34 Notable alumni of
Widener University
Updated:
Widener University is 1574th in the world, 549th in North America, and 516th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 34 notable alumni from Widener 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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Cecil B. DeMille
- Occupations
- film producerfilm actorfilm editordirectortheatrical director
- Biography
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Cecil Blount DeMille, often known in popular culture as Mr. DeMille, was an American filmmaker and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of American cinema and the most commercially successful producer-director in film history, with many films dominating the box office three or four at a time. His films were distinguished by their epic scale and by his cinematic showmanship. His silent films included social dramas, comedies, Westerns, farces, morality plays, and historical pageants.
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Louis Comfort Tiffany
- Occupations
- painterglass artistinterior designerdesignerphotographer
- Biography
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Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in art glass, especially stained glass and Favrile glass. He is associated with the art nouveau and aesthetic art movements. He was affiliated with a prestigious collaborative of designers known as the Associated Artists, which included Lockwood de Forest, Candace Wheeler, and Samuel Colman. Tiffany designed stained glass windows and lamps, glass mosaics, blown glass such as vases, ceramics, jewelry, enamels, and metalwork. Glass work by Tiffany Studios is known as Tiffany glass. He was the first design director at his family company, Tiffany & Co., founded by his father Charles Lewis Tiffany.
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Burt Mustin
- Occupations
- actortelevision actorstage actor
- Biography
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Burton Hill Mustin was an American character actor who appeared in over 150 film and television productions. He also worked in radio and appeared on the stage.
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Donald F. McGahn II
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
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Donald Francis McGahn II is an American lawyer who served as White House counsel for U.S. president Donald Trump, from the day of Trump's inauguration through October 17, 2018, when McGahn resigned. Previously, McGahn served on the Federal Election Commission for over five years. In November 2019, McGahn received a court order to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives. In August 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 7–2 that the House can sue him to comply.
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Pat Quinn
- Occupations
- ice hockey playercoachice hockey coachlawyer
- Biography
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John Brian Patrick Quinn, OC was a Canadian ice hockey player, head coach, and executive. Known by the nickname "The Big Irishman", he coached for the National Hockey League's Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Edmonton Oilers, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals twice, with the Flyers in 1980 and the Canucks in 1994. Internationally, Quinn coached Team Canada to gold medals at the 2002 Winter Olympics, 2008 IIHF World U18 Championships and 2009 World Junior Championship, as well as World Cup championship in 2004.
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Patrick Murphy
- Enrolled in Widener University
- In 1999 graduated with Juris Doctor
- Occupations
- teacherlawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Patrick Joseph Murphy is an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd United States Under Secretary of the Army. He was the first veteran of the Iraq War to be elected to the United States House of Representatives, representing Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district from 2007 to 2011. Murphy is a former anchor of Taking the Hill on MSNBC. Murphy is currently on the faculty of Wharton Business School and the Distinguished Chair of Innovation at the United States Military Academy.
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Phil Martelli
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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Philip Martelli Sr. is an American college basketball coach, who was recently the associate head coach for the Michigan Wolverines.
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Billy Johnson
- Occupations
- Canadian football playerAmerican football player
- Biography
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William Arthur Johnson, better known as Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL) from 1974 through 1988. A 75th and 100th Anniversary All-Time NFL Team selection, Johnson was one of the first players to display elaborate celebrations in the end zone.
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Sylvanus Morley
- Occupations
- mayanisthistorianepigrapherarchaeologistanthropologist
- Biography
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Sylvanus Griswold Morley was an American archaeologist and epigrapher who studied the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in the early 20th century. Morley led extensive excavations of the Maya site of Chichen Itza on behalf of the Carnegie Institution and published several large compilations and treatises on Maya hieroglyphic writing. He also wrote popular accounts on the Maya for a general audience.
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Dan Borislow
- Occupations
- entrepreneurinventor
- Biography
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Daniel Marc Borislow was an American entrepreneur, sports team owner, inventor, and thoroughbred horse breeder. Borislow was born and grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and attended Widener University. In 1989, he founded Tel-Save, Inc. to resell access to AT&T long distance lines. Borislow took the company public in 1995, and two years later brokered a $100 million deal with AOL at the "Cafe L’Europe," Palm Beach. In early 1998, Tel-Save had sales of $300 million and was valued by Wall Street investors at $2 billion. However, due to the financial strain of paying off the AOL deal, Tel-Save lost $221 million in 1999, and Borislow sold his stock for approximately $300 million and retired.
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Bryan Cutler
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Bryan Dean Cutler is an American politician and former Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. A Republican, Cutler represents the 100th legislative district of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He was first elected in 2006, defeating incumbent Gibson C. Armstrong. He was elected House Majority Leader after the 2018 elections, and he became Speaker on June 22, 2020, after the resignation of Mike Turzai. Cutler remained speaker until Republicans lost the 2022 election and later stepped down from leadership after a similar defeat in 2024. He announced his retirement from the state House in 2025.
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Bill Stern
- Occupations
- actortelevision presenter
- Biography
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Bill Stern was an American actor and sportscaster who announced the nation's first remote sports broadcast and the first telecast of a baseball game. In 1984, Stern was part of the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame's inaugural class which included sportscasting legends Red Barber, Don Dunphy, Ted Husing and Graham McNamee. He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame (1988) and has a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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Jon D. Fox
- Enrolled in Widener University
- In 1975 graduated with Juris Doctor
- Occupations
- lawyermilitary officerpoliticianlecturer
- Biography
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Jon D. Fox was an American Republican politician. He served as a member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1985 to 1992 before being elected to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners (1992–1995). His final political role was as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania between 1995 and 1999.
