List of United States Military Academy alumni

The United States Military Academy (USMA) is an undergraduate college in West Point, New York with the mission of educating and commissioning officers for the United States Army. The academy was founded in 1802 and is the oldest of the United States' five service academies.[1][2] It is also referred to as West Point (the name of the military base that the academy is a part of).[1] The academy graduated its first cadet, Joseph Gardner Swift, in October 1802. Sports media refer to the academy as "Army" and the students as "Cadets"; this usage is officially endorsed.[3] The football team is also known as "The Black Knights of the Hudson" and "The Black Knights".[3][4][5] A small number of graduates each year choose the option of cross-commissioning into the United States Air Force, United States Navy, or the United States Marine Corps. Before the founding of the United States Air Force Academy in 1955, the academy was a major source of officers for the Air Force and its predecessors. Most cadets are admitted through the congressional appointment system.[6][7] The curriculum emphasizes the sciences and engineering fields.[8][9]

Several West Point cadets tossing their hats in the air at graduation
Traditional hat toss anniversary graduation ceremony at the United States Military Academy in June 2002
Logo of the Military Academy

The list is drawn from graduates, non-graduate former cadets, current cadets, and faculty of the Military Academy. Notable graduates include 2 American Presidents, 4 additional heads of state, 20 astronauts, 76 Medal of Honor recipients (more than any other service academy or undergraduate institution),[10] 70 Rhodes Scholars,[11] and 3 Heisman Trophy winners. Among American universities, the academy is fourth on the list of total winners for Rhodes Scholarships, seventh for Marshall Scholarships and fourth on the list of Hertz Fellowships.[12]

Academicians

"Class year" refers to the alumni's class year, which usually is the same year they graduated. However, in times of war, classes often graduate early. For example, there were two classes in 1943 – January 1943 and June 1943.

Academics

Note: "Class year" refers to the alumni's class year, which usually is the same year they graduated. However, in times of war, classes often graduate early.
NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Horace Webster1818Lieutenant; mathematics professor at the Academy (1818–1825); professor of mathematics, professor of intellectual philosophy, and president at Geneva College (1828–1830, 1835–1836); president Free Academy of New York (1848–1869)[13]
Dennis Hart Mahan1824Lieutenant; military theorist, educator, author, and engineer; founding member of National Academy of Sciences; father of American naval historian and theorist Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan; of his other four children, son Frederick August Mahan graduated from the Academy in 1867[14]
Alexander Dallas Bache1825Lieutenant; founding president of the National Academy of Sciences; member of the Scientific Lazzaroni and the Royal Society; professor of natural philosophy and chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania (1828–1843)[15]
Leonidas Polk1827Second lieutenant USA, lieutenant general in Confederate States Army; resigned his commission soon after graduating from the academy to enter Virginia Theological Seminary; founder of University of the South; killed in combat during the Battle of Marietta; Fort Polk named in his honor[16]
Andrew A. Humphreys1831Major General; American Civil War; topographical and hydrological surveyor of the Mississippi River Delta; Chief of Engineers (1866–1875); an incorporator of the United States National Academy of Sciences[17]
William Augustus Norton1831Lieutenant; Black Hawk War; professor of natural philosophy and civil engineering (1831–1883); member of the United States National Academy of Sciences[18]
Benjamin Stoddert Ewell1832Colonel in Confederate States Army; professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at Hampden-Sydney College (1839–1846); president of The College of William & Mary (1854–1888); brother Richard S. Ewell, class of 1840, was a lieutenant general in Confederate States Army[19]
Francis Henney Smith1833Major General in Confederate States Army; first and longest-serving superintendent of Virginia Military Institute (1839–1889)[20]
Montgomery C. Meigs1836Major General; Quartermaster General during American Civil War; river and civil engineer; early member of National Academy of Sciences; General Montgomery Meigs, class of 1967, is his descendant[21]
William Gilham1840Colonel in Confederate States Army; Seminole War and Mexican–American War; professor at Virginia Military Institute; author of Manual of Instruction for the Volunteers and Militia of the United States, which was in use for over 145 years[22]
Bushrod Johnson1840Major General in Confederate States Army; Seminole War and Mexican–American War; served with distinction in many key battles such as the Battle of Chickamauga and Siege of Petersburg; professor of philosophy, chemistry, and engineering; co-chancellor of the University of Nashville (1870–1875)[23]
Josiah Gorgas1841Captain USA, brigadier general in Confederate States Army; Mexican–American War; chief of ordnance for the Confederacy; president of University of Alabama (1878-1883); son William C. Gorgas became Surgeon General of the United States Army[b][24]
Henry L. Eustis1842Brigadier General; American Civil War; founded the Lawrence Scientific School, later the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences[25]
Daniel Harvey Hill1842Lieutenant General in Confederate States Army; professor at Washington and Lee University and Davidson College; later the first president of the University of Arkansas (1877–1884)[26]
Edmund Kirby Smith1845Major USA, General CSA; Mexican–American War; Confederate commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department; president of University of Nashville (1870-1875); professor of mathematics at Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee (1875-1893)[b][27][28]
Stonewall Jackson1846Major in United States Army, lieutenant general in Confederate States Army; Mexican–American War; professor of natural and experimental philosophy and artillery at Virginia Military Institute (1851–1861); excelled in several battles during the American Civil War, including the First Battle of Bull Run where he received his nickname; accidentally shot by his own troops at the Battle of Chancellorsville and died of complications from pneumonia eight days later[29]
Oliver Otis Howard1854Major General; recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions leading an attack at the Battle of Seven Pines despite wound which resulted in the loss of his right arm; led the campaign against Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce tribe; founder of Howard University; Superintendent of the Academy (1881–1882)[b][30][31]
George Washington Custis Lee1854First Lieutenant US Army, Major General CSA; graduated first in his class at the Academy; father Robert E. Lee, class of 1829, graduated second in his class; President, Washington and Lee University (1871–1897)[a][32]
Stephen D. Lee1854First Lieutenant USA, Lieutenant General CSA; Seminole Wars, American Indian Wars; youngest Lieutenant General in the Confederate States Army; first president of Agricultural and Mechanical College of Mississippi (1880-1899)[b][33][34]
Alexander S. Webb1855Major General; recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Gettysburg for personal bravery and leadership repulsing Pickett's Charge; president of the City College of New York (1869–1902)[35][36]
Winfield Scott Chaplin1870Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis (1891–1907); Dean of the Lawrence Scientific School at Harvard University; Faculty member at Maine State College, Imperial University in Tokyo, and Union College[37]
John Wilson Ruckman1883Major General; a founder of the Journal of the United States Artillery; invented several artillery devices used during World War I; instructor at School of Submarine Defense[38]
Dwight D. Eisenhower1915General of the Army; trained tank crews in Pennsylvania during World War I; World War II; commander of European Theater of Operations and Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (1942–1945); 1st Military Governor of American Occupation Zone in Germany (1945); President of Columbia University (1948–1950, 1952–1953); 1st Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1951–1952); 34th President of the United States (1953–1961)[39]
Robert F. McDermott1943Brigadier General; World War II fighter pilot; executive of United Services Automobile Association (USAA); first Dean of Faculty at the United States Air Force Academy[40]
Wesley Posvar1946Brigadier General in the Air Force; first US Air Force officer to be granted a Rhodes Scholarship; 15th chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh (1967–1991), where Posvar Hall is named in his honor[41]
James R. Allen1948General in the Air Force; fighter pilot in Korean War and Vietnam War; superintendent of United States Air Force Academy (1974–1977)[42]
Charles R. Hamm1956Lieutenant General in the Air Force; fighter pilot in Vietnam War; member of the Air Force air demonstration squadron, the Thunderbirds (1964–1966); superintendent of United States Air Force Academy (1987–1991)[43]
Robert Ivany1970Major General; Vietnam War and Gulf War veteran; former president of the U.S. Army War College (2001–2004); president of University of Saint Thomas (2004–present)[44]
John Mearsheimer1970Served five years as an Air Force officer; political science professor at University of Chicago (1982–present), where he is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science and the co-director of the Program on International Security Policy; proponent of offensive realism[45]
Dennis Hart Mahan
Daniel H. Hill
Custis Lee
Robert McDermott
James Allen
Charles Hamm
Winfield Scott Chaplin

