60 Notable alumni of
Bucknell University
Bucknell University is 949th in the world, 348th in North America, and 326th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 60 notable alumni from Bucknell University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Philip Roth
- Enrolled in Bucknell University
- 1952-1954 graduated with bachelor's degree in English literature
- Occupations
- university teachernovelistessayistscience fiction writerscreenwriter
- Biography
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Philip Milton Roth was an American novelist and short story writer. Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophically and formally blurring the distinction between reality and fiction, for its "sensual, ingenious style" and for its provocative explorations of American identity. He first gained attention with the 1959 short story collection Goodbye, Columbus, which won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction. Ten years later, he published the bestseller Portnoy's Complaint. Nathan Zuckerman, Roth's literary alter ego, narrates several of his books. A fictionalized Philip Roth narrates some of his others, such as the alternate history The Plot Against America.
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Ralph Waite
- Enrolled in Bucknell University
- Studied in 1952
- Occupations
- voice actorfilm producercomedianfilm actorscreenwriter
- Biography
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Ralph Waite was an American actor, best known for his lead role as John Walton Sr. on The Waltons (1972–1981), which he occasionally directed. He later had recurring roles as two other heroic fathers; in NCIS as Jackson Gibbs, the father of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and in Bones, as Seeley Booth's grandfather. Waite had supporting roles in movies such as Cool Hand Luke (1967), Five Easy Pieces (1970), The Grissom Gang (1971), The Bodyguard (1992), and Cliffhanger (1993).
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Greg Schiano
- Occupations
- American football coachAmerican football player
- Biography
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Gregory Edward Schiano is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at Rutgers University, a position he held from 2001 to 2011 and resumed before the 2020 season. Schiano served as the head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) from 2012 to 2013.
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Jay Wright
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
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Jerold Taylor "Jay" Wright Jr. is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach of Villanova University from 2001 until 2022. Wright led the Villanova Wildcats to six Big East Conference championships and 16 NCAA tournament appearances in 21 seasons as head coach. Under Wright, Villanova reached four Final Fours (2009, 2016, 2018, 2022) and won two national championships in 2016 and 2018.
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Les Moonves
- Occupations
- entrepreneurchief executive officer
- Biography
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Leslie Roy Moonves is an American media executive who was the chairman and CEO of CBS Corporation from 2003 until his resignation in September 2018 following numerous allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and abuse. He has been married to TV personality Julie Chen since 2004.
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Gbenga Akinnagbe
- Occupations
- film actorstage actorfilm produceractortelevision actor
- Biography
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Olugbenga Enitan Temitope Akinnagbe is an American actor and writer, best known for his roles as Chris Partlow on the HBO series The Wire and as Larry Brown on the HBO series The Deuce.
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Christy Mathewson
- Occupations
- baseball playerAmerican football player
- Biography
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Christopher Mathewson, nicknamed "Big Six", "the Christian Gentleman", "Matty", and "the Gentleman's Hurler", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher, who played 17 seasons with the New York Giants. He stood 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) tall and weighed 195 pounds (88 kg). He was among the most dominant pitchers in baseball history, and ranks in the all-time top 10 in several key pitching categories, including wins, shutouts, and earned run average. In 1936, Mathewson was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its first five members.
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Mike Muscala
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Michael Peter Muscala is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
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Jessica Jackley
- Years
- 1977-.. (age 46)
- Occupations
- managerinternational forum participant
- Biography
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Jessica Erin Jackley is an American entrepreneur who co-founded Kiva and later ProFounder, two organizations that promote development through microloans.
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J. G. Hertzler
- Occupations
- actorfilm actorvoice actortelevision actor
- Biography
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John Garman Hertzler Jr. is an American actor, author, screenwriter, and activist best known for his role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the Klingon General (later Chancellor) Martok, whom he portrayed from 1995 until the series' end in 1999.
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Sunil Gulati
- Occupations
- functionaryeconomist
- Biography
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Sunil Gulati is an American sports administrator who presided over the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) from 2006 to 2018. On April 19, 2013, he was elected to a four-year term on the FIFA Council. In March 2014, he was unanimously reelected to a record third four-year term as USSF president, having been elected initially in 2006 and reelected again in 2010. Gulati is also a senior lecturer in the economics department of Columbia University. He is the former president of Kraft Soccer for the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.
