List of Drake University people

This is a list of notable alumni and faculty of Drake University.

President

 * 1881–1882: George Thomas Carpenter
 * 1882–1893: George Thomas Carpenter (as chancellor)
 * 1894–1897: Barton O. Aylesworth (as acting chancellor)
 * 1897–1902: William Bayard Craig (as chancellor)
 * 1902–1903: Hill McClelland Bell (as vice chancellor)
 * 1903–1918: Hill McClelland Bell
 * 1918–1923: Arthur Holmes
 * 1922–1923: Daniel Walter Morehouse (as acting president)
 * 1923–1941: Daniel Walter Morehouse
 * 1941–1964: Henry Gadd Harmon
 * 1966–1971: Paul Frederick Sharp
 * 1972–1985: Wilbur C. Miller
 * 1985–1998: Michael Ferrari
 * 1998: Robert D. Ray (as interim president)
 * 1999–2015: David Maxwell
 * 2015–present: Earl F. Martin

Source:

Politics and military

 * Brenna Bird, Iowa Attorney General (2023–)
 * Robert D. Blue, Governor of Iowa (1945–1949)
 * Terry Branstad, former Governor of Iowa (1983–1999, 2011–2017) and United States ambassador to China (2017–2020), longest-serving state governor in U.S. history
 * Bonnie Campbell, lawyer, former Iowa Attorney General (1991–1995) and gubernatorial candidate
 * Johnnie Carson, career diplomat
 * Merwin Coad, Iowa Congressman (1957–1963)
 * Joe Crail, California Congressman (1927–1933)
 * Chet Culver, former Governor of Iowa (2007–2011)
 * Cassius Clay Dowell, Iowa Congressman (1915–1935, 1937–1940)
 * Abby Finkenauer, former Iowa Congresswoman (2019–2021)
 * Guy Gillette, Iowa Congressman (1933–1936) and Senator (1936–1945, 1949–1955)
 * Robert K. Goodwin, Iowa Congressman (1940–1941)
 * Adam Gregg, lieutenant governor of Iowa (2019–present)
 * Carl W. Hoffman, U.S. Marine Corps Major general
 * Ron Kouchi, President of the Hawaii State Senate
 * Darrell R. Lindsey, Medal of Honor recipient
 * Zach Nunn, U.S. Representative-elect from Iowa’s 3rd district (2023–)
 * Jim Nussle, former Iowa Congressman (1991–2007) and director of the Office of Management and Budget
 * Stephen Rapp, former United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues in the Office of Global Criminal Justice
 * Robert D. Ray, Governor of Iowa (1969–1983)
 * David N. Senty, retired U.S. Air Force Major General
 * Neal Smith, former Iowa Congressman (1959–1995)
 * Sara Taylor, former Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Political Affairs in the George W. Bush administration
 * Hubert Utterback, Iowa Congressman (1935–1937)
 * Frederick T. Weber, Naval aviator who died at the Battle of Midway
 * David Young, former Iowa Congressman (2015–2019)

Law

 * Mark Cady, lawyer, Chief Justice Supreme Court of Iowa (2011–2019)
 * Roxanne Conlin, lawyer, former United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa (1977–1981), and Iowa senate and gubernatorial candidate
 * Robert Cowen, senior judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
 * George Gardner Fagg, United States federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
 * Cleon H. Foust, Indiana Attorney General (1947–1949)
 * Joseph C. Howard Sr., Judge, United States District Court for the District of Maryland (1979–2000)
 * Louis A. Lavorato, lawyer, Chief Justice Supreme Court of Iowa (2000–2006)
 * Ronald Olson, partner in the Los Angeles office of the law firm of Munger Tolles & Olson LLP
 * Wendy J. Olson, United States Attorney for the District of Idaho (2010–2017)
 * Marsha Ternus, lawyer, Chief Justice Supreme Court of Iowa (2006–2010)
 * Terry Trieweiler, Montana Supreme Court Justice, Montana Lawyer of the Year

Arts and literature

 * Ethan “Whelp Dogg” Whelpley, Rapper
 * Joanne Aono, artist
 * Rose Bampton, principal singer at Metropolitan Opera during 1930s and 1940s
 * Bruce Brubaker, musician
 * Bill Bryson, author
 * Marsha Wilson Chall, children's author
 * Samuel Claesson, author
 * Gwen M. Davidson, artist
 * Mark Doty, poet
 * Susan Glaspell, author
 * Joseph Hermann, conductor, clarinetist and music educator; president of American Bandmasters Association
 * Stanley Hess, artist, instrument maker, educator
 * Syleena Johnson, R&B singer, actress, and reality television personality
 * Ira Levin, author of Rosemary's Baby, The Boys from Brazil, The Stepford Wives, Deathtrap
 * Sherrill Milnes, operatic baritone
 * Carol Morris, actress and Miss Universe 1956
 * Dick Oatts, jazz saxophonist
 * Phil Stong, author of State Fair, novel filmed three times
 * Matthew Stover, author of fantasy and science fiction, including novelization of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
 * Roger Williams, musician and composer
 * Bart Yates, author

