42 Notable alumni of
Illinois College
Updated:
Illinois College is 2448th in the world, 854th in North America, and 808th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 42 notable alumni from Illinois College sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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William Jennings Bryan
- Occupations
- writerlawyerdiplomatpoliticianeditor
- Biography
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William Jennings Bryan was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the Democratic Party, running three times as the party's nominee for President of the United States in the 1896, 1900, and 1908 elections. He served in the House of Representatives from 1891 to 1895 and as the Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson from 1913 to 1915. Because of his faith in the wisdom of the common people, Bryan was often called "the Great Commoner", and because of his rhetorical power and early fame as the youngest presidential candidate, "the Boy Orator".
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John Wesley Powell
- Occupations
- linguistexplorermilitary personnelgeographerwriter
- Biography
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John Wesley Powell was an American geologist, U.S. Army soldier, explorer of the American West, professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions. He is famous for his 1869 geographic expedition, a three-month river trip down the Green and Colorado rivers, including the first official U.S. government-sponsored passage through the Grand Canyon.
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Cheri Bustos
- Occupations
- journalistinternational forum participantpoliticianbusinessperson
- Biography
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Cheryl Lea Bustos is an American journalist, healthcare executive, and politician who served as the U.S. representative from Illinois's 17th congressional district from 2013 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first woman elected to Congress from her district in the northwestern part of the state, anchored by the Illinois side of the Quad Cities and partially including Peoria and Rockford. In 2019, Bustos became chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
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Paul Findley
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Paul Augustus Findley was an American writer and politician. He served as United States Representative from Illinois, representing its 20th District. A Republican, he was first elected in 1960. A moderate Republican for most of his long political career, Findley was a supporter of civil rights and an early opponent of the U.S. war in Vietnam. He co-authored the War Powers Act in 1973, which is supposed to limit the ability of the president to go to war without Congressional authorization. Findley lost his seat in 1982 to current United States Senator Dick Durbin. He was a cofounder of the Council for the National Interest, a Washington, D.C. advocacy group, and was a vocal critic of American policy towards Israel.
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William Herndon
- Occupations
- lawyerwriterpoliticianbiographer
- Biography
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William Henry Herndon was a law partner and biographer of President Abraham Lincoln. He was an early member of the new Republican Party and was elected mayor of Springfield, Illinois.
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Charles Wayland Bryan
- Occupations
- politiciandiplomat
- Biography
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Charles Wayland Bryan was an American businessman and politician who served as the 20th and 23rd Governor of Nebraska, and Mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska, and was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 1924. He was the younger brother of Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, who was the Democratic nominee for President in 1896, 1900, and 1908.
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Charlotte Thompson Reid
- Occupations
- politicianradio personality
- Biography
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Charlotte Thompson Reid served in the U.S. Congress as a U.S. representative for Illinois from 1963 to 1971. She was a member of the Republican Party.
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Everett Dean Martin
- Years
- 1880-1941 (aged 61)
- Occupations
- sociologist
- Biography
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Everett Dean Martin was an American minister, writer, journalist, instructor, lecturer, social psychologist, social philosopher, and an advocate of adult education. He was an instructor and lecturer at The New School for Social Research in New York City from 1921 to 1929, and served on the board of directors of The New School from 1925 to 1932. He was the final director of the People's Institute of Cooper Union in New York City from 1922 to 1934. Martin was born in Jacksonville, Illinois, on July 5, 1880. Graduating with honors at the age of 24 from Illinois College in Jacksonville, he moved on to Chicago, attending McCormick Theological Seminary from 1904 until his ordination as a Congregational Minister in 1907. Martin received a Litt.D. (Doctor of Letters) degree from Illinois College in 1907. He was best known for his advocacy of the liberal education of adults, which he saw as "an antidote to both the irrationality of the crowd and the power of propaganda."
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Marina Verenikina
- Years
- 1982-.. (age 42)
- Occupations
- singerpianistsongwriter
- Biography
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Marina Gennadievna Verenikina, known as Marina V, is a Russian singer and musician. She has released 12 albums and toured internationally, performing over 1,200 concerts.