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Jessica Livingston
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
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Jessica Livingston, born 1971, is an American author and a founding partner of the seed stage venture firm Y Combinator. She also organized Startup School. Previously, she was the VP of marketing at Adams Harkness Financial Group. She has a B.A. in English from Bucknell University. She is a 1989 graduate of Phillips Academy, Andover.
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Theodore Van Kirk
- Occupations
- military personnelnavigator
- Biography
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Theodore Jerome "Dutch" Van Kirk was a navigator in the United States Army Air Forces, best known as the navigator of the Enola Gay when it dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Upon the death of fellow crewman Morris Jeppson on March 30, 2010, Van Kirk became the last surviving member of the Enola Gay crew.
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Harold Meij
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Harold George Meij is a Dutch businessman, he was the president of New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) from May 2018 until October 2020.
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Janet Woodcock
- Occupations
- international forum participantresearcherpharmacologist
- Biography
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Janet Woodcock is an American physician and former Acting Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). She joined the FDA in 1986, and has held a number of senior leadership positions there, including terms as the Director of Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) from 1994 to 2004 and 2007 to 2021.
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Julién Davenport
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Julién Raymond Davenport is an American football offensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Bucknell and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Davenport also previously played for the Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, and Chicago Bears.
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Rob Andrews
- Enrolled in Bucknell University
- In 1979 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Robert Ernest Andrews is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional district from 1990 to 2014. The district included most of Camden County and parts of Burlington County and Gloucester County. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
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Peter Balakian
- Occupations
- university teacherwriterhistorianpoet
- Biography
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Peter Balakian is an Armenian-American poet, prose writer, and scholar. He is the author of many books including the 2016 Pulitzer prize winning book of poems Ozone Journal, the memoir Black Dog of Fate, winner of the PEN/Albrand award in 1998 and The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America's Response, winner of the 2005 Raphael Lemkin Prize and a New York Times best seller (October 2003). Both prose books were New York Times Notable Books. Since 1980 he has taught at Colgate University where he is the Donald M and Constance H Rebar Professor of the Humanities in the department of English and Director of Creative Writing.
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Robert Lowry
- Occupations
- hymnwritertheologianwritercomposer
- Biography
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Robert Lowry was an American preacher who became a popular writer of gospel music in the mid- to late-19th century. His best-known hymns include "Shall We Gather at the River", "Christ Arose!", "How Can I Keep from Singing?" and "Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus".
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Diane Allen
- Occupations
- journalistpolitician
- Biography
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Diane B. Allen is an American politician and television journalist. A member of the Republican Party, she represented the 7th legislative district in the New Jersey Assembly from 1996 to 1998 and New Jersey Senate from 1998 to 2018. Allen was the senate majority whip from 1998 to 2001, deputy Republican conference leader from 2002 to 2003, and later deputy minority leader. In 2002, she was an unsuccessful candidate for United States Senate, finishing second in the Republican primary.
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John S. Kolasheski
- Years
- 1966-.. (age 57)
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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Lieutenant General John Stephen Kolasheski is a senior officer in the United States Army and the current commanding general of V Corps.
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David Nasaw
- Occupations
- biographerwriterhistorian
- Biography
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David Nasaw is an American author, biographer and historian who specializes in the cultural, social and business history of early 20th Century America. Nasaw is on the faculty of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, where he is the Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. Professor of History.
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Susan J. Crawford
- Enrolled in Bucknell University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in history
- Occupations
- judge
- Biography
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Susan Jean Crawford is an American lawyer, who was appointed the Convening Authority for the Guantanamo military commissions, on February 7, 2007. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates appointed Crawford to replace John D. Altenburg.
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Nate Sestina
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Nathan Michael Sestina is an American professional basketball player for Türk Telekom of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball for the Bucknell Bison and the Kentucky Wildcats.
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Conor O'Brien
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Conor Stephen O'Brien is an American soccer player.
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Thomas Richards
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Thomas S. Richards is an American lawyer, business executive and politician who served as the 66th and 68th Mayor of Rochester, New York.
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Zach Thomas
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Zachary Ryan Thomas is an American professional basketball player for Keravnos of the Cypriot League. He played college basketball for Bucknell University.
