List of Duke University people
This is a list of Duke University People, a list of distinguished alumni, professors, and the chief executives of Duke University.
Famous and distinguished alumni
Politics/law
- Richard Nixon, 37th president of the United States (Law school)
- Elizabeth Dole, United States Senator, North Carolina; Secretary of Transportation' Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission; President of the American Red Cross
- Ricardo Lagos, president of Chile
- Kenneth Starr, former United States Solicitor General, former U.S. appeals court judge (Law school)
- Eleanor Smeal, political activist, president of the National Organization for Women
- Denise Majette, U.S. Politician, served as U.S. Representative (Law school)
- Kevin J. Martin MPP 1993, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission
- Christine M. Durham, chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court
- Bob Wise, Governor of West Virginia
- John Koskinen, former Deputy Director, Office of Management and Budget
- Henry Hyde, US representative, Illinois
- Evelyn Murphy, former Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
- Phiip Lader, former Ambassador to the Court of St. James, London
- Juanita M. Kreps, Secretary of Commerce
- Eric Shinseki, Former U.S. Army Chief of Staff (MA in English Literature)
Business
- G. Richard Wagoner, Jr., President & CEO, General Motors Corporation
- Edmund Pratt B.S. 1947, former CEO of Pfizer, philanthropist
- John A. Allison IV, Chairman and CEO, BB&T Corporation
- Peter Nicholas, Founder and Chairman of Boston Scientific Corporation
- John J. Mack, CEO of Credit Suisse First Boston
- Clay Felker, Founding Editor of New York Magazine
- Rik Kirkland, S/B Managing Editor, Fortune Magazine
- Andrew Busey, creator of iChat
- James L. Vincent, Chairman & CEO, Biogen, Inc.
- Melinda Gates, Wife of Bill Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Rex Adams, chairman of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), former VP of Mobil Corporation
- W. David Stedman, Business executive, philanthropist
- Edwin L. Jones, Jr. B.S. 1948, Engineer, president, J. A. Jones Construction Company
- Jeffrey Vinik B.S. 1981, Chairman, President, and CEO of Vinik Asset Management
- William H. Gross 1966, Founder and Chief Investment Officer, PIMCO
Academia/Research/Literature
- Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis, co-creators of Usenet
- Robert Richardson, Nobel Laureate in physics, 1996
- Fred Brooks, engineer, developer of OS/360, Turing Award winner
- Reynolds Price, renowned author and professor of literature
- Pamela Gann, president of Claremont McKenna College
- Dr. Paul Farmer, infectious disease doctor, subject of Pulitzer-prize winning Tracy Kidder's biography Mountains Beyond Mountains
- Jerry F. Hough, political scientist, author, and professor
- Joseph B Rhine, psychologist and parapsychologist, recognized as founder of modern studies of psychical phenomena
- Ian Barbour, physicist, theologian, and recipient of the Templeton Prize in 1999
- Benjamin Chavis, civil rights activist, executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
- Hans Dehmelt, Nobel Laureate in physics, 1989
- Fred Chappell, North Carolina Poet Laureate, novelist
- Josephine Humphreys, award-winning novelist
- Robert Morris, notable psychologist, Koestler professor at the University of Edinburgh
- Jerome Bruner, renowned psychologist and professor
- Lorenz Eitner, renowned art historian
- Sylvia Earle, marine biologist, Chief Scientist of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
- Willem J. Kolff, pioneer of artificial organs
- Stanley Hauerwas, theologian and author
- Anne Tyler, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and writer of short stories
- Juanita M. Kreps, professor, economist, Secretary of Commerce
- Lenox D. Baker, physician, public servant
- Dorothy Simpson, scientist, mathematician
- William C. Styron, author, Pulitzer Prize winner
- Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans, philanthropist
- Margaret Taylor Smith, author, social activist, Chair, Kresge Foundation
- Charles E. Brady, Jr., astronaut (Medical school)
