List of Alpha Phi Alpha members

Alpha Phi Alpha is the first inter-collegiate Greek-letter organization established for Black college students.^[1] Convened in December 1905 as a literary society with the first presiding officer being CC Poindexter, it was established as a fraternity on December 4, 1906, at Ithaca, New York. Alpha Phi Alpha opened chapters at other colleges, universities, and cities, and named them with Greek letters. Members traditionally pledge into a chapter, although some members were granted honorary status before the fraternity discontinued the practice of granting honorary membership. A chapter name ending in "Lambda" denotes an alumni chapter.^[2] The only alumni chapters that do not end in "Lambda" are Rho Chapter, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as well as the Omicron Lambda Alpha chapter in Washington, DC and the Omicron Lambda Beta chapter in Illinois, which were both intermediate chapters but became alumni chapters after the discontinuation of intermediate chapters.

No chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha is designated Omega, the last letter of the Greek alphabet that traditionally signifies "the end". Deceased brothers are respectfully referred to as having their membership transferred to Omega Chapter, the fraternity's chapter of sweet rest.^[3] Frederick Douglass is distinguished as the only member initiated posthumously when he became an exalted honorary member of the Omega chapter in 1921.^[4]

The fraternity through its college and alumni chapters serves the community through nearly a thousand chapters in the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.^[5]

The fraternity has been led by 36 general presidents. Its membership includes two premiers; four governors; a vice president, four senators; a Supreme Court justice; two presidential candidates; Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Lenin Peace Prize, Kluge Prize, Golden Globe, Academy Award, Grammy Award, and Emmy Award winners; French Légion d'honneur and Croix de Guerre laureates; at least four Rhodes Scholars; eighteen diplomats; fourteen Presidential Medal of Freedom, seven Congressional Gold Medal, and seventeen Spingarn Medal recipients; and eighteen Olympians.

Buildings, monuments, stadiums, arenas, courthouses, and schools have been named after Alpha men, such as the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Thurgood Marshall Public Policy Building at the University of Maryland; the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans; the Whitney Young Memorial Bridge; the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium; the Paul Robeson Plaza at Rutgers University; the Jack Trice Stadium; the John H. Johnson School of Communication at Howard University; the Oscar W. Ritchie Pan-African Cultural Arts Center at Kent State University; the Arvarh E. Strickland General Classroom Building at the University of Missouri-Columbia; the G. Larry James Stadium at Stockton University; the Edward W. Brooke Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts; the John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County; the John Hope Franklin Memorial Plaza in Tulsa, Oklahoma; the Stephan P. Mickle Sr. Courthouse in Gainesville, Florida; the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building; the Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building in Chicago; the A. Maceo Smith Federal Building in Dallas; the Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell University; and the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

The House of Alpha

The House of Alpha was first published in the December 1923 edition of The Sphinx Magazine. The poem would later be attributed to Bro. Sidney P. Brown and quickly became a staple within the fraternity. When speaking about the poem in 1981, Brown cited his experiences with Beta (Washington, D.C.), Theta (Chicago), Xi Lambda (Chicago Alumni), and Eta Lambda (Atlanta Alumni) as collective inspirations for the poem.^[6] Loyalty to the Fraternity was repeatedly urged by brothers on the part of those who were among the initiated, and for every chapter with the vision of a fraternity house. The statement has become a manifesto for the national fraternity and chapters, as each may symbolically be referred to as a "House of Alpha".^[7][8]

Eugene K. Jones, sometimes referred to as "The Visionary Jewel", once said:

Alpha Phi Alpha, the oldest of Negro Fraternities, with all of its members presumably far above the average American and having a good and practical understanding of the salient factors involved in the Negro's problem...should be able to take into their hands the leadership in the Negro's struggle for status.^[9]

Here follows a list of notable Alphas.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Founders

Name Original chapter Notability References Henry Arthur Callis Alpha Co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity; 6th general president of Alpha Phi Alpha; physician [10][11] Charles Henry Chapman Alpha Co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity; Professor of Agriculture at FAMU [10] Eugene Kinckle Jones Alpha Co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity; first executive director of the National Urban League; member of President Franklin D Roosevelt's Black Cabinet [10][12] George Biddle Kelley Alpha Co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity; first Black licensed engineer of New York [10] Nathaniel Allison Murray Alpha Co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity; career educator [10] Robert Harold Ogle Alpha Co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity; professional staff member to the US Congressional Committee on Appropriations [10] Vertner Woodson Tandy Alpha Co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha; architect, whose most famous commission was the mansion of Harlem millionaire Madam C.J. Walker [10][13]

Charter for Alpha Phi Alpha's Alpha chapter with signatures of founders, Cornell University, circa 1906

Academia

Presidents

Name Original chapter Notability References Herman Branson Beta Gamma President of Central State University and Lincoln University; co-discoverer of the alpha helix; sickle-cell physicist [14][15] James P. Brawley Alpha Delta President of Clark College [16] Calvin Burnett Delta Lambda President of Coppin State University [17] Julius Chambers Gamma Beta Attorney who argued in the Supreme Court case styled Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education; third Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund; president of North Carolina Central University [17][18] James Cheek Beta Rho President of Howard University [19] Thomas W. Cole Jr. Alpha Sigma First president of Clark Atlanta University, president of West Virginia State University, interim chancellor of University of Massachusetts Amherst [20] Thomas W. Cole Sr. Alpha Sigma President of Wiley College; 21st general president of Alpha Phi Alpha [11][17] Matthew Simpson Davage Alpha Phi President of Clark College, now Clark Atlanta University [21] William B. Delauder Beta Alpha President of Delaware State University [19] James Douglas Delta Theta President of Texas Southern University [17] John Malcus Ellison Gamma First African American president of Virginia Union University, 1941 [12] Elson S. Floyd Mu Zeta First African American president of three universities: Western Michigan University, the University of Missouri, and Washington State University [22]: 78  Luther H. Foster Jr. Beta Gamma Fourth president of Tuskegee University [23] Luther H. Foster Sr. Gamma Phi President of Virginia State University [24] Norman Francis Sigma Lambda President of Xavier University; President of Louisiana Recovery Authority; 2006 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient [25][26] Robert Michael Franklin Jr. Eta Lambda President of Morehouse College [27] James R. Gavin Gamma Mu President of Morehouse School of Medicine [21] Hugh Gloster Alpha Rho President of Morehouse College and physician [21] George W. Gore Tau Lambda Fifth president of Florida A&M University; interim president of Fisk University; founder of Alpha Kappa Mu honor society [28] Ervin V. Griffin Sr. Beta Theta President of West Virginia State College [29] William H. Hale Beta Kappa President of Langston University [30] Jaffus Hardrick Zeta Xi 14th president of Florida Memorial University [31] G. Lamar Harrison Beta President of Langston University [32] Cornelius Henderson Alpha Phi President of Gammon Theological Seminary [17][33] Charles A. Hines Beta President of Prairie View A&M University; major general [34] Ernest Holloway Beta Kappa 14th president of Langston University [17] John Hope Eta Lambda First Black president of Morehouse College; president of Atlanta University; co-founder of the Niagara Movement and NAACP; fourth president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History; 1936 Spingarn Medal recipient [21][35][36][37] Freeman A. Hrabowski III Gamma Iota President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; social activist [38][39] Frederick S. Humphries Beta Nu Eighth president of Florida A&M University [19] William P. Hytche Sr. Beta Kappa President of University of Maryland Eastern Shore [40] Charles S. Johnson Gamma Editor of the National Urban League's Opportunity magazine; first Black president of Fisk University [12] Walter M. Kimbrough Zeta Pi President of Dillard University; author [19][41] Raphael Lanier Mu Lambda United States Ambassador to Liberia; first president of Texas Southern University [14] Thomas F. Law Delta Rho First president of Saint Paul's College [17] John H. Lewis Zeta President of Morris Brown College [21] Joseph T. McMillan Jr. Beta First president of Huston–Tillotson College [17] John A. Middleton Nu Eta Lambda President of Morris Brown College [21] Luna Mishoe Alpha Pi Lambda President of Delaware State University [42] Elfred A. Packard Chi Lambda 22nd president of Wilberforce University [43] Frederick D. Patterson Alpha Nu Third president of Tuskegee University; co-founder of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF); 1987 Presidential Medal of Freedom; 1988 Spingarn Medal recipient [25][35][44] Benjamin F. Payton Beta Delta Fifth president of Tuskegee University [17] Henry Ponder Beta Kappa President of Talladega College, Fisk University and Benedict College; 28th general president of Alpha Phi Alpha; vice chairman of the World Policy Council [11][14][45] Earl Richardson Delta Nu President of Morgan State University [17] John B. Slaughter Kappa Tau President of University of Maryland and Occidental College; first African American director of the National Science Foundation [46] Kent J. Smith Jr. Beta Sigma 16th president of Langston University [17] William F. Tate IV Epsilon Phi First Black president of Louisiana State University; president of Rutgers University [11][19][37] Ronald Temple Delta Gamma Lambda President of City Colleges of Chicago [19] Jack Thomas Tau Lambda 11th president of Western Illinois University; first African American president of WIU; author; national and international keynote speaker/lecturer [47] Gregory J. Vincent Alpha Rho Lambda President of Hobart College and William Smith College; professor; attorney, civil rights and social justice expert [11][19][17] Walter Washington Gamma Upsilon President of Alcorn State University; 24th general president of Alpha Phi Alpha [11][17] Charles H. Wesley Zeta President of Central State University; president of Wilberforce University; executive director and president of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASALH); 14th general president and historian of Alpha Phi Alpha [11][19][37] Darrell K. Williams Gamma Iota President of Hampton University; Lieutenant general, commanding general of combined arms and senior mission commander at Fort Lee, Virginia [48] Sidney David Williams Beta Zeta Fourth president of Elizabeth City State University [49]

