List of Centre College people
Here follows a list of notable people associated with Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.
Notable graduates[edit]
Law[edit]
- John Christian Bullitt, 1849: attorney in Philadelphia, drafted the city's charter and founded the law firm of Drinker, Biddle & Reath
- John Marshall Harlan, 1850: Supreme Court associate justice (1877–1911), cast the lone dissenting vote in Plessy v. Ferguson
- Pierce Lively, 1943: federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (1972–2016)
- Andrew Phelps McCormick, 1854: federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (1892–1916)
- Fred M. Vinson, 1909, Law 1911: chief justice of the United States (1946–53), secretary of the treasury (1945–46), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from KY–08 and KY–09 (1933–43)
Government[edit]
- George Madison Adams: member of the U.S. House of Representatives from KY–08 and KY–09 (1867–75), secretary of state of Kentucky (1887–91)
- Joshua Fry Bell, 1828: member in the U.S. House of Representatives from KY–04 (1845–47; first Centre alumnus to serve in Congress), secretary of state of Kentucky (1849–50)
- John C. Breckinridge, 1838: U.S. vice president (1857–61); Confederate secretary of war (1865); U.S. senator from Kentucky (1861)
- John Y. Brown, Sr., 1921: member of the U.S. House of Representatives from KY–AL (1933–35)
- Jacqueline Coleman, 2004: lieutenant governor of Kentucky (2019–present)
- John Sherman Cooper, 1922: U.S. ambassador to East Germany (1974–76), U.S. senator from Kentucky (1946–49, 1952–55, 1956–73), U.S. ambassador to India (1955–56)
- Michael W. Jackson, 1985: Alabama District Attorney (2005 - present)
- Crit Luallen, 1974: lieutenant governor of Kentucky (2014 - 2015), Kentucky State Auditor (2004 - 2012)
- Claude Matthews, 1867: governor of Indiana (1893–97), secretary of state of Indiana (1891–93)
- Austin Peay, 1895: governor of Tennessee (1923–27)
- Augustus Stanley, 1889: U.S. senator from Kentucky (1919–25), governor of Kentucky (1915–19), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from KY–02 (1903–15)
- Adlai Stevenson I, 1859: U.S. vice president (1893–97), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from IL–13 (1875–77, 1879–81)
- John T. Stuart, 1826: member of the U.S. House of Representatives from IL–03 (1839–43) and IL–08 (1863–65), lawyer, law partner of Abraham Lincoln
- Yi Kuu, Prince Imperial Hoeun, 1952: Prince Imperial of Korea, grandson of Emperor Gojong
- Joseph Holt, 1824: U.S. postmaster general, U.S. secretary of war and Judge Advocate General of the United States Army; leading judge in the trials of the Abraham Lincoln assassination
- Thomas H. Taylor, Confederate general (1861–65), Louisville chief of police (1881–92)
- George Graham Vest, U.S. senator from Missouri (1879–1903), Confederate senator from Missouri (1865), member of the Confederate House of Representatives from MO–05; best known for supposedly coining the phrases "man's best friend" and "history is written by the victors."
Arts[edit]
- George Ella Lyon, 1971:[1] former Kentucky Poet Laureate
- Stephen Rolfe Powell, 1974: internationally acclaimed glass blower and art professor
- Tony Crunk, 1978: winner, Yale Younger Poets prize
- Terena Elizabeth Bell, 1999, author of Tell Me What You See
- Tiffany Reisz, 2000; RITA award-winning novelist
Athletics[edit]
- Gene Bedford: second baseman for the Cleveland Indians and defensive end for the Rochester Jeffersons
- Herb Covington, 1924: played football, basketball, and baseball for Centre, named to the all-time Centre football team in 1935
- E.A. Diddle, 1920: legendary basketball coach of Western Kentucky University, member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- Jordan Gay, 2013: punter and kickoff specialist for the Buffalo Bills
- Cawood Ledford, 1949: voice of the University of Kentucky Wildcats for 30 years
- Alvin Nugent "Bo" McMillin, 1922: three-time All-American quarterback; member of the College Football Hall of Fame; head football coach of Indiana University, Detroit Lions, and Philadelphia Eagles
- Sully Montgomery, 1920: tackle for the Chicago Cardinals; boxer
- Tom Moran: blocking back for the New York Giants
- Homer Rice, football coach
- Red Roberts, 1922: NFL player; head football coach of Waynesburg University
- Lou Smyth, 1919: three-time NFL champion with the Canton Bulldogs
- John Tanner, 1921: NFL wingback with the Toledo Maroons, Cleveland Indians, and Cleveland Bulldogs
- Ken Willis, 1986 (transferred after one year): kicker for the Dallas Cowboys
Academia[edit]
- Raymond Burse, 1973: Rhodes Scholar; general counsel for General Electric; former president of Kentucky State University; the first African-American to compete in the Oxford v. Cambridge rugby match
Business[edit]
- Isaac Tigrett, 1970: founder of the Hard Rock Cafe and the House of Blues