- Kalyan Vasudevan, Inorganic Chemistry PhD Candidate, University of Texas (BS Chemistry, BA Religion)
- Peter Maas, author of novels The valachi Papers and Serpico, later made in movies
Art/Media
- Annabeth Gish, actress, X-Files
- Michael Best, Former Principal Artist of the Metropolitan Opera
- René Echevarria, producer, The 4400, Dark Angel, Now and Then; screenwriter, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- Kelly Goldsmith, actress, Survivor
- Randall Wallace, Author of the screenplays for Braveheart, The Man in the Iron Mask, Pearl Harbor, and We Were Soldiers
- Lee McGeorge Durrell, author, television presenter, zookeeper
- Judy Woodruff, NBC's White House correspondent and Washington correspondent for the MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour, anchor at CNN
- John Feinstein, sports journalist
- Laura Paresky, television designer/animator
- Kevin Gray, ("Phantom" on Broadway after Michael Crawford)
- Martin Kratt, Creator and star of PBS's ZOBOOMAFOO
- Sean McManus, President of CBS Sports
- Charlie Rose, Journalist, former CBS News Anchor, 60 Minutes correspondent
- Charles Randolph-Wright, Director, writer, and producer
- Monty Sarhan, Publisher and CEO of national humor mag Cracked
- Dan Abrams, the Abrams Report on MSNBC
- Tucker Max J.D. 2001, Underground internet celebrity
- David Hartman, the first host of Good Morning America on NBC
- Jared Mueller, Avant-garde photographer; best known for series "Flowers in Spring"
Athletics
- Stewart "Skip" Alexander professional golfer
- Tommy Amaker, University of Michigan head basketball coach
- Shane Battier, professional basketball player (jersey retired)
- Beth Bauer, professional golfer
- Alana Beard, professional basketball player (jersey retired)
- Jay Bilas, ESPN sports commentator
- Carlos Boozer, professional basketball player
- Elton Brand, professional basketball player
- Jeff Capel, Virginia Commonwealth University head basketball coach
- Jenny Chuasiriporn, professional golfer
- Johnny Dawkins, Duke University assistant basketball coach and former professional basketball player (jersey retired)
- Lefty Driesell, college basketball coach
- Chris Duhon, professional basketball player
- Mike Dunleavy, Jr., professional basketball player
- Danny Ferry, former professional basketball player, member of 2003 National Champion San Antonio Spurs (jersey retired)
- Mike Gminski, ESPN sports commentator (jersey retired)
- Grant Hill, professional basketball player (jersey retired)
- Nancy Hogshead, Olympic gold medal winner in swimming
- Sonny Jurgensen, Hall of Fame quarterback who played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins
- Christian Laettner, professional basketball player (jersey retired)
- Kevin Lewis, NFL linebacker
- Corey Maggette, professional basketball player
- Quinton McCracken, professional baseball player, member of 2001 World Series Champion Arizona Diamondbacks
- Scott Schoneweis, Major League Baseball pitcher
- Quin Snyder, University of Missouri basketball coach
- Jim Spanarkel, basketball first round draft pick, commentator
- Drew Strojny, NFL football offensive tackle
- Mike Trombley, MLB pitcher
- Jason Williams, professional basketball player (jersey retired)
Chief Executives
Union Institute
- 1838-1842: Brantley York, President
- 1842-1851: Braxton Craven, President
Normal College
- 1851-1859: Braxton Craven, President
Trinity College
- 1859-1863: Braxton Craven, President
- 1863-1865: William Trigg Gannaway, President Pro Tempore
- 1866-1882: Braxton Craven, President
- 1883-1884: Marquis Lafayette Wood, President
- 1887-1894: John Franklin Crowell, President
- 1894-1910: John Carlisle Kilgo, President
- 1910-1924: William Preston Few, President
Duke University
- 1924-1940: William Preston Few, President
- 1941-1948: Robert Lee Flowers, President
- 1949-1960: Arthur Hollis Edens, President
- 1960-1963: Julian Deryl Hart, President
- 1963-1969: Douglas Maitland Knight, President
- 1969-1985: Terry Sanford, President
- 1985-1993: H. Keith H. Brodie, President
- 1993-2004: Nannerl O. Keohane, President
- 2004-Present: Richard H. Brodhead, President