Norman Francis Charles S. Johnson

Professors

Name Original chapter Notability References David H. Blackwell Tau Professor of Mathematics University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley); first Black person admitted to the National Academy of Sciences; first tenured black professor in UC Berkeley history; former chair of the Department of Statistics [50] William Jelani Cobb Kappa Phi Lambda Professor of Journalism at Columbia University; former Professor of History and director of the Institute for African American Studies at the University of Connecticut; author of The Substance of Hope; staff writer at The New Yorker magazine; contributor to MSNBC TV; dean of the Columbia University School of Journalism [51] Kevin Cokley Xi Eta Author of The Myth of Black Anti-Intellectualism; former editor-in-chief of the Journal of Black Psychology; University of Texas at Austin educational psychology professor; first Black person admitted to the University of Texas System Academy of Distinguished Teachers; Association of Black Psychologists Distinguished Psychologist [52] William P. Foster Upsilon Creator of the Florida A&M University Marching "100" Band [53] John Hope Franklin Alpha Chi professor and chair of the history department at the University of Chicago; chair of the history department at Duke University; author of From Slavery To Freedom; namesake of the John Hope Franklin Memorial Plaza at the site of the Tulsa, Oklahoma "Black Wall Street" massacre and race riot [17][35][54][55] E. Franklin Frazier Delta Nu Lambda Sociologist; author of The Negro Family, Black Bourgeoisie, and On Race Relations; Fisk University Professor; recipient of 1940 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for the most significant work in the field of race relations; Guggenheim Fellowship Award recipient [56] Hamilton E. Holmes Alpha Rho professor of orthopedics and associate dean at Emory University School of Medicine [57] Hobart Jarrett Alpha Sigma Member of the Wiley College Debate Team that in 1935 defeated the University of Southern California national champions; professor and chair of the Humanities Division at Bennett College [58][59] Elgy Johnson Alpha Omicron Mathematician and professor at the University of the District of Columbia and Federal City College [14] Kelly Miller Beta (honorary) mathematician, sociologist, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Howard University, and author of books and newspaper and magazine articles and essays [19][60][61] James A. Porter Beta Scholar whose book Modern Negro Art became a standard reference work on Black art in America [62][63] J. Marshall Shepherd Iota Delta professor at the University of Georgia Department of Geography, director of the University of Georgia atmospheric sciences program, and research meteorologist at the Goddard Space Flight Center [64] Warren Washington Epsilon Zeta Lambda Climate change scientist; 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for Science recipient; first African American president of the American Meteorological Society; awarded 2010 National Medal of Science by President Barack Obama; presidential advisor to Presidents Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and both Bushes; professor of climatology at the University of Oregon [65] Robert E. Weems Jr. Theta Willard W. Garvey Distinguished Professor of Business History at Wichita State University; acclaimed for extensive and systematic research on African American consumerism; lecturer and author of books on the economic history of African Americans including Black Business in the Black Metropolis, Desegregating the Dollar, and Business in Black and White [66] Cornel West Zeta Beta Lambda Professor of religion at Harvard and Princeton; author and social activist [19] Roger L. Youmans Upsilon Surgeon; University of California Berkeley medical professor; author of When Elephants Fight: An American Surgeon's Chronicle of Congo [64]

John Franklin Kelly Miller Cornel West

Art and architecture

Name Original chapter Notability References Albert I. Cassell Alpha Architect, designed buildings for Howard University, Morgan State University, and Virginia State University [67] Cornelius Langston Henderson Epsilon Structural engineer and bridge builder; designed the Canadian approach to the Ambassador Bridge linking the U.S. and Canada; designed and built the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, the first vehicular subway tunnel (under the Detroit River) between two nations [22]: 50–55  Hilyard Robinson Eta Architect; designed buildings for Howard University, Hampton University and Langston Terrace Dwellings in Washington, D.C.; architect of Tuskegee, Alabama Army Airfield; first and only African American to design a US airbase [14]

Business

Name Original chapter Notability References Jesse Binga Theta (honorary) Founder of Binga State Bank in Chicago [60] Theodore Colbert III Gamma Lambda CEO, Boeing Defense, Space & Security [68] Brett J. Hart Epsilon CEO and president of United Airlines [69] Alonzo F. Herndon Eta Lambda (honorary) Founder and president of Atlanta Life Insurance; namesake of the Alonzo Herndon Stadium at Morris Brown College [21][70] Norris Herndon Sigma President of Atlanta Life Insurance [71] Eugene Jackson Epsilon Psi CEO of World African Network [42] John H. Johnson Theta Founder of Johnson Publishing Company, which publishes Ebony and Jet magazines; the first Black person to appear on the Forbes 400 "Rich List"; namesake of Howard University's School of Communications; [25][35][72] Randy Parker Eta Psi CEO Hyundai Automotive Corporation North America [73] Henry G. Parks Jr. Kappa Founder of Parks Sausage [19] William F. Pickard Epsilon Xi founder and executive chairman of GAA Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management; co-managing partner at MGM Grand Detroit Casino, [74] Samuel Pierce Alpha Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; argued before the United States Supreme Court on behalf of Martin Luther King Jr. and The New York Times in the important First Amendment case styled New York Times v. Sullivan; first African-American to serve on the board of directors of a Fortune 500 company [75][76][77] Johnathan A. Rodgers Alpha Epsilon CEO of TV One; president of CBS Television Stations; executive producer for the CBS Morning News and weekend evening newscasts [78] Joshua I. Smith Delta Xi CEO of Maxima Corporation [19] Robert F. Smith Alpha Founder of Vista Equity Partners; namesake of the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell University [79] Everette Taylor Theta Iota CEO of PopSocial, co-founder of GrowthHackers [80] Don Thompson Gamma Rho CEO and president of McDonald's, worldwide [81]

Alonzo Herndon

Entertainment

Music

Name Original chapter Notability References Cannonball Adderley Beta Nu Jazz saxophonist [82] Gerald Albright Iota Chi Jazz saxophonist [19] Jerry Butler Xi Lambda Songwriter, composer; former lead singer of The Impressions; 1991 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; 1993 NAACP Image Award Hall of Fame inductee [19] Duke Ellington Alpha Zeta Lambda Composer, bandleader, actor; Grammy Award winner; 1959 Spingarn Medal and 1969 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; Pulitzer Prize in recognition of his musical genius [19][35][83] Marc Gay Beta Singer in the R&B group Shai [19] Lionel Hampton Phi Jazz percussionist and bandleader; National Medal of Arts recipient; Goodwill Ambassador for the United States [82][84] Antonio Hart Sigma Jazz saxophonist [19] Donny Hathaway Beta Songwriter and arranger for The Staple Singers, Jerry Butler, and Aretha Franklin; singer who recorded duets with Roberta Flack; recorded the theme song to the TV series Maude [19][85] Fletcher Henderson Alpha Phi Pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music [86] {{mem/f