- Julian "Pappy" Van Winkle Sr, 1892: distiller for the Stitzel-Weller Distillery, face of Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve
Other[edit]
- Rev. Samuel D. Burchard, 1837: clergyman whose "Rum, Romanism and rebellion" speech may have cost James G. Blaine the 1884 presidential election
- Charles Carpenter (Lt. Col.): highly decorated Second World War artillery observation pilot nicknamed "Bazooka Charlie"; destroyed several German armored vehicles in his bazooka-equipped L-4 Grasshopper light observation aircraft, christened "Rosie the Rocketer"[2][3]
- George W. Harkins: attorney and chief of the Choctaw tribe during Indian removal
- Lewis Craig Humphrey, 1896: editor of the Centre College newspaper The Cento; chief editor of the Louisville Evening Post and the Louisville Herald
- E Patrick Doyle was attending Centre College in 1848 when he helped lead the largest slave uprising in Kentucky, ending with Doyle's capture and imprisonment
Faculty and staff[edit]
- J. Proctor Knott: law professor at Centre; 29th governor of Kentucky
- Sara W. Mahan: 64th Secretary of State of Kentucky, served as college librarian from 1920–21
- Ephraim McDowell: member of the Board of Trustees and namesake of the Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center
Presidents of the College[edit]
| No. | President | Term | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James McChord | March 4, 1820 – May 29, 1820 | Elected president on March 4, but died before officially assuming the presidency | [4] |
| – | Samuel Finley | 1822 | President pro tem | [5] |
| 2 | Jeremiah Chamberlain | December 21, 1822 – August 12, 1826 | [6] | |
| – | David C. Procter | October 27, 1826 – c.July 1827 | President pro tem | |
| 3 | Gideon Blackburn | August 1, 1827 – October 26, 1830 | ||
| 4 | John C. Young | November 1830 – June 23, 1857 | Died in office | |
| 5 | Lewis W. Green | January 1, 1858 – May 26, 1863 | Died in office | |
| 6 | William L. Breckinridge | October 15, 1863 – November 1868 | ||
| – | Ormond Beatty | November 1868 – September 1, 1870 | President pro tem | |
| 7 | Ormond Beatty | September 1, 1870 – June 1888 | Centre College class of 1835 | |
| 8 | William C. Young | June 19, 1888 – September 16, 1896 | Died in office | |
| – | John C. Fales | September 1896 – June 1898 | President pro tem | |
| 9 | William C. Roberts | June 7, 1898 – November 27, 1903 | Died in office | |
| 10 | Frederick W. Hinitt | April 7, 1904 – January 1, 1915 | ||
| – | John W. Redd | 1915 | President pro tem | |
| 11 | William Arthur Ganfield | 1915 – 1921 | ||
| 12 | R. Ames Montgomery | 1922 – March 9, 1926 | Resigned at request of the student body amidst dispute over emphasis of football over academics | |
| – | Charles G. Crooks | 1926 | President pro tem | |
| 13 | Charles J. Turck | 1927 – 1936 | ||
| – | Frank L. Rainey | June 1936 – October 2, 1936 | President pro tem, died in office | |
| – | James H. Hewlett | June 1936 – October 2, 1936 | President pro tem | |
| 14 | Robert L. McLeod, Jr. | 1938 – November 1945 | Took leave of absence from 1942–1945 to serve as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy during World War II | |
| – | James H. Hewlett | 1942 – 1944 | President pro tem during McLeod's leave of absence | |
| 15 | Robert J. McMullen | September 1944 – c.September 1946 | Served as co-president with McLeod from 1944 – November 1945 | |
| – | James H. Hewlett | 1946 – January 1947 | President pro tem | |
| 16 | Walter A. Groves | January 1947 – June 3, 1957 | ||
| – | William B. Guerrant | June 3, 1957 – November 1957 | President pro tem | |
| 17 | Thomas A. Spragens | November 11, 1957 – November 16, 1981 | ||
| – | Edgar C. Reckard | 1981 | President pro tem | |
| 18 | Richard L. Morrill | 1982 – September 30, 1988 | ||
| – | William H. Breeze | October 1, 1988 – December 1988 | President pro tem | |
| 19 | Michael F. Adams | December 1988 – c.June 1997 | ||
| – | Milton M. Reigelman | September 1, 1997 – June 1998 | President pro tem | |
| 20 | John A. Roush | July 1, 1998 – July 1, 2020 | ||
| 21 | Milton C. Moreland | July 1, 2020 – present |
References[edit]
- ^ "1991 George Ella Lyon 1971". alumni.centre.edu. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
- ^ What's New in Aviation: Piper Cub Tank Buster, Popular Science, Vol. 146 No. 2 (February 1945) p. 84
- ^ Carpenter, Leland F., Piper L-4J Grasshopper Archived 2011-09-04 at the Wayback Machine, Aviation Enthusiast Corner, retrieved 21 October 2011
- ^ "CentreCyclopedia - James McChord". sc.centre.edu. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
- ^ "Samuel Finley Account, July 15, 1822". 20502_20. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
- ^ "Jeremiah Chamberlain (1794-1851) | Dickinson College". archives.dickinson.edu. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
- ^ "CentreCyclopedia - Public Square (Danville)". sc.centre.edu. Retrieved 22 August 2020.