39 Notable alumni of
Luther College
Updated:
Luther College is 1661st in the world, 590th in North America, and 556th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 39 notable alumni from Luther 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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Patrick Whitesell
- Occupations
- talent agent
- Biography
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Patrick Whitesell is an American businessman and executive chairman of Endeavor, an entertainment and media agency. He joined the Endeavor Talent Agency as a partner in February 2001, where he was a member of the company’s Executive Committee.
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Callista Gingrich
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Callista Louise Gingrich is an American businesswoman, author, documentary film producer and former diplomat who served as United States Ambassador to the Holy See from 2017 to 2021. She is married to former House Speaker and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.
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Michael T. Osterholm
- Occupations
- epidemiologistacademicprofessor
- Biography
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Michael Thomas Osterholm is an American epidemiologist, Regents Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
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Duane Hanson
- Occupations
- sculptorinstallation artistpainterphotographer
- Biography
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Duane Hanson was an American artist and sculptor born in Minnesota. He spent most of his career in South Florida. He was known for his life-sized realistic sculptures of people. He cast the works based on human models in various materials, including polyester resin, fiberglass, Bondo, and bronze. Hanson's works are in the permanent collections of The Whitney Museum of American Art, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and The Smithsonian.
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Arne Sorenson
- Occupations
- entrepreneurlawyerinternational forum participant
- Biography
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Arne Morris Sorenson was an American lawyer and hotel executive who served as the president and chief executive officer of Marriott International from 2012 until his death in 2021. He was a graduate of Luther College in Iowa, and the University of Minnesota Law School. He previously practiced law in Washington, D.C., with Latham and Watkins, specializing in mergers and acquisitions litigation. He joined Marriott in 1996 where he served in increasingly senior management roles before being promoted to chief executive.
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Drew Curtis
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Drew Curtis is the founder and an administrator of Fark, an Internet news aggregator. He is also the author of It's Not News, It's FARK: How Mass Media Tries to Pass off Crap as News in May 2007. He is a guest on WOCM's morning show The Rude Awakening Show every Tuesday. Curtis was the Independent gubernatorial candidate for Governor of Kentucky in 2015 but lost to the Republican nominee Matt Bevin.
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Jim Whitesell
- Occupations
- basketball coach
- Biography
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Jim Whitesell is an American college basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the Albany Great Danes men's basketball team.Prior to Albany, he was the head men's coach for the Buffalo Bulls. Previously he coached at the Division I level as a head coach at Loyola University Chicago and an assistant at St. John's and Saint Louis. Whitesell replaced Larry Farmer as head coach of the Ramblers on April 14, 2004. Whitesell was fired as head coach of the Ramblers on March 14, 2011, after seven seasons, posting a 109–106 record in that time. Whitesell was hired in August 2013 as an assistant coach at St. John's to fill the void left by former director of basketball operations Moe Hicks. On April 16, 2015, he was named associate head coach of men's basketball at the University at Buffalo. On April 6, 2019, Whitesell was named the 14th head coach of men's basketball at the University at Buffalo, filling the void left by Nate Oats when he resigned to take the head coach position at the University of Alabama. On March 11, 2023, after four seasons and a 70–49 record he was fired as the Buffalo head coach.He was named an assistant coach at Albany on September 14,2023.
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Dagfinn Høybråten
- Occupations
- political scientistpolitician
- Biography
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Dagfinn Høybråten is a Norwegian politician. He was the leader of the Christian Democratic Party 2004–2011. He was also Parliamentary leader from 2005 when he was elected as Member of Parliament representing Rogaland. He was Vice President of the Norwegian Parliament from 2011 to 2013. He was President of the Nordic Council in 2007. Høybråten was granted leave from his duty as Member of Parliament from March 2013 to take up the position as Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers. He was elected board member of the GAVI Alliance in 2006 and chair of the board from 2011 to 2015.
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Jim Nussle
- Enrolled in Luther College
- In 1983 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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James Allen Nussle is an American businessman and retired politician who has been president and chief executive officer of the Credit Union National Association since 2014. Nussle served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2007 and was the Republican nominee for the 2006 Iowa gubernatorial election, losing to Democrat Chet Culver. He was then appointed director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 2007 by President George W. Bush, an office he retained until 2009.