Duke Ellington Lionel Hampton Lionel Richie

Television, film, and theater

Name Original chapter Notability References Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Alpha Epsilon Actor, best known for Candyman, The Get Down, The Greatest Showman, Baywatch, Aquaman, Watchmen; 2020 Emmy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor [87] Darryl M. Bell Delta Zeta Actor, best known for A Different World [19] Benny Boom Pi Rho Director of music videos; director of 2017 Tupac biography movie All Eyez On Me [19] Rusty Cundieff Alpha Delta Actor, writer; director of Tales from the Hood and Chappelle's Show; correspondent on TV Nation [19] Rel Dowdell Alpha Chi Writer and director of feature films Train Ride and Changing the Game [19] Todd Duncan Mu Lambda First Black person to sing with a major opera company; the original Porgy in George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess; 1984 George Peabody Medal of Music recipient [19][88] Andra Fuller Tau Alpha Actor, best known for Black Jesus, RoomieLoverFriends, The L.A. Complex [19] Gary Hardwick Epsilon Producer, screenwriter, director of The Brothers, Deliver Us from Eva, Radio, and Bring It On [19] Omari Hardwick Zeta Pi Actor in Saved, Dark Blue, Power, and The A-Team [89][90] Rob Hardy Beta Nu Film director, film producer, screenwriter, and television director [91] Hill Harper Kappa Phi Lambda Actor on The Good Doctor, CSI: NY; author of Letters to a Young Brother [92][93] Adrian Holmes Tau Epsilon Lambda Actor, best known for Uncle Phil in the Bel-Air, won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role [19] Barry Jenkins Iota Delta First African American director to win an Oscar Academy Award for Best Picture (Moonlight); director of 2019 Golden Globe Award-winning movie If Beale Street Could Talk [94] Christian Keyes Zeta Beta Television and movie actor, singer, and model; Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Let's Stay Together, Moonlight, Sex Chronicles [95] William Packer Beta Nu Producer and director of films, including The Gospel, Pandora's Box, Stomp the Yard, Trois, and Roots (2016 remake); first African American to produce the Academy Awards Oscar presentations ceremony (2022) [96] Joseph C. Phillips Iota Zeta Lambda Actor on The Cosby Show, General Hospital, and Strictly Business; political commentator on NPR's News and Notes with Ed Gordon [19] Randal Pinkett Kappa Phi Lambda Fourth winner of NBC's reality show The Apprentice; Rhodes Scholar [97][98] Kevin Powell Zeta Eta Cast member of The Real World: New York; political activist; poet; writer; entrepreneur [99] Tim Reid Eta Lambda Actor, Sister, Sister, WKRP in Cincinnati, That '70s Show [100] Paul Robeson Nu NFL player; actor; singer; attorney; social activist, 1945 Spingarn Medal recipient; Stalin Peace Prize laureate [35] Terrell Tilford Alpha Epsilon Television and movie actor, Soul Food, Days Of Our Lives, Guiding Light, One Life To Live, The Protector [101] Keenen Ivory Wayans Gamma Phi Creator of comedy series In Living Color; actor, comedian, writer, director; Emmy Award winner [19]

Hill Harper Paul Robeson

Journalists and media personalities

Name Original chapter Notability References Tony Brown Alpha Upsilon Commentator on the syndicated television show Tony Brown's Journal; founding dean of Howard University's School of Communication [19][102] Malvin Russell Goode Omicron First Black news correspondent for ABC as a United Nations reporter [19] Jay Harris Nu Theta Sportscaster for ESPN on SportsCenter and ESPNEWS [103][104] Corey Hébert Alpha Rho Celebrity physician, radio talk show host, chief medical editor for National Broadcasting Company for the Gulf Coast, first Black chief resident of Pediatrics at Tulane University, chief executive officer of Community Health TV [105] Roland S. Martin Pi Omicron Editor of the Chicago Defender; radio talk show host; contributor to CNN; anchor for TV One network news [106][107] Harry McAlpin Gamma Epsilon First African American White House Press Correspondent; CBS National (DC) reporter; journalist; attorney [108] Lu Palmer Alpha Kappa Chicago Sun-Times columnist; community activist; campaign manager for Harold Washington mayoral race [109] Emmett Jay Scott Honorary journalist, co-founder and editor of the Texas Freeman, academic, and special advisor of Black affairs to the United States Secretary of War [60] Stuart Scott Mu Zeta Sportscaster for ESPN on SportsCenter [19] Chuck Stone Alpha Kappa Speechwriter for Adam Clayton Powell Jr.; first president of the National Association of Black Journalists; Tuskegee Airman [19][110][111] Lewis Ossie Swingler Beta Beta[112] Editor of the Sphinx; editor in chief of the Memphis World; co-founder and editor in chief of the Tri-State Defender; southern vice president of Alpha Phi Alpha during the Montgomery bus boycott [113][114] Pierre Thomas Theta Iota ABC Network News Senior Justice Correspondent; 2012 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Journalist of the Year Award winner; two-time Emmy Award winner (2001 and 2009); winner of the George Foster Peabody and Alfred I DuPont Awards [115] Stan Verrett Beta Sportscaster for ESPN on SportsCenter and ESPNEWS [116]

Law

Name Original chapter Notability References David Bailey Gamma Beta 2017 Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor recipient; Special Agent of the United States Capitol Police who prevented a massacre of members of the United States Congress during an attack in Alexandria, Virginia [117][118][119] Robert Benham Eta Lambda Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia [21] Abraham Bolden Alpha Psi First African-American U.S. Secret Service agent assigned to the White House detail (John F. Kennedy); author of The Echo from Dealey Plaza [120] Joe Brown Kappa Eta Host of the syndicated show Judge Joe Brown; presided over James Earl Ray's last appeal for Ray's conviction for the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. [19][121] Robert L. Carter Nu Pivotal role in Sweatt v. Painter, Brown v. Board of Education, and NAACP v. Alabama; US District Court Judge; 2004 Spingarn Medal recipient; Federal District Appellate Judge [35][122][123] U. W. Clemon Omicron Lambda U.S Federal District Court Judge for Alabama [124] Christopher Darden Epsilon Mu Prosecutor in the murder trial of O. J. Simpson [125] Milton C. Davis Gamma Phi Assistant Attorney General of the state of Alabama who researched and wrote opinions which led Governor George Wallace to pardon Clarence Norris, the last known surviving defendant in the international cause célèbre case of the Scottsboro Boys; 29th general president of Alpha Phi Alpha [11][126] Harry T. Edwards Theta Zeta Lambda Justice for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit [75] Jerome Farris Alpha Rho First Black Federal Judge appointed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals [127] Ernest A. Finney Jr. Delta Alpha Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court; South Carolina House of Representatives; Interim President of South Carolina State University; attorney in the civil rights case styled The Friendship 9 [19][128] Charles Hamilton Houston Sigma Chief architect of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund's strategy for racial equality in dismantling the Jim Crow laws; first Black editor of the Harvard Law Review; 1950 Spingarn Medal recipient [35][71][129] Charles Preston Howard Sr. Gamma Phi Co-founder of the National Bar Association, the oldest and largest organization of African American Attorneys [130][131] Harry E. Johnson Beta Tau President of the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc., which oversees the fundraising, design, and construction of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial; 31st general president of Alpha Phi Alpha [11][132] Damon Keith Alpha Zeta Chief Justice of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan who famously ruled in United States v. Sinclair (upheld in United States v. US District Court) that President Nixon's Attorney General John Mitchell had to disclose the transcripts of illegal wiretaps that Mitchell had authorized without first obtaining a search warrant; 1974 Spingarn Medal recipient [75][133] Belford Lawson Jr. Epsilon Co-founder of New Negro Alliance; successfully argued in United States Supreme Court cases styled New Negro Alliance v. Sanitary Grocery Co. to safeguard the right to boycott, and Henderson v. United States which abolished segregation in railroad dining cars; 16th general president of Alpha Phi Alpha [11][134] Robert A. Molloy Zeta Omicron Lambda Judge of the District Court of the Virgin Islands [135] Thurgood Marshall Nu First African American justice of US Supreme Court; attorney in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka; first Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund; 1946 Spingarn Medal and 1993 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; authored the constitution for the newly independent African nation of Kenya [75][136] Greg Mathis Gamma Lambda Host of television series Judge Mathis [137] Aubrey E. Robinson Jr. Alpha U.S. Federal District Judge for the District of Columbia (DC) [138] Jawn Sandifer Alpha Omicron Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court; one of two staff lawyers for the NAACP who successfully argued Henderson v. United States [139][140] Michael A. Shipp Delta Iota Nominated as a judge for the US District Court for the District of New Jersey by President Obama on January 23, 2012 [141] Arthur Shores Alpha Beta Attorney in Lucy v. Adams, which prevented the University of Alabama from denying admission to applicants solely on account of race or color; civil rights activist; namesake of the Arthur Davis Shores Law Center and A. D. Shores Park in Birmingham, Alabama [142][143] Charles Z. Smith Beta Nu First African-American to serve as justice of the Washington Supreme Court [144] A. P. Tureaud Beta Attorney in Garner v. Louisiana, which legalized sit-in protests at segregated private businesses and restaurants [145][146] Reggie B. Walton Alpha Zeta Federal Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia [147] Horace Ward Alpha Rho Senator of Georgia; first African American to serve on the federal bench in Georgia [21][148]