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Bruce Lundvall
- Occupations
- music executiverecord producer
- Biography
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Bruce Lundvall was an American record company executive, best known for his period as the President and CEO of the Blue Note Label Group, reporting directly to Eric Nicoli, the Chief Executive Officer of EMI Group.
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Cameron Ayers
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Cameron Alexander Ayers is an American professional basketball player, who last played for Trefl Sopot of PLK. He played college basketball for Bucknell.
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Jean Byrne
- Occupations
- teacher
- Biography
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Jean Byrne was an American educator who was the first lady of New Jersey from 1974 to 1982 during the tenure of her former husband, two-term Governor Brendan Byrne.
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Kristen Henderson
- Occupations
- singer-songwriter
- Biography
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Kristen Henderson is a founding member, guitarist and songwriter for the all female popular rock band Antigone Rising. She is also the author of a memoir, "Times Two, Two Women in Love and The Happy Family They Made" (Free Press/Simon & Schuster)., and maintains a blog, "Hangin' with Hendo" where she voices opinions simply by telling her own personal stories on politically charged issues like same sex adoption and marriage equality. She and wife, Sarah Kate Ellis-Henderson, are vocal advocates on LGBT issues, especially marriage and family equality. In 2013, Kristen made the Buzzfeed's Most Powerful LGBT Icons and Allies List alongside The Pope, Madonna, President Obama, Edie Windsor and Elton John.
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Charles Francis Potter
- Occupations
- priest
- Biography
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Charles Francis Potter was an American Unitarian minister, theologian, and author.
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Nana Foulland
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Nana F. Foulland is a video analyst for the Oklahoma City Thunder and former American professional basketball player who last played for Boulazac Basket Dordogne of LNB Pro B. He played college basketball for Bucknell University, where he was named Patriot League Player of the Year and Patriot Defensive Player of the Year in 2017.
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Matt Daley
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Matthew Thomas Daley is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Colorado Rockies and the New York Yankees. He retired after the 2014 season and is now a professional scout for the Yankees.
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Christopher McNaughton
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Christopher George McNaughton is a German-American (with an American father and German mother, respectively) professional basketball player who last played for MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). He competed with the German national basketball team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
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Nancy Wood
- Occupations
- poetwriterphotographer
- Biography
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Nancy Wood was an American author, poet, and photographer. Wood published numerous collections of poetry as well as children's novels, fiction, and nonfiction. Major themes and influences in her work were the Native American cultures of the Southwestern United States.
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Ken Jenkins
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Kenneth Walton 'Kenny' Jenkins is a former American football running back.
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Paul Shearer Althouse
- Occupations
- opera singersingermusic teacher
- Biography
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Paul Shearer Althouse was an American opera singer. He began his career as a lyric tenor with a robust Italianate sound, in roles including Cavaradossi in Tosca, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, and Turiddu in Cavalleria rusticana. He later branched out into the dramatic tenor repertoire, finding success in portraying Wagnerian heroes. He sang with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City for 30 years.
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Mike Lookingland
- Occupations
- association football playerassociation football manager
- Biography
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Mike Lookingland is an American soccer defender who played for the Milwaukee Wave of the Major Arena Soccer League in the 2014–2015 season. He was the 2012 Major Indoor Soccer League Defender of the Year.
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Brynja McDivitt Booth
- Occupations
- lawyerjudge
- Biography
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Brynja McDivitt Booth is an American lawyer from Maryland who is a Justice of the Supreme Court of Maryland.
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Kevin Eiben
- Occupations
- Canadian football player
- Biography
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Kevin Eiben is a former professional Canadian football linebacker who is currently the linebackers coach for the Toronto Argonauts and of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted 26th overall by the Argonauts in the 2001 CFL Draft and spent the first 11 years of his playing career with the team, followed by one season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He played college football for the Bucknell Bison.
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Andrew Copelan
- Born in
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United States - Occupations
- head coach
- Biography
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Andrew "Andy" Copelan is the head coach of the Waterdogs Lacrosse Club. Previously, Copelan was the head coach of Fairfield University from 2008 to 2019. Prior to that, Copelan was an assistant coach and offensive coordinator at the Maryland Terrapins from 2006 to 2008. He was the head coach at Marist College from 2004 to 2005, where he led the Red Foxes to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2005.
