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List of Louisiana State University alumni

The following is a list of notable alumni of Louisiana State University.

Academia

Jonathan Alexander (PhD 1993), rhetorician and professor of English at University of California, Irvine. w
Ray Authement (MA 1952, PhD 1956), fifth president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 1974 to 2008; the longest serving president of a public university in the United States; received two graduate degrees from LSU; father of Louisiana state archives
Sally Clausen (three LSU degrees in 1967, 1971, and 1980), former Louisiana commissioner of higher education; former president of Southeastern Louisiana University
John R. Conniff (MA 1923 English), New Orleans and Baton Rouge educator; president of Louisiana Tech University from 1926–1928
John B. Conway (PhD 1965), professor emeritus of mathematics at George Washington University
Edwin Adams Davis (PhD in history from LSU), former professor of History at LSU; author of two textbooks
Colleen Denney (BA 1981, MA 1983), Professor of Art History and Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Wyoming
Ronald G. Douglas (PhD 1962), Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at Texas A&M University
Kathleen Fitzpatrick, former professor of English at Pomona College; Director of Digital Humanities and Professor of English at Michigan State University
Michelle K. Johnston (PhD 1999), Clifton A. Morvant Distinguished Professor in Business at Loyola University New Orleans
Michael I. Jordan (BS Psychology 1974), leading researcher in machine learning at University of California, Berkeley
Joomyeong Kim (PhD 1995), Russell Thompson, Jr. Family Professor of Biology at LSU
Jeffrey A. Lockwood (PhD entomology), award-winning author and University of Wyoming professor of Natural Sciences and Humanities
Ray Marshall, Professor Emeritus of the Audre and Bernard Rapoport Centennial Chair in Economics and Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin
Sandra Murchinson (MFA), director of the School of Art and Design at Eastern Michigan University
Leon C. Megginson (PhD 1952), later became an LSU faculty member in the business school, notable in part for his clarifying statements about Darwinism
J. Tinsley Oden (BS 1959), pioneer in the field of computational mechanics; professor at The University of Texas at Austin
Virgil Orr (BS, MS 1948, PhD 1950, chemical engineering), Louisiana Tech University vice president; former state representative from Lincoln and Union parishes
Arthur T. Prescott (BA 1883), later M.A., first president of Louisiana Tech University (1895–1899)
Bin Ramke, professor at University of Denver, poet, winner of the 1978 Yale Younger Poets Prize
Charles P. Roland (PhD), historian at Tulane University and the University of Kentucky and specialist in the American Civil War and the American South
Ralph L. Ropp (MA 1925), professor at Northwestern State University 1923–1949; president of Louisiana Tech University 1949–1962
Martha Serpas (BA), poet, professor of creative writing in University of Houston Creative Writing Program
Robert B. Stobaugh (PhD), retired professor of Harvard Business School and currently at Rice University
Virgil Suárez (MFA 1987), professor of English at Florida State University, award-winning writer
Ivory A. Toldson (BS 1995), educational scholar, counseling psychology professor at Howard University, and award-winning author
Olympia Vernon (MFA 2002), author, Hallie Ford Chair in Writing at Willamette University
Richard M. Weaver (PhD English), professor of English at the University of Chicago, known for the book, Ideas Have Consequences
Allen Wier (MA), professor at University of Tennessee
Dara Wier, director of MFA Program for Poets & Writers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, award-winning poet
John D. Winters (BA, MA, PhD), historian, Louisiana Tech University

Business, economics, entrepreneurs

Clarence P. Cazalot, Jr., president and chief executive of Marathon Oil Corporation
Pollyanna Chu, Hong Kong businesswoman
Lod Cook, co-chairman of the board of Global Crossing
Ruth Fertel, founder of Ruth's Chris Steak House
Todd Graves, founder and CEO of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers
Eric Guimbeau, CEO of St Aubin Ltd and member of parliament in Mauritius
Starr Long, game producer at the companies Origin Systems (1992–2000), Destination Games (2000–2008), and Portalarium (2013–present).
William S. Patout, III, Iberia Parish sugar grower
L. J. Sevin, Founder of Mostek and of Sevin Rosen Funds, 1930–2015 (D)
Patrick F. Taylor, founder and CEO of Taylor Energy Company; educational philanthropist, founder of the TOPS college tuition program