Kwame Kilpatrick Marc Morial Norm Rice Joe Brown Robert Carter Thurgood Marshall

Literature

Name Original chapter Notability References Countee Cullen Eta Poet of the Harlem Renaissance [82] Eric Jerome Dickey Kappa Eta Author [19] E. Lynn Harris Kappa Kappa Author, playwright [19] Chester Himes Kappa Author whose works include If He Hollers Let Him Go and a series of Harlem Detective novels [19][149] E. Frederic Morrow Alpha Alpha Lambda First African American to hold an executive position at the White House as Administrative Officer for Special Projects; NAACP field secretary; CBS TV writer; author of Black Man in the White House, Way Down South Up North, Forty Years a Guinea Pig, and A Black Man's View From the Top [150] Lawrence Ross Alpha Epsilon Author of The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities [19] Carl Weber Beta Gamma Author [19] Frank Yerby Theta Best-selling author [19]

Countee Cullen

Military

Name Original chapter Notability References Terrence Adams Upsilon Eta Brigadier general, United States Air Force [151] Ronald L. Bailey Zeta Lambda Major general, United States Marine Corps; first African American commander of the 1st Marine Division [152] William Banton Beta First Black brigadier general in the USAF; clinical faculty member of the Saint Louis University School of Medicine and Washington University School of Medicine; first African American president of the St. Louis Metropolitan Medical Society [153] Arnold Gordon Bray Zeta Gamma Brigadier general; United States Army [154] David L. Brewer III Gamma Zeta Admiral, United States Navy; superintendent of L.A. Unified School District, community activist [155] Charles Q. Brown Eta Upsilon Four-star general; chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; previously U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff; 1st African American military service chief [156] Wesley A. Brown Sigma Lieutenant Commander; first Black graduate from United States Naval Academy; the Wesley A. Brown Field House at the US Naval Academy is named in his honor [157] Alvin Bryant Zeta Lambda Brigadier general; U.S. Army [158] Roscoe Cartwright Zeta Alpha General, United States Army, founder of ROCKs, Inc., an international organization for U.S Armed Forces commissioned officers [25] Anthony J. Cotton Eta Omicron United States Air Force four-star general, U.S. Air Force Global Strike Force Commander, Strategic Air Command [159] Victor Daly Alpha French Croix de Guerre recipient; novelist and author [160] Gracus K. Dunn Nu Alpha Brigadier general, United States Army [161] Amos M. Gailliard Jr. Zeta Zeta Lambda One-star general, United States Army, New York Guard Walter E. Gaskin Delta Eta Three-star general, United States Marine Corps [162] Fred A. Gorden Mu Beta Lambda Brigadier general; first African-American first captain of the West Point Academy [25][163] Samuel L. Gravely Jr. Gamma First African American admiral, United States Navy; first African American to command a US fleet; the Arleigh Burke-class warship USS Gravely (DDG 107) was named in his honor and commissioned on November 20, 2010 [19] Benjamin Thurman Hacker Epsilon Mu Lambda Rear admiral, United States Navy [19] Edward Honor Beta Sigma Lieutenant general, United States Army [19] Prince C. Johnson III Eta Epsilon Lambda Brigadier general, Deputy Chief of Staff (DCOS), Armed Forces of Liberia [164] James F. McCall Psi United States Army lieutenant general and Comptroller [25] Charles McGee Tau Colonel, United States Air Force; original Tuskegee Airman and 30-year career officer in the USAF; holds an Air Force record 409 fighter combat missions flown in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Air Medal, and Army Commendation Medals; awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush in 2007; inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2011; promoted to brigadier general in 2019 [165] Winston E. Scott Alpha Phi Lambda Astronaut, Johnson Space Center [19] Ronald D. Sullivan Beta Brigadier general [166] William J. Walker Theta Psi Lambda Major general, United States Army, commanding general, District of Columbia National Guard [167] Bobby Wilks Alpha Eta First African American Coast Guard aviator; first African American to reach the rank of Coast Guard captain [168] Johnnie E. Wilson Theta Theta Lambda Four-star general, United States Army [169]

Walter E. Gaskin Samuel L. Gravely Jr. Benjamin Hacker Winston E. Scott Johnnie Wilson

Politics

U.S. Vice Presidents

Name Original chapter Notability References Hubert Humphrey Honorary 38th vice president of the United States; 1968 presidential candidate; senator from Minnesota; mayor of Minneapolis; 1979 Congressional Gold Medal and 1980 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient [170][171][172]

Hubert Humphrey

U.S. Cabinet

Name Original chapter Notability References Lee P. Brown Epsilon Beta Director of National Drug Control Policy; first African-American mayor of Houston, Texas [173] William Thaddeus Coleman Jr. Psi Secretary of Transportation; first Black Supreme Court law clerk; co-author of the brief in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka; co-counsel on the landmark case McLaughlin v. Florida, which established the constitutionality of interracial marriages; editor of the Harvard Law Review; 1995 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient [75][174] Don Cravins Jr. Nu Psi Under Secretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development; executive vice president and COO of the National Urban League; Louisiana State Legislature [75][175] Malcolm Jackson Delta Phi Chief Information Officer and Assistant Administrator: Office of Environmental Information [60][176] Rayford Logan Omicron First executive director of the National Urban League; member of President Franklin D Roosevelt's Black Cabinet; second executive director of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH); 1980 Spingarn Medal recipient; 15th general president of Alpha Phi Alpha [11][177] Samuel Pierce Alpha Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; argued before the United States Supreme Court on behalf of Martin Luther King Jr. and The New York Times in the important First Amendment case styled New York Times v. Sullivan; first African-American to serve on the Board of Directors of a Fortune 500 company [75][76] Ron Sims Zeta Pi Lambda Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development; served as King County Executive, King County, Washington [60] Louis Wade Sullivan Alpha Rho Secretary of Health and Human Services; co-founder and first president of Morehouse School of Medicine [19]

Samuel Pierce Louis Sullivan Don R. Cravins Jr.

