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List of Brown University people - Definition and Overview |
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The following is a partial list of Brown University people, known as "Brunonians". It includes alumni, professors, and others associated with Brown University.
Notable alumni
Academia
Government / Law / Public Policy
- Stephen Hopkins- First Chancellor of the University, Continental Congress delegate, Signer of Declaration of Independence. Introduced slavery ban to Rhode Island in 1774.
- W. Randolph Burgess (1912) - U.S. Ambassador to NATO
- Donald Carcieri (A.B. 1965) - Governor of Rhode Island-R; former CEO of Cookson America
- Lincoln Chafee (1975) - U.S. Senator, R-Rhode Island
- David Cicilline (A.B. 1983) - first openly gay mayor of state capital (Providence, RI)
- Charles W. Colson (1953) - chief counsel to Richard Nixon (1969-1973); figured in the Watergate Scandal; founder, Prison Fellowship
- Thomas Corcoran (1922) - member of President Franklin Roosevelt's "brain trust"; guided New Deal legislation; high-powered Washington lobbyist
- Prince Faisal Ben Al Hussein (Sc.B. 1985) - a son of the late King Hussein of Jordan; Commander of the Jordan Royal Air Force
- Theodore Francis Green (1887) - Governor of Rhode Island (1933-1936); U.S. Senator, D-Rhode Island (1937-1961)
- John Milton Hay - U.S. Secretary of State (1898-1905)
- Richard Charles Albert Holbrooke (A.B. 1962) - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (1999-2001)
- John Holmes - U.S. Congressman
- Charles Evans Hughes - Governor of New York (1907-1910); U.S. Vice President; U.S. Secretary of State (1921-1925); 11th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1930-1941)
- E. Howard Hunt - worked under President Richard Nixon; figured in the Watergate Scandal
- Bobby Jindal - U.S. Congressman, R-Louisiana
- Patrick C. Lynch - Rhode Island Attorney General-D
- Ira Magaziner (1969) - Clinton advisor, current chairman of Clinton AIDS Initiative
- Horace Mann (1819) - educationist; father of American public school education
- Philip W. Noel (1954) - former Governor of Rhode Island
- Louis Redding - first African American to practice law in Delaware
- George Lincoln Rockwell (1942) - founder, American Nazi Party
- Solomon Sibley (1794) - first United States Attorney for the Michigan Territory; territorial Delegate to Congress
- Kenneth Starr - former U.S. Solicitor General; former U.S. appeals court judge; special counsel in Bill Clinton impeachment proceedings
- Joseph Weisberger (1942) - Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Rhode Island
Business / Finance
- Marvin Bower (B.S. 1925) - CEO, McKinsey & Company; founder of professional management consulting
- Willard C. Butcher (1948) - chairman and CEO, The Chase Manhattan Corporation
- Tom First (1989) - co-founder of Nantucket Nectars
- George M. C. Fisher (M.Sc. 1964, Ph.D. 1966) - former chairman and CEO of Motorola Inc. and Eastman Kodak Co.
- Jeffrey W. Greenberg (A.B. 1973) - Chairman and CEO of Marsh & McLennan Companies
- Walter Hoving (1920) - CEO of Tiffany & Co. (1955-1980)
- Nina Jacobson - president, Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group
- L. Gordon McCovern (1948) - chairman, Campbell Soup Company
- John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (1897) - philanthropist; built Rockefeller Center in New York City
- Tom Rothman - president, 20th Century Fox Film Group
- John Sculley (A.B.) - president, Pepsi Cola USA (-1983); President and CEO, Apple Computer (1983-1993)
- Tom Scott (1989) - co-founder of Nantucket Nectars
- Barry Sternlicht (A.B. 1982) - chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, which owns the hotel chains Westin, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, and W Hotels
- Jeffrey B. Swartz (A.B. 1982) - president, CEO, and director, Timberland
- Thomas J. Watson, Jr. (1937) - head of IBM, former Ambassador to USSR
- Amy Nye Wolf (1990) - founder and CEO, Altitunes Partners
Science / Technology / Innovation
- Brian Binnie (1975, Sc.M. 1976) - test pilot, privately funded experimental spaceplane SpaceShipOne
- John H. Crawford (1975) - chief architect, Intel386™ and Intel486™ microprocessors; co-managed the development of the Pentium microprocessor; Intel Fellow, Enterprise Platforms Group
- James B. Garvin (Sc.B. 1978, Sc.M. 1981, Ph.D. 1984) - Chief Scientist, NASA Mars and lunar exploration programs
- Herman B. Goldstein (1940) - developed permanent-press fabric treatment
- Edwin Hart Ph.D. (1934) - known for contributions to radiation chemistry
- Thomas O. Paine - Administrator, NASA, during first seven Apollo manned missions
- Robert G. Parr (1942) - author of Density-Functional Theory of Atoms and Molecules
- John Wilder Tukey (Sc.B. 1936, Sc.M. 1937) - co-developed the Cooley-Tukey fast Fourier transform algorithm; coined the terms bit, byte, software and cepstrum