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Margaret D. Foster
- Occupations
- chemist
- Biography
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Margaret Dorothy Foster was an American chemist. She worked for the United States Geological Survey, and was recruited to work on the Manhattan Project. She wrote dozens of research papers on the chemistry of the natural world and assaying methods.
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Julian N. Frisbie
- Occupations
- prison wardenmilitary personnel
- Biography
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Julian Neil Frisbie was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general, who is most noted for his service as commanding officer of the 7th Marine Regiment during the Battle of Cape Gloucester and later as warden of Southern Michigan Prison during 1952 riots.
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William McKendree Springer
- Occupations
- lawyerwriterpoliticianjudge
- Biography
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William McKendree Springer was a United States Representative from Illinois.
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William Jayne
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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William A. Jayne was an American politician and physician. He served as Governor of the Dakota Territory and as the territory's delegate to the United States House of Representatives during the American Civil War.
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Jonathan E. Spilman
- Occupations
- composerlawyer
- Biography
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Jonathan Edwards Spilman was a Kentucky lawyer, minister, and composer.
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Richard Yates
- Occupations
- judgelawyerpoliticianeditorjournalist
- Biography
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Richard Yates Jr. was the 22nd Governor of Illinois from 1901 to 1905—the first native-born governor of the state. From 1919 to 1933, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois.
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William Mather Lewis
- Biography
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William Mather Lewis was an American teacher, university president, local politician, and a state and national government official. He was mayor of Lake Forest, Illinois from 1915 to 1917, President of George Washington University from 1923 to 1927 and the President of Lafayette College from 1927 to 1945.
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Richard Henry Mills
- Enrolled in Illinois College
- In 1951 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- judgelawyer
- Biography
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Richard Henry Mills was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois.
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Stephen P. Hempstead
- Occupations
- politicianjudgelawyer
- Biography
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Stephen P. Hempstead was the second Governor of Iowa. A Democrat, he served from 1850 to 1854.
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Lewis W. Ross
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Lewis Winans Ross was an Illinois attorney, merchant, and U.S. Representative from Illinois's 9th congressional district. He was widely known as an antiwar Peace Democrat or Copperhead during the American Civil War.
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Leonard Fulton Ross
- Occupations
- judgelawyermilitary officer
- Biography
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Leonard Fulton Ross was an American lawyer, probate judge, and stock raiser who served as a first lieutenant in the Mexican-American War and as a brigadier general during the American Civil War.
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Ralph Tyler Smith
- Occupations
- politicianlawyermilitary officer
- Biography
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Ralph Tyler Smith was an American lawyer and politician from Illinois, who served as a United States Senator from Illinois between 1969 until 1970. A member of the Republican Party, Smith previously served in the Illinois state house from 1955 through 1969, including two years as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1967 to 1969, prior to his appointment to the senate by governor Richard Ogilvie. He lost re-election to Adlai Stevenson III in the 1970 special election.
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Richard Yates
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Richard Yates was the Governor of Illinois during the American Civil War and has been considered one of the most effective war governors. He took energetic measures to secure Cairo and St. Louis against rebel attack. Nicknamed the "Soldiers' Friend", he helped organize the Illinois contingent of Union soldiers, including commissioning Ulysses S. Grant as a colonel for an Illinois regiment. He supported the Emancipation Proclamation. He also represented Illinois in the United States House of Representatives (1851–1855) and in the U.S. Senate (1865–1871). As a Senator, he voted and spoke in favor of removing President Andrew Johnson from office. He was a Whig and then a Republican.
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John Davis
- Occupations
- literary editorpolitician
- Biography
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John Davis was a U.S. Representative from Kansas.
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James M. Barnes
- Occupations
- politicianjudgelawyer
- Biography
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James Martin Barnes was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois and administrative assistant to Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman.
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John Wesley Ross
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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John Wesley Ross was an American attorney who served as postmaster of Washington, D.C., as president of the D.C. Public Schools Board of Trustees, and as a member and president of the D.C. Board of Commissioners.
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William E. Williams
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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William Elza Williams was a U.S. Representative from Illinois.
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Andrew Russel
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Andrew Russel was a Republican politician and banker, who twice served as Illinois Treasurer (1909–1911 and 1915–1917) and later as Illinois Auditor of Public Accounts (1917–1925), before being convicted along with his partner of illegal banking practices in 1932 and dying in prison.