U.S. Senate and House of Representatives

Name Original chapter Notability References Edward Brooke Beta U.S. Senator from Massachusetts; Attorney General of Massachusetts [34][75][178] Roland Burris Beta Eta U.S. Senator from Illinois; first Black Illinois Attorney General [179][180] Hansen Clarke Gamma Lambda U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan [181] Emanuel Cleaver Eta Gamma U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri; Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri [25][182] Danny K. Davis Gamma Delta U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois [183] William Dawson Theta U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois [19] Ron Dellums Delta Omicron U.S. House of Representatives from California; co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus; mayor of Oakland [75][184][185] Julian C. Dixon Alpha Delta U.S. House of Representatives from California [75] Chaka Fattah Zeta Omicron Lambda U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania [19] Floyd H. Flake Zeta Gamma Lambda U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois; president of Wilberforce University [186] Harold Ford Sr. Beta Omicron U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee; legislator of Tennessee [75] William H. Gray Rho U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania; CEO of the United Negro College Fund [19] Al Green Beta Nu U.S. House of Representatives from Texas [187] Earl F. Hilliard Alpha Rho U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama [75] Steven Horsford Eta Lambda U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada [188] Gregory W. Meeks Zeta Zeta Lambda U.S. House of Representatives from New York; New York State Assembly [75] Ralph Metcalfe Alpha Xi U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois; co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus; 1932 and 1936 Olympian [75][185] Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Eta U.S. House of Representatives; early civil rights and racial equality legislation advocate; pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church [75] Charles B. Rangel Alpha Gamma Lambda U.S. House of Representatives from New York; co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus; New York State Assembly Representative [19][185][189] David Scott Beta Nu U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia [190] Robert C. Scott Sigma U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia [19] Bennett M. Stewart Xi Lambda U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois [128] Raphael Warnock Alpha Gamma Lambda Senator from Georgia [191]

William Dawson Ron Dellums Chaka Fattah Floyd Flake William H. Gray

Governors and lieutenant governors

Name Original chapter Notability References Justin Fairfax Kappa Omicron Lieutenant governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia [22]: 31  Walter A. Gordon Alpha Epsilon 17th Governor of the United States Virgin Islands; Federal District Judge of the United States Virgin Islands [192][193] Westley Moore Sigma Sigma 2001 Rhodes Scholar; 63rd governor of Maryland [194] Joe Rogers Omicron Tau Lieutenant governor of Colorado [195] Roy L. Schneider Beta 25th governor of the United States Virgin Islands [196] Charles Wesley Turnbull Gamma Iota 26th governor of the United States Virgin Islands [197][198] James R. Williams Alpha Tau Lieutenant governor of Ohio candidate; 25th general president of Alpha Phi Alpha [199][11]

Ralph Metcalfe Adam Powell Jr.

Diplomats

Name Original chapter Notability References Samuel Clifford Adams Jr. Alpha Chi U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Niger [200] Orison Rudolph Aggrey Beta Mu Lambda Ambassador to Republic of The Gambia, Republic of Senegal, and Romania [75] Archibald Carey Jr. Theta Diplomat; attorney; Circuit Court Judge; pastor [201][202] Walter Carrington Sigma Ambassador to Republic of Senegal and Federal Republic of Nigeria [203][204] Horace Dawson Nu Ambassador to Republic of Botswana; director of the Ralph Bunche International Affairs Center, Howard University; chairman of the World Policy Council [14] Frederick Douglass Omega (honorary) United States Ambassador to Haiti; anti-slavery activist [25] Edward R. Dudley Alpha Omicron United States Ambassador to Liberia; first African American to hold the rank ambassador; Justice of the New York Supreme Court [205] Walter A. Gordon Alpha Epsilon U.S. Federal District Court judge; governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands; first All-American football player in University of California history and California state champion in wrestling and boxing; chartering member of Alpha Epsilon chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. [206] Lionel Hampton Phi Goodwill Ambassador; jazz percussionist and bandleader; National Medal of Arts recipient [82][84] James A. Joseph Beta Sigma Ambassador to South Africa; Under Secretary of Interior [19] Kenton Keith Upsilon Ambassador to State of Qatar [45] Raphael Lanier Mu Lambda Minister to Liberia; first president of Texas Southern University [14] Delano Lewis Upsilon Ambassador to South Africa; president and chief executive officer of National Public Radio; president of The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company [19][207] Donald McHenry Eta Tau Ambassador to United Nations [75] John H. Morrow Delta Iota First United States Ambassador to Guinea after its independence; first US representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) [208][209] Gerald Eustis Thomas Sigma Ambassador to Guyana and Kenya; Admiral, US Navy [128][210] Terence Todman Delta Zeta Ambassador to Republic of Chad, Guinea, Costa Rica, Spain, Denmark, and Argentina [128][210] Lester Walton Eta Minister to Liberia [211][212] Clifton Reginald Wharton Sr. Sigma Ambassador to Norway and Minister to Romania [71][213] Franklin H. Williams Nu Ambassador to Republic of Ghana and the United Nations; president of the Phelps-Stokes Fund [19] Andrew Young Beta Ambassador to the United Nations; U.S. House of Representatives; mayor of Atlanta; governor of Georgia candidate; 1978 Spingarn Medal, 1981 Presidential Medal of Freedom, and French Légion d'honneur recipient [25][35][214][215]

Frederick Douglass Robert Scott Charles Turnbull

State legislatures

Name Original chapter Notability References Daniel T. Blue Jr. Gamma Beta North Carolina House of Representatives; Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives; 2002 Democratic candidate for the United States Senate [75][216] Roy A. Burrell Eta Chi Louisiana House of Representatives; former member of the Shreveport City Council; former president of the Delta Upsilon Lambda chapter [217] Randy D. Dunn Omicron Xi Lambda Missouri House of Representatives [218] Al Edwards Texas House of Representatives; considered the father of the Juneteenth Holiday [219] Kambrell Garvin Xi Phi South Carolina House of Representatives [220] Patrick O. Jefferson Beta Phi Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 11; lawyer in Arcadia, Louisiana [221] Carl McCall Theta Zeta Legislator of New York; Comptroller of New York; 2002 Democratic candidate for governor of New York [75][222] Billy Mitchell Theta Epilson Lambda Georgia House of Representatives [75][223] William Byron Rumford Gamma Phi Lambda Member of the California State Legislature [224][225] C. O. Simpkins Sr. Dillard University Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for Caddo Parish, 1992 to 1996 [226] Albert Vann Alpha Xi Lambda New York State Assembly [227] Herb Wesson Nu California State Assembly; Speaker of the California State Assembly [228] Tyrone Yates Alpha Alpha Ohio House of Representatives [229]

name=George M. Brown

chapter[[Knoxville College (Tennessee)[Gamma Omicron]]
nota=Georgia House of Representatives
ref [Clerk's Office House of Representatives//www.legis.ga.gov

Local government

Name Original chapter Notability References Dennis Archer Alpha Upsilon Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court; mayor of Detroit, Michigan; first Black president of the American Bar Association [19] Richard Arrington Jr. Gamma Kappa First Black mayor of Birmingham [19] Calvin Ball III Kappa Phi Lambda Howard County Executive [230] Ras J. Baraka Alpha Alpha Lambda Mayor of Newark, New Jersey; Grammy Award-winning music producer; educator; author Thomas V. Barnes Gamma Rho Mayor of Gary, Indiana [128] Marion Barry Beta Xi Mayor of Washington, D.C.; first chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) [14][231] Ted Berry Alpha Alpha First Black mayor of Cincinnati; board member of the NAACP [232] Byron Brown Delta Epsilon Senator of New York; first Black mayor of Buffalo [233] Willie Brown Xi Rho First Black mayor of San Francisco; Speaker of the California State Assembly; the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is in part named in his honor [19][234] Melvin Carter Beta Nu First Black mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota [22]: 42  Lawrence D. Crawford Epsilon Mayor of Saginaw, Michigan [235] David Dinkins Beta First Black mayor of New York City [19] Gow Fields Mu Zeta Lambda First Black mayor of Lakeland, Florida [236] Anthony Ford Xi Iota Mayor of Stockridge, Georgia [22]: 35  Maynard Jackson Alpha Rho First Black and three-term mayor of Atlanta; Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is in part named in his honor [19] Harvey Johnson Jr. Beta Omicron First Black mayor of Jackson, Mississippi [237] Kwame Kilpatrick Beta Nu Mayor of Detroit who resigned after pleading guilty to felony charges stemming from a text message scandal; convicted of federal charges including racketeering and extortion [19][238][239] Henry L. Marsh III Gamma First African American mayor of Richmond [130] Rudolph McCollum Jr. Beta Mayor of Richmond [34] James McGee Xi First Black mayor of Dayton [240] Wayne M. Messam Iota Delta First Black mayor of Miramar, Florida [241] Ernest Nathan Morial Beta Tau Louisiana State Legislature; first Black mayor of New Orleans; namesake of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans [25] Marc Morial Psi Louisiana State Legislature; mayor of New Orleans; 8th CEO of the National Urban League [25][242] J.O. Patterson Alpha Chi First African American mayor of Memphis, Tennessee [243] Norm Rice Zeta Pi Lambda First and only African-American mayor of Seattle [25] Eugene Sawyer Beta Upsilon Mayor of Chicago [42] Frank Scott Jr. Kappa Eta Mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas [22]: 42  AC Wharton Beta Omicron Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee [25] Lionel Wilson Alpha Epsilon First Black mayor of Oakland [25] Randall Woodfin Alpha Rho Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama [22]: 42

Marion Barry Byron Brown Willie Brown David Dinkins

Government officials outside the U.S.

