List of Southwestern University alumni

Following is a list of notable alumni from Southwestern University.

Business

 * James Marion West Jr. - Texas oil, timber, and ranching tycoon

Clergy

 * Hiram Abiff Boaz – Methodist Bishop and former president of SMU
 * Stanley Hauerwas – Theologian and ethicist
 * Jay W. Richards - Philosopher, Theologian, Economist, Apologist, Social Researcher, Author
 * William Angie Smith – Methodist Bishop

Education

 * Hiram Abiff Boaz – Methodist Bishop and former president of SMU
 * Serena DeBeer – Adjunct Professor at Cornell University and Head of Dpt. for Inorganic Spectroscopy at Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion
 * Laura Kuykendall (1883–1935), dean of women at Southwestern from 1918 to 1935
 * Margaret (Young) Menzel Florida State University scientist (1924-1987)
 * Amanda Sheffield Morris Regents Professor of Psychology at Oklahoma State University

Entertainment

 * Bill Engvall – Stand-up comedian
 * Jerry Hardin – Actor
 * Claude Porter White - Author and composer of operas
 * Susan Youens - Musicologist

Law

 * William H. Atwell – U.S. District Court judge
 * J. Marvin Jones – U.S. Court of Claims Chief Judge and U.S. Congressman from Texas (1917–1940)
 * Joseph Tyree Sneed, III – U.S. Court of Appeals judge
 * Brent Webster – acting Texas Attorney General

Literature and journalism

 * J. Frank Dobie – Author
 * Abbie Graham – Author
 * Hubert Renfro Knickerbocker – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author
 * John Murrell – Canadian playwright and a member of the Order of Canada
 * Akshay Nanavati - USMC veteran, author of Fearvana (Class of 2009)

Non-profit

 * Ernesto Nieto - Founder and President of the National Hispanic Institute
 * Annie Clo Watson – social worker based in San Francisco

Politics

 * Jessie Daniel Ames – Civil rights activist
 * Joan Bray – State senator in Missouri


 * Robert L. Henry – U.S. Congressman from Texas (1897–1917), Chairman of the House Rules Committee
 * J. Marvin Jones – U.S. Congressman from Texas (1917–1940), U.S. Court of Claims Chief Judge
 * Earle Bradford Mayfield – U.S. Senator from Texas (1923–1929)
 * Pete Sessions – U.S. Congressman from Texas (2013-Current), Chairman of the House Rules Committee
 * R. Ewing Thomason – U.S. Congressman from Texas (1931–1947), Mayor of El Paso
 * John Tower – U.S. Senator from Texas (1961–1988)

Science

 * Robert Simpson – Meteorologist, former director of the National Hurricane Center, and co-developer of the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

Sports

 * Harry Ables – Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Mike Anderson- Major League Baseball Pitcher and current Pro Scout with the Texas Rangers
 * Solon Barnett – Offensive tackle and guard for the Chicago Cardinals and Green Bay Packers (1945–1946)
 * Pete Cawthon – Head football coach and athletic director of the Texas Tech Red Raiders
 * Carlton Massey – Defensive lineman and pro bowler for the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers (1954–1958)
 * Carl Reynolds – Major League Baseball player and member of Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Played for 5 teams over 12 years
 * Mike Timlin – Major League Baseball pitcher