Superintendents of the United States Military Academy

#StartEndNameClass yearNotabilityReferences
318121814Joseph Gardner Swift1802Brigadier general; first graduate of the Academy; Chief of Engineers[a][17]
418141817Alden Partridge1806Captain; served as Acting Superintendent and Professor of Engineering; his administration was regarded as unsatisfactory and negligent to duties; when Sylvanus Thayer was appointed, Partridge refused to relinquish command and was court-martialed; he was sentenced to be cashiered in November 1817, and resigned from the Army in April 1818[a][46]
518171833Sylvanus Thayer1808Brigadier general; "Father of West Point"; emphasized engineering; founded engineering schools; helped found the Academy's Association of Graduates; Sylvanus Thayer Award created by the Academy in his honor[a][47][48]
618331838René Edward De Russy1812Brigadier general; military engineer; Union Army veteran[a][49]
718381845Richard Delafield1818Major general; Chief of Engineers; American Civil War veteran; served as 7th, 11th, and 13th Superintendents[a][17]
818451852Henry Brewerton1819Brigadier general; military engineer; Union Army veteran[a][50]
918521855Robert E. Lee1829Colonel USA; graduated second in his class at the Academy, without demerits; son George Washington Custis Lee, class of 1854, graduated first in class; served in Confederate States Army ( 1861–1865); President, Washington and Lee University (1865–70)[a][51]
1018551856John Gross Barnard1833Major general; military engineer; Union Army veteran[a][52]
1118561861Richard Delafield1818Major general; Chief of Engineers; Union Army veteran; served as 7th, 11th, and 13th Superintendents[a][17]
1218611861Pierre Gustave Toutant (P.G.T.) Beauregard1838General CSA; military engineer; ordered the firing of shots at Fort Sumter, South Carolina that started the Civil War[a][53]
1318611861Richard Delafield1818Major general; Chief of Engineers; Union Army veteran; served as 7th, 11th, and 13th Superintendents[a][17]
1418611864Alexander Hamilton Bowman1825Lieutenant Colonel; military engineer; son Charles Stuart Bowman graduated from the Academy, class of 1860[a][54]
1518641864Zealous Bates Tower1841Major general; military engineer; Union Army veteran[a][55]
1618641866George Washington Cullum1833Brigadier general; military engineer; wrote Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. in 1891 and developed the Cullum number system[a][56]
1718661871Thomas Gamble Pitcher1845Brigadier general; veteran of Battle of Harper's Ferry, Mexican–American War, and the Civil War[a][57]
1818711876Thomas H. Ruger1854Major general; military engineer and lawyer; veteran of Civil War; military engineer and lawyer; military Governor of Georgia (1868)[a][58]
1918761881John McAllister Schofield1853Lieutenant general; recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions leading an attack at the Battle of Wilson's Creek; Superintendent of the Academy (1876–81); Commanding General of the United States Army (1888–95)[a][59]
2018811882Oliver Otis Howard1854Major general; recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions leading an attack at the Battle of Seven Pines despite wound which resulted in the loss of his right arm; led the campaign against Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce tribe; founder of Howard University[a][30]
2118821887Wesley Merritt1860Major general; veteran of the Civil War and Spanish–American War; first Military Governor of the Philippines[a][59]
2218871889John Parke1849Major general; military engineer; Union Army veteran[a][60]
2318891893John Moulder Wilson1860Brigadier general; recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Malvern Hill though acutely ill; Chief of Engineers (1897–1901)[a][17]
2418931898Oswald Herbert Ernst1864Major general; military engineer; Union Army and Spanish–American War veteran[a][61]
2518981906Albert Leopold Mills1879Major general; recipient of the Medal of Honor for continuing to lead his men at the Battle of San Juan Hill despite being shot in the head and temporarily blinded; appointed Superintendent to West Point by President McKinley, which carried automatic promotion from First Lieutenant to Colonel[a][62][63]
2619061910Hugh L. Scott1876Major general; learned to speak many western Native American languages; Chief of Staff of the Army (1914–17)[a][64]
2719101912Thomas Henry Barry1877Major general; cavalry and infantry officer; veteran of Indian Wars, China Relief Expedition, and Philippine–American War[a][65]
2819121916Clarence Page Townsley1881Major general; coastal artillery officer; commanded 30th Infantry Division during World War I[a][66]
2919161917John Biddle1881Major general; military engineer; World War I veteran[a][67]
3019171919Samuel Escue Tillman1869Brigadier general; recalled from retirement during World War I to serve as superintendent; refused to add military aviation to the curriculum; instructor at the Academy for more than 30 years; author of numerous books on chemistry and geology[a][68]
3119191922Douglas MacArthur1903General of the Army, Field Marshal in the Philippine Army; United States occupation of Veracruz; Second Battle of the Marne, Battle of Saint-Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne Offensive during World War I; commander of the 42nd Infantry Division; established Honor Code, and intramural sports at the U.S. Military Academy; brigade commander in the Philippine Division; commander of the Philippine Department; Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1930–35); recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions during the Battle of Bataan, commander of the South West Pacific Area during World War II; Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers during the Occupation of Japan; Korean War; grandson of Wisconsin Governor Arthur MacArthur Sr.; son of Lieutenant General and Medal of Honor recipient Arthur MacArthur Jr.[a][69][70]
3219221925Fred Winchester Sladen1890Major general; Superintendent of Fort McHenry National Monument (1931–32)[a][71]
3319261927Merch Bradt Stewart1896Brigadier general; infantry officer; Spanish–American War veteran; commander 175th Infantry Brigade during World War I[a][72]
3419271928Edwin Baruch Winans1891Major general; instructor at military schools; commended for leadership of the 10th Cavalry Regiment[a][73]
3519291932William Ruthven Smith1892Major general; artillery and infantry officer; commanded 36th Infantry Division during World War I[a][74]
3619321938William Durward Connor1897Major general; awarded two Silver Stars; Commandant of Army War College[a]
3719381940Jay Leland Benedict1904Major general; artillery and staff officer; Army General Staff during World War II[a][75]
3819401942Robert L. Eichelberger1909General; American Expeditionary Force Siberia; commanded Eighth United States Army in World War II[a][76]
3919421945Francis Bowditch Wilby1905Major general; Chief of Staff of First United States Army (1939–41)[a][77]
4019451949Maxwell Davenport Taylor1922General; developed the phrasing of the Cadet Honor Code at the Academy; commander of 101st Airborne Division (1944–45); Chief of Staff of the Army (1955–59); Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1962–64); United States Ambassador to South Vietnam (1964–65)[a][78]
4119491951Bryant Edward MooreAugust 1917General; commanded 8th Infantry Division killed in a helicopter crash on 24 February 1951 while commanding the IX Corps during the Korean War[a][79]
4219511954Frederick Augustus IrvingApril 1917Major general; commander 24th Infantry Division during World War II[a][80]
4319541956Blackshear M. Bryan1922Lieutenant general; commanded Prisoner of War Division for all the United States during World War II; commanded First United States Army (1957–60); his son, Blackshear M. Bryan Jr., class of 1954, was killed in Vietnam[a][81]
4419561960Garrison H. Davidson1927Lieutenant general; Academy football coach (1933–37); combat engineer during World War II and the Korean War; helped construct The Pentagon[a][82]
4519601963William Westmoreland1936General; Distinguished Eagle Scout; given the Pershing Sword for the most able cadet upon graduation from the Academy; commander 101st Airborne Division; commander Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (1964–68); Chief of Staff of the Army (1968–72)[a][83]
4619631966James Benjamin Lampert1936Lieutenant general; combat engineer during World War II; early pioneer of nuclear weapons and nuclear power, served as General Leslie Groves' executive officer as part of the Manhattan Project after World War II; his father, James G. B. Lampert, class of 1910 was killed in World War I[a][84]
4719661969Donald V. Bennett1940General; Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (1969–72); commander United States Army Pacific (1972–74)[a][85]
4819691970Samuel William Koster1942Major general but demoted to brigadier general and denied a promotion to lieutenant general for covering up the My Lai Massacre[a][86]
4919701974William Allen KnowltonJanuary 1943General; World War II and Vietnam War veteran; his daughter married General David Petraeus who was a cadet while Knowlton was Superintendent; Chief of Staff for United States European Command (1974–76)[a][87]
5019741977Sidney Bryan Berry1948Lieutenant general; Korean and Vietnam War veteran, wounded twice in Vietnam; Superintendent during the time women were first admitted to the Academy; Commissioner of Public Safety for the state of Mississippi (1980–84)[a][88]
5119771981Andrew Jackson Goodpaster1939General; 8th Infantry Division (1961–62); Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (1969–74); Commander in Chief of the United States European Command (CINCEUR) (1969–74); retired then became Superintendent, then retired a second time[a][89]
5219811986Willard Warren Scott Jr.1948Lieutenant general; commander 25th Infantry Division (1976–78); commander V Corps (1980–81)[a][90]
5319861991Dave Richard Palmer1956Lieutenant general; military historian; instructor at the Academy and the Vietnamese National Military Academy[91]
5419911996Howard D. Graves1961Lieutenant general; Rhodes Scholar; military engineer; Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System (1999–2003)[92]
5519962001Daniel William Christman1965Lieutenant general; graduated first in his class in 1965; Senior Vice President for International Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; four-time recipient of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal.[93]
5620012006William James Lennox Jr.1971Lieutenant general; artillery and staff officer; Deputy Commanding General Eighth United States Army; doctorate in literature from Princeton University[94]
5720062010Franklin Lee Hagenbeck1971Lieutenant general; commander 10th Mountain Division (2001–03)[95]
5820102013David H. Huntoon1973Lieutenant general; Director of the Army Staff; Former Commandant of the U.S. Army War College[96]
5920132018Robert L. Caslen1975Lieutenant general; chief of staff for Combined Joint Task Force-180 (CJTF-180) in Afghanistan from May through September 2002; Chief of the Office of Security Cooperation for Iraq[97]
6020182022Darryl A. Williams1983Lieutenant general; Managed U.S. response to the West African Ebola virus epidemic in 2016; Commander of NATO Allied Land Command (2016–2018); First black superintendent in the academy's history[98]
612022Steven W. Gilland1990Lieutenant general; Academy's commandant of cadets (2017–2019), Commander of the 2nd Infantry Division (2019–2021)[99]
Joseph Swift (1812–14)
Sylvanus Thayer (1817–1833)
Robert E. Lee (1852–55)
Richard Delafield (1856–61)
George Cullum (1864–66)
John Schofield (1876–81)
Douglas MacArthur (1919–22)
Maxwell Taylor (1945–49)
Garrison Davidson (1956–60)
William Westmoreland (1960–63)
Daniel Christman (1996–2001)
Franklin Hagenbeck (2006–10)
Darryl Williams (2018–2022)

Commandants of the United States Military Academy

#StartEndNameClass yearNotabilityReferences
118171818George W. Gardiner 1814Killed in Dade's Massacre (second in command of the force under Major Dade)[a]
318191820John R. Bell 1812[a]
518291833Ethan Allen Hitchcock 1817Union Major General[a]
718381842Charles Ferguson Smith 1825Union Major General[a]
818421845John Addison Thomas 1833[a]
918451852Bradford Ripley Alden 1831[a]
1018521854Robert S. Garnett 1841Confederate Brigadier General; killed in the Battle of Corrick's Ford[a]
1118541856William H.T. Walker 1837Confederate Major General; killed in the Battle of Atlanta[a]
1218561860William J. Hardee 1838Confederate Lieutenant General[a]
1318601861John F. Reynolds 1841Union Major General; killed in the Battle of Gettysburg[a]
1418611861Christopher C. Augur 1843Union Major General[a]
1518611862Kenner Garrard 1851Union Brigadier General[a]
1618621864Henry B. Clitz 1845[a]
1718641864John C. Tidball 1848[a]
1818641870Henry M. Black 1847[a]
1918701875Emory Upton 1861Union Brigadier General[a]
2018751879Thomas H. Neill 1847Union Brigadier General[a]
2118791882Henry M. Lazelle 1855[a]
2218821888Henry C. Hasbrouck 1861[a]
2318881892Hamilton S. Hawkins —Member of the class of 1856; did not graduate[a]
2418921897Samuel M. Mills 1865[a]
2518971901Otto L. Hein 1870[a]
2619011905Charles G. Treat 1882[a]
2719051909Robert L. Howze 1888Medal of Honor recipient[a]
2819091911Frederick W. Sibley 1874[a]
2919111914Fred Winchester Sladen 1890Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (1922-1926)[a]
3019141916Morton F. Smith 1895[a]
3119161918Guy Vernor Henry 1898Olympic bronze medallist[a]
3219181919Jens Bugge 1895[a]
3319191923Robert M. Danford 1904[a]
3419231926Merch B. Stewart 1896Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (1926-1928)[a]
3519261929Campbell B. Hodges 1903[a]
3619291933Robert C. Richardson Jr. 1904[a]
3719331936Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. 1908[a]
3819361937Dennis E. McCunniff 1913[a]
3919371941Charles W. Ryder 1915[a]
4019411942Frederick A. Irving 1917Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (1951-1954)[a]
4119421943Philip E. Gallagher 1918[a]
4219431946George B. Honnen 1920[a]
4319461948Gerald J. Higgins 1934[a]
4419481951Paul D. Harkins 1929[a]
4519511952John K. Waters 1931[a]
4619521954John H. Michaelis 1936[a]
4719541956Edwin J. Messinger 1931[a]
4819561959John L. Throckmorton 1935[a]
4919591961Charles W. G. Rich 1935[a]
5019611963Richard G. Stilwell 1938[a]
5119631965Michael S. Davison 1939[a]
5219651967Richard P. Scott 1941[a]
5319671969Bernard W. Rogers 1943[a]
5419691972Sam S. Walker 1946[a]
5519721975Phillip R. Feir 1949[a]
5619751977Walter F. Ulmer 1952[a]
5719771979John C. Bard 1954[a]
5819791982Joseph P. Franklin 1955[a]
5919821984John H. Moellering 1959[a]
6019841987Peter J. Boylan 1961[a]
6119871989Fred A. Gorden 1962[a]
6219891992David A. Bramlett 1964[a]
6319921994Robert F. Foley 1963Medal of Honor recipient[a]
6419941995Freddy E. McFarren 1966[a]
6519951997Robert J. St. Onge Jr. 1969[a]
6619971999John P. Abizaid 1973[a]
6719992002Eric Olson 1972[a]
6820022004Leo A. Brooks Jr. 1979[a]
6920042006Curtis M. Scaparrotti 1978[a]
7020062008Robert L. Caslen 1975Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (2013-2018)[a]
7120082009Michael S. Linnington 1980[a]
7220092011William E. Rapp 1984[a]
7320112012Theodore D. Martin 1983[a]
7420122014Richard Clarke 1984[a]
7520142016John Thomson 1986[a]
7620162017Diana Holland 1990[a]
7720172019Steven Gilland 1990Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (2022-present)[a]
7820192021Curtis Buzzard 1992[a]
792021presentMark Quander 1995[a]
Ethan A. Hitchcock
Charles Ferguson Smith
John F. Reynolds
Emory Upton
Robert L. Howze
Robert C. Richardson
John K. Waters
Bernard W. Rogers
Robert Caslen

Top-ranking graduates

Astronauts

Note: "Class year" refers to the alumni's class year, which usually is the same year they graduated. However, in times of war, classes often graduate early.
NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Frank Borman1950Commanded Gemini 7 and Apollo 8; first to orbit Moon and to see far side of the Moon[100][101]
Buzz Aldrin1951Pilot of Gemini 12 and Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 11; 2nd person to walk on the Moon[102][103]
Michael Collins1952Pilot of Gemini 10 and Command Module Pilot on Apollo 11[104][105]
Ed White1952Pilot of Gemini 4, died in the Apollo 1 fire; first American to perform a spacewalk; buried at West Point[103][106]
David Scott1954Pilot of Gemini 8, Command Module Pilot of Apollo 9, and Commander of Apollo 15; walked on the Moon[103][107]
Donald H. Peterson1955Mission Specialist on STS-6[108][109]
Alfred Worden1955Command Module Pilot of Apollo 15[109][110]
Richard M. Mullane1967Mission Specialist on STS-41-D, STS-27, and STS-36[103][111]
Sherwood C. Spring1967Mission Specialist on STS-61-B[103][112]
James C. Adamson1969Mission Specialist on STS-28 and STS-43[103][113]
William S. McArthur1973Mission Specialist on STS-58, STS-74, and STS-92; commanded International Space Station Expedition 12[103][114]
Michael R. Clifford1974Mission Specialist on STS-53, STS-59, and STS-76[103][115]
Charles D. Gemar1979Mission Specialist on STS-38, STS-48, and STS-62[109][116]
Patrick G. Forrester1979Mission Specialist on STS-105, STS-117, and STS-128[103][117]
Jeffrey Williams1980Mission Specialist on STS-101; Flight Engineer of ISS Expeditions 13 and 21, Commander of Expedition 22[103][118]
Douglas H. Wheelock1983Mission Specialist on STS-120; Flight Engineer of ISS Expedition 24 and Commander of Expedition 25[119][120]
Timothy L. Kopra1985Flight Engineer of International Space Station Expeditions 19 and 20[103][121]
Robert S. Kimbrough1989Mission Specialist on STS-126[122][123]
Francisco Rubio1998Soyuz MS-22/Soyuz MS-23 (Expedition 67/68/69). Holds the American record for the longest spaceflight of 371 days.[124]
Andrew R. Morgan1998Soyuz MS-13/Soyuz MS-15 (Expedition 60/61/62)[125]
Anne McClain2002Soyuz MS-11 (Expedition 58/59)[126]
Ed White
Alfred Worden
Shane Kimbrough

Authors

This a new list that requires significant work to be remotely complete. New, accurate, contributions are welcome and needed.


NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Philip St. George Cooke18271. Cooke's Cavalry Tactics at the Wayback Machine (archived March 12, 2008)

2. Scenes and Adventures in the Army, Lindsay & Blakiston, 1859

Jefferson Davis18281. The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government. Vol. I. D. Appleton. 1881. OCLC 1084571088.

2. The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government. Vol. II. D. Appleton. 1881. OCLC 1084580578.

3. Andersonville and Other War-Prisons. Belford. 1890. OCLC 902841567.

4. A Short History of the Confederate States of America. Belford. 1890. OCLC 1084918966.

Ulysses S. Grant18431. Personal memoirs of U.S. Grant, Vol I,  C.L. Webster, 1885

2. Personal memoirs of U.S. Grant, Vol II,  C.L. Webster, 1885

Henry Martyn Robert1857Robert's Rules of Order. Manual of parliamentary procedure. It governs the meetings of a diverse range of organizations—including church groups, county commissions, homeowners associations, nonprofit associations, professional societies, school boards, and trade unions—that have adopted it as their parliamentary authority. First published in 1876 by S. C. Griggs & Company. Robert published four editions of the manual before his death in 1923, the last being the thoroughly revised and expanded Fourth Edition published as Robert's Rules of Order Revised in May 1915. Posthumous editions continued to be published, the most recent edition (12th edition) in 2020 by PublicAffairs (an imprint of Perseus Books LLC, a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group).
George S. Patton1909Patton, George S. (1947), War as I Knew It, Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Co., ISBN 978-1-4193-2492-5. Published posthumously from his war diaries.[127]
Dwight D. Eisenhower19151. Crusade in Europe. His war memoirs. Published in 1948 by Doubleday.

2. Mandate for Change, 1953–1956. Presidential memoir. Published in 1963 by Doubleday.

3. The White House Years: Waging Peace 1956–1961. Presidential memoir. Published in 196 by Doubleday.

Leslie Groves1918Groves, Leslie (1962). Now It Can Be Told: The Story of the Manhattan Project. New York: Harper. ISBN 0-306-70738-1. OCLC 537684.
Kenneth Nichols1929Nichols, Kenneth D. (1987). The Road to Trinity. New York: William Morrow and Company. ISBN 0-688-06910-X. OCLC 15223648.
Hal Moore19451. In 1975, the United States Army Center of Military History published Building a Volunteer Army: The Fort Ord Contribution, by Moore and Lieutenant Colonel Jeff M. Tuten. The 139-page paperback is a monograph concerning the Project VOLAR experiments during Moore's tenure in command of Fort Ord in 1971–1973 in preparation for the end of the draft and the implementation of the Modern Volunteer Army.

2. In 1992, Moore wrote We Were Soldiers Once… And Young with co-author Joseph L. Galloway. The book was adapted into the 2002 film We Were Soldiers, which was filmed at Forts Benning and Hunter Liggett, depicting Moore's command of 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, at Fort Benning and in the Battle of Ia Drang.

3. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway wrote another book together, a follow-up to their first collaboration. We Are Soldiers Still; A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam was published in 2008. Moore and Galloway reunited to give an interview on the book at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library on September 17, 2008.

[128] [129]
Frank Borman1950Borman, Frank; Serling, Robert J. (1988). Countdown: An Autobiography. New York: Silver Arrow. ISBN 0-688-07929-6. OCLC 17983615.
John R. Galvin19541. Galvin, John (1969). Air Assault: the Development of Airmobile.

2. Galvin, John (1997). Three Men of Boston. Brassey's. ISBN 1574881116.

3. Galvin, John (2006). The Minute Men: The First Fight: Myths and Realities of the American Revolution. Potomac Books. ISBN 1597970700.

4. Galvin, John (2015). Fighting the Cold War: A Soldier's Memoir. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky.

Martin Dempsey19741. Radical Inclusion: What the Post-9/11 World Should Have Taught Us About Leadership. Co-wrote with Ori Brafman. Published March 6, 2018 by Missionday Publishing.

2. No Time For Spectators: The Lessons That Mattered Most From West Point To The West Wing. Published May 12, 2020, by Missionday Publishing.

Robert L. Caslen1975The Character Edge: Leading and Winning with Integrity. Co-wrote with Michael D. Matthews. Published October 13, 2021, by St. Martin's Press.[130]
Stanley A. McChrystal19761. McChrystal, Stanley (2013). My Share of the Task: A Memoir. New York: Portfolio/Penguin. ISBN 9781591844754. OCLC 780480413.

2.McChrystal, Stanley; Collins, Tantum; Silverman, David; Fussell, Chris (2015). Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World. New York: Portfolio/Penguin. ISBN 9781591847489. OCLC 881094064.

3. McChrystal, Stanley; Eggers, Jeff; Mangone, Jason (2018). Leaders: Myth and Reality. New York: Portfolio/Penguin. ISBN 9780525534372.

4.McChrystal, Stanley; Butrico, Anna (2021). Risk: A User's Guide. Portfolio. ISBN 978-0593192207.

Robert (Bob) Mayer1981Former Green Beret. Mayer has authored over 60 novels in multiple genres, selling more than 4 million books, including the #1 series Area 51, Atlantis, and The Green Berets. He has written under the pen names Joe Dalton, Robert Doherty, Greg Donegan, and Bob McGuire.[131] [132]
Peter Mansoor19821. Schwerpunkt, the Second Battle of Sedan, 10–15 May 1940. Fort Knox, Ky: Command and Staff Dept., U.S. Army Armor School, 1986. OCLC 38192984

2. Building Blocks of Victory: American Infantry Divisions in the War against Germany and Italy, 1941 – 1945. PhD Diss, 1995. OCLC 243855681

3. The GI Offensive in Europe: The Triumph of American Infantry Divisions, 1941–1945. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 1999. ISBN 070060958X OCLC 40595257

4. USAREUR 2010: Harnessing the Potential of NATO Enlargement. Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College, 2003. OCLC 52550086

5. Baghdad at Sunrise: A Brigade Commander's War in Iraq. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press, 2009. ISBN 9780300158472 OCLC 317471909

6. Surge: My Journey with General David Petraeus and the Remaking of the Iraq War. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2015, c2013. ISBN 9780300209372 OCLC 951132242

H. R. McMaster1984Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam. The book presents a case indicting former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and his principal civilian and military advisers for losing the Vietnam War. The book was based on McMaster's Ph.D. dissertation at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Published in 1997 by Harper.
Mark T. Esper1986 A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times. Memoir. Published May 10, 2022, by William Morrow. NYT Bestseller.
Mike Pompeo1986Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love. Memoir. Published on January 24, 2012, by Penguin Press. It reached No. 33 on The New York Times Best Seller list in 2012.
David H. McCormick19871. The Downsized Warrior: America's Army in Transition. Published February 1998 by NYU Press.

2. Superpower in Peril: A Battle Plan to Renew America. Published March 2023 by Center Street (Hachette Book Group).

[133][134]
Paula Broadwell1995All In: The Education of General David Petraeus. Co-wrote with Vernon Loeb. Published on January 24, 2023, by Broadside Books.

Businesspeople

  • Henry A. du Pont, class of 1861, President and general manager of Wilmington & Western Railroad (1879–1899)
  • Robert E. Wood, class of 1900, chairman and CEO of Sears, Roebuck (1939–1954); responsible for shifting the company's focus from a mail-order catalog company to a department store retailer; started AllState Insurance as a subsidiary of Sears; served as the Quartermaster of the Army in World War I and as chief quartermaster during the construction of the Panama Canal
  • William T. Seawell, class of 1941, chairman and CEO of Pan Am Airways (1971–1981)
  • Robert F. McDermott, class of 1943, former chairman and CEO of United Services Automobile Association (USAA)
  • John F. Donahue, class of 1946, founder and Chairman of Federated Investors ($400 billion asset management firm)
  • Frank Borman, class of 1950, President of Eastern Airlines (1975–1986)
  • Walter F. Ulmer, class of 1952, President and CEO of Center for Creative Leadership (1985–1994)
  • Rand Araskog, class of 1953, President, chairman, and CEO of ITT Communications
  • Dana G. Mead, class of 1957, chairman and CEO of Tenneco (1994–1999), Chairman of MIT Corporation (since 2003)
  • Pete Dawkins, class of 1959, former chairman and CEO of Primerica Financial Services, Vice-chairman and EVP of Travelers Insurance, Vice Chairman of Bain and Company, Vice Chairman of Citi Global Wealth Management, currently Senior Partner at Flintlock Capital
  • Fred Malek, class of 1959, founder and Chairman of Thayer Capital Partners, Chairman of Northwest Airlines
  • Frank J. Caufield, co-founder of venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
  • Albert Dunlap, class of 1960, CEO of Scott Paper and Sunbeam
  • Jim Kimsey, class of 1962, chairman and co-founder of AOL
  • Daniel W. Christman, class of 1965, Superintendent of USMA, 1996–2001; Chairman of Ultralife Corporation, SVP of International Affairs for US Chamber of Commerce (since 2003)
  • John B. Ritch III, class of 1965, chairman and co-founder of Calivita International (since 1992)
  • William P. Foley II, class of 1967, former CEO and current Chairman of Fidelity National Information Services
  • Marshall Larsen, class of 1970, chairman and CEO of Goodrich, Corporation (since 2003)
  • Bob McDonald, class of 1975, CEO of Procter & Gamble
  • Ken Hicks, class of 1974, President and CEO of Foot Locker, former President of JCPenney
  • William Albrecht, class of 1974, President of Occidental Oil and Gas
  • Vincent Viola, class of 1977, former Chairman of NYMEX (2001–2004), CEO of VirtuFinancial, owner and member of Chairman's Council of the New Jersey Nets
  • Keith McLoughlin, class of 1978, President and CEO of Electrolux
  • Alex Gorsky, class of 1982, CEO of Johnson & Johnson
  • Mark Green, class of 1986, founder and former CEO of Align MD
  • Anthony J. Guzzi, class of 1986, President and CEO of EMCOR Group, Inc., the world's largest specialty construction, facilities services, energy infrastructure provider and a Fortune 500 company
  • David McCormick, class of 1987, CEO of Bridgewater Associates, one of the world's largest hedge funds, from 2020 to 2022. Named president of FreeMarkets in 2001 and was named chief executive officer in 2002; he successfully sold FreeMarkets to Ariba in 2004 for approximately $500 million.
  • Mark Clouse, class of 1990, President and CEO of Campbell Soup Company
  • Anthony Noto, class of 1991, former CFO and COO of Twitter and current CEO of SoFi
  • John Ham, class of 2000, Ustream Founder, CEO and Chairman
  • Brad Hunstable, class of 2001, founder and President of Ustream.TV

Engineers

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
John Williams Gunnison1837Captain; topographical engineer; supervised one of the Pacific Railroad surveys in 1853; Gunnison, Colorado and Gunnison, Utah are named in his honor[135][136]
Gouverneur K. Warren1850Major General; commanded at the Battle of Gettysburg for the defense of Little Round Top, Chief of Engineers of the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War; participated in topographical and railroad explorations of the Mississippi River and trans-Mississippi West[137]: 554–555 
Orlando Metcalfe Poe1856Brigadier General; American Civil War; lighthouse, harbor, and river engineer; responsible for much of the early lighthouse construction on the Great Lakes; built the Poe Lock of the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; Poe Reef Light in Lake Huron is named in his honor[138]
John Moulder Wilson1860Brigadier General; recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Malvern Hill though acutely ill; Superintendent of the Academy (1889–1893); Chief of Engineers (1897–1901)[17][35]
George Washington Goethals1880Major General; chief engineer of the Panama Canal; Governor of the Panama Canal Zone (1914–1917)[139]
Hiram Martin Chittenden1884Brigadier General; Hiram M. Chittenden was the designer and engineer in charge of designing the Roosevelt Arch, various bridges, and road system in Yellowstone National Park. Additionally, was the lead engineer of the Ballad Locks (AKA Chittenden Locks) in Seattle Washington. The Chittenden Memorial Bridge in Yellowstone is named in his honor.[140]

[141][142][143][144][145][146]

Lunsford E. Oliver1913Major General; initiated the research that led to the development of the steel treadway bridge; Commander of 5th Armored Division during World War II[147]
Brehon B. Somervell1914general in the United States Army and Commanding General of the Army Service Forces in World War II. From 1936 to 1940 Somervell was head of the Works Progress Administration in New York City, where he was responsible for a series of Great Depression relief works, including the construction of LaGuardia Airport. Led the construction of Pentagon.
Hugh John Casey1918Major General; chief engineer of South West Pacific theatre of World War II in World War II; initial designer of The Pentagon[148]
Leslie Groves1918Lieutenant General. United States Army Corps of Engineers officer who oversaw the construction of the Pentagon and directed the Manhattan Project, a top secret research project that developed the atomic bomb during World War II.
Orlando Metcalfe Poe
Lunsford E. Oliver