Name Original chapter Notability References Joseph Boakai Eta Epsilon Lambda President of Liberia, previously vice president serving under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf [244] David Burt Nu Beta Premier of Bermuda; Member of Parliament; Deputy Leader of the Progressive Labour Party; former Senator, Bermuda [245] Shawn Crockwell Rho Chi Member of Parliament and Minister of Tourism, Development & Transport, Bermuda [246] Clifton Stanley Hardy Tau Chief auditor for the Republic of Liberia, European correspondent for the Associated Negro Press in Paris, government adviser on export-import banking issues for Liberia [247] Stuart Hayward Beta House of Assembly of Bermuda [34] Norman Washington Manley Beta Beta Lambda Premier of Jamaica; founder of Jamaica's People's National Party; 1914 Rhodes Scholar [248][249] Prince K. Moye Eta Epsilon Lambda Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of Liberia [250] Diallo Vincent Rabain Epsilon Theta Lambda Minister for the Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation; Minister of Education and Workforce Development; and a member of Parliament; former Opposition Senate Leader and Senator, Bermuda [251] Edward Richards Epsilon Theta Lambda First Premier of Bermuda [252] Lawrence Scott Epsilon Theta Lambda Member of Parliament, Bermuda; son of former Premier of Bermuda William Alexander Scott [253] K. Peter Turnquest Eta Gamma Member of Parliament, Deputy Leader of the Free National Movement Party, the Bahamas [254] Daniel Dee Ziankahn Eta Epsilon Lambda Minister of National Defense of Liberia; Major general, Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of Liberia [255]

Religion

Name Original chapter Notability References John Hurst Adams Alpha Omicron Founder of the Congress of National Black churches; senior bishop of the A.M.E. church; civil rights activist; president of Paul Quinn College [256] Vinton R. Anderson Xi 92nd bishop of African Methodist Episcopal Church; president of World Council of Churches [45] James H. Cone Beta Chi Author of Black Theology & Black Power; considered the "father of Black Liberation Theology"; Distinguished Professor of Theology at Union Theological Seminary [257][258] Cain Hope Felder Beta First national director of the United Methodist Black Caucus; Professor of Theology at Howard University and Princeton University; editor of The African American Jubilee Bible [34][259] Robert E. Hayes Jr. Huston–Tillotson University Bishop in the United Methodist Church T. J. Jemison Beta Upsilon Co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); president of National Baptist Convention; organized the Baton Rouge Bus Boycott of 1953 [19] Otis Moss Jr. Alpha Rho Pastor, theologian, author, lecturer, civil rights activist, aide to Martin Luther King jr.; author of Preach!: The Power and Purpose Behind our Praise [260] Clementa C. Pinckney Gamma Gamma Senior pastor of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church; one of nine people slain in the 2015 Charleston church shooting; his eulogy was delivered by President Barack Obama; South Carolina State Senator [261][262] J. Alfred Smith President of Progressive National Baptist Convention [263][264]

Cain Hope Felder

Science and medicine

Name Original chapter Notability References Leonidas Berry Xi Pioneer in the medical sciences of gastroscopy and endoscopy; inventor of the Berry endoscope; President of the National Medical Association 1965-1966; author of I wouldn't take Nothin' for My Journey: Two Centuries of an Afro-American Minister's Family [265] Herman Branson Beta Gamma President of Central State University and Lincoln University; co-discoverer of the Alpha helix; sickle-cell physicist [14][15] William Warrick Cardozo Kappa Physician; pioneer researcher of sickle cell anemia; Howard University professor of Medicine; Chief of Staff, Gastroenterology at Providence Hospital [266] George Sherman Carter Nu Nuclear physicist, worked on the Manhattan Project [267][268] James P. Comer Gamma Eta Prominent child psychiatrist; founder of the Comer School Development Program at the Yale University Child Study Center; associate dean at the Yale University School of Medicine [19][269] Lloyd Hall Theta Chemist who contributed to the science of food preservation; author of 59 United States patents; a number of his inventions were also patented in foreign countries [270] Ernest J. Harris Gamma Delta Research entomologist with the United States Department of Agriculture; developer of the "male annihilation" method of insect control adopted by over 20 countries; original Montford Point Marine and 2017 recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal [271] Marshall G. Jones Beta Pi Lambda Acclaimed research scientist in the field of laser additive technologies; Coolidge Fellow at General Electric [272] LaSalle D. Leffall Jr. Beta Nu President of American College of Surgeons; president of American Cancer Society [19] Julian Herman Lewis Theta First African American to hold both an MD and a Ph.D.; groundbreaking research scientist exploring differences in disease expressions by race; expert on blood typing and race-based medical diagnosis and treatment [273] Garrett A. Morgan Delta Alpha Lambda Inventor who originated a respiratory protective hood (similar to modern gas masks) and a hair-straightening preparation; patented a type of traffic light signal [19][274] Earl W. Renfroe Theta Orthodontist; for many years, he was acknowledged as one of the best hands-on clinical orthodontics instructors in the world; a dental facility in Barbados is named after him J. Marshall Shepherd Iota Delta Physicist; NASA meteorologist; professor at University of Georgia; expert on global climate change and environmental issues [275] Levi Watkins Beta Omicron Chief of cardiovascular surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital; performed the world's first human implantation of the automatic implantable defibrillator; first African-American medical student at Vanderbilt University [19]

Garrett Morgan

Service and social reform

Name Original chapter Notability References William J. Barber II Gamma Beta North Carolina NAACP state president, 2018 MacArthur Foundation Genius award recipient, architect of the Moral Mondays Movement, author of The Third Reconstruction: Moral Mondays [276] Ezell Blair Jr. Beta Epsilon Civil rights activist and member of the Greensboro Four [277] Cornell William Brooks Delta Phi 18th president/CEO of the NAACP; attorney; social and civil rights activist [278] W. E. B. Du Bois Epsilon (honorary) Co-founder of Niagara Movement and NAACP; founder and editor-in-chief of The Crisis; first African American to receive a PhD from Harvard University; 1920 Spingarn Medal recipient; author of The Souls of Black Folks [25][35] Lloyd L. Gaines Alpha Psi Central figure of one of the most important cases in the Civil Rights Movement, the Supreme Court case Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada [279] Lester Granger Theta Zeta 3rd Executive Secretary of the National Urban League [25] Dick Gregory Beta Eta 1968 presidential candidate; comedian, social activist, writer [25][280] George Edmund Haynes Beta Founder and first president of the National Urban League; first African American to receive a PhD from Columbia University [281] John Hope Eta Lambda First Black president of Atlanta University; president of Atlanta University; co-founder of the Niagara Movement and NAACP; fourth president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH); 1936 Spingarn Medal recipient [21][35][36][37] T. J. Jemison Beta Upsilon Co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; president of the National Baptist Convention; organized the Baton Rouge Bus Boycott of 1953 [19] Charles S. Johnson Gamma Editor of the National Urban League's Opportunity magazine; first Black president of Fisk University [12] Lyman T. Johnson Gamma Plaintiff whose successful legal challenge opened the University of Kentucky to African-American students in 1949 [282][283] Martin Luther King Jr. Sigma 1962 Nobel Peace Prize; civil rights activist; co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established in his honor; 1957 Spingarn Medal, 1977 Presidential Medal of Freedom, and 2004 Congressional Gold Medal recipient; first African American with a memorial on the National Mall [25][35] Martin Luther King III Eta Lambda President and CEO of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change; former president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) [27] Rayford Logan Omicron First executive director of the National Urban League; member of President Franklin D Roosevelt's Black Cabinet; 2nd executive director of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH); 1980 Spingarn Medal recipient; 15th general president of Alpha Phi Alpha [11][177] Joseph Lowery Eta Lambda Co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); delivered the benediction at the inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009; 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient [27] Floyd McKissick Alpha Rho 2nd president of Congress of Racial Equality; founder of Soul City [284][285] Henry McKee Minton Rho medical doctor and co-founder of Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia; Co-founder of Sigma Pi Phi fraternity [58][286] Jesse E. Moorland Beta Co-founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH); namesake of Howard University's Moorland-Spingarn Research Center [287][288] Marc Morial Psi Louisiana State Legislature; mayor of New Orleans; 8th CEO of the National Urban League [25][242] Hugh Bernard Price Eta Alpha Lambda 7th president of the National Urban League [19] Paul Robeson Nu NFL player, actor and singer; social activist, 1945 Spingarn Medal recipient; Stalin Peace Prize laureate [35][289] Ozell Sutton Pi Lambda Co-founder of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; 2012 Congressional Gold Medal recipient; 26th general president of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity; original Monford Point Marine [290] Heman Sweatt Alpha Sigma Plaintiff in the US Supreme Court case styled Sweatt v. Painter, which successfully challenged the "separate but equal" doctrine of racial segregation established by the 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson [291] Channing Heggie Tobias Beta Chairman of the NAACP, director of the Phelps-Stokes Fund; 1948 Spingarn Medal recipient [35][292] C. T. Vivian Eta Lambda Civil rights activist and aide to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; author and humanitarian [293] Wyatt Tee Walker Gamma Co-founder and 3rd Executive Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); civil and human rights activist [263][264] Alfred Bitini Xuma President of the African National Congress [294][295] Max Yergan Theta 2nd president of the National Negro Congress; Co-founder of the International Council on African Affairs; 1933 Spingarn Medal recipient [35][296][297] Whitney Young Beta Mu 4th president of the National Urban League; 1968 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; namesake of the Whitney Young Memorial Bridge [298]