Literature
- Edward Ball (1982) - nonfiction writer; National Book Award winner, Slaves in the Family
- Nilo Cruz (M.F.A. 1994) - awarded 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Anna in the Tropics
- Jeffrey Eugenides (A.B. 1983) - awarded 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; author, Middlesex, The Virgin Suicides
- Richard Foreman (A.B. 1959) - playwright/avant-garde theater pioneer; founder, Ontological-Hysteric Theater
- Steven Johnson (A.B.) - writer, pop-science
- Geoffrey A. Landis (Ph.D. 1988) - scientist-writer and science fiction author
- Rick Moody (A.B.), author, The Ice Storm, Garden State, Purple America
- S. J. Perelman - American humorist, The New Yorker; author; Academy Award winning screenwriter, Around the World in 80 Days
- Nathaniel Philbrick - nonfiction writer; National Book Award winner, In the Heart of the Sea, Sea of Glory
- Sarah Ruhl - playwright, Clean House
- Alfred Uhry - playwright; Pulitzer Prize, Academy Award and Tony Award winner, Driving Miss Daisy, The Last Night of Ballyhoo
- Nathanael West (1924) - writer, Miss Lonelyhearts, The Day of the Locust
- Edwidge Danticat (M.F.A.) - author, Breath, Eyes, Memory, The Dew Breaker
- Ben Marcus (M.F.A. 1991) - author, The Age of Wire and String, Notable American Women
- Noah Wardrip-Fruin (M.F.A.) - electronic writer, The New Media Reader
Journalism
Entertainment
- MC Paul Barman (A.B. 1997) - rapper
- Marco Beltrami - film score composer, Scream, I, Robot, Hellboy, Terminator 3
- Julie Bowen - actress, "Ed", Happy Gilmore (1996)
- Kate Burton (A.B. 1979) - actress; nominated, two Tony Awards
- Jessica Capshaw (A.B. 1998) - actress, "The Practice", Minority Report (2002)
- Walter Carlos - 1962 graduated physics - musician, Switched On Bach, soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange
- Mary Chapin Carpenter (A.B. 1981) - country-folk singer/songwriter
- Catie Curtis (1987) - singer/songwriter
- Tom Dey (A.B. 1987) - director, Shanghai Noon (2000), Showtime (2002)
- Ira Glass (A.B. 1982) - host and producer, National Public Radio, This American Life
- Linda Goldstein Knowlton (A.B. 1987) - producer, Whale Rider & The Shipping News
- Robin Green (1967) - executive producer and writer, The Sopranos
- Davis Guggenheim (1986) - executive producer, Training Day (2001); director, Gossip (2000) & episodes of "24", "Alias", "The Shield", "ER", "NYPD Blue"
- John Hamburg (A.B.) - director, Along Came Polly (2004); screenwriter, Zoolander (2001), Meet the Parents (2000), Meet the Fockers (2004)
- Todd Haynes (A.B. 1985) - director, Far from Heaven (2002), Velvet Goldmine (1998) & Safe (1995); nominated, Academy Award
- William Kelley (A.B. 1955) - Academy Award winning screenwriter, Witness (1985)
- Simon Kinberg - screenwriter, The Fantastic Four, X-Men 3, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
- Doug Liman (A.B. 1988) - director and producer, The Bourne Identity (2002), Go (1999), Swingers (1996), "The O.C."
- Laura Linney (A.B. 1986) - actress, 2-time Academy Award nominee, Mystic River (2003), Love Actually (2003), The Truman Show (1998), Primal Fear (1996), Absolute Power (1997), You Can Count On Me (2000), Kinsey (2004)
- Lisa Anne Loeb (A.B. 1990) - alternative singer-songwriter; first unsigned artist to top the American charts (three weeks at #1)
- Kátia Lund (A.B. 1989) - director, Cidade de Deus (City of God) (2002)
- Ross McElwee (A.B. 1970) - documentary filmmaker, Sherman's March (1986) & Bright Leaves (2004)
- Erin McKeown - folk singer-songwriter
- Elizabeth Mitchell (1990) - musician, member of indie folk-pop band Ida; played in a band with Lisa Loeb and Duncan Sheik while at Brown
- James Naughton - actor, winner of two Tony Awards
- Tim Blake Nelson (A.B. 1986) - actor, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Minority Report (2002), The Thin Red Line (1998); director, O (2001), The Grey Zone (2001)
- Will Oldham/Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - singer-singwriter
- Duncan Sheik (1992) - alternative singer-songwriter
- Jeff Shesol - cartoonist, Thatch (comic strip)
- Michael Showalter - actor/writer, Wet Hot American Summer (2001) and the series The State
- Sara Tanaka (A.B. 2000) - actress, Rushmore (1998), Old School (2003)
- Christine Vachon (A.B. 1983), acclaimed independent film producer, Far From Heaven (2002), Boys Don't Cry (1999) and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
- JoBeth Williams - actress, The Big Chill, Poltergeist
- Richard S. Wright - producer, Runaway Bride, Arlington Road, The Mothman Prophecies, Underworld
Sports / Athletics
- Billy Almon (1975) - played for the San Diego Padres
- Bob Bennett (1947) - Olympic bronze medalist in the hammer throw, 1948
- Curt Bennett (1970) - played for the St. Louis Blues and the Atlanta Flames.
