Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,900 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, North Carolina, United States. Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through the Davidson Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages, giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free.
The following is a list of notable people associated with Davidson College.
Notable alumni
Academia William Wright Abbot, archivist, professor, and historian at George Washington University Graham T. Allison, professor at Harvard and author of Essence of Decision (did not graduate) Issac Bailey, professor Elizabeth Barnes, philosophy professor at the University of Virginia Philip Beidler, American literature professor Eugene C. Brooks, president of the University of North Carolina G. Thompson Brown (1921–2014), professor; founder of Honam Theological University and Seminary; missionary Roger H. Brown, president of Berklee College of Music Jennings Bryant, professor of communication at the University of Alabama Charles Cousar, New Testament scholar, author, Professor Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary James H. Daughdrill, Jr., president of Rhodes College Charles Till Davis, medieval historian Walter Edgar, historian Carl Elliott, philosopher James M. Farr, president of the University of Florida (1927–28); English language and literature scholar Mark S. George, professor of psychiatry, radiology and neurosciences and is the director of the Medical University of South Carolina Douglas A. Hicks, provost at Colgate University Daniel Harvey Hill, Jr., chancellor at North Carolina State University Calvin Howell, physicist and professor at Duke University Elizabeth Kiss, warden of the Rhodes Trust, former president of Agnes Scott College William Link, historian, academic and author Paul Marion, president of Tiffin University, Franklin College, and PA Association of Colleges and Universities; chancellor of State College System of West Virginia; director of Higher Education, State of Arkansas D. G. Martin, university administrator Evander Bradley McGilvary, philosopher Richard McIlwaine, president of Hampden-Sydney College Patrick D. Miller, Old Testament scholar William Andrew Moffett, historian and librarian John Wilson Moore, biophysicist; emeritus professor of Neurobiology at Duke University Medical School Michael Munger, professor at Duke University Guy L. Nesom, botanist at the University of Texas at Austin Harold Douglas Pratt Jr., ornithologist, wildlife photographer, and bird illustrator; research associate at the Louisiana State University Julius W. Pratt, historian specializing in foreign relations and imperialism James M. Robinson, religion scholar Holmes Rolston III, professor, theologian, philosopher; 2003 Templeton Prize recipient Thomas W. Ross, president of the University of North Carolina system C. Alphonso Smith, professor Glenn Terrell, president of Washington State University Sharon Thompson-Schill, psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania Ann Tutwiler, fellow and instructor at Davidson College; deputy Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
Art and architecture
Burkey Belser, graphic designer and creator of the nutrition facts label George Watts Carr, architect
McNair Evans, photographer Frank Gohlke, photographer (attended, but later transferred to The University of Texas at Austin) Elijah Gowin, photographer and Guggenheim Fellow Herb Jackson, contemporary artist Kesler Woodward, artist, art historian, and curator
Business James Batten, CEO of Knight-Ridder (1989–95) Irwin Belk, Belk businessman (transferred) John Belk, head of Belk John Chidsey, CEO of Subway (2019–present) Clayton Daley, former CFO of The Procter & Gamble Company Ervin Duggan, president of PBS Martin Daniel Eakes, CEO of Center for Responsible Lending Francis Henry Fries, textile magnet Nelson Z. Graves, developer Earl J. Hesterberg, H businessman Parameswaran Iyer, CEO of NITI Aayog; executive director at the World Bank Group representing India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka Justin Jenk, investor Lorie K. Logan, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Stephen P. MacMillan, former CEO, president, and chairman of the board of Stryker Corp Jean Mauzé, banker John L. McLucas, CEO of MITRE Corporation; United States Secretary of the Air Force (1973–75); Jacqueline Musiitwa, businesswoman Lunsford Richardson, inventor of Vicks VapoRub and founder of Vicks Stephen Salyer, president and CEO of Salzburg Global Seminar; former CEO of Public Radio International Jack Wayman, creator of the Consumer Electronics Show William Winkenwerder, Jr., CEO of Highmark; chairman of CitiusTech; Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
Entertainment Roxanne Beckford, actress Michael Brun, DJ Zachery Byrd, actor Rod Daniel, director Donald Davis, storyteller Craig Detweiler, screenwriter, cultural commentator Bertis Downs IV, manager of R.E.M. Kenan Ece, actor William R. Ferris, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, 1997–2001; founding director, Center for the Study of Southern Culture John T. Fesperman, conductor and organist James Harding, director of BBC News and editor of The Times newspaper Jack Harris, local broadcaster from Tampa, Florida Margaret Hoover, political commentator and host of Firing Line Laeta Kalogridis, screenwriter and film producer Todd Kimsey, actor Stephen Andrew Lynch, film pioneer Jana Mashonee Sampson, Nammy Award-winning singer and Grammy nominee John Howell Morrison, composer Harry Pickens, pianist Tony Snow, White House Press Secretary (2006–07), syndicated talk radio host and Fox News Channel pundit John Starling, bluegrass musician Lester Strong, televions new anchor and host Nelson Sullivan, videographer and gay rights activist William Workman, opera singer