W. E. B. Du Bois Dick Gregory Charles S. Johnson Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King III Joseph Lowery Marc Morial Whitney Young

Sports

Olympics

Name Original chapter Notability References Dave Albritton Kappa 1936 Olympian, high jump; inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame, 1980 [299] Don Barksdale Gamma Xi 1948 Olympian and first African American to play with the USA Olympic Basketball Team; NBA player [300][301] Walt Bellamy Gamma Eta 1960 Olympian NBA player; NBA Rookie of the Year (1962); NBA Hall of Fame (1993) [302] Quinn Buckner Gamma Eta 1976 Olympian; NBA player [19][303] James Butts Eta Pi Lambda 1976 Olympian, track and field [304] Sayon Cooper Delta Xi 2000 Olympian, track and field [305] Otis Davis Alpha Delta Winner of two gold medals for record-breaking performances in both the 400 meters and 4x400 meters relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics [306] Phil Edwards Eta Olympic athlete and winner of five bronze medals [306] Edward Gourdin Alpha Eta 1924 Olympian; first man to make 25 feet in the long jump [307][308] Chris Huffins Alpha Epsilon Bronze medalist in the 2000 Olympics [309] Larry James 1968 Olympian; 4x400 meter relay gold medalist, 400-meter race silver medalist [310] Cornelius Johnson 1932 and 1936 Olympian; high jump [311] Mel Lattany Zeta Pi Gold medal winner at the IAAF World Cup, Summer Universiade, and Liberty Bell Classic; was not able to compete in the 1980 Olympics due to the US boycott on Russia, but held the world record that year in 100m [306] Ralph Metcalfe Nu Xi Representative from Illinois; 1932 and 1936 Olympian; the Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building in Chicago is named in his honor [19][312] Manteo Mitchell Nu Zeta 2012 silver medalist in track and field [313] Godfrey Murray Epsilon 1972 track and field Olympian [314] Jesse Owens Kappa 1936 Olympian in track and field; Associated Press Athlete of the Year, 1936; 1976 Presidential Medal of Freedom and 1990 Congressional Gold Medal recipient; namesake of the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at Ohio State University [19][315] Fritz Pollard Jr. Alpha Gamma 1936 Olympian, 110m hurdles [311] Mike Powell Omicron Eta 1988 and 1992 Olympian, long jump [19] Andrew Stanfield Alpha Alpha Lambda 1952 and 1956 Olympian, track and field [311] Eddie Tolan Epsilon 1932 Olympian, 100 and 200 meters [305] Lenny Wilkens Zeta Pi Lambda NBA player and coach; 1996 Olympian, basketball coach [19][316] Archibald Williams Alpha Epsilon 1936 Olympian, track and field [311] John Woodruff Omicron 1936 Olympian, track and field [311] Kevin Young Gamma Xi 1988 and 1992 Olympian, track and field [300][317]

Jesse Owens and Ralph Metcalfe Mike Powell

Baseball

Name Original chapter Notability References George Altman Beta Omicron Major League Baseball player [318] Earl Burl III Delta Kappa Major League Baseball player [319] Gerald Williams Major League Baseball player [320]

Basketball

Name Original chapter Notability References Nate Archibald Theta Delta Lambda NBA player; Basketball Hall of Fame; voted one of the NBA 50 All-Time Greatest Players [19] Don Barksdale Gamma Xi 1948 Olympian and first African American to play with the USA Olympic Basketball Team; first African American consensus All American college basketball player; NBA player; first African American to play in the NBA All-Star game; Basketball Hall of Fame [300][301] Walt Bellamy Gamma Eta 1960 Olympian NBA player, Basketball Hall of Fame [321] Junior Bridgeman Delta Chi Lambda NBA player; 12 years in the NBA; his number was retired by the Milwaukee Bucks [305] Quinn Buckner Gamma Eta 1976 Olympian; NBA player, 10 seasons in the NBA [19][303] Robert Covington Tau Lambda NBA player, 11 seasons in the NBA; All-Defensive First Team [19][316] Todd Day Kappa Kappa NBA player, nine seasons in the NBA [25] Heyward Dotson Eta NBA player [322] Wayne Embry Delta Upsilon NBA player and General Manager; five-time NBA All-Star; Basketball Hall of Fame [42] Clyde Fletcher Kappa Kappa NBA player, player for Arkansas Razorbacks 1990 NCAA Final Four team [323][324] Walt Frazier NBA player; Basketball Hall of Fame; two-time NBA Champion; seven-time NBA All-Star, 4x All NBA First Team; two-time All NBA Second Team; seven-time All-Defensive First Team; NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team [325][326] George Gregory Eta In 1931, the first black basketball player selected as an All-American Dolly King NBL player (predecessor of the NBA) [327] Stan McKenzie Delta Lambda NBA player, seven seasons in the NBA [328] Jim McMillian Eta NBA player; three-time college All-American; three-time Haggerty Award winner; nine seasons in the NBA [329] Chris Mills Eta Epsilon Lambda NBA player, 10 seasons in the NBA [25] Bobby Phills Beta Sigma NBA player, Continental Basketball Association player [42] Garrett Temple Nu Psi NBA player, 14 seasons in the NBA [330] Wes Unseld NBA player and coach; Basketball Hall of Fame [25] Walt Wesley Upsilon NBA player, ten seasons in the NBA [328] Lenny Wilkens Zeta Pi Lambda NBA player and coach; second most wins all-time in NBA history; 1994 NBA Coach of the Year; 1996 Olympian; Basketball Coach; Basketball Hall of Fame; twice inducted into the Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach, the first and only African American so honored [19][316] John "Hot Rod" Williams Rho Iota NBA player, 13 seasons in the NBA [25]