Entertainment, actors, models

Elizabeth Ashley, actress
Kirk Bovill, actor, writer, songwriter
Kenneth Brown, interior designer, host of HGTV show reDesign
Lenora Champagne (BA 1972), playwright, theatre performer, and director.
Christina Cuenca, Miss Louisiana USA 2006
Greg Tarzan Davis, actor
Jennifer Dupont, Triple Crown winner, Miss Louisiana Teen USA 1998, Miss Louisiana USA 2000, Miss Louisiana (America) 2004
Katherine Haik, Miss Louisiana Teen USA 2015 and Miss Teen USA 2015
Eddie Jemison, actor
Ali Landry, actress, model, Miss USA 1996
Amanda Joseph, Miss Louisiana (America) 2007
Rod Masterson (Class of 1967), actor
Elizabeth McNulty, Miss Louisiana USA 2007
Lindsey Pelas, glamour model
Shelley Regner, actress
Alex Stein, comedian
Joanne Woodward, actress

Fine arts, design

Malaika Favorite, visual artist and writer
J. G. Jones, comic book artist
Fonville Winans, photographer
Will Wright, game designer, The Sims creator
Robert Yarber (MFA 1973), painter, Professor of Art at Pennsylvania State University

Music

Mose Allison, jazz pianist, vocalist and songwriter
Les Beasley, Southern Gospel musician
Better Than Ezra, alternative rock band, formed at Louisiana State
- Tom Drummond, bassist for Better Than Ezra
- Kevin Griffin, lead singer of Better Than Ezra, songwriter
Bill Conti, Academy Award and Emmy-winning composer
Jordan Davis, American country pop artist
Lauren Daigle, contemporary Christian music artist
Dee-1, rapper/lyricist
Carl Fontana, jazz trombonist
Julie Giroux, composer
Grits Gresham, outdoorsman, author, sportsman, co-host of ABC's The American Sportsman (1966–1979)
John Thomas Griffith, guitarist in rock band Cowboy Mouth
Fatma Ceren Necipoğlu, Turkish harpist
Lisette Oropesa, operatic soprano
H. Owen Reed, composer
Claibe Richardson, composer
Chad Shelton, operatic tenor

Journalists

Brett Blackledge, reporter for The Associated Press in Washington D.C.; while working for The Birmingham News, won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting
Donna Britt, television news anchorwoman
Don Lemon, news anchor and journalist, host of CNN Tonight
Edwin Newman, NBC-TV newsman and anchor
Rex Reed, film critic

Poets, novelists, writers

Julie Cantrell (B.A. 1995, M.A. 1997), novelist and editor
A. Wilson Greene (M.A. 1977), American Civil War historian, museum director, and author
Camille Martin, poet and collage artist
Dinty W. Moore (MFA 1990), novelist and essayist
Nic Pizzolatto, novelist, writer, and creator of HBO series True Detective
Lisa Rhoades, poet
Rebecca Wells, author of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Dede Wilson, poet and writer
Casey McQuiston, (B.A., journalism) author of “Red, White, & Royal Blue”

Government, politics, and activism

A

Eduardo Aguirre, former United States Ambassador to Spain and Andorra
A. Leonard Allen, late U.S. Representative from Alexandria-based district (D)

B

Tony Bacala, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for Ascension Parish; law-enforcement officer
Reggie Bagala, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for the 54th district for four months
Larry S. Bankston (bachelor's degree, 1973), lawyer and former state senator from Baton Rouge (D)
Guy Bannister, FBI agent; Assistant Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, and private investigator; subject of Orleans Parish District Attorney Jim Garrison's JFK assassination investigation
Edwards Barham, planter; former state senator from Morehouse Parish (R)
Taylor Barras (Class of 1979), accountant and banker; current state representative from Iberia Parish (R)
Carl W. Bauer (Class of 1954), lawyer; former member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature from St. Mary Parish (D)
Lottie Beebe, Republican member since 2012 of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education from Breaux Bridge; school superintendent in St. Martin Parish since 2013, received master's degree from LSU (R)
Clyde F. Bel, Jr., businessman and state representative for Orleans Parish, 1964–1972 and 1975–1980
Ashley Bell, National Director of African American Engagement Office; Director of the Small Business Administration's Southeast Region
Stuart Bishop, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Lafayette (R)
Morton Blackwell, Republican National Committeeman from Virginia, formerly a political activist in Louisiana (R)
James E. Bolin, late former state representative (1940–1944); 26th Judicial District Court judge, 1952–1960; state appeal court judge, 1960–1978 (D)
Charles Boustany, physician, former U.S. representative from Louisiana's 7th congressional district (R)

Mike Branch, commercial pilot from Las Vegas, Nevada, who served in the Louisiana State Senate 1996–2000 (R)
Donna Brazile, political strategist for Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign (D)
John Breaux, former United States senator (D)
Overton Brooks, late U.S. congressman from Shreveport (D)
Edwin S. Broussard (Class of 1896), former United States senator, 1921–1933 (D)
Chad M. Brown, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for Iberville and Assumption parishes, effective 2016
Henry Newton Brown, Jr., former Bossier/Webster Parish district attorney and current chief judge of Second Circuit Court of Appeal (D)
Roy Brun, former state legislator and current district judge in Shreveport (R)