Entertainment and media

 * Steve Allen, comedian, actor and first host of The Tonight Show (attended, did not graduate)
 * Lew Anderson, musician and voice of Clarabell the Clown
 * John August, screenwriter
 * Steve Bannos, film actor and writer
 * Mary Bock, journalist
 * Joseph Chaikin, founder of the Open Theater, theater director, actor, author
 * Lee Ann Colacioppo, nee Fleet, editor of The Denver Post
 * Julee Cruise, singer and actress
 * Mark DeCarlo, actor, comedian, host of Taste of America television show, cartoon voice actor
 * Anna DeShawn, American media personality and podcaster
 * Jerry Douglas, writer and director, notably of gay pornographic films
 * Michael Emerson, two-time Emmy Award-winning actor
 * Bridget Flanery, actress
 * Lambert Hillyer, silent film director
 * Dave Mallow, voice-over artist for television, film, animation, commercials, video games
 * Al McCoy, sports broadcaster, voice of the Phoenix Suns
 * Clark R. Mollenhoff, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
 * Jeremy Piven, three-time Emmy Award-winning actor (attended, did not graduate)
 * Ray Rizzo, three-time Pokémon Video Game World Champion
 * Wynn Speece, "Neighbor Lady", WNAX radio station
 * Kazuki Takahashi, creator of Yu-Gi-Oh! (attended, did not graduate)
 * Jim Uhls, screenwriter, including the script for Fight Club
 * Sam Wanamaker, actor and director
 * Larry Whiteside, award-winning sportswriter
 * Rex Wockner, journalist
 * David L. Wolper, television and film producer

Business

 * Archie R. Boe, former Chairman and CEO of the Allstate Corporation; former president of Sears, Roebuck
 * George A. Cohon, founder of McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited and McDonald's in Russia
 * Kenneth A. Macke, former CEO and chairman of Dayton Hudson Corporation (since renamed Target Corporation)
 * John M. Mathew, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wick Communications Company
 * Dwight D. Opperman, former CEO of West Publishing Company, after whom Drake's law library is named
 * Johnny C. Taylor Jr., president and CEO of Society for Human Resource Management
 * Fred L. Turner, former Chairman of McDonald's

Science and academia

 * Jon Bowermaster, oceans expert, journalist, filmmaker and adventurer
 * W. Dean Eastman, award-winning educator
 * Cuthbert Hurd, computer pioneer
 * Rachelle Keck, academic administrator
 * Thomas Kunz, researcher notable for insights into bat ecology
 * Timothy Ley, hematologist, oncologist and cancer biologist
 * William A. Staples, president of the University of Houston–Clear Lake
 * Brian Wansink, Cornell University professor and author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
 * Harley A. Wilhelm, Manhattan Project scientist and co-inventor of the Ames Process for purifying uranium, co-founder of the Ames Laboratory for the U.S. Dept. of Energy

Athletics

 * Chris Ash, football coach, former head coach at Rutgers University
 * Tom Bienemann, former NFL defensive end for the Chicago Cardinals
 * Johnny Bright, member of the College and Canadian Football Hall of Fame
 * Waldo Don Carlos, retired NFL center for the Green Bay Packers
 * Billy Cundiff, NFL placekicker
 * Keno Davis, basketball coach, 2008 Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year
 * Versil Deskin, former NFL player
 * Dave Doeren, head football coach at North Carolina State University
 * Pat Dunsmore, former NFL player
 * Ezra Hendrickson, professional soccer player and coach
 * York Hentschel, CFL player and 3 time Grey Cup champion
 * Maury John, Hall of Fame basketball coach: Final Four (1969), and Elite 8 (1970 and 1971)
 * Zach Johnson, professional golfer, winner of the 2007 Masters and 2015 Open Championship
 * Karl Kassulke, former NFL player
 * Wayne Kreklow, retired professional basketball player
 * Kevin Little, 1997 world indoor champion, 200-meter dash
 * Lewis Lloyd, retired professional basketball player
 * John Lynch, former NFL player
 * Pug Manders, former NFL player
 * Willie McCarter, former NBA player
 * Dennis McKnight, former NFL player
 * McCoy McLemore, former NBA player
 * Jerry Mertens, former NFL player
 * Duane Miller, former NFL player, Drake Football record holder
 * Dick Nesbitt, former NFL player
 * Bob Netolicky, professional basketball player
 * Charlie Partridge, football coach, former head coach at Florida Atlantic University
 * Mike Samples, former Canadian Football League player
 * Eric Saubert, professional American football player
 * Boris Shlapak, professional football and soccer player for the Baltimore Colts and Chicago Sting respectively
 * Lee Stange, former MLB pitcher and MLB pitching coach
 * Bill Stevenson, CFL all-star and record 7 time Grey Cup champion
 * Ann Swisshelm, two-time Olympic curler
 * Dan Turk, former NFL player; transferred after his sophomore season
 * Dani Tyler, softball player and 1996 Olympic gold medalist
 * Rick Wanamaker, winner of the 1971 Pan American Games decathlon
 * Willie Wise, professional basketball player
 * Felix Wright, former CFL and NFL safety

Notable faculty

 * Chester C. Cole, Drake University Law School founder and professor, University of Iowa College of Law co-founder and professor, Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court
 * George Gallup, Head of Journalism Department (1928-1931)
 * Frank Irving Herriott (1868-1941), professor of economics (1903-1919), political science and sociology (1903-1941)
 * Jacqui Kalin (born 1989), American-Israeli professional basketball player
 * Robert Kibbee (died 1982), Chancellor of the City University of New York
 * Edward Mansfield, Iowa Supreme Court justice and adjunct law professor
 * Milman Parry, professor of Greek and Latin, 1928-29
 * Lewis Worthington Smith, Professor of English
 * Terri Vaughan, Visiting professor in the College of Business and Public Administration
 * Francis Wilhoit, Political Science Professor
 * George G. Wright, Iowa Supreme Court justice, Drake University Law School professor, University of Iowa College of Law co-founder, United States Senator from Iowa
 * Oleg Zatsarinny, Senior Research Scholar and Lecturer (Atomic Physics)