screenwriter
• Lowell Cunningham, comic book writer
• Owen Davis, playwright
• Alex Haley, novelist, biographer and essayist
• May Justus, author of children's books
• Marilyn Kallet, poet
• Joseph Wood Krutch, novelist, critic and naturalist
• Richard Marius, novelist, scholar and speechwriter
• Cormac McCarthy, novelist
• John C. McManus, Ph.D., military historian and professor of military history
• Dave Ramsey, financial guru, author, and host of The Dave Ramsey Show
• Vince Staten, humorist
• Allen Wier, fiction writer and scholar

Business and economy

• Charles Scott Abbott, one of the two originators of Trivial Pursuit
• James Clayton, President and CEO of Clayton Homes
• Charlie Ergen, CEO of Echostar
• James Haslam Jr., founder and CEO of Pilot Corporation
• Charles O. Holliday, Chairman of Bank of America and Former Chairman of DuPont
• Min Kao, CEO and founder of Garmin
• Charles McClung McGhee, late 19th-century Knoxville railroad magnate and financier
• Abdisalam Omer, Governor of the Central Bank of Somalia
• Jerry Sisk, Jr., gemologist and television executive, co-founded Jewelry Television in 1993
• Donnie Smith, CEO of Tyson Foods
• Chris Whittle, founder of Whittle Communications and Edison Schools

Military

• Burwell B. Bell III, U.S. Army Commander
• Robert Emmet Callan, major general in the U.S. Army and assistant chief of staff in the War Department, 1931-1935
• Clifton B. Cates, aide to President Woodrow Wilson and later Commandant of the Marine Corps
• Thomas A. Davis, Captain of Spanish–American War
• Norman C. Gaddis, former Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force
• Robert C. Hinson, former Deputy Commander-in-Chief of United States Strategic Command
• Bruce K. Holloway, military commander of Allied Forces
• Ridley McLean, rear admiral in the U.S. Navy and wrote the Bluejacket’s Manual, which is still used to teach naval recruits the basics of seamanship
• Major General Spurgeon Neel, pioneer in aeromedical evacuation
• Austin C. Shofner, World War II U.S. General
• Maurice F. Weisner, former Pacific Fleet Admiral