Government
Mark Sandy, former director and assitant director of the Office of Management and Budget Michael R. Taylor, attorney with King & Spalding; Deputy Commissioner for Policy for the Food and Drug Administration; administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service
Law R. Stan Baker, federal judge Wade Barber, Superior Court judge in North Carolina (1998–2006) Kenneth B. Bell, justice of the Florida Supreme Court (2003–2008) James Edmund Boyd, United States federal judge Elizabeth L. Branch, federal judge Henry Gaston Bunn, Arkansas Supreme Court chief justice Armistead Burwell, associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court (1892–1894) William P. Bynum (1843) associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and member of the North Carolina Senate Robert Allan Edgar, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee judge Conner Eldridge, US attorney for the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas Robert C. Ervin, North Carolina judge Sam J. Ervin IV, associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court (2015–present) Samuel James Ervin III, son of U.S. Senator Sam Ervin, judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (1980–99) William Eskridge, legal theorist and professor at Yale Law School Vincent W. Foster, Jr., deputy White House counsel (1993) Vic Fleming, judge and teacher in Little Rock, Arkansas Vincent Foster, deputy White House counsel in the Bill Clinton administration (1993) James Hamilton, assistant chief counsel for the United States Senate Watergate Committee William J. Haynes, II, general counsel, U.S. Department of Defense Karen S. Marston, assistant US attorney Boyce Ficklen Martin, Jr., chief judge emeritus of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Harry Martin, North Carolina Supreme Court justice John L. Napier, United States congressman; judge, U.S. Court of Federal Claims Frank I. Osborne, North Carolina attorney general James Dickson Phillips, Jr., judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (1978–94) Sanford L. Steelman, Jr., North Carolina Court of Appeals judge Taylor Hudnall Stukes, South Carolina Supreme Court chief justice Alan Z. Thornburg, North Carolina Court of Appeals judge William Byrd Traxler, Jr., chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (1998–present) Richard Lesley Voorhees, United States federal judge William Walter Wilkins, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (1986–2007)
Literature and journalism Vereen Bell, journalist and author Nicholas Carlson, global editor-in-chief of Insider Martin Clark, author Patricia Cornwell, author William Emerson, civil rights journalist for Newsweek; editor in chief of The Saturday Evening Post; left Davidson early to serve in World War IIApplebome, Peter. "William A. Emerson Jr., Editor in Chief of Saturday Evening Post, Dies at 86", The New York Times, August 26, 2009. Retrieved August 30, 2009. R. S. Gwynn, poet Sarah Frances Hardy, artist and author/illustrator, best known for her picture books John Hart, Edgar Award-winning author Alamgir Hashmi, poet, scholar Rebecca Hazelton, poet McKendree Long, artist, poet, known as "picture painter of the apocalypse" Charlie Lovett, best-selling author Hilary Masters, novelist Lenny McAllister, journalist and conservative activist Jason McManus, editor-in-chief of Time Inc. (1988–94) Robert Olmstead, novelist and educator Steph Post, author Sheri Reynolds, author, playwrightCharlotte Observer | Entertainment Sudeep Sen, author Clint Smith, author Frank Soos, author, Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, Alaska State Writer Laureate Sudeep Sen, poet Clint Smith, writer for The Atlantic W. Dabney Stuart, poet William Styron, author; attended in 1942, left to join the Marines Chuck Sudetic, journalist William R. Trotter, author and historian Josh Voorhees, reporter for Slate Charles Wright, Pulitzer Prize; Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry recipient; chancellor of the Academy of American Poets; United States Poet Laureate
Medicine Ketan Ramanlal Bulsara, surgeon James E. Crowe, immunologist and pediatrician John Finklea, physician and public health administrator notable for his leadership of the Environmental Protection Agency's National Center for Environmental Research and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Glenn A. Fry, optometrist Richard L. Guerrant, physician D. Neil Hayes, oncologist Wayne Jonas, director, National Instiutes of Health Office of Alternative Medicine Benjamin Lahey, epidemiologist Beaufort Longest, medical professional Sallie Permar, pediatrician David Resnik, bioethicist William Cumming Rose, determined essential amino acids for human nutrition Mary T. Martin Sloop, healthcare advocate David Talmage, immunologist Porter Paisley Vinson, surgeon at the Mayo Clinic
Military and defense Fred Borch, United States Army attorney and chief prosecutor of the Guantanamo military commissions William D. Halyburton, Jr., World War II Medal of Honor recipient Rufus G. Herring, World War II Medal of Honor recipient Samuel Reeves Keesler, World War I pilot William Lee J. Lowrance, Confederate Army colonel, businessman and pastor Prescott Prince, Navy captain, rule of law officer who defended Khalid Sheik Mohammed Stephen Dodson Ramseur, major general, Confederate Army Eric Rosenbach, Pentagon Chief of Staff and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Global Security Jack C. Stultz, lieutenant general; commanding general, United States Army Reserve
Politics James McNair Baker, Confederate senator Bruce W. Bannister, South Carolina legislator