Government

Heads of state

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Jefferson Davis1828Mexican–American War veteran; U.S. Representative from Mississippi (1845–1846); U.S. Senator from Mississippi (1847–1851); United States Secretary of War (1853–1857); President of the Confederate States of America (1861–1865)[149]
Ulysses S. Grant1843General of the Army of the United States; Mexican–American War; Siege of Vicksburg, Battle of Chattanooga, Siege of Petersburg, accepted Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House; 18th President of the United States (1869–1877)[b][150]
Dwight D. Eisenhower1915General of the Army; trained tank crews in Pennsylvania during World War I; World War II; commander of European Theater of Operations and Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (1942–1945); 1st Military Governor of American Occupation Zone in Germany (1945); President of Columbia University (1948–1950, 1952–1953); 1st Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1951–1952); 34th President of the United States (1953–1961)[151]
Anastasio Somoza Debayle1946General; Head of the Nicaraguan National Guard (1947–1967); President of Nicaragua (1967–1972; 1974–1979)[152]
Fidel V. Ramos1950General; Korean War and Vietnam War veteran; Chief of the Philippine Constabulary (1970–1986); Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (1986–1988); Secretary of National Defense (1988–1991); President of the Philippines (1992–1998)[153]
José María Figueres1979Entered Costa Rican government service after graduating from the Academy; Minister of Foreign Trade (1986–1988); Minister of Agriculture (1988–1990); President of Costa Rica (1994–1998)[154]
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Fidel V. Ramos

Directors of the Central Intelligence Agency

  • Hoyt Vandenberg, class of 1923, DCI 10 June 1946 – 1 May 1947
  • David Petraeus, class of 1974, DCIA 6 September 2011 – 9 November 2012
  • Mike Pompeo, class of 1986, DCIA 23 January 2017 – 26 April 2018 (became United States Secretary of State)

Cabinet members

Secretaries of the Army

Ambassadors

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Alexander Lawton1839Brigadier General CSA; graduated from Harvard Law School, class of 1842; seriously wounded at the Battle of Antietam in September 1862 and served as the Confederacy's second Quartermaster General for the remainder of the war; became president of the American Bar Association in 1882; served as minister to Austria-Hungary (1887–1889)[b][156]
James Longstreet1842Major USA, Lieutenant General CSA; Mexican–American War; excelled in several battles during the American Civil War, including the Second Battle of Bull Run and Battle of Antietam; severely wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness; ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (1897–1904)[b][137]: 353 
William Rosecrans1842Major General; commander Army of the Cumberland, Battle of Stones River, Tullahoma Campaign, Battle of Chickamauga; U.S. Minister to Mexico (1868–1969); U.S. Representative from California (1881–1885); Register of the Treasury (1885–1893)[b][157]
Horace Porter1860Brigadier general; recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Chickamauga; Ambassador to France (1897–1905)[b][158][159]
Maxwell Davenport Taylor1922General; instituted the Cadet Honor Code at the Academy; commander of 101st Airborne Division (1944–1945); Chief of Staff of the Army (1955–1959); Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1962–1964); United States Ambassador to South Vietnam (1964–1965)[a][78]
Jerrold M. North1954Ambassador; Career Foreign Service Officer; served in the Army before entering the Department of State. As a member of the US diplomatic corps, Jerry served overseas in Europe, Africa and the Far East and was the first US ambassador to Djibouti, (1980–1982); Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, VA, as Foreign Affairs Advisor (1982–1984); Department of State, as Director of Employee Performance (1984–1985)[a][160][161]
Horace Porter

Governors (civil)

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Paul Octave Hébert1840Colonel USA, brigadier general in Confederate States Army; Mexican–American War; Governor of Louisiana (1853–1856); served at the Siege of Vicksburg and in Texas[b][163]
Simon Bolivar Buckner1844Captain USA, Lieutenant General CSA; Mexican–American War; Battle of Fort Donelson, Battle of Perryville, Battle of Chickamauga; Governor of Kentucky (1887–1891)[b][164]
Dabney H. Maury1846Lieutenant colonel USA, Major General CSA; son of Naval officer John Minor Maury; Mexican–American War, cavalry officer in Oregon and Texas; Battle of Pea Ridge, Battle of Corinth, Siege of Vicksburg; United States Ambassador to Colombia (1887–1889)[b][165]
Fitzhugh Lee1856Second Lieutenant USA, Major General CSA; American Indian Wars; First Battle of Bull Run, Battle of Antietam, Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of Opequon, led the last charge of the Confederates on 9 April 1865 at Farmville, Virginia; Governor of Virginia (1886–1890)[b][137]: 341 
John S. Marmaduke1857Second Lieutenant US Army, Major General CSA; Utah War; Battle of Shiloh, Battle of Cape Girardeau, Red River Campaign, mortally wounded fellow Confederate general and West Point graduate Lucius M. Walker in a duel; Governor of Missouri (1885–1887)[b][166]
Guy Vernor Henry1861Brigadier General; recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions repulsing an enemy attack at the Battle of Cold Harbor; son Major General Guy Vernor Henry Jr. is an Academy alumnus, class of 1894; Governor of Puerto Rico (1898–1899)[b][30][167]
George Washington Goethals1880Major General; chief engineer of the Panama Canal; Governor of the Panama Canal Zone (1914–1917)[139]
Julian Larcombe Schley1903Major General; World War I; topographic and civil engineer; Governor of the Panama Canal Zone (1926–1932); Chief of Engineers (1937–1941)[17]
Robert McLane
Simon Bolivar Buckner

Governors (military)

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Thomas H. Ruger1854Major General; military engineer and lawyer; veteran of Civil War; military engineer and lawyer; military Governor of Georgia (1868); Superintendent of the Academy (1871–1876)[a][168]
Wesley Merritt1860Major General; veteran of the Civil War and Spanish–American War; first Military Governor of the Philippines[a][137]: 472–473 
Adelbert Ames1861Major General; recipient of the Medal of Honor for his continuing a fierce fight though severely wounded in his right thigh at First Battle of Bull Run; Governor of Mississippi (1868–1870) and (1874–1876); United States Senator from Mississippi (1870–1874)[b][169][170]
Dwight D. Eisenhower1915General of the Army; trained tank crews in Pennsylvania during World War I; World War II; commander of European Theater of Operations and Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (1942–1945); 1st Military Governor of American Occupation Zone in Germany (1945); President of Columbia University (1948–1950, 1952–1953); 34th President of the United States (1953–1961); 1st Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1951–1952)[151]
Paul Caraway1929High Commissioner of the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands (1961–1964)[171]
Adelbert Ames

Legislators

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Jefferson Davis1828Mexican–American War veteran; U.S. Representative from Mississippi (1845–1846); U.S. Senator from Mississippi (1847–1851); United States Secretary of War (1853–1857); president of the Confederate States of America (1861–1865)[149]
Humphrey Marshall1832Second Lieutenant USA, Brigadier General CSA; Mexican–American War veteran with Kentucky militia; U.S. Representative from Kentucky (1849–1852), (1855–1859); resigned from the Confederate Army in June 1863; member of Second Confederate Congress[b][172]
William Rosecrans1842Major General; commander Army of the Cumberland, Battle of Stones River, Tullahoma Campaign, Battle of Chickamauga; U.S. Minister to Mexico (1868–1969); U.S. Representative from California (1881–1885); Register of the Treasury (1885–1893)[b][157]
Samuel B. Maxey1846First Lieutenant USA, Major General CSA; Mexican–American War; Battle of Shiloh, Siege of Port Hudson; United States Senator from Texas (1875–1887)[b][173]
George B. McClellan1846Major General; developed the McClellan Saddle; organized the Army of the Potomac after the Union forces were defeated at First Battle of Bull Run, Peninsula Campaign, Battle of Antietam; son George B. McClellan Jr. served as United States Representative from New York (1895–1903) and as Mayor of New York City (1904–1909)[b][174]
Adelbert Ames1861Major General; recipient of the Medal of Honor for his continuing a fierce fight though severely wounded in his right thigh at First Battle of Bull Run; Governor of Mississippi (1868–1870) and (1874–1876); United States Senator from Mississippi (1870–1874)[b][30][170]
Henry A. du Pont1861Lieutenant Colonel; recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions repulsing an enemy attack at the Battle of Cedar Creek; United States Senator from Delaware (1906–1917)[b][30][175]
Henry Slocum
Jack Reed
Geoff Davis

Mayors

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Luis R. Esteves1915Major General; second Hispanic graduate of the Academy; Pancho Villa Expedition; mayor and judge of Polvo, Mexico; commander of the 23rd Battalion, which was composed of Puerto Ricans and stationed in Panama during World War I; commander of 92nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team during World War II; founder of the Puerto Rico National Guard[178]

Jurists

Law enforcement and intelligence figures

Literary figures and actors

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
John Gregory Bourke1869Captain at time of retirement, Private at the time of the Medal of Honor action; recipient of the Medal of Honor for gallantry in action at the Battle of Stones River, Tennessee; prolific diarist and author focusing on the Old West[b][30][181]

Military figures

Medal of Honor recipients

Civil War

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
John Cleveland Robinson1839 exLeft the Academy after three years but joined the Army one year later; Major General in the American Civil War; awarded the MOH for valor in action in 1864 near Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia; Lieutenant Governor of New York (1873–1874); served two terms as the president of the Grand Army of the Republic[b][35][182]
John Porter Hatch1845Major General; fought in the Mexican War where he was breveted twice for bravery in battle; awarded the MOH for bravery at the Battle of South Mountain during the Maryland Campaign where he was wounded and had two mounts shot from underneath him; later served on the western frontier; retired to New York City and was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1893[b][30][183]
Orlando B. Willcox1847Major General; awarded the MOH in 1895 for gallantry at the First Battle of Bull Run where he was captured; later released as part of a prisoner exchange and served in the Virginia and North Carolina theaters at the end of the war[b][35][184]
Absalom Baird1849Major General; attended Washington & Jefferson College before graduating from West Point; earned fame for actions at the Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Jonesborough; received the MOH in 1896 for his actions at Jonesborough; later received the French Légion d'honneur[b][30][185]
Rufus Saxton1849Brigadier General; recipient of the MOH for his defense at the Battle of Harpers Ferry; participated in the Pacific Railroad surveys in 1853; early abolitionist[b][35][186]
Eugene Asa Carr1850Major General; recipient of the MOH for his defensive though wounded several times at the Battle of Pea Ridge[b][30][137]: 164–165 
Charles Henry Tompkins1851 exDropped out of the Academy after two years for unspecified reasons; Brigadier General; recipient of the MOH for twice charging through the enemy's lines on 1 July 1861 near Fairfax, Virginia, making him the first Union officer of the Civil War to receive the Medal of Honor[b][35][187]
David S. Stanley1852Major General; recipient of the MOH for his actions organizing a counterattack at the Second Battle of Franklin, commander of the IV Corps[b][35][186]
John Schofield1853Lieutenant General; recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions leading an attack at the Battle of Wilson's Creek, Atlanta Campaign, Battle of Franklin, Battle of Nashville, Battle of Wyse Fork; commander of the Army of the Frontier, division commander in the XIV Corps; United States Secretary of War (1868–1869); Superintendent of the Academy (1876–1881); Commanding General of the United States Army (1888–1895); Military Governor of Virginia[b][35][137]: 472–473 
Oliver Duff Greene1853Major; recipient of the MOH for his actions at the Battle of Antietam[b][30][188]
Zenas Bliss1854Major General; recipient of the MOH for his actions at the Battle of Fredericksburg; formed the first unit of Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts[b][30][189]
Oliver Otis Howard1854Major General; recipient of the MOH for his actions leading an attack at the Battle of Seven Pines despite wound which resulted in the loss of his right arm; led the campaign against Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce tribe; founder of Howard University; Superintendent of the Academy (1881–1882)[b][30][31]
Alexander S. Webb1855Major General; recipient of the MOH for his actions at the Battle of Gettysburg for personal bravery and leadership repulsing Pickett's Charge; president of the City College of New York (1869–1902)[b][35][36]
Abraham Arnold1859Brigadier General; recipient of the MOH for leading a cavalry charge against superior forces[b][30][190]
Horace Porter1860Brigadier General; recipient of the MOH for his actions at the Battle of Chickamauga; United States Ambassador to France (1897–1905)[b][35][159]
John Moulder Wilson1860Brigadier General; recipient of the MOH for his actions at the Battle of Malvern Hill despite acute illness; Superintendent of the Academy (1889–1893); Chief of Engineers (1897–1901)[b][35][191]
Adelbert Ames1861 (May)Major General; recipient of the MOH for his continuing a fierce fight though severely wounded in his right thigh at First Battle of Bull Run; Governor of Mississippi (1868–1870) and (1874–1876); United States Senator from Mississippi (1870–1874)[b][30][170]
Eugene B. Beaumont1861 (May)Lieutenant Colonel; recipient of the MOH for two separate actions at the Harpeth River in Tennessee and the Battle of Selma in Alabama[b][30][192]
Samuel Nicholl Benjamin1861 (May)Major; recipient of the MOH for actions as an artillery officer[b][30][193]
Henry A. du Pont1861 (May)Lieutenant Colonel; recipient of the MOH for actions repulsing an enemy attack at the Battle of Cedar Creek; United States Senator from Delaware (1906–1917)[b][30][175]
Guy Vernor Henry1861 (May)Brigadier General; recipient of the MOH for actions repulsing an enemy attack at the Battle of Cold Harbor; son Major General Guy Vernor Henry Jr. is an Academy alumnus, class of 1894; Governor of Puerto Rico (1898–1899)[b][30][167]
Alonzo Cushing1861 (June)First Lieutenant; posthumous recipient of the MOH for actions at Cemetery Ridge during the Battle of Gettysburg; his medal was not awarded until over 150 years after his death
George Lewis Gillespie Jr.1862Brigadier General; recipient of the MOH for carrying dispatches under withering fire at the Battle of Cold Harbor; Chief of Engineers (1901–1904)[b][30][191]
William Sully Beebe1863Major; recipient of the MOH for actions during an assault on a fortified position[b][30][194]
William Henry Harrison Benyaurd1863Lieutenant Colonel; recipient of the MOH for actions during reconnaissance and rallying his troops[b][30][195]
John Gregory Bourke1869Captain at time of retirement, Private at the time of the Medal of Honor action; recipient of the MOH for gallantry in action at the Battle of Stones River, Tennessee; prolific diarist and author focusing on the Old West[b][30][181]
Absalom Baird
Charles Henry Tompkins
Oliver Howard
Alexander Webb
Adelbert Ames
John Bourke