Athletics and sportscasters

• Monica Abbott, NPF pitcher for the Washington Glory, Olympian (2008)
• Pete Athas, former NFL player
• Bill Bates, former NFL Pro Bowl safety
• Buddy Bolding, head baseball coach at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia
• Chris Burke, retired Major League Baseball player
• Kevin Burnett, former NFL player
• Ray Bussard, Hall of Fame and Olympic swimming coach, 1968-1989
• Tamika Catchings, WNBA player, two-time Olympian (2004, 2008)
• Joey Clinkscales, professional football wide receiver, scout, and executive
• Denny Crawford, professional football guard
• Jonathan Crompton, NFL free agent quarterback
• Antone Davis, former National Football League offensive lineman
• Doug Dickey, College Football Hall of Fame head coach at the University of Tennessee (1964–1969) and the University of Florida (1970–1978); athletic director at Tennessee (1985–2002)
• R.A. Dickey, professional baseball pitcher
• Bobby Dodd, college football coach and athletic director at Georgia Tech
• Dale Ellis, former NBA player
• Beattie Feathers, former NFL player; collegiate football and baseball coach
• Paul Finebaum, radio host and journalist
• Cory Fleming, former NFL wide receiver
• Richmond Flowers, former NFL player
• Arian Foster, NFL running back
• Phillip Fulmer, head coach of Tennessee Volunteers football team (1992–2008)
• Harry Galbreath, former National Football League offensive lineman
• Charlie Garner, NFL running back
• Phil Garner, former Major League Baseball player and manager
• Justin Gatlin, 2004 Summer Olympics 100m gold medalist
• Willie Gault, former NFL wide receiver
• Bobby Gordon, football player
• Sam Graddy, 1984 Summer Olympics 100m silver medalist and 4x100m gold medalist
• Ray Graves, former NFL player; University of Florida head football coach (1960–1969) and athletic director (1960–1979); College Football Hall of Fame (1990)
• Ernie Grunfeld, former NBA player and current president of basketball operations, Washington Wizards
• Travis Haney, college football writer for ESPN Insider
• Alvin Harper, former NFL wide receiver
• Albert Haynesworth, NFL defensive tackle
• Todd Helton, former Major League Baseball first baseman for the Colorado Rockies
• Chamique Holdsclaw, former WNBA player, Olympian (2000)
• Rick Honeycutt, former Major League Baseball player and current pitching coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers
• Allan Houston, NBA shooting guard
• Luke Hudson, Major League Baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals
• Austin Johnson, NFL player
• Dale Jones, former NFL player and current assistant coach at Appalachian State
• Steve Kiner, former NFL player, College Football Hall of Fame inductee
• Bernard King, former NBA player
• Kara Lawson, WNBA player, Olympian (2008), ESPN analyst
• Jamal Lewis, NFL running back
• Jeremy Linn, swimmer, won one gold and one silver medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
• Christine Magnuson, swimmer, won two silver medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
• Johnny Majors, College Football Hall of Fame 1987, Heisman Trophy runner-up (1956); head football coach at Iowa State University (1968–1972), University of Pittsburgh (1973–1976) and the University of Tennessee (1977–1992)
• Peyton Manning, NFL quarterback
• Tee Martin, former NFL quarterback
• Steve Matthews, former NFL quarterback
• Bill Mayo, All-American
• Jacques McClendon, NFL offensive lineman
• Tim McGee, NFL receiver
• Ross McGowan, professional golfer
• Greg McMichael, former Major League Baseball player
• Charles McRae, former National Football League offensive lineman
• Aries Merritt, 2012 Summer Olympics 110m hurdles gold medalist
• Anthony Miller, former NFL pro Bowl wide receiver
• Mike Miller, NFL player
• Chris Moneymaker, 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event winner
• Tom Myslinski, former NFL center
• Kevin Nash, professional wrestler and UT basketball player
• Lindsey Nelson, sportscaster
• Augie Ojeda, Major League Baseball player for the Arizona Diamondbacks
• Candace Parker, WNBA player, Olympian (2008)
• Woody Paige, sports analyst for The Denver Post and ESPN's Around the Horn
• Bruce Pearl, former men's head basketball coach
• Carl Pickens, former NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver
• Peerless Price, former NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver
• Semeka Randall, former WNBA player
• Mychal Rivera, tight end; brother of Glee actress Naya Rivera
• Pat Ryan, former NFL player
• Ovince St. Preux, collegiate football defensive end and linebacker; professional mixed martial artist, formerly with Strikeforce and currently with the UFC
• Robert Shaw, former NFL center
• Michelle Snow, WNBA player
• Donté Stallworth, NFL WR
• Melvin Stewart, swimmer, won two gold medals and one bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain
• Pat Summitt, former women's basketball head coach (1974–2012); member of Naismith Memorial and Women's Basketball Halls of Fame; Olympian (1976); head coach for the 1984 Olympic women's basketball team that won gold
• Tyler Summitt, Pat's son and current head women's basketball coach at Louisiana Tech
• Lenny Taylor, NFL player
• Holly Warlick, former Lady Vols basketball player and current Lady Vols head coach
• Chuck Webb, NFL player
• Reggie White, former NFL defensive lineman
• Ron Widby, former NFL Pro Bowl punter
• Rhyne Williams, professional tennis player
• Al Wilson, NFL player
• Gibril Wilson, NFL safety
• Jason Witten, NFL Pro Bowl tight end
• Gene Wojciechowski, college football reporter/senior writer, ESPN The Magazine
• Bob Woodruff, head football coach at Baylor University (1947–1949); head football coach and athletic director at the University of Florida (1950–1959)
• Chris Woodruff, associate head coach at the University of Tennessee, former professional tennis player