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William G. Greene
- Years
- 1812-1894 (aged 82)
- Occupations
- tax collector
- Biography
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William G. "Slicky Bill" Greene Jr. was an American businessman who was a close friend of Abraham Lincoln. He did business in Menard County, Illinois. Greene founded Tallula, Illinois in 1857, and Greenview, Illinois is named after him.
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Newton Bateman
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Newton Bateman was an American academic, educational administrator, and editor from New Jersey. Raised in poverty, Bateman came with his family to Illinois at a young age then earned his way into Illinois College. After graduating, he again struggled to make ends meet before an anonymous donor sent him a large sum of money. He used it to establish a private school in St. Louis, Missouri. He was later elected superintendent of schools in Morgan County, Illinois, then served as Illinois Superintendent of Public Instruction (1859–63, 1865–1875). He resigned to become president of Knox College. Late in his life, he published an encyclopedia of the state. Bateman was an associate of Abraham Lincoln and is the source of a controversial account of his religious views.
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Barbour Lewis
- Occupations
- politicianjudgelawyer
- Biography
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Barbour Lewis was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee's 9th congressional district.
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William Henry Barnes
- Occupations
- politicianjudgelawyer
- Biography
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William Henry Barnes was an American jurist who served as Assistant Justice on the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court from 1885 till 1889.
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John C. Martin
- Occupations
- bankerpolitician
- Biography
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John Cunningham Martin was an American politician who served as a member of the US House of Representatives from Illinois and as Illinois treasurer.
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Edward E. Johnston
- Occupations
- announcerpoliticianbusinessperson
- Biography
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Edward Elliott Johnston was an American businessman and politician.
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William C. Goudy
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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William Charles Goudy was an American politician and attorney from Indiana. Arriving in Illinois in 1833, he matriculated at Illinois College and then studied law with Stephen T. Logan. He opened a successful law practice in Lewistown, Illinois and was elected district attorney in 1853. He was elected to the Illinois Senate, serving from 1856 to 1860. Goudy moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1859 and became consul for the Chicago and North Western Railway Company
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Edward Capps
- Occupations
- art historianuniversity teacherclassical philologistdiplomat
- Biography
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Edward Capps Sr. was an American diplomat, professor of Philology, and colonel.
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Theodore N. Morrison
- Occupations
- priest
- Biography
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Theodore Nevin Morrison was a 20th-century bishop in the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. He was Bishop of Iowa from 1898 to 1929.
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Asa C. Matthews
- Occupations
- politicianjudge
- Biography
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Asa Carrington Matthews was an American lawyer, judge, and politician.
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Leroy Buchiet
- Occupations
- head coach
- Biography
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Leroy Charles Buchiet was an American football and basketball coach. He served as the head football coach for the Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan for four seasons, from 1914 until 1917, compiling a record of 9–13–3. Buchiet was also the head basketball coach at Hillsdale from 1914 to 1918, tallying a mark of 18–28 He played football and basketball and ran track at Lake Forest College.
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Joseph Trotter Mills
- Occupations
- politicianjudge
- Biography
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Joseph Trotter Mills was an American attorney, jurist, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served four one-year terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, and was Wisconsin circuit court judge for the 5th circuit from 1865 through 1877.
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James W. Robison
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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James W. Robison, born James W. Robertson, was a Scottish American farmer, horticulturist, politician, and horse breeder. After his family immigrated to the United States shortly after his birth, Robison attended public school and then studied at Illinois College. He became a wealthy farmer, particularly noted for his large orchards. He served two terms in the Illinois Senate in the 1870s. In 1879, he visited Kansas and established a farm in Butler County. The estate eventually amassed 17,000 acres (6,900 ha) and featured one of the largest Percheron ranches in the nation. Robison was elected to the Kansas Senate in 1897.
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Edward Doane
- Years
- 1820-1890 (aged 70)
- Occupations
- missionary
- Biography
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Edward Topping Doane was an American Protestant missionary who served in Micronesia.
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John Campbell Rice
- Occupations
- politicianjudgelawyer
- Biography
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John Campbell Rice was an American attorney and judge. He was a justice of the Idaho Supreme Court and served as chief justice from 1922 to 1923.
