List of Southwestern University alumni

Following is a list of notable alumni from Southwestern University.

Business

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

Clergy

• Hiram Abiff Boaz^[1] – Methodist Bishop and former president of SMU
• Stanley Hauerwas^[2] – Theologian and ethicist
• Jay W. Richards - Philosopher, Theologian, Economist, Apologist, Social Researcher, Author
• William Angie Smith^[1] – Methodist Bishop

Education

• Hiram Abiff Boaz^[1] – Methodist Bishop and former president of SMU
• Serena DeBeer – Adjunct Professor at Cornell University and Head of Dpt. for Inorganic Spectroscopy at Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion
• Laura Kuykendall (1883–1935), dean of women at Southwestern from 1918 to 1935
• Margaret (Young) Menzel Florida State University scientist (1924-1987)
• Amanda Sheffield Morris Regents Professor of Psychology at Oklahoma State University

Entertainment

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

Law

• William H. Atwell^[1] – U.S. District Court judge
• J. Marvin Jones^[1] – U.S. Court of Claims Chief Judge and U.S. Congressman from Texas (1917–1940)
• Joseph Tyree Sneed, III^[1] – U.S. Court of Appeals judge
• Brent Webster – acting Texas Attorney General^[3]

Literature and journalism

• J. Frank Dobie^[1] – Author
• Abbie Graham – Author
• Hubert Renfro Knickerbocker – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author^[4]
• John Murrell – Canadian playwright and a member of the Order of Canada

Non-profit

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

Politics

• Jessie Daniel Ames^[1] – Civil rights activist
• Joan Bray – State senator in Missouri
• Robert L. Henry^[1] – U.S. Congressman from Texas (1897–1917), Chairman of the House Rules Committee
• J. Marvin Jones^[1] – U.S. Congressman from Texas (1917–1940), U.S. Court of Claims Chief Judge
• Earle Bradford Mayfield^[1] – U.S. Senator from Texas (1923–1929)
• Pete Sessions – U.S. Congressman from Texas (2013-Current), Chairman of the House Rules Committee
• R. Ewing Thomason – U.S. Congressman from Texas (1931–1947), Mayor of El Paso
• John Tower – U.S. Senator from Texas (1961–1988)

Science

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

Sports

• Harry Ables^[1] – Major League Baseball pitcher
• Mike Anderson- Major League Baseball pitcher and current pro scout with the Texas Rangers
• Solon Barnett – Offensive tackle and guard for the Chicago Cardinals and Green Bay Packers (1945–1946)
• Pete Cawthon^[1] – Head football coach and athletic director of the Texas Tech Red Raiders
• Carlton Massey – Defensive lineman and pro bowler for the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers (1954–1958)
• Carl Reynolds – Major League Baseball player and member of Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Played for five teams over 12 years
• Mike Timlin – Major League Baseball pitcher