List of Alpha Phi Alpha brothers

The list of Alpha Phi Alpha brothers (commonly referred to as Alphas)^[1] includes initiated and honorary members of Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ), the first inter-collegiate Greek-letter organization established for Black college students.^[2] Originally founded in December 1905 as a literary society by CC Poindexter, it was established as a fraternity on December 4, 1906 at Ithaca, New York. It wasn't until 1952, when James Morton was removed as Jewel. ^[3] 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 prior to the fraternity's discontinuation of the practice of granting honorary membership. A chapter name ending in "Lambda" denotes an alumni chapter.^[4] The only alumni chapter that does not end in "Lambda" is Rho Chapter, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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.^[5] Frederick Douglass is distinguished as the only member initiated posthumously when he became an exalted honorary member of Omega chapter in 1921.^[6]

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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.^[7]

The fraternity has been led by 33 General Presidents. Its membership includes two premiers; three governors; a vice president, three 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, six 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 Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, the Whitney Young Memorial Bridge, the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, the Edward W. Brooke Courthouse, the John H. Stroger Cook county hospital, and the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

The House of Alpha

The House of Alpha was written in 1946 by fraternity brother Sydney P. Brown as a dedicatory statement for the "Alpha House" (fraternity house) of Theta Chapter and Xi Lambda chapter who jointly shared the fraternity house. 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".^[9][10]

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.^[11]

Here follows a list of notable Alphas.

Founders

Name Original chapter Notability References Charles Cardoza Poindexter Alpha Original founder of Alpha Phi Alpha Society; 1st President of Alpha Phi Alpha; Stated by Fraternity to be a precursor of fraternity; College Professor [12][13] Henry Arthur Callis Alpha Co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; 6th General President of Alpha Phi Alpha; physician [12][13] James Morton Alpha Co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; Recognized until 1952 as a Jewel [12][13] Charles Henry Chapman Alpha Co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; Professor of Agriculture at FAMU [12] 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 [12][14] George Biddle Kelley Alpha Co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; first Black licensed engineer of New York [12] George Tompkins Alpha Co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; [12] Nathaniel Allison Murray Alpha Co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; career educator [12] Robert Harold Ogle Alpha Co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; professional staff member to the US Congressional Committee on Appropriations [12] Vertner Woodson Tandy Alpha Co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha; Architect, whose most famous commission was probably the mansion of Harlem millionairess Madam C.J. Walker [12][15]

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

Academia

Educators

Ninety-five percent of all Black colleges have been headed by an Alpha.^[10]

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 [16][17] James P. Brawley Alpha Phi President of Clark College [18] Calvin Burnett Delta Lambda President of Coppin State University [19] 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 [19][20] James Cheek Beta Rho President of Howard University [21] 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 [22] Thomas W. Cole, Sr. Alpha Sigma President of Wiley College; 21st General President of Alpha Phi Alpha [13][19] Matthew Davage Alpha Phi President of Clark College, now Clark Atlanta University [18] William B. Delauder Beta Alpha President of Delaware State University [21] James Douglas Delta Theta President of Texas Southern University [19] John Malcus Ellison Gamma First African American President of Virginia Union University, 1941 [14] Floyd H. Flake Zeta Gamma Lambda Former US Congressman from New York; President of Wilberforce University; Pastor of Greater Allen Cathedral of New York [23][24] 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 [21][25] Luther H. Foster, Jr. Beta Gamma Fourth President of Tuskegee University [26] Luther H. Foster, Sr. Gamma Phi President of Virginia State University [27] Norman Francis Sigma Lambda President of Xavier University; President of Louisiana Recovery Authority; 2006 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient [28][29] Robert Michael Franklin, Jr. Eta Lambda President of Morehouse College [30] James Gavin Gamma Mu President of Morehouse School of Medicine [18] Hugh Gloster Alpha Rho President of Morehouse College [18] George Gore, Jr. Tau Lambda Fifth President of Florida A&M University; Interim President of Fisk University; founder of Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society [31][32] Cornelius Henderson Alpha Phi President of Gammon Theological Seminary [19][33] Charles A. Hines Beta President of Prairie View A&M University; Major General [34] Ernest Holloway Beta Kappa 14th President of Langston University [19] 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 [18][35][36][37] Freeman A. Hrabowski III Gamma Iota President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; social activist [38][39] Frederick Humphries Beta Nu Eighth President of Florida A&M University [21] Charles S. Johnson Theta Editor of the National Urban League's Opportunity magazine; first Black President of Fisk University [14] Walter M. Kimbrough Zeta Pi President of Dillard University; author [21][40] Raphael Lanier Mu Lambda United States Ambassador to Liberia; first President of Texas Southern University [16] Thomas F. Law Delta Rho First President of Saint Paul's College [19] John H. Lewis Zeta President of Morris Brown College [18] John Middleton Nu Eta Lambda President of Morris Brown College [18] Luna Mishoe Alpha Psi Lambda President of Delaware State University [41] Joseph T. McMillan, Jr. Beta First President of Huston-Tillotson College [19] 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 [28][35][42] Benjamin Payton Beta Delta Fifth President of Tuskegee University [19] 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 [13][16][43] Earl Richardson Delta Nu President of Morgan State University [19] John B. Slaughter Kappa Tau President of University of Maryland and Occidental College; first African American Director of the National Science Foundation [44] Kent J. Smith, Jr. Beta Sigma 16th President of Langston University [19] Louis Wade Sullivan Alpha Rho Secretary of Health and Human Services; co-founder and first President of Morehouse School of Medicine [21] Ronald Temple Delta Gamma Lambda President of City Colleges of Chicago [21] Walter Washington Gamma Upsilon President of Alcorn State University; 24th General President of Alpha Phi Alpha [13][19] 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 [13][21][37] Sidney David Williams Beta Zeta Fourth President of Elizabeth City State University [45]

Floyd Flake Norman Francis Charles S. Johnson Louis Sullivan

Professors and researchers

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 [46] William P. Foster Upsilon Creator of the Florida A&M University Marching "100" Band [47] John Hope Franklin Alpha Chi President of American Historical Association; 1995 Spingarn Medal, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and 2006 Kluge Prize recipient; author of From Slavery To Freedom [19][35][48][49] Hobart Jarrett Alpha Sigma Member of the Wiley College Debate Team that in 1935 defeated the University of Southern California national champions; author of the second volume of The History of Sigma Pi Phi [50][51] Elgy Johnson Alpha Omicron Mathematician [16] Kelly Miller Beta (Honorary) Leading African-American intellectual for more than half a century; first Black person admitted to Johns Hopkins University [21][52][53] James A. Porter Beta Scholar whose book Modern Negro Art became a standard reference work on Black art in America [54][55] Cornel West Zeta Beta Lambda Professor of religion at Harvard and Princeton [21] 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 [56]