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Brian Tierney
- Occupations
- business executive
- Biography
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Brian P. Tierney is an American advertising and public relations executive and former co-owner and publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Born in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, Tierney is chief executive officer of Brian Communications, which he founded in 2010, and RealTime Media, which he bought from the previous owners with the help of the venture firm, New Spring Capital.
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Ericka Hart
- Occupations
- university teachermodelpodcasteractivistsex educator
- Biography
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Ericka Hart is an American academic, sex educator, and model.
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Cyrus Tang
- Years
- 1930-2018 (aged 88)
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Cyrus Chung-Ying Tang was a Chinese American industrialist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He founded and acquired companies across industries, including steel, metals, life sciences, and manufacturing, primarily through U.S.-based ventures such as Tang Industries and National Material Limited Partnership. Cyrus Tang was also recognized for his philanthropic work in cultural exchange, education, and healthcare, particularly through the Cyrus Tang Foundation, the Cyrus and Michael Tang Foundation, and the Tang Foundation for the Research of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which operated both in the United States and China.
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Carolyn Comitta
- Years
- 1952-.. (age 74)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Carolyn Comitta is an American politician, educator and financial officer. A Democrat, she is a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate representing the 19th district. Previously, Comitta was the first woman to serve as Mayor of West Chester, the seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, and served two terms in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives representing the 156th district.
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John H. Tilelli, Jr
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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John Harold Tilelli Jr. is a retired United States Army four-star general who served as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1994 to 1995; Commanding General, United States Army Forces Command from 1995 to 1996; and Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, ROK/United States Combined Forces Command/Commander, United States Forces Korea from 1996 to 1999. He retired from the United States Army on 31 January 2000, and later worked for the USO and The Aerospace Corporation.
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Margaret M. Sweeney
- Occupations
- judge
- Biography
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Margaret Mary Sweeney is a senior judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims, appointed to that court in 2005 by President George W. Bush. She served as chief judge from July 12, 2018 to October 19, 2020.
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Carl Danberg
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
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Carl C. Danberg is an American judge from Newark in New Castle County, Delaware. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was the Attorney General of Delaware, and commissioner of the Delaware Department of Correction. He also serves as a brigadier general in the Delaware Army National Guard.
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Todd Stephens
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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William Todd Stephens is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 151st District from his election in 2010, until he lost re-election to Democrat Melissa Cerrato in 2022.
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Richard Alloway
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Richard Alloway II is an American politician and lawyer. He is a former Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate. He was elected to fill the seat of retiring senator Terry Punt.
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Truxtun Beale
- Occupations
- diplomat
- Biography
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Truxtun Beale was an American diplomat.
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Tom Houghton
- Born in
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United States - Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Thomas D. Houghton is a Democratic politician and former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He represented the 13th district from 2009 through 2010.
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Michael A. Brown
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Michael Arrington Brown is an American politician in Washington, D.C. In 2008, he was elected an at-large member of the Council of the District of Columbia and served one four-year term.
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Brendan Kehoe
- Occupations
- computer scientistengineerwriter
- Biography
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Brendan Patrick Kehoe was an Irish software developer and writer. Born in Dublin, Ireland, Kehoe was raised in China, Maine. In his early teens, he was first exposed to computing when he was given a Commodore 64 computer, which he used to teach himself about computing and computer networks. On leaving high-school, he moved to Widener University where he continued his computer studies, leaving in 1992.
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Charles B. Ward
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Charles Bonnell Ward was a U.S. representative from New York.
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Charles F. B. Price
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Charles Frederick Berthold Price was a Lieutenant General of the United States Marine Corps, who saw service during Cuban Pacification, Spanish–American War, World War I and World War II.
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John H. Carrington
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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John Hunter Carrington was an American politician. Republican former member of the North Carolina General Assembly who long represented the state's fifteenth Senate district, including constituents in Wake county. He headed a major company in the evidence-collection and security business.
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Eugene C. Lewis
- Occupations
- engineer
- Biography
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Major Eugene Castner Lewis was an American engineer and businessman. He served as the chairman of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway from 1900 to 1917. As a civic leader, he helped develop Shelby Park and Centennial Park, including the Parthenon, as well as Union Station.
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Irving J. Carr
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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Irving J. Carr was a major general in the United States Army.
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Jesse Matlack Baker
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Jesse Matlack Baker was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Delaware County from 1889 to 1892 and the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 9th district from 1893 to 1897.
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Benjamin P. Ablao, Jr
- Occupations
- film director
- Biography
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Benjamin James Perez Ablao Jr. is an independent (indie film) filmmaker and actor from the United States. He is the founder of B.P.A. Productions Group, Inc., a registered corporation with the State of Delaware. Not limited to any one particular genre, he has produced award-winning films ranging from comedy to drama to artistic to horror.
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Kathleen Hetherington
- Biography
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Kathleen Carey Hetherington is an American academic administrator. She was the president of Howard Community College from 2007 to 2021.