C–E

Burl Cain, departing warden of the Louisiana State Penitentiary (also known as Angola)
Bill Callegari (Class of 1963; Agricultural Engineering), member of the Texas House of Representatives from Harris County, 2001–2015; the William A. Callegari Environmental Center at LSU is named in his honor (R)
William Derwood Cann, Jr. (1919–2010), World War II lieutenant colonel; mayor of Monroe 1978–1979 (D)
Thomas G. Carmody (Class of 1983), state representative from Shreveport (R)
Edward M. Carmouche (Class of 1943, 1921–1990), chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party 1966–1968; attorney in Lake Charles
Davy Carter, Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives, completed LSU Banking School; attorney and banker
Steve Carter, former LSU men's tennis coach and assistant athletic director; state representative from Baton Rouge (R)
James Carville, chief political strategist for Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign (D)
Jack Christian, late businessman, mayor-president in East Baton Rouge Parish, 1957–1964 (D)
Marcus R. Clark, justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court (R)
Thomas G. Clausen, M.A. degree from LSU, Louisiana state education superintendent, 1984–1988 (D)
George Henry Clinton (Class of 1889), member of both houses of the state legislature from Tensas Parish (D)
John Cooksey, physician, former U.S. representative from Louisiana's 5th congressional district (R)
Scott Crichton (Class of 1976), judge of the Louisiana 1st Judicial District Court in Shreveport since 1991 (R)
Jay Dardenne, Louisiana lieutenant governor and former secretary of state and state senator (R)
George W. D'Artois, public safety commissioner in Shreveport 1962–1976 (D)
Jackson B. Davis, state senator for Caddo Parish and long-term attorney in Shreveport; obtained B.A. and M. A. degrees from LSU in 1936 and 1937, respectively
Jimmie Davis, singer, Louisiana governor (1944-48, 1960-64), and Shreveport public service commissioner (D)
Paula Davis, state representative for East Baton Rouge Parish since 2015
Jay Dean, mayor of Longview, Texas, 2005–2015; incoming Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives, effective 2017; born in Opelousas in 1953
Cleveland Dear, late U.S. representative, district attorney, and state district court judge (D)
C. H. "Sammy" Downs (Class of 1933, master's in education), member of both houses of the Louisiana legislature from Rapides Parish and advisor to Governors Earl Kemp Long and John McKeithen
R. Harmon Drew, Sr., Law school, state representative and Minden city judge (D)
David Duke, former state representative and U.S. Senate and gubernatorial candidate (R), white supremacist and neo-Nazi
Mike Edmonson, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police since 2008 (R)
Edwin Edwards, only four-term governor of Louisiana (D) and former U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 7th Congressional District
John Bel Edwards, Governor of Louisiana since 2016 (D)
Charles Wheaton Elam (Class of 1887), lawyer and state representative from DeSoto Parish (D)
Dale M. Erdey (Class of 1976), state senator from Livingston Parish (R)

F–H

Maxime Faget, NASA engineering and development director
Jimmy Field (Class of 1963), member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, 1996–2012 (R)
Carlos Roberto Flores, former President of Honduras
C.B. Forgotston, late attorney, political activist, and state government watchdog (Independent)
Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr., former state senator and governor of Louisiana 1996–2004 (R)
John B. Fournet (1895–1984), Speaker of the Louisiana House, lieutenant governor, associate and chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court (D)
Bobby Freeman, former state representative and Louisiana lieutenant governor (D)
Mike Futrell (Class of 1982), former state representative and Metro Council member (R)
Ryan Gatti (Class of 1995), state senator for District 36 since 2016; Bossier City lawyer
Lucille May Grace (1900–1957), register of state lands and first woman in statewide office in Louisiana; first woman to run for governor (D)
Thomas A. "Tom" Greene, B.S., M.S., D.V.M., former state senator from Iberville Parish (R)
Anthony Guarisco, Jr., state senator from Morgan City 1976–1988; studied for Master of Arts at LSU while in his seventies, 2008–2012; lawyer and real estate businessman (D)
Jennifer Hale (sportscaster), Fox Sports reporter
Kenny Havard, state representative from St. Francisville (R)
Paul M. Hebert, civilian judge during Nuremberg War Trials
Sharon Hewitt, member of the Louisiana State Senate from St. Tammany Parish, effective 2016