Indian Wars

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Edward Settle Godfrey1867Brigadier General; a Private during the Civil War before attending West Point; received the MOH for leading his men against Chief Joseph despite being severely wounded; led two platoons of Medal of Honor men at the burial of the Unknown Soldier from World War I[b][196][197]
William Preble Hall1868Brigadier General; received the MOH for leading a small group to rescue an officer surrounded by 35 enemy; distinguished marksman with rifle and revolver[b][196][198]
Robert Goldthwaite Carter1870First Lieutenant; an enlisted soldier during the Civil War before attending West Point; received the MOH for repulsing the charge of a large hostile Indian force near the Brazos River in 1871[b][196][199]
John Brown Kerr1870Brigadier General; received the MOH for actions against Brule Sioux along the White River, South Dakota[b][196][200]
Edward John McClernand1870Brigadier General; received the MOH for actions at Bear Paw Mountain, Montana in 1877 against Chief Joseph's tribe[b][196][201]
Charles Varnum1872Colonel; commander of the scouts for George Armstrong Custer in the Little Bighorn Campaign during the Black Hills War; recipient of the MOH for his actions in a conflict following the Battle of Wounded Knee[b][196][202]
Frank West1872Colonel; recipient of the MOH for rallying his men against a fortified position at the Battle of Big Dry Wash, Arizona, for which three other men also received the Medal of Honor: Thomas Cruse, George H. Morgan, and Charles Taylor[b][196][203]
William Harding Carter1873Major General; recipient of the MOH for rescuing two soldiers under heavy fire during the Comanche Campaign[b][196][204]
Marion Perry Maus1874Brigadier General; recipient of the MOH for actions while commander of Apache scouts in the capture of Geronimo[b][196][205]
Ernest Albert Garlington1876Brigadier General; recipient of the MOH for gallantry at the Battle of Wounded Knee[b][196][206]
John Chowning Gresham1876Colonel; recipient of the MOH for gallantry at the Battle of Wounded Knee[b][196][207]
Oscar Fitzalan Long1876Brigadier General; recipient of the MOH for leadership under heavy fire at Bear Paw Mountain, Montana[b][196][208]
Matthias W. Day1877Colonel; recipient of the MOH for rescuing a wounded soldier under heavy fire after being ordered to retreat; member of the 9th Cavalry Regiment of the Buffalo Soldiers[b][196][209]
Robert Temple Emmet1877Colonel; recipient of the MOH for holding off 200 enemies with only himself and five men despite being surrounded; member of the 9th Cavalry Regiment of the Buffalo Soldiers[b][196][210]
Wilber Elliott Wilder1877Brigadier General; recipient of the MOH for rescuing a wounded soldier under heavy fire; key figure in negotiating the surrender of the Apache chief Geronimo[b][196][211]
Lloyd Milton Brett1879Brigadier General; recipient of the MOH for fearless exposure in cutting off the enemy's pony herd at O'Fallon's Creek, Montana, which greatly crippled their ability to fight[b][196][212]
Thomas Cruse1879Brigadier General; recipient of the MOH for holding off the enemy, which enabled the rescue of wounded soldier at the Battle of Big Dry Wash, Arizona, for which three other men also received the Medal of Honor: Frank West, George H. Morgan, and Charles Taylor[b][196][213]
George Ritter Burnett1880First Lieutenant; recipient of the MOH for rescuing stranded men under heavy enemy fire; one of his men, Augustus Walley, also received the Medal of Honor for this action, both members of the 9th Cavalry Regiment of the Buffalo Soldiers[a][b][196]
George Horace Morgan1880Colonel; recipient of the MOH for steadfastly holding his line against the enemy at the Battle of Big Dry Wash, Arizona, for which three other men also received the Medal of Honor: Thomas Cruse, Frank West, and Charles Taylor[b][196][214]
Powhatan Henry Clarke1884First Lieutenant; recipient of the MOH for saving a wounded man under heavy fire; later drowned while rescuing another man[b][196][215]
Robert Lee Howze1888Major General; recipient of the MOH for bravery in action; once threatened to dismiss an entire class of plebes (freshmen) from the Academy for hazing; presided over the court-martial of Brigadier General Billy Mitchell[b][196][216]
William Carter
Oscar Long
Matthias Day
Powhatan Clarke wearing his Medal of Honor
Robert Howze

Spanish–American War

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Albert Leopold Mills1879Major General; recipient of the MOH for continuing to lead his men at the Battle of San Juan Hill despite being shot in the head and temporarily blinded; Superintendent of the Academy (1898–1906)[b][217][218]
John W. Heard1883Brigadier General; recipient of the MOH for repulsing an attack by a larger force while his unit was unloading supplies from a river boat[b][62][219]
Irving Hale1884Brigadier General; highest grade point average ever from Academy; co-founder of the VFW[220]
Charles DuVal Roberts1897Brigadier General; recipient of the MOH for assisting a wounded man under heavy fire[b][62][221]
Ira Clinton Welborn1898Colonel; recipient of the MOH for assisting a wounded man under heavy fire[b][62][222]
Albert Mills

Philippine–American War

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
William Edward Birkhimer1870Brigadier General; awarded the MOH for taking control of a bridge by charging and routing 300 of the enemy with 12 men[b][223][224]
James Parker1876Major General; awarded the MOH for leadership of his men by repulsing a nighttime attack by a much larger enemy force[b][223]
James Franklin Bell1878Major General; began his career with the 9th Cavalry Regiment, a black unit; awarded the MOH for attacking seven enemy soldiers alone[b][223]
John Alexander Logan Jr.1887 exMajor; awarded the MOH for actions while leading his small unit in an attack against a much larger enemy force[b][223][225]
Hugh J. McGrath1880Captain; awarded the MOH for actions against the enemy at a cave[b][223]
William Hampden Sage1882Captain; awarded the MOH for swimming the San Juan River in the face of the enemy's fire and drove him from his entrenchment[b][223]
Louis Joseph Van Schaick1900 exColonel; awarded the MOH for cavalry actions against hostile forces in a canyon[b][223]
Arthur Harrison Wilson1904Colonel; awarded the MOH for actions against hostile Moros[b][223]
John Thomas Kennedy1908Brigadier General; awarded the MOH for actions against the enemy at a cave[b][223]
James Franklin Bell

Boxer Rebellion

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Louis Bowem Lawton1893Major; recipient of the MOH for actions in combat despite being wounded three times[b][226]
Calvin Pearl Titus1905Lieutenant colonel at time of retirement, corporal at the time of the Medal of Honor action; admitted to the Academy because of his Medal of Honor during the Boxer Rebellion; became a Chaplain's assistant[b][226][227]

Mexican Campaign (Veracruz)

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Eli Thompson Fryer1901 exBrigadier General; recipient of the MOH for actions as a Marine company commander during the occupation of Veracruz[b][228][229]
Eli T. Fryer

World War I

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Emory Jenison Pike1901Lieutenant Colonel; recipient of the MOH for actions in combat organizing and leading units during heavy shelling despite being mortally wounded[b][230][231]

World War II

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Douglas MacArthur1903General of the Army, Field Marshal in the Philippine Army; United States occupation of Veracruz; Second Battle of the Marne, Battle of Saint-Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne Offensive during World War I; commander of the 42nd Infantry Division; Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (1919–1922); brigade commander in the Philippine Division; commander of the Philippine Department; Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1930–1935); recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions during the Battle of Bataan, commander of the South West Pacific Area during World War II; Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers during the Occupation of Japan; Korean War; grandson of Wisconsin Governor Arthur MacArthur Sr.; son of lieutenant general and Medal of Honor recipient Arthur MacArthur Jr.[b][232][233]
Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV1906General; recipient of the MOH for defense of te Bataan and Corregidor; also noted for leadership while a prisoner of war (POW); present on board USS Missouri (BB-63) for the surrender of Japan; returned to the Philippines to accept surrender of the local Japanese commander; his father, Robert Powell Page Wainwright, was member of the Academy class of 1875[b][234]
William H. Wilbur1912Brigadier General; recipient of the MOH for actions during the Allied landings in North Africa while attempting to negotiate a cease fire and leading combat actions against hostile forces[b][234][235]
Junius Wallace Jones1913Major General; Air Inspector for the Army Air Forces, and later, the first Inspector General of the Air Force[236]
Demas T. Craw1924Colonel, United States Army Air Forces; posthumous recipient of the MOH for ground actions during the Allied landings in North Africa while attempting to negotiate a cease fire[b][237][238]
Leon William Johnson1926General, United States Army Air Corps and United States Air Force; recipient of the MOH for actions in aerial combat during the raid on the Ploesti, Romania oilfields[b][239][240]
Frederick Walker Castle1930Brigadier General, United States Army Air Forces; posthumous recipient of the MOH for actions in aerial combat while leading a bombing mission over Belgium[b][237][241]
Robert G. Cole1939Lieutenant Colonel; 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division; recipient of the MOH for leading his battalion in a bayonet charge at Carentan, France, during the Battle of Normandy; later killed in Best, Netherlands[b][237][242]
Leon Vance1939Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army Air Corps; recipient of the MOH for actions in saving his bomber crew though he was severely wounded; Vance Air Force Base in his hometown of Enid, Oklahoma, is named in his honor[b][234][243]
Alexander R. Nininger1941Second Lieutenant; recipient of the MOH for actions in Bataan, Philippines while a member of the Philippine Scouts, continued an attack even though wounded three times; first Army soldier awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II; First Division of Cadet Barracks at West Point is named in his honor[b][69]
Michael J. Daly1945 exCaptain; dropped out of the Academy after one year to enlist so he could fight in World War II; received a battlefield commission; awarded the MOH for assaulting several enemy positions[b][237][244]
Two Medal of Honor recipients and friends, MacArthur (l) and Wainwright (r), greet at the end of the war. Wainwright was just released from POW camp
Leon Johnson, at his Medal of Honor ceremony with the medal around his neck

Korea

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Samuel S. Coursen1949First Lieutenant; recipient of the MOH for actions while helping rescue a wounded man and eliminating an enemy roadblock[b][245]
Ralph Puckett1949First Lieutenant. Originally awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on November 25, 1950, when his company of 51 Rangers was attacked by several hundred Chinese soldiers at the battle for Hill 205. In April 2021, Puckett's Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on November 25, 1950, was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. He received the award from President Joe Biden during a ceremony at the White House on May 21, 2021. He is the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient of the Korean War, since the death of Hiroshi Miyamura on November 29, 2022. Retired as a Colonel.[246] [247] [248]
Richard Thomas Shea1952First Lieutenant; recipient of the MOH for actions while leading a counterattack against a larger enemy force[b][245]