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P. George Benson
- Occupations
- academic administratoracademicuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Paul George Benson is an American academic, and the former President of the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina.
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Weldon Wyckoff
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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John Weldon Wyckoff was a professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics (1913–16) and Boston Red Sox (1917-18). Wyckoff batted and threw right-handed. In some baseball resources, he is referred as John Wyckoff.
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Charles Miller
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Charles Miller was a Pennsylvania businessman, philanthropist and Major General of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. He commanded the organization now known as the 28th Infantry Division and was a founder of the Galena-Signal Oil Company, which later became part of the Standard Oil combine, and then part of the corporations now known as Texaco and Valvoline.
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Charles I. Carpenter
- Enrolled in Bucknell University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- military officerChristian minister
- Biography
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Rev. Charles Irving Carpenter was an American pastor and the first Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force.
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Ivor David Fenton
- Occupations
- medical internpoliticianphysician
- Biography
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Ivor David Fenton was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
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Stephen Maranian
- Born in
- United States
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Stephen J. Maranian is a United States Army major general who commands the 56th Artillery Command. Commissioned in 1988 as a Field Artillery officer, Maranian has served continuously on active duty, commanding from the platoon to the two-star level. He has served in combat deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. More than half of his career has been spent overseas as of 2023. Maranian holds two master's degrees and is a graduate of both the United States Army Command and General Staff College and the United States Army War College; he has also graduated from the NATO Defense College and the Defense Language Institute.
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Adam Martin Wyant
- Occupations
- American football playerlawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Adam Martin Wyant was an American politician who served as Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. He served six terms, a total of twelve years, in the House.
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Alexander McDonald
- Occupations
- bankerpoliticiandiplomat
- Biography
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Alexander McDonald was a Republican politician who represented Arkansas in the United States Senate during the Reconstruction years from 1868 to 1871.
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Jacob Thompson Baker
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Jacob Thompson Baker was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey who represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district for one term from 1913 to 1915.
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Edward M. Brawley
- Occupations
- educatorjournalistChristian minister
- Biography
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Edward McKnight Brawley was an American educator and minister in North Carolina and South Carolina. He was the first African American to attend Bucknell University. He was an important figure in the development of the African-American church in South Carolina and the American southeast and helped found numerous churches and schools, including the Benedict Institute and Morris College. He served as president at Morris and, earlier, at Selma University. Later in his career he was a professor at Shaw University. He was also a prominent pastor at numerous churches and an important figure in civil rights and religious affairs.
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Charles E. Bunnell
- Occupations
- judge
- Biography
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Charles Ernest Bunnell was a district judge for the United States Fourth Judicial Division and the University of Alaska's first president, from 1921 to 1949. He ran for Alaska Territorial Delegate to Congress on the Democratic Party ticket in 1914, but was defeated. He was appointed to his district judgeship January 15, 1915 by US President Woodrow Wilson, serving as judge on the US District Court in Fairbanks, Alaska for seven years.
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Paul G. Smith
- Occupations
- athlete
- Biography
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Paul Garfield Smith was an American college football and college baseball coach from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He served as the head football coach for Bucknell University in 1908 and at Dickinson College in 1909, compiling a career college football coaching record of 6–9–3. Smith was also the head baseball coach at Bucknell in 1908, tallying a mark of 10–8. In the 1918 and 1919 high school football seasons, he coached Harrisburg Technical High School to 21 undefeated wins. He later worked as an attorney and judge, at one point serving as the president judge of the Dauphin County Court.
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William Shadrack Shallenberger
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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William Shadrack Shallenberger was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
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Lemuel Amerman
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Lemuel Amerman was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania from 1891 to 1893.
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George K. James
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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George Kepford "Lefty" James was an American football and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at Cornell University from 1947 to 1960. Four of his teams won unofficial Ivy League titles and he ran Cornell's physical training program during the World War II.
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John Howard Harris
- Occupations
- academic
- Biography
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John Howard Harris was president of Bucknell University from 1889 to 1919.
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Ruth McNamee
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Ruth Braden McNamee was an American politician.
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Ward R. Bliss
- Occupations
- editorpolitician
- Biography
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Ward Raymond Bliss was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Delaware County from 1889 to 1906 and as Majority Leader from 1903 to 1904.