Clay Higgins, Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana's 3rd congressional district, beginning 2017
Donald E. Hines (LSU-NO M.D.), Bunkie physician, former member and the president of the Louisiana State Senate 2004–2008 (D)
J.B.E. Hittle (1951, Military and Intelligence Historian)
Kip Holden (1974, Journalism), mayor-president of Baton Rouge (D)
Joan Huffman, member of the Texas State Senate from Harris County since 2008; former state district court judge
Hubert Humphrey, late 38th Vice President of the United States (D)

I–L

Blair Imani (B.A. History), African-American Muslim activist
Barry Ivey (B.S. finance), current member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 65 in East Baton Rouge Parish
Diane A. Jenkins, former Louisiana assistant attorney general and assistant district attorney for East Baton Rouge Parish (R)
Louis E. "Woody" Jenkins, former state representative for Baton Rouge and U.S. Senate candidate, 1978, 1980, 1996; U. S. House candidate, 2008 (R)

Mike Johnson (Bachelor of Business Administration), 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, member of the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana's 4th congressional district; former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for Bossier Parish; constitutional attorney in Benton (R)
Robert F. Kennon, late governor of Louisiana (1952–1956) (D)
Catherine D. Kimball (Class of 1966), judge of the Louisiana 18th Judicial District Court, 1982–1992; justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, 1993–2013
Edith Killgore Kirkpatrick, former member of Louisiana Board of Regents; state Baptist leader (D)
John LaBruzzo, former state representative from Jefferson Parish (R)
Eddie J. Lambert (Class of 1978), state representative from Ascension Parish (R)
Mary Landrieu, United States senator (D)
Claude "Buddy" Leach, former congressman, Democratic national committeeman (D)
Harry Lee, late Jefferson Parish sheriff (D)
Coleman Lindsey, late state senator, lieutenant governor, state district court judge (D)
Gillis William Long, late U.S. representative (D) from Alexandria
Russell B. Long, late United States senator 1948–1987 (D)
Speedy O. Long, late congressman from central Louisiana (D)

M–N

John Maginnis, Louisiana political journalist, author, and commentator
Sidney A. Marchand, state representative, mayor of Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Robert M. Marionneaux, former state senator (D)
Ray Marshall, 16th United States Secretary of Labor (D)
Danny Martiny, state senator from Jefferson Parish (R)
John McKeithen, late Louisiana governor, 1964–1972 (D)
Philip H. Mecom, former US Attorney for the district of Western Louisiana
Tucker L. Melancon, United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana since 1994 (D)
Gregory A. Miller (Class of 1985), member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from St. Charles Parish (R)
Newt V. Mills, U.S. representative from Louisiana's 5th congressional district 1937–1943 (D)
Ellen Bryan Moore, Register of State Lands, third woman inducted into the LSU Hall of Distinction (D)
Henson Moore, former U.S. representative from Louisiana's 6th district (R)
Carlos Morales Troncoso, former vice-president of the Dominican Republic
Doug Moreau, District Attorney for East Baton Rouge Parish (1991–2009) and LSU football All-American (1964–1965) (R)
Cecil Morgan, leader of the impeachment forces against Governor Huey Pierce Long, Jr., in 1929; later Standard Oil executive and dean of the Tulane University Law School (D)
Jay Morris, state representative from Ouachita and Morehouse parishes (R)
DeLesseps Morrison, Jr., late state representative from Orleans Parish (D)
DeLesseps Story Morrison, late New Orleans mayor and ambassador to the Organization of American States (D)
Ann McBride Norton (1944 – 2020), American activist and executive, president of Common Cause.

O–Q

Mariano Ospina Pérez, 17th President of Colombia (1946–1950)
Kenneth Osterberger, member of the Louisiana State Senate for East Baton Rouge Parish 1972–1992
Abel Pacheco, former President of Costa Rica
John Victor Parker (class of 1949), judge of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana 1979–2014 (D)
Mary Evelyn Parker, former Louisiana state treasurer (D)
Barrow Peacock, state senator from Shreveport (R)
Leander Perez, "political boss" of Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes (D)
Louanner Peters, former deputy governor of Illinois
Bryan A. Poston, late state senator for Vernon Parish (D)
Phil Preis (class of 1972, B.S. in accounting), Baton Rouge attorney and candidate for governor in 1995 and 1999 (D)