- John Collier (1929) - Olympic bronze medalist in the 110-metre high hurdles, 1928
- Don Colo (1950) - All-Pro who played for the Cleveland Browns
- Irving "Bump" Hadley - pitcher for the Washington Senators and New York Yankees
- David Hall (1901) - Olympic bronze medalist in the 800-m, 1900
- Fred Hovey (1890) - US Open Men's Doubles Champion 1893 and Men's Singles Champion 1895
- Steve Jordan (A.B. 1981) - 6-time All-Pro tight end who played for the Minnesota Vikings
- Hal Neubauer (1925) - pitcher for the Red Sox
- Joe Paterno (A.B. 1950) - PennState American football coach
- Jimmy Pedro (A.B. 1994) - 1999 Judo World Champion; two-time Olympic bronze medalist, 1996 & 2004; most decorated American Judo athlete
- Fritz Pollard (A.B. 1919) - first black All-American halfback; first black NFL head coach; in Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Edward North Robinson (1896) - American football coach at the University of Nebraska, Brown, University of Maine, Phillips Exeter Academy, Tufts College, Boston University, and for the Providence Steam Roller
- Wally Snell (1913) - played for the Red Sox
- John Spellman (1924) - Olympic gold medalist for light heavyweight freestyle wrestling, 1924
- Norman Taber (1913) - Olympic gold medal-winning team member for the 3,000-m relay, 1912
- Wallace Wade (1917) - American football coach at the University of Alabama and then Duke; namesake of Duke's football stadium
Other
Fictitious Alumni
- Audrey Heller Raines (Jack Bauer's love interest and Senior Policy Analyst in the Department of Defense from '24')
- Brian Griffin (the erudite, alcoholic dog from Family Guy).
- Otto Mann (the bus driver from The Simpsons).
- Special Agent Monica Reyes (from The X-Files).
- Jessica Stein (from Kissing Jessica Stein).
- Natalie Portman (in Anywhere but Here)
- Clippy from Microsoft Office (listed in its resume).
- Jaye Tyler (snarky souvenir store clerk from Wonderfalls)
Attended Brown
- Amy Carter (Class of 1991) - former First Daughter, of President Jimmy Carter
- Sidney E. Frank (Class of 1942) - founder, CEO, and chairman of Sidney E. Frank Importing Co.; brand builder responsible for American success of Grey Goose vodka, Jägermeister and Gekkeikan sake
- John W. Heisman (Class of 1891) - college American football player and coach; namesake of the Heisman Trophy
- Lois Lowry (Class of 1958) - author, The Giver
- Leelee Sobieski (currently enrolled, Class of 2006) - actress, Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Never Been Kissed (1999), Here on Earth (2000), Joy Ride (2001), The Glass House (2001); nominated for Emmy for "Joan of Arc"
- Ted Turner (Class of 1960) - founder of CNN
- Princess Theodora of Greece (currently enrolled, Class of 2006) - Princess of Greece and Denmark.
- Allegra Beck (currently enrolled, Class of 2008) - Daugher of Donatella Versace and 50% owner of Versace fashion house.
Notable faculty
- Ama Ata Aidoo - poet & playwright
- David Berson - discovered 3rd photoreceptor in the eye (in addition to rods and cones)
- Fernando Cardoso - former president of Brazil
- Leon Neil Cooper - Nobel Prize in Physics 1972; father of superconductivity
- Robert Coover - post-modern writer, Spanking the Maid & The Origin of the Brunists; notable for his metafiction; electronic writing pioneer
- Robert Creeley - poet, Pure Shit
- Anne DeGroot - likely to be the first to create an effective globally relevant AIDS vaccine
- John Donoughue - founder of Cyberkinetics, a company that recently won FDA approval to test brain/robot interfaces in humans
- Oskar Eustis - famous theater director, Angels in America (original production)
- Carlos Fuentes - Mexican writer, The Death of Artemio Cruz
- James Head - planetary geologist, trained astronauts during Apollo missions
- Stephen Houston - world-famous archeologist, expert on Mayan hieroglyphics
- Sergei Khrushchev - son of Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev
- J. Michael Kosterlitz - of The Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless Transition (Condensed Matter Physics)
- Otto Neugebauer - highly respected historian of mathematics
- Onsager - a Norwegian-born Nobel Prise Winning(chemistry) physicist who taught at Brown for five years starting about 1928
- Robert Scholes - President, Modern Language Association; author, The Rise and Fall of English
- Leslie Thornton - lauded experimental filmmaker, Peggy and Fred in Hell
- Andries "Andy" van Dam - computer graphics pioneer and creator of hypertext; inspiration for "Andy" character in Pixar's Toy Story movies
- Paula Vogel - Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, How I Learned to Drive
- Xu Wenli - founder of Chinese Democratic Party
- John Edgar Wideman - writer (two time PEN/Faulkner Award winner), Philadelphia Fire
- Gordon Wood - Pulitzer Prize winner, Radicalism of the American Revolution
- C. D. Wright - poet, String Light; MacArthur "genius grant" winner
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