Journalists and newscasters

• Huell Howser, California television personality
• Ann Taylor, NPR newscaster
• Chris Vining, Emmy Award-winning video editor
• Charles Winters, journalist
• Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN writer and commentator

Rhodes Scholars

• Bernadotte E. Schmitt, Merton College, B.A 1908. M.A 1913. Distinguished professor, largely at Western Reserve University (1910-1925), and the University of Chicago (1925-1946). When Schmitt retired from Chicago, he held the Andrew MacLeish Distinguished Service Professorship of Modern History.He held a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1927, was elected President of the American Historical Association in 1960, and was named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.Served briefly in World War I as a 2nd Lieutenant of Field Artillery, and during World War II, he acted as a special consultant on history in the Department of State's Division of Research and Publications and its Division of Historical Policy Research.
• Matthew Glenn Smith, Hertford College, B.A. 1914. Served in WW l as Captain of Coast Artillery in France. Following discharge in 1918, went on to a prominent legal career in Texas.
• Arthur Preston Whitaker, Awarded Rhodes Scholarship in 1917 but prevented from actualizing it by WW l. Graduated from Harvard University with an M.A in 1917 and a Ph.D. in 1924.Distinguished academic career as a professor at Amherst, Vanderbilt, New York University, Cornell, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania. At Penn he held the first chair in Latin American History in 1936. During WW ll, he served as a consultant to the State Department on Latin America.
• William Everett Derryberry, St. John's College, B.A 1932 M.A 1940. At Oxford, he captained the St. John's tennis team, was a member of the university's international championship lacrosse team, and played doubles at Wimbledon. Went on to a distinguished 34-year academic career as president of Tennessee Technological University, where he oversaw the transformation of the school from a campus of a few acres and a few buildings with 700 students and 31 faculty members to a university comprising six colleges and schools on 235 acres of property with a student body of close to 7,000 and a faculty of more than 350.
• Nancy-Ann Min DeParle, Balliol College, B.A. 1981 M.A 1986. Graduated from Harvard Law School in 1983 with a J.D Degree. Went on to serve in the cabinet of Tennessee Governor Ned McWherter, sit on several corporate boards, and most recently served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy under President Obama and Director of White House Office of Healthcare Reform.
• Jennfier Santoro, DPhil. 1999
• Lindsay E. Lee, MSc. 2014

Nobel laureates

• James Buchanan, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Economic Science; received an M.S. degree from UT in 1941
• Peter C. Doherty, faculty member in the UT Health Science Center in Memphis

Science and technology

• Mladen Bestvina, topologists, professor of mathematics at University of Utah
• Jack Dongarra, computer science professor; creator of LINPACK and LAPACK
• Weston Fulton, meteorologist, inventor
• Lee Giles, computer scientist, CiteSeer, David Reese Professor at Pennsylvania State University
• Carl B. Huffaker, biologist and agricultural scientist
• Mohammad Ataul Karim, physicist
• Frank Knight, economist
• Madeline Kneberg Lewis, archaeologist of the Southeastern United States
• Gerald North, atmospheric scientist, author of North Report and The Impact of Global Warming in Texas
• Douglas W. Owsley, division head of physical anthropology of Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History
• Ronald H. Petersen, mycologist of the University of Tennessee
• Edward K. Reedy, radar researcher and director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute, 1998-2003
• Antoinette Rodez Schiesler, chemist, director of research at Villanova University
• Jeremy C. Smith, Governor's Chair and Director of UT/ORNL Center for Molecular Biophysics
• Morwen Thistlethwaite, knot theorist
• E.O. Wilson, biologist and naturalist

Astronauts

• Jeffrey Ashby
• Joe Edwards
• Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie
• Chris Hadfield
• Henry Hartsfield
• Charles O. Hobaugh
• Scott J. Kelly
• Donald H. Peterson
• Margaret Rhea Seddon
• Barry E. Wilmore

External links

• University of Tennessee distinguished Alumni