Vietnam

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
William A. Jones III1945Colonel, United States Air Force; recipient of the MOH for actions while helping rescue a downed pilot[b][249][250]
Andre Lucas1954Lieutenant Colonel; recipient of the MOH for repulsing a much larger force over a 23-day period[b][249][251]
Roger Donlon1959 exDropped out of the Academy for personal reasons; Captain, later Colonel; recipient of the MOH for repulsing a much larger force[b][249][252]
Humbert Roque Versace1959Captain; recipient of the MOH for his resistance to Viet Cong indoctrination efforts while a prisoner of war (POW); his struggle was chronicled in length by fellow POW Nick Rowe in the book Five Years to Freedom[b][253][254]
James A. Gardner1965 exDid not graduate; First Lieutenant; recipient of the MOH for actions leading his platoon in the relief of a company that was engaged with a larger enemy force[b][249]
Frank S. Reasoner1962First Lieutenant, United States Marine Corps; recipient of the MOH for actions leading reconnaissance patrol against a larger force and trying to save a wounded man[b][253][255]
Robert F. Foley1963Captain, later Lieutenant General; recipient of the MOH for actions on 11 November 1966 for rallying his unit in the face of superior enemy numbers and personally destroying three enemy strongpoints; West Point Commandant of Cadets (1992–1994); later president of Marion Military Institute; currently the director of the Army Emergency Relief Program[b][249]
Paul William Bucha1965Captain; recipient of the MOH for actions leading his unit against a larger enemy for in Bình Dương Province, Vietnam; foreign policy adviser to Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign[b][249][256]
Roger Donlon
Humbert Versace

Mexican–American War combatants

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Joseph Gilbert Totten1805Major General; War of 1812, Mexican–American War, American Civil War; military and lighthouse engineer; Chief of Engineers (1838–1864)[17]
Samuel Ringgold1818Major; Mexican–American War veteran; developed several artillery innovations; first U.S. officer to fall in the Mexican–American War, perishing from wounds inflicted during the Battle of Palo Alto[257]
Joseph K. Mansfield1822Major General; Mexican–American War and American Civil War; civil engineer; mortally wounded at the Battle of Antietam[137]: 363, 850 
Jefferson Davis1828Mexican–American War veteran; U.S. Representative from Mississippi (1845–1846); U.S. Senator from Mississippi (1847–1851); United States Secretary of War (1853–1857); president of the Confederate States of America (1861–1865)[149]
John B. Magruder1830Major USA, major general CSA, major general in Imperial Mexican Army; Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War veteran; noted for deceptive delaying tactics[258]
Charles Smith Hamilton1843Major General; Mexican–American War and American Civil War veteran; wounded in the Battle of Molino del Rey; division commander during the Battle of Yorktown[259]
Samuel Ringgold

American Civil War combatants

Confederate States Army generals

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Samuel Cooper1815Colonel USA, Adjutant General, 1852–1861; Adjutant and Inspector General General in the Confederate Army, 1861–1865, Highest-ranking General, CSA[260]
Albert Sidney Johnston1826Colonel USA, general in the Republic of Texas, general in the Confederate States Army; graduated eighth in his class, commander of US forces in the Utah War, killed at the Battle of Shiloh
Robert E. Lee1829Colonel USA, General CSA; graduated second in his class without demerits; father of George Washington Custis Lee, class of 1854; Commander, Army of Northern Virginia (1862–1865); General-in-Chief, Confederate States Army (1865); President, Washington and Lee University (1865–1870)[a][b][261]
John B. Magruder1830Major in United States Army, major general in Confederate States Army, major general in Imperial Mexican Army; Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War veteran[b][258]
James Longstreet1842Major in United States Army, lieutenant general in Confederate States Army;Mexican–American War; excelled in several battles during the American Civil War, including the Second Battle of Bull Run and Battle of Antietam; severely wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness[b][137]: 353 
Stonewall Jackson1846Major in United States Army, lieutenant general in Confederate States Army; Mexican–American War; professor of natural and experimental philosophy and artillery at Virginia Military Institute (1851–1861); excelled in several battles during the American Civil War, including the First Battle of Bull Run where he received his nickname; accidentally shot by his own troops at the Battle of Chancellorsville and died of complications eight days later[b][137]: 316, 517 
George Pickett1846Captain USA, major general in the Confederate States Army; graduated last in his class, leader of Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg
John Bell Hood1853Second Lieutenant USA, General CSA; offered a post as instructor at the Academy, but declined due to the impending war; brilliant commander in the field but less effective as a general
J.E.B. Stuart1854Captain in United States Army, major general in Confederate States Army; American Indian Wars; excelled in several battles during the American Civil War, including the Peninsula Campaign and Maryland Campaign[b][262]
Robert E. Lee
Stonewall Jackson
John Bell Hood

Union Army generals

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Joseph K. Mansfield1822Major General; Mexican–American War; civil engineer; mortally wounded at the Battle of Antietam; Fort Mansfield, a coastal artillery installation in Westerly, Rhode Island named in his honor[b][137]: 363, 850 
George Meade1835Major General; civil and lighthouse engineer; Second Seminole War, Mexican–American War; Battle of Antietam, Battle of Fredericksburg, Battle of Chancellorsville, Appomattox Campaign, defeated Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg, commander Army of the Potomac (1863–1865); Fort George G. Meade in Maryland, home of the National Security Agency named in his honor[b][137]: 384–385, 701–702 
William Tecumseh Sherman1840Major General; treated the demerit system at West Point with disdain, which lowered his class standing from fourth to sixth; Battle of Shiloh, Vicksburg Campaign, Chattanooga Campaign, Atlanta Campaign, Carolinas Campaign, led the brutal Savannah Campaign (March to the Sea) from Atlanta to Savannah that demoralized the South; Commanding General of the United States Army (1869–1883)[b][263]
Schuyler Hamilton1841He was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers in November 1861 and served as a staff officer in the Department of the Missouri. At the Battle of Island Number Ten, Hamilton led the 2nd Division in the Army of the Mississippi. He was transferred to command the 3rd Division throughout much of the Siege of Corinth. Toward the close of that campaign Hamilton was elevated to command the Right Wing of the Army of the Mississippi, consisting of the 3rd and 4th Divisions. In September 1862, he was selected for promotion to major general but this promotion was never confirmed. Grandson of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton[264]
Ulysses S. Grant1843General of the Army of the United States; Mexican–American War; Siege of Vicksburg, Battle of Chattanooga, Siege of Petersburg, accepted Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House; 18th President of the United States (1869–1877)[b][150]
Winfield Scott Hancock1844Major General; Mexican–American War; Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of the Wilderness, Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, led the Army of the Potomac; Democratic Party nominee for President (1880)[b][265]
George B. McClellan1846Major General; developed the McClellan Saddle; organized the Army of the Potomac after the Union forces were defeated at First Battle of Bull Run, Peninsula Campaign, Battle of Antietam; son George B. McClellan Jr. served as United States Representative from New York (1895–1903) and as Mayor of New York City (1904–1909)[b][174]
Philip Sheridan1853General; Battle of Chattanooga, Overland Campaign, Valley Campaigns of 1864, used scorched earth tactics in the Shenandoah Valley and forced Lee's surrender in the Appomattox Campaign; American Indian Wars[b][266]
Robert O. Tyler1857General; Peninsula Campaign, Battle of Fredericksburg, Battle of Chancellorsville, Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Battle of Cold Harbor[b][267]
George Armstrong Custer1861Major General; Battle of Antietam, Battle of Chancellorsville, leader of a charge at the Battle of Gettysburg that broke the back of the Confederate resistance; Battle of the Wilderness, Siege of Petersburg; Battle of the Washita, died at Battle of the Little Bighorn[b][268]
William Tecumseh Sherman (1840)
Ulysses S. Grant (1843)
Philip Sheridan (1853)

Indian Wars combatants and Buffalo Soldiers

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Hunter Liggett1879Lieutenant General; Indian Wars; Spanish–American War; Philippine–American War; in 1914 predicted that an invasion of the Philippines would occur through Lingayen Gulf, which occurred twice in World War II; division and corps commander in World War I[269]
Henry Ossian Flipper, class of 1877, first African American graduate

Spanish–American War and Philippine Insurrection combatants

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Tasker H. Bliss1875General; Spanish–American War; division commander in Philippine–American War; Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1917–1918); American representative Supreme War Council[270]
Hunter Liggett1879Lieutenant General; Indian Wars; Spanish–American War; Philippine–American War; in 1914 predicted that an invasion of the Philippines would occur through Lingayen Gulf, which occurred twice in World War II; division and corps commander in World War I[269]
John J. Pershing1886General of the Armies; Spanish–American War; Philippine–American War; Moro Rebellion; commander of 8th Regiment in the Pancho Villa Expedition; led the American Expeditionary Force in World War I[271]
John L. Hines1891Major General; Spanish–American War; Philippine–American War; Pancho Villa Expedition; brigade and division commander in World War I; Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1924–1926)[272]

Pancho Villa Expedition combatants

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Eben Swift1876Major General; Spanish–American War, World War I; Director of the United States Army War College; commander of Camp Gordon; commander of the 82nd Division; commander of U.S. Forces in Italy; father of Major General Innis P. Swift; father-in-law of Brigadier General Evan Harris Humphrey; son-in-law of Brigadier General Innis N. Palmer; Camp Swift, Texas is named for him[273]
John J. Pershing1886General of the Armies; Spanish–American War; Philippine–American War; Moro Rebellion; commander of 8th Regiment in the Pancho Villa Expedition; led the American Expeditionary Force in World War I[271]
John L. Hines1891Major General; Spanish–American War; Philippine–American War; Pancho Villa Expedition; brigade and division commander in World War I; Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1924–1926)[272]
Hugh S. Johnson1903Brigadier General; lawyer in Judge Advocate General's Corps; instrumental in implementing the Selective Service Act of 1917; Deputy Provost Marshal General (1971–1918); Director of the Purchase and Supply Branch of the General Staff (1918); commander of 15th Infantry Brigade; Director of the National Recovery Administration; named Time Person of the Year in 1933[274]
Allen W. Gullion1905Major General (U.S. Army J.A.G. Corps; U.S. Army Military Police Corps). During the Pancho Villa Expedition, Gullion served with the 2nd Kentucky Infantry on the Mexican border in 1916. He was promoted to the temporary rank of Lieutenant Colonel during World War I and was assigned to the Office of the Provost Marshal, where he served as a Chief of Mobilization Division. During World War II, Gullion was appointed the U.S. Army Provost Marshal in 1941. Gullion served in this capacity until 1944. Gullion was a prime mover in the efforts to intern American citizens of Japanese ancestry in camps in the wake of the hysteria resulting from the Pearl Harbor attack.[275]
George S. Patton1909General; 1912 Summer Olympics, modern pentathlon, 5th place; Pancho Villa Expedition; World War II; Battle of Saint-Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne Offensive; commander of the 1st Tank Brigade/304th Tank Brigade; commander of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment; commander of the 2nd Armored Division; commander of the II Corps; commander of the Seventh United States Army, Third United States Army, and Fifteenth United States Army during World War II; descendant of Brigadier General Hugh Mercer; father of Major General George Patton IV; Patton series of tanks was named for him[276][277]
Carl Andrew Spaatz1914General; Pancho Villa Expedition; flight instructor and fighter pilot in World War I; Eighth Air Force commander in World War II; first Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force (1947–1948)[278]
Luis R. Esteves1915Major General; second Hispanic graduate of the Academy; Pancho Villa Expedition; mayor and judge of Polvo, Mexico; commander of the 23rd Battalion, which was composed of Puerto Ricans and stationed in Panama during World War I; commander of 92nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team during World War II; founder of the Puerto Rico National Guard[178]
Dwight Johns1916Brigadier General; World War I, Pancho Villa Expedition, World War II; recipients of the Army Distinguished Service Medal[279]

World War I combatants

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Tasker H. Bliss1875General; Spanish–American War; division commander in Philippine–American War; Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1917–1918); American representative Supreme War Council[270]
Hunter Liggett1879Lieutenant General; Indian Wars; Spanish–American War; Philippine–American War; in 1914 predicted that an invasion of the Philippines would occur through Lingayen Gulf, which occurred twice in World War II; division and corps commander in World War I[269]
Mason Patrick1886Major General; commander of 1st Engineers in France (1917–1918); Chief of U.S. Air Service (1918); Chief of U.S. Air Corps (1926–1927)[280]
John J. Pershing1886General of the Armies; Spanish–American War; Philippine–American War; Moro Rebellion; commander of 8th Regiment in the Pancho Villa Expedition; led the American Expeditionary Force in World War I[271]
John L. Hines1891Major General; Spanish–American War; Philippine–American War; Pancho Villa Expedition; brigade and division commander in World War I; Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1924–1926)[272]
George Van Horn Moseley1899Major General. Famously controversial after retirement from the Army for anti-semitic and anti-immigrant views.
Adna R. Chaffee Jr.1902Called the "Father of the Armored Force" for his role in developing the U.S. Army's tank forces. The M24 Chaffee light tank is named after him. Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, near Fort Smith, Arkansas, is named in his honor.[281]
Luis R. Esteves1915Major General; second Hispanic graduate of the Academy; Pancho Villa Expedition; mayor and judge of Polvo, Mexico; commander of the 23rd Battalion, which was composed of Puerto Ricans and stationed in Panama during World War I; commander of 92nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team during World War II; founder of the Puerto Rico National Guard[178]
John Pershing (1886)
John Hines (1891)
Cadet Luis R. Esteves (1915)