John Woodruff

Football

Name Original chapter Notability References Emmanuel Arceneaux Delta Kappa NFL player, Minnesota Vikings, 2022 CFLPA's Tom Pate Outstanding Community Service Award recipient while playing for the Edmonton Elks [331] Bobby Bell Mu National Football League (NFL) player, Pro Football Hall of Fame [332][333] Gordon Bell Epsilon NFL player [334] Khari Blasingame Kappa Theta NFL player [335] Leroy Bolden Gamma Tau NFL player [336] Jowon Briggs Alpha Alpha Professional football player; Cleveland Browns, defensive tackle [337] Wes Chandler Theta Sigma NFL player; four-time Pro Bowl player; two-time college All American; 2014 College Football Hall of Fame inductee [19] Michael Clayton Nu Psi NFL player [338] Emerson Cole Alpha Xi Lambda NFL player; first African American to be drafted by the Cleveland Browns and a member of the 1950 NFL championship team; University of Toledo Hall of Fame [339] Don Coleman Gamma Tau NFL player; first African American All-American football player at Michigan State University; first MSU player to have jersey retired; first African American to serve on the MSU coaching staff; member of the College Football Hall of Fame [340] Greg Coleman Beta Nu NFL player; first African American punter in the NFL [305] Marco Coleman Nu Mu NFL player; 14 seasons in the NFL; Pro Bowler [341] Canute Curtis Pi Mu NFL player [342] Garrett Dickerson Alpha Mu NFL player with the New York Giants [343] Chris Doleman Omicron NFL player, Pro Football Hall of Fame; eight-time Pro Bowl selection; three-time First Team All-Pro selection; two-time Second Team All-Pro selection; four-time First Team All NFC; two-time Second Team All NFC; NFL 1990's All-Decade Team [344] Donald Driver Delta Kappa NFL player; 14 years in the NFL; three-time Pro Bowler; 2017 Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame inductee; member of the Black College Football Hall of Fame, author [338] Carl Eller Mu NFL player, 2004 Pro Football Hall of Fame [345] Mel Farr Jr. Gamma Xi NFL player [300][346] Mike Farr Gamma Xi NFL player [300][347] Charles Fisher Pi Mu NFL player, 12 years in the NFL [348] Julius Franks Epsilon First African American to become an All-American football player at the University of Michigan [349] Kyle Fuller Tau Alpha NFL player [350] Derrick Gaffney Theta Sigma NFL player, nine years in the NFL [351][352] Nesby Glasgow Alpha Xi NFL player, 14 years in the NFL [353][354] Barrett Green Pi Mu NFL player, seven years in the NFL [342] Sammy Green Theta Sigma NFL player [351][355] Rosey Grier Gamma Nu NFL player; two-time Pro Bowler; singer; actor; best known for The Thing with Two Heads; helped apprehend Sirhan Sirhan in the immediate aftermath of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination [356] Charles Haley Xi Delta NFL player; 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame; 5-time Super Bowl Champion (San Francisco 49ers 1988 & 1989; Dallas Cowboys 1992, 1993, & 1995); five-time Pro Bowl player [25] P. J. Hall Theta Mu NFL player with the Oakland Raiders [357] Jackie Harris Delta Sigma Lambda NFL player; 10 seasons in NFL [358] Dennis Harrison Kappa Theta NFL player; played in Super Bowl XV and Pro Bowl [359] T. J. Heath Xi Xi NFL player, Jacksonville Jaguars [359] Darryl Henley Gamma Xi NFL player and college All-American Eddie Hinton Zeta Zeta NFL player, Baltimore Colts; played in Super Bowl V; former all-time leading receiver at the University of Oklahoma [360] Darius Holland Alpha Iota NFL player, 10 seasons in the NFL [361] Jalyx Hunt Tau Tau Professional football player; Philadelphia Eagles, defensive end [362] Michael Hunter Gamma Eta NFL player [363] Germain Ifedi Pi Omicron NFL player [364] Duke Ihenacho Epsilon Mu NFL player [365] Michael Jackson Mu Xi NFL player, 8 years in the NFL [25] Charlie Janerette Gamma Nu NFL player, six years in the NFL, first African American to play against the all-White University of Alabama football team [366] Trezelle Jenkins Epsilon NFL player [348] Demetrious Johnson Zeta Alpha NFL player; founder of the Demetrious Johnson Charitable Foundation [367] Ron Johnson Epsilon NFL player; two-time Pro Bowler; College Football Hall of Fame; college football All-American; chairman of the National Football Foundation [368] Tyrell Johnson Theta Upsilon NFL player; starting strong safety for the Minnesota Vikings, 2008 to present [331] Dhani Jones Epsilon NFL player, 11 seasons in the NFL; TV personality [305] Jaryd Jones-Smith Omicron NFL player with the Houston Texans [369] Steve Jordan Alpha Gamma NFL player; six-time Pro Bowler [305] Lewis Kelly Beta Delta NFL player, 6 seasons [370] Reggie Kelly Kappa Beta NFL player [371] Carnell Lake Gamma Xi NFL player; five-time Pro Bowler; NFL 1990s All-Decade Team [19] Henry Lawrence Beta Nu NFL player; two-time Pro Bowler [305] Mark Lee Alpha Xi NFL player, 11 years in the NFL [353][372] Mike Merriweather Nu Chi NFL player, three-time Pro Bowl player [305] Ronald Moore Gamma Chi NFL player [373] Bill Munsey Mu NFL player, CFL player [332] Adrian Murrell Pi Mu NFL player, 10 years in the NFL [348] Marques Murrell Pi Nu NFL player [338] Vince Newsome Alpha Xi NFL player, current assistant director of pro personnel for Baltimore Ravens [374] Roman Oben Alpha Pi NFL player, nine years in the NFL [375] Brig Owens Alpha Alpha NFL player, 11 years in the NFL; included in the list of "70 Greatest Redskins" [305] Michael Pittman Sr. Epsilon Beta NFL player, 10 years in the NFL [338] Fritz Pollard Alpha Gamma One of the first two Black players in the NFL in 1920; first Black head coach in the NFL; 2005 Pro Football Hall of Fame [25] Marcus Pollard Epsilon Kappa NFL player, 14 years in the NFL [19] Jethro Pugh Beta Zeta NFL player, 13 years in the NFL [305] Jay Ratliff Omicron Kappa NFL player; three-time Pro Bowl selection; First Team All-Pro selection [359] Ken Riley Beta Nu NFL player, 15 years in the NFL, Pro Football Hall of Fame 2023 [376] Paul Robeson Nu NFL player; two-time college football All-American; College Football Hall of Fame; actor and singer; social activist; 1945 Spingarn Medal recipient; Stalin Peace Prize laureate [35][289] Eddie Robinson Beta Iota Lambda Head of the Grambling State University football program for 56 years; the winningest coach in college football history; first coach to record 400 wins; 408 total career wins [305] Darius Rush Theta Nu NFL player [377] Bernard Russ Pi Mu NFL player [342] Art Shell Delta Nu NFL player, four-time Pro Bowl player; Pro Football Hall of Fame; second Black head coach in the NFL [42] Max Starks Theta Sigma NFL player, two-time Super Bowl Champion [378] Sandy Stephens Mu NFL player; First African American All-American Quarterback, Rose Bowl Hall of Fame [332][379] Lemuel Stinson Eta Upsilon NFL player [305] Woody Strode Alpha Delta NFL player; one of the first two African-Americans to play in the NFL's modern (post-World War II) era; actor; nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor [380] Billy Taylor Epsilon University of Michigan football All-American and school record holder of rushing yardage, CFL player [381] Jesse Thomas Gamma Tau NFL player [336] John Thornton Pi Mu NFL player, nine years in the NFL [348] Willie Thrower Gamma Tau NFL player, first African American quarterback in the NFL modern era [336] Wallace Triplett Gamma Nu NFL player, first African-American to be drafted into and play in the NFL [382] Gene Upshaw Gamma Chi Lambda NFL and AFL player; 1987 Pro Football Hall of Fame; president of National Football League Players Association (NFLPA); NFLPA Headquarters building in Washington, D.C. named in his honor [19] Anthony Walker Jr. Alpha Mu NFL player with the Indianapolis Colts [383] Willis Ward Epsilon University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Fame; second African American to letter in varsity football at Michigan; three-time track and field All-American and eight-time Big Ten champion; famous for being excluded from the 1934 Michigan vs. Georgia Tech football game due to being African American [349] Kenny Washington Alpha Delta One of the first two African-Americans to play in the NFL's modern (post-World War II) era; member of the College Football Hall of Fame [305] Gerald Williams Omicron Kappa NFL player; 11 seasons in the NFL [384] J. Mayo Williams Alpha Gamma NFL player; one of the first African Americans to play professional football; recording artist elected to the Blues Hall of Fame [385] Reggie Williams Theta Zeta NFL player; 2007 College Football Hall of Fame Inductee; 1986 NFL Man of the Year; 1987 Sports Illustrated Co-Sportsman of the Year; former Cincinnati City Councilman [386][387] Eric C. Wright Zeta Alpha NFL player, two-time Pro Bowl player [42] Jason Wright Alpha Mu NFL player, businessman, team president of the Washington Football Team; first and only African American NFL team president [305][388]

Donald Driver Rosey Grier Paul Robeson

Other sports

Name Original chapter Notability References Gerald Harris Pi Professional MMA fighter; The Ultimate Fighter (UFC), FCF, TFC, and International Fight League [389][390] Eulace Peacock Psi Member of the National Track and Field Hall of Fame; rival of Jesse Owens [391]

See also

• List of Alpha Phi Alpha chapters