R–S

Melvin Rambin, 1965 M.B.A, banker in Baton Rouge and Monroe; mayor of Monroe 2000–2001 (R)
John Rarick, attended U.S. Army program at LSU; former Sixth District (Baton Rouge-based) congressman (D) turned (Independent)
Jerome "Dee" Richard, Class of 1978, current member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Lafourche Parish, one of only two Independents in the chamber
Charles Addison Riddle III, District Attorney from Avoyelles Parish (12th Judicial District); state representative 1992–2003 (D)
Jacques Roy, mayor of Alexandria, Louisiana (D)
Alvin Benjamin Rubin, federal judge 1965–1991 (D)
A. T. "Apple" Sanders, Jr., member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from East Baton Rouge Parish 1956–1964

Lucy Sanders, CEO and co-founder of the National Center for Women & Information Technology
Steve Scalise, U.S. representative for Louisiana's 1st congressional district (R)
Alan Seabaugh, attorney and state representative from Caddo Parish (R)
Henry Clay Sevier, state representative from Madison Parish, 1936–1952 (D)
J. Minos Simon, late Lafayette attorney (D)
Eric Skrmetta (Class of 1981), member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission (R)
Patricia Haynes Smith (graduate studies), Democratic state representative from Baton Rouge since 2008
Tom Stagg, U.S. District Court judge from Shreveport, former political activist (R)
Victor T. "Vic" Stelly, former state representative from Calcasieu Parish and author of the Stelly Plan (I)
Raymond Strother (bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism), regional and national political consultant (D)

T–Z

Lloyd George Teekell (Class of 1948), state representative from Rapides Parish 1953–1960; judge of the 9th Judicial District Court 1979–1990 (D)
Sam H. Theriot, former member of the Louisiana House from Vermilion Parish and former Vermilion Parish clerk of court; social studies teacher, received PhD in educational administration in 2009 (D)
Major Thibaut (Class of 1999), state representative for District 18; businessman in New Roads
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, United States ambassador to the United Nations under President Joe Biden; previously, a diplomat in the Obama Administration
T. Ashton Thompson, United States representative from Louisiana's 7th congressional district 1953–1965 (D)
Donald Ellsworth Walter (Class of 1961), U.S. District Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, based in Shreveport, U.S. attorney for the Western District 1969–1977; native of Jennings (R)
Rick Ward, III, state senator from District 17 since 2012 and attorney in Port Allen
Gus Weill (Class of 1955), public relations consultant, novelist, playwright, poet (D)
Lloyd F. Wheat (Class of 1946), attorney and state senator from Red River and Natchitoches parishes 1948–1952
Tom Willmott, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Jefferson Parish since 2008 (R)

Military

Robert H. Barrow, General, 27th Commandant of the Marine Corps
George S. Bowman Jr., Major General, U.S. Marine Corps; Commanding general, Camp Pendleton
Jefferson J. DeBlanc, World War II Marine Corps ace fighter pilot and Medal of Honor recipient.
Arnold W. Braswell, retired Lieutenant General, U.S. Air Force, studied at LSU between 1942 and 1944
Charles Christopher Campbell, General, U.S. Army, commander U.S. Army Forces Command
Claire Chennault, General, U.S. Army Air Forces, organizer and commander of the Flying Tigers
Larry J. Dodgen, Lieutenant General, former commander, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command
Terry Gabreski, Lieutenant General, U.S. Air Force, BA History, 1973
Joe S. Lawrie, U.S. Army major general
John A. Lejeune, General, U.S. Marine Corps, namesake of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
Bobby V. Page, Brigadier General, Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force
Carey A. Randall, Major General, U.S. Marine Corps; Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense 1951–1960
Ronald G. Richard, Major General, Commanding General of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Jeffrey W. Talley, Lieutenant General, retired, 32nd Chief of Army Reserve (CAR) and 7th Commanding General, United States Army Reserve Command (USARC) 2012–2016

Science and engineering

James R. Andrews, orthopedic surgeon.
Marc W. Buie, astronomer at Lowell Observatory
Edgar Hull (pre-medical 1923), co-founding physician of the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans (1931) and the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport (1969)
Mary Manhein, forensic anthropologist, founding director of FACES at LSU
Alex McCool, former manager of the Space Shuttle Projects Office at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama
Darrell A. Posey, anthropologist and biologist
Lawrence Simon, otolaryngologist and medical academic
Wayne Winterrowd (1941–2010), horticulturist and author

Sports

Football

Baseball

Mark Guthrie, Pitcher, MLB 1990-2004

Men's basketball

Women's basketball

Golf

Gymnastics

Women's soccer

Wasila Diwura-Soale (born 1996), Ghanaian international soccer player

Track and field

Lolo Jones, 2008 and 2012 Olympic hurdler, track and field
Armand Duplantis, pole vaulter, Olympic and 2-time world champion, (world record holder at 6.22 m)
Sha'Carri Richardson, sprinter, 2023 World Champion in 100 m.