World War II combatants

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Henry Conger Pratt1904Major General, United States Air Corps. He issued the revocation order of December 17, 1944, rescinding the order for Japanese American internment.
Henry H. "Hap" Arnold1907General of the Army, General of the Air Force; Second rated pilot in the United States Army Air Corps; executive officer of the aviation section at Army headquarters in Washington D.C. during World War I; World War II; commander of the United States Army Command and General Staff College; commander of March Field; commander of the United States Army Air Forces; founder of the RAND Corporation; Arnold Air Force Base, Arnold Engineering Development Center, and Arnold Air Society are named for him[282]
George S. Patton1909General; 1912 Summer Olympics, modern pentathlon, 5th place; Pancho Villa Expedition; World War II; Battle of Saint-Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne Offensive; commander of the 1st Tank Brigade/304th Tank Brigade; commander of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment; commander of the 2nd Armored Division; commander of the II Corps; commander of the Seventh United States Army, Third United States Army, and Fifteenth United States Army during World War II; descendant of Brigadier General Hugh Mercer; great-grandson of U.S. Representative John M. Patton; relative of Confederate States Brigadier General Hugh W. Mercer; grandson of California State Senator Benjamin Davis Wilson; father of Major General George Patton IV; father-in-law of General John K. Waters; cousin of U.S. Representative Larry McDonald; Patton Army Air Field is named for him; the Patton series of tanks were named for him; the General George Patton Museum at Fort Knox is named for him[276][277]
Carl Andrew Spaatz1914General; Pancho Villa Expedition; flight instructor and fighter pilot in World War I; Eighth Air Force commander in World War II; first Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force (1947–1948)[278]
Dwight D. Eisenhower1915General of the Army; World War II; commander of European Theater of Operations and Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (1942–1945); 1st Military Governor of American Occupation Zone in Germany (1945); President of Columbia University (1948–1950, 1952–1953); 1st Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1951–1952); 34th President of the United States (1953–1961)[151]
Luis R. Esteves1915Major General; second Hispanic graduate of the Academy; Pancho Villa Expedition; mayor and judge of Polvo, Mexico; commander of the 23rd Battalion, which was composed of Puerto Ricans and stationed in Panama during World War I; commander of 92nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team during World War II; founder of the Puerto Rico National Guard[178]
Hugh John Casey1918Major General; instructor and engineer company commander during World War I; Chief Engineer for General of the Army Douglas MacArthur for the South West Pacific theatre of World War II; initial designer of The Pentagon; father of Major Hugh Boyd Casey; father-in-law of Major General Frank Butner Clay[283]
Douglas MacArthur
George S. Patton
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Omar Bradley

Korean War combatants

Fidel V. Ramos

Vietnam War combatants

Gulf War combatants

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Norman Schwarzkopf Jr.1956General; Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Central Command; father Norman Schwarzkopf Sr. is a 1917 Academy alumnus[286]
Frederick M. Franks Jr.1959General; commander, VII Corps and the "Left Hook" maneuver against fourteen Iraqi divisions[287]
Barry McCaffrey1964General; commander of 24th Infantry Division[288]
Montgomery Meigs1967General; Vietnam War, Gulf War, and Operation Joint Endeavor; commander 3rd Infantry Division (1995–1996); commander NATO SFOR (1998–1999); professor of strategy and military operations; Major General Montgomery C. Meigs, class of 1836, is his ancestor[289]
H. R. McMaster1984Major general; captain in 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment at the Battle of 73 Easting; military history professor at West Point (1994–1996); PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a thesis criticizing American strategy in the Vietnam War and detailed in his 1998 book Dereliction of Duty; commander of 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in the Iraq War[290]
Mark T. Esper1986Captain in 3-187 Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm; Commander, B/3-325 ABCT, Vicenza, Italy (1993-94); War Planner, DCSOPS, U.S. Army Staff, The Pentagon (1995-96); 23rd Secretary of the Army (2017-19); 27th Secretary of Defense (2019-2020)[291]
Norman Schwarzkopf Jr.
Barry McCaffrey

War on Terror

Participants

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Wayne A. Downing1962National Director and Deputy National Security Adviser for combating terrorism; chairman of the Combating Terrorism Center at the Academy[292]
Robert L. Caslen1975Lieutenant general; chief of staff for Combined Joint Task Force-180 (CJTF-180) in Afghanistan (May–September 2002); Chief of the Office of Security Cooperation for Iraq; 59th Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (2013–2018)[293]
Stanley A. McChrystal1976Lieutenant General; infantry and special operations officer; served in Iraq and Afghanistan; commander, Joint Special Operations Command (2003–2008)[294][295]
Robert B. Abrams1982General. commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia from 2011 to 2013, during which he served as commander of Regional Command South in Kandahar, Afghanistan. 22nd Commander of United States Army Forces Command, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from Aug 2015 until October 2018.[296][unreliable source?]
Richard D. Clarke1984General; commander 75th Ranger Regiment (2007–2009); 74th Commandant of Cadets (2012–2014); 12th commander of United States Special Operations Command[297]
Michael Kurilla1988General. commander of the 82nd Airborne Division from 2016–2018; commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps[298][299]
Sean Bernabe1992Lieutenant General. Commanding General of III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas. Commanding General, 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss, Fort Bliss, Texas,[300][301]
Christopher Donahue1992Lieutenant General. Commanding General, 82nd Airborne Division from 2020 to 2021; last American servicemember to leave Afghanistan (August 30, 2021), closing at the same time Operation Allies Refuge, the 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan and the withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan. commanding general of the XVIII Airborne Corps.[302]

Afghanistan combatants

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Franklin L. Hagenbeck1971Lieutenant general; commander, Coalition Joint Task Force Mountain, Operations Enduring Freedom/Anaconda and deputy commanding general, Combined Joint Task Force 180 in Afghanistan; Superintendent of the Academy (2006–2010)[303]
Lloyd J. Austin III1975General; Commander, 10th Mountain Division (2003–2005) and Combined Joint Task Force-180 (Operation Enduring Freedom) (2003–2004)[304]
Robert W. Cone1979Major general; commander, Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan[305]
Austin S. Miller1983four-star general in the United States Army and former Delta Force commander who served as the final commander of NATO's Resolute Support Mission and United States Forces - Afghanistan from September 2, 2018, to July 12, 2021. He previously served as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command from March 30, 2016, to August 2018.[305]

[306][307][308]

Robin Fontes1986Major general; commander, Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan[309]

Iraq combatants

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
John Abizaid1973General; commander, United States Central Command; commander 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Battalion Combat Team; commander 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment[310]
David Petraeus1974General; first commander of the Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq and the NATO Training Mission-Iraq; commander 101st Airborne Division; commander Multi-National Forces – Iraq (2007-)[311]
Lloyd J. Austin III1975General; 28th United States Secretary of Defense; Commander, United States Central Command; 33rd Vice Chief of Staff, Army; Commander, United States Forces-Iraq (2010–2011); Commander, XVIIIth Airborne Corps (2006–2008) and Multi-National Corps-Iraq (2008–2009); ADC(M), 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) (2001–2003); Silver Star recipient[304]
William B. Caldwell IV1976Lieutenant general; deputy chief of staff for strategic effects and spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq[312]
Mark Kimmitt1976Brigadier general; chief military spokesman for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad (2003–2004); Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs (2008–2009)[313]
James H. Coffman Jr.1978Colonel; Distinguished Service Cross for action at Mosul, Iraq[314]
Peter Mansoor1982Colonel. He is known primarily as the executive officer to General David Petraeus during the Iraq War, particularly the Iraq War troop surge of 2007.
H. R. McMaster1984Major General[290]
Emily Perez2005Second Lieutenant; first member of the "Class of 9/11" to be killed in combat[315]
David Petraeus
H. R. McMaster

Supreme Allied Commanders of NATO

Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Army Chiefs of Staff/Commanders of the Army

William Westmoreland, class of 1936

Chiefs of the National Guard Bureau / Chiefs of the Militia Bureau

  • Erasmus M. Weaver Jr., class of 1875, 1st Chief of the Militia Bureau (1908-1911)
  • Robert K. Evans, class of 1875, 2nd Chief of the Militia Bureau (1911-1912)
  • Albert Leopold Mills, class of 1879, 3rd Chief of the Militia Bureau (1912-1916), Medal of Honor recipient in the Spanish-American War (Battle of San Juan Hill)
  • George W. McIver, class of 1882, acting Chief of the Militia Bureau (September–October 1916)
  • William Abram Mann, class of 1875, 4th Chief of the Militia Bureau (1916-1917)
  • Jesse McI. Carter, class of 1886, 5th Chief of the Militia Bureau (1917-1918 and 1919-1921)
  • John W. Heavey, class of 1891, acting Chief of the Militia Bureau (1918-1919)
  • Donald W. McGowan, attended 1919-1922, 16th Chief of the National Guard Bureau (1959-1963)
  • Raymond F. Rees, class of 1966, acting Chief of the National Guard Bureau (August–September 1994 and 2002-2003)
  • Daniel R. Hokanson, class of 1986, 29th Chief of the National Guard Bureau (2020–present)

Air Force Chiefs of Staff

Carl Spaatz, class of 1914

Chief of Staff of non-American armed forces

Presidential and Congressional awardees

Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients

Wesley Clark, class of 1966

Congressional Gold Medal recipients

Congressional Space Medal of Honor recipients


Religious Figures

Scientists, inventors, and physicians

Graduates Involved with the Manhattan Project

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Leslie Groves1918Lieutenant General. United States Army Corps of Engineers officer who oversaw the construction of the Pentagon and directed the Manhattan Project.
Kenneth David Nichols1929Major General. Civil engineer who worked on the Manhattan Project. Arranged the procurement of uranium ore for the Manhattan Project. Nichols led both the uranium production facility at the Clinton Engineer Works at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the plutonium production facility at Hanford Engineer Works in Washington state. Plutonium manufactured at Hanford was used in the first atomic bomb, which was tested in the Trinity nuclear test, and in the Fat Man bomb used in the bombing of Nagasaki.
James Benjamin Lampert1936Lieutenant general; combat engineer during World War II; early pioneer of nuclear weapons and nuclear power, served as General Leslie Groves' executive officer as part of the Manhattan Project after World War II (1947-1949); his father, James G. B. Lampert, class of 1910, was killed in World War I.[a][84]
Peer de Silva1941Lieutenant Colonel. Posted to Military Intelligence, in 1942 he completed the Army's advanced school for the counterintelligence corps. Then serving as an Army officer in charge of security, he provided protection for scientists and technicians in the Manhattan Project. He personally escorted the plutonium hemispheres that formed the core of the Fat Man nuclear weapon to Tinian, the island in the western Pacific from which the raid on Nagasaki was staged. On the island, only hours before Bockscar took off for Japan, the hemispheres—called the "pit", on analogy with the seed of a stonefruit—were inserted into the center of their nuclear weapon.
Leslie Groves
Kennth D. Nichols
James B. Lampert