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Adolph Herseth
- Occupations
- musiciantrumpetermilitary officer
- Biography
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Adolph Sylvester "Bud" Herseth was principal trumpet in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1948 until 2001, and served as principal trumpet emeritus from 2001 until his retirement in 2004.
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Brian Andreas
- Occupations
- painter
- Biography
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Brian Andreas is the pen name of Kai Andreas Skye, an American writer, artist, publisher and speaker widely known for his simple and poetic short stories of 50 to 100 words, often accompanied by distinctive color drawings. The stories range from wry comic commentary to elegant and direct meditations on themes of love, relationships, and being alive now.
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Julie E. Adams
- Biography
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Julie E. Adams is an American government official and former political advisor who served as the 33rd Secretary of the United States Senate from 2015 to 2021.
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Matthew Busche
- Occupations
- sport cyclist
- Biography
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Matthew Busche is an American former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2009 and 2016 for the Kelly Benefit Strategies, Team RadioShack, Trek Factory Racing and UnitedHealthcare teams. In 2009, he gained notoriety for his rapid rise from a Wisconsin-based amateur team to Team RadioShack within the course of one season. Busche was the winner of the 2011 and 2015 United States National Road Race Championships.
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Rasmus Bjørn Anderson
- Occupations
- translatorwriterlinguistdiplomat
- Biography
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Rasmus Bjørn Anderson was an American author, professor, editor, businessman and diplomat. He brought to popular attention the fact that Viking explorers were the first Europeans to arrive in the New World and was the originator of Leif Erikson Day.
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Robert D. Preus
- Enrolled in Luther College
- In 1944 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- theologianprofessorpastor
- Biography
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Robert David Preus was an American Lutheran pastor, professor, author, and seminary president.
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J. A. O. Preus I
- Occupations
- politicianbusinesspersonjurist
- Biography
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Jacob Aall Ottesen Preus was an American politician. He served as the 8th state auditor of Minnesota from January 5, 1915, to January 5, 1921, and as the 20th Governor of Minnesota from January 5, 1921, to January 6, 1925. He was a Republican.
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Ole J. Kvale
- Occupations
- politicianpriest
- Biography
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Ole Juulson Kvale was a Lutheran minister and U.S. Representative from Minnesota.
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Donovan W. Frank
- Occupations
- judgelawyer
- Biography
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Donovan W. Frank is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.
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Gregory R. Dahlberg
- Enrolled in Luther College
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in political science and business management
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Gregory Robert Dahlberg was United States Under Secretary of the Army from 2000 to 2001.
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Dave Senjem
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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David Howard Senjem is an American politician currently serving on the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners. He is a former member of the Minnesota Senate, in that office from 2003 to 2023. He served as its majority leader from 2011 to 2013. A moderate Republican, Senjem has crossed party lines on many occasions, notably environmental policy and women's issues. He represented District 25, which at the time included portions of Dodge and Olmsted counties in the southeastern part of the state. Much of the northern half of Rochester was in his district.
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John Lehman
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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John W. Lehman is an American educator and politician from Racine, Wisconsin. Lehman represented the 21st District in the Wisconsin Senate from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2012 to 2015, and was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin in 2014. Previously, Lehman was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1997 through 2007. Elected as a state senator in 2006 but unseated in 2010, Lehman retook his old seat in the 2012 Wisconsin recall elections, defeating the incumbent, Van Wanggaard, who won the seat back in the 2014 general election.
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Norman Brunsdale
- Occupations
- farmerpoliticianteacher
- Biography
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Clarence Norman Brunsdale was an American politician who served as the 24th Governor of North Dakota and a United States senator from the state of North Dakota.
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Henry Oscar Talle
- Enrolled in Luther College
- Studied in 1917
- Occupations
- school superintendenttreasurerpoliticianteacher
- Biography
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Henry Oscar Talle was an economics professor and a ten-term Republican U.S. Representative from eastern Iowa. He served in the United States Congress for twenty years from 1939 until 1959.
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Ludvig Hektoen
- Occupations
- pathologistsurgeon
- Biography
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Ludvig Hektoen was an American pathologist known for his work in the fields of pathology, microbiology and immunology. Hektoen was appointed to the National Academy of Sciences in 1918, and served as president of many professional societies, including the American Association of Immunologists in 1927 and the American Society for Microbiology in 1929. He was the founding editor of the Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in 1926 and edited several other medical journals. He was knighted to the Order of St. Olav in 1929, and in 1933, he became professor emeritus of pathology at the University of Chicago. The Hektoen Institute for Medical Research—formerly the John McCormick Institute of Infectious Diseases—now bears his name.
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Tod Bowman
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Tod Bowman, is a Democratic politician and legislator from the state of Iowa. He was elected to the Iowa Senate in 2010. He represents District 29, which holds Clinton, Dubuque, and Jackson counties.
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Nils P. Haugen
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Nils Pederson Haugen was a Norwegian American immigrant, lawyer, and politician. He served four terms in the United States House of Representatives, representing western Wisconsin. He was a leading member of the Progressive Movement in Wisconsin and a national expert on tax reform. The village of Haugen, Wisconsin, in Barron County, was named after him.
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Leon Lillie
- Years
- 1961-.. (age 63)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Leon Michael Lillie is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2005. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Lillie represents District 44B in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Oakdale, North St. Paul, and Maplewood and parts of Ramsey and Washington Counties.
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Merlin Bartz
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Merlin Bartz is an American politician who served as an Iowa State Senator from the 6th District, elected in 2008 and serving for a single term. A Republican, he sat on the Appropriations, Human Resources, Natural Resources, and Ways and Means committees. He was the ranking member on the Administration and Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee.
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Josh Byrnes
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Josh Byrnes is a Republican party member and was in of the Iowa House of Representatives from 2010 until 2016. In November 2020, Iowa governor Kim Reynolds appointed him to the Iowa Utilities Board until April 30, 2025.
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Donn Sorensen
- Years
- 1961-.. (age 63)
- Biography
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Donn Sorensen is a healthcare executive, philanthropist, public speaker and author. He is currently the Executive Vice President of Operations for Mercy Health. He oversees operations in all four states that Mercy services. Sorensen is the Chairman of Board and a member of the American Medical Group Association’s board of directors. He is also a fellow of the American College of Medical Practice Executives.
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Laurits S. Swenson
- Years
- 1865-1947 (aged 82)
- Occupations
- diplomat
- Biography
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Laurits Selmer Swenson was an American diplomat who served as Ambassador (called Minister at the time) to Norway, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Denmark.
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A. Thomas Kraabel
- Occupations
- theologianprofessorclassical scholar
- Biography
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Alf Thomas Kraabel was an American classics scholar and educator who worked extensively in Greek and Hellenistic Judaic studies. He served as a faculty member in the classics department at the University of Minnesota from 1963 to 1983, and served as the Dean of Luther College in Iowa before retiring in 2000.
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J. C. M. Hanson
- Occupations
- librarian
- Biography
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James Christian Meinich Hanson was a Norwegian born, American librarian.
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Kari Tauring
- Occupations
- songwriter
- Biography
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Kari Christine Tauring is an American folk musician, author, and teacher. She sings and writes Nordic folk music of her familial Norwegian heritage. Her career began in the early 1990s in Rose Absolute, a duo with vocalist Gina Sauer, while her first solo studio album, Faith in Me, was released in 1998. Tauring has released five albums, and an extended play.
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Chuck Gipp
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Charles R. "Chuck" Gipp is an American politician in the state of Iowa. A Republican, he served in the Iowa House of Representatives for the 31st district from 1990 to 2003 and for the 16th district from 2003 to 2009. He was the majority leader in the Iowa House from 2003 to 2007, when the Democrats recaptured the legislature in the 2006 elections.
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Robert H. Lounsberry
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Robert Horace Lounsberry was the Secretary of Agriculture for the state of Iowa from 1972 to 1987, a nationally known farmer advocate during the farming crises of the 1980s, and a powerful figure in the Republican Party at both the state and national level.
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V. Trygve Jordahl
- Occupations
- Lutheran military chaplainLutheran pastor
- Biography
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Verner Trygve "V.T." Jordahl was an Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELC) District President; he served as a U.S. Army Chaplain, on the Luther College Board of Regents, and was the ELC Director of Service to Military Personnel.
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Paul John Kvale
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Paul John Kvale was a U.S. Representative from Minnesota.
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Otto Onstad
- Occupations
- politicianfarmer
- Biography
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Peder Otto Onstad was an American educator and politician.