Sportspeople

Athletes

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Abner Doubleday1842Major General during the American Civil War; subject of the myth that he invented baseball[316]
Guy Henry1898Major General; Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, World War I, World War II; commander of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment; recipient of two Army Distinguished Service Medals and the Silver Star; son of Brigadier General, Medal of Honor recipient, and Puerto Rico Governor Guy Vernor Henry; Bronze Medalist at the 1912 Summer Olympics in equestrianism
Paul Bunker1903Colonel; selected as a member of the College Football All-America Team in 1901 and 1902 and as the retroactive Heisman Trophy winner for 1902 by Sports Illustrated; member of the College Football Hall of Fame[317]
George S. Patton1909General; 1912 Summer Olympics, modern pentathlon, 5th place; Pancho Villa Expedition; World War II; Battle of Saint-Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne Offensive; commander of the 1st Tank Brigade/304th Tank Brigade; commander of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment; commander of the 2nd Armored Division; commander of the II Corps; commander of the Seventh United States Army, Third United States Army, and Fifteenth United States Army during World War II; descendant of Brigadier General Hugh Mercer; father of Major General George Patton IV; Patton series of tanks were named for him[276][277]
Elmer Oliphant1918World War I; professional football player; considered one of the all-time greatest college football players; established world record in 220-yard (200 m) low hurdles[318]
P.C. Hains1924Major General; cavalry officer; modern pentathlon at the 1928 Summer Olympics[319]
John Roosma1926Colonel during World War II; Basketball Hall of Fame; the Academy's basketball Most Valuable Player award is named after him[320]
Robin Olds1943Brigadier General; World War II, Vietnam War; group commander in the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing; commander of the No. 1 Squadron RAF and 434th Fighter Squadron; commander of the 81st Tactical Wing and the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing; recipient of the Air Force Cross, two Air Force Distinguished Service Medals, and four Silver Stars; son of Major General Robert Olds; member of the College Football Hall of Fame[321]
Doc Blanchard1947United States Air Force fighter pilot; combat veteran of Vietnam War; football player known as "Mr. Inside" who won the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, and James E. Sullivan Award, all in 1945[322]
Glenn Woodward Davis1947Served three years in the Army before joining the Los Angeles Rams; football player known as "Mr. Outside" who won the Maxwell Award (1944) and Heisman Trophy (1946)[323]
James V. Hartinger1949United States Air Force General; fighter pilot; combat veteran of Korean War and Vietnam War; National Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee; Hartinger Medal for significant contributions to the military space mission named after him[324]
Dan Foldberg1951Colonel; infantry officer and combat veteran of the Korean War and Vietnam War; football and lacrosse All-American at the Academy; Earl Blaik called him the greatest end he coached; drafted by the Detroit Lions football team but chose a career in the Army instead[325]
Bill Carpenter1959Lieutenant General; Distinguished Service Cross recipient during the Vietnam War; paratrooper; football player known as the "Lonesome End"; College Football Hall of Fame inductee[326]
Pete Dawkins1959Brigadier General; Heisman Trophy Maxwell Award winner (1958); Rhodes Scholar; PhD from Princeton University; paratrooper; recipient of two Bronze Stars during the Vietnam War; only cadet in history to simultaneously be Brigade Commander, President of his Class, captain of the football team, and a "Star Man" in the top five percent of his class academically[327]
Ronald Zinn1962Captain; killed in action in 1965 during the Vietnam War; race walker in the 1960 Summer Olympics and 6th place in racewalking in the 1964 Summer Olympics[328]
Mike Silliman1966Captain; gold medal in men's basketball at the 1968 Summer Olympics[329]
Michael Thornberry1994First Lieutenant; ninth place in team handball in the 1996 Summer Olympics[330]
Dan Browne1997First Lieutenant; professional distance runner; 2002 U.S. Marathon champion; 2004 Summer Olympics competitor at 10 km and marathon[331]
Ronnie McAda1997First Lieutenant; last pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, selected by the Green Bay Packers, thus earning the distinction of being a Mr. Irrelevant[332]
Anita Allen2000Captain; placed eighteenth in the modern pentathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics[333]
Lorenzo Smith III2000Captain; placed sixth in bobsledding at the 2006 Winter Olympics[334]
Boyd Melson2003Captain; boxer, 2004 World Military Boxing Championships, gold medal (69-kg. weight class)[335]
Caleb Campbell2007First Lieutenant; selected by the Detroit Lions with the 218th pick (7th round) in the 2008 NFL Draft[336]
Alejandro Villanueva2010Captain; Infantry officer, combat veteran of the War in Afghanistan, and recipient of the Bronze Star with "V" Device; offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens[337]
Stewart Glenister2011West Point cadet; represented American Samoa in 50 m freestyle swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics[338][339]
Stephen Scherer2011West Point cadet; made the U.S. 2008 Summer Olympics team in 10 m air rifle team at the age of 19 as a plebe[340][341]
Josh McNary2011First Lieutenant; linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts[342]
Collin Mooney2012First Lieutenant; fullback who played for the Tennessee Titans and the Atlanta Falcons[343][344]
Brett Toth2018American football offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL).[345][346]
Cole Christiansen2019American football linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Super Bowl champion (LVII).[345]
Felix "Doc" Blanchard
Anita Allen
Boyd Melson
Caleb Campbell

Coaches

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Charles S. Farnsworth1883Major General; Spanish–American War; University of North Dakota head football coach (1895–1896)[347]
Joseph Stilwell1904General; organized and was head coach of the first basketball team at West Point[348]
Charles Dudley Daly1905Lieutenant Colonel; World War I; "Godfather of West Point Football"; early promoter of American football[349]
Robert Neyland1916Brigadier General; World War I; University of Tennessee head football coach (1926–1939) and (1946–1952); member of College Football Hall of Fame (as a coach); four-time national champion and five-time SEC champion at Tennessee[350]
Earl Blaik1920Cavalry officer for two years; head football coach at Dartmouth College (1934–1940) and United States Military Academy (1941–1958); member of College Football Hall of Fame; two-time national champion at Army (as a coach)[351]
Robert V. Whitlow1943United States Army Air Forces and Air Force fighter and bomber pilot, World War II; head football coach (1955) and athletic director (1954–1957) of the Air Force Academy; "athletic director" of the Chicago Cubs baseball club (1963–1965)[352]
Bill Yeoman1948Head coach at the University of Houston; Member of the College Football Hall of Fame; Inventor of the Veer Offense; Played prominent role in racial integration of college athletics in the South; Captain of undefeated 1948 Army Football team and second team All-American center; Played for Earl Blaik; Only underclassman to captain an Army football team
Mike Krzyzewski1969Captain; recipient of West Point Association of Graduates Distinguished Graduate award in 2005; head basketball coach, West Point (1975–1981) and Duke University (1981–present); men's basketball gold medal-winning team head coach at 2008, 2012, and 2016 Summer Olympics; five-time NCAA national champion; 2001 inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame[353]
Charles Daly
Mike Krzyzewski

Television and movie figures

Ambrose Burnside, class of 1847

Eponyms

Places named for graduates

NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
John Joseph Abercrombie1822Fort Abercrombie, North Dakota (1860-1877) was named after him. Abercrombie Township, Richland County, North Dakota is named after him.[354]
William Wallace Smith Bliss1833Fort Bliss, Texas is named after him.[355]
George B. McClellan1846Fort McClellan in Alabama, McClellan Butte and McClellan Peak in the state of Washington, where he traveled while conducting the Pacific Railroad Survey in 1853, and a bronze equestrian statue honoring General McClellan in Washington, D.C.

The McClellan Gate at Arlington National Cemetery is dedicated to him and displays his name. McClellan Park in Milbridge, Maine, was donated to the town by the general's son with the stipulation that it be named for the general.

Camp McClellan, in Davenport, IA, is a former Union Army camp established in August 1861 after the outbreak of the Civil War. The camp was the training grounds for recruits and a hospital for the wounded.

McClellan Fitness Center is a United States Army gym located at Fort Eustis, Virginia near his Peninsula Campaign. McClellan Heights Historic District in Davenport, Iowa is named in his honor.

[356][unreliable source?]
Jesse L. Reno1846The cities of Reno, Nevada, Reno, Ohio, El Reno, Oklahoma, and Reno, Pennsylvania, are all named for the general. The first two contain monuments to him in their downtown areas. The one in Reno stands along Virginia Street; the one in El Reno stands in Youngheim Plaza on Russell Street.

The United States Army named three outposts after Reno: Fort Pennsylvania in present-day Washington, D.C., was renamed Fort Reno in 1862, Fort Reno was constructed near present-day El Reno, Oklahoma in 1874, the third Fort Reno was built in present-day Wyoming on the Bozeman Trail in 1865.

Reno County, Kansas is also named in his honor.

The Jesse L. Reno School in Washington, DC was named in his honor. It closed in 1950.

John Bell Hood1853Fort Hood, Texas was named after him (renamed to Fort Cavazos in 2023). Hood County, Texas is named after him.[357]
James B. McPherson1853Fort McPherson near Atlanta, Georgia, was named after him. McPherson Square in Washington, D.C., and its Metro rail station are named in the general's honor. At the center of the square is a statue of McPherson on horseback.

McPherson County, Kansas, and the town of McPherson, Kansas, are named in his honor. McPherson Township, Blue Earth County, Minnesota is also named for him. There is also an equestrian statue of him in the park across from the McPherson County Courthouse. McPherson County, South Dakota, founded in 1873, and organized in 1885, was also named in his honor. McPherson County, Nebraska, and Fort McPherson National Cemetery, located near Maxwell, Nebraska, were named in his honor, and the National Cemetery was established on March 3, 1873.

[358][359]
John M. Schofield1853Schofield Barracks, Hawaii is named in his honor.[360]
Charles Garrison Harker1858Fort Harker in Kansas, an active garrison of the United States Army from 1866 to 1872, was named in his honor. The Charles G. Harker School in the Swedesboro-Woolwich School District, New Jersey, is named in his honor.[361]
George LeRoy Irwin1889Fort Irwin National Training Center, California is named in his honor.[362]
Lesley J. McNair1904Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. is named after him. Fort McNair is today part of the Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall, the headquarters of the Army's Military District of Washington, and serves as home to the National Defense University, as well as the official residence of the Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army.
Adna R. Chaffee Jr.1906Fort Chaffee Maneuver Training Center, Arkansas is named in his honor.[363]

Graduates depicted on currency

Graduates depicted on postage stamps

  • Alden Partridge, class of 1806, appears on 11¢ Great Americans series stamp (1985)
  • Sylvanus Thayer, class of 1808, appears on 9¢ Great Americans series stamp (1985)
  • Jefferson Davis, class of 1828, appears on 6¢ Stone Mountain Memorial commemorative stamp (1970), 32¢ Civil War commemorative stamp (1995) and eight Confederate stamps
  • Joseph E. Johnston, class of 1829, appears on 32¢ Civil War commemorative stamp (1995)
  • Robert E. Lee, class of 1829, appears on 4¢ Army commemorative stamp (1937), 30¢ Liberty series stamp (1955 and 1957), 6¢ Stone Mountain Memorial stamp (1970), and 32¢ Civil War commemorative stamp (1995)
  • Montgomery Blair, class of 1835, appears on 15¢ airmail stamp (1963) and on one Belgian stamp
  • William Tecumseh Sherman, class of 1840, appears on 8¢ stamps (1893 and 1895), 3¢ Army commemorative stamp (1937), 32¢ Civil War commemorative stamp (1995), and on stamps from Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico
  • Ulysses S. Grant, class of 1843, appears on 5¢ stamps (1890, 1895, 1898), 4¢ stamp (1903), 8¢ stamp (1922), 3¢ Army commemorative stamp (1937), 18¢ Presidential series stamp (1938), 32¢ Civil War commemorative stamp (1995)
  • Winfield Scott Hancock, class of 1844, appears on 32¢ Civil War commemorative stamp (1995)
  • Stonewall Jackson, class of 1846, appears on 4¢ Army commemorative stamp (1937) and 6¢ Stone Mountain Memorial stamp (1970)
  • Phillip Sheridan, class of 1853, appears on 3¢ Army commemorative stamp (1937)
  • George Washington Goethals, class of 1880, appears on 3¢ Panama Canal commemorative stamp (1939) and on stamps issued for the Panama Canal Zone
  • John J. Pershing, class of 1886, appears on 8¢ Liberty series stamp (1961) and on French stamps
  • John L. Hines, class of 1891, appears on 33¢ Distinguished Soldiers commemorative stamp (2000)
  • Douglas MacArthur, class of 1903, appears on 6¢ commemorative stamp (1971) and on stamps from Korea and the Philippines
  • Joseph Stilwell, class of 1904, appears on 10¢ Distinguished Americans series stamp (2000)
  • Henry H. Arnold, class of 1907, appears on 65¢ Great Americans series stamp (1988)
  • George S. Patton Jr., class of 1909, appears on 3¢ commemorative stamp (1953) and on stamps from Belgium and Luxembourg.
  • Omar Bradley, class of 1915, appears on 33¢ Distinguished Soldiers commemorative stamp (2000)
  • Dwight D. Eisenhower, class of 1915, appears on 6¢ commemorative stamp (1969), 6¢ (1970) and 8¢ (1971) Prominent Americans series stamps, and on stamps of other countries
  • Frank Borman, class of 1950, appears on ten stamps of Haiti, Hungary, and Senegal
  • Fidel V. Ramos, class of 1950, appears on numerous Philippine Stamps since the 1990s
  • Buzz Aldrin, class of 1951, appears on foreign stamps

Graduates selected as Time Magazine's "Person of the Year"

Other

George Washington Goethals, class of 1880
Hap Arnold, class of 1907

Non-graduates

As these alumni did not graduate, their class year represents the year they would have graduated if they had completed their education at the Academy.
NameClass yearNotabilityReferences
Jacob Zeilinex 1826First United States Marine Corps general officer, Commandant of the Marine Corps (1864–1876); part of Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan; discharged due to academics[366][367]
Edgar Allan Poeex 1834Served as a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army 1827–1829; author who excelled in language; expelled for neglecting duties[368]
James Abbott McNeill Whistlerex 1855Artist; discharged for academic and disciplinary problems after three years[369]
Timothy Learyex 1943Counterculture icon, LSD proponent; dropped out (and later coined phrase "Turn on, tune in, drop out")[370]
Adam Vinatieriex 1995National Football League (NFL) placekicker New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts; left the Academy after two weeks[371]
Edgar Allan Poe

References

General references

 a: Special Collections: Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U. S. Military Academy. West Point, NY: United States Military Academy Library. 1950.
 b: "Civil War Generals from West Point". University of Tennessee – Knoxville. 2003. Archived from the original on 5 June 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2009.

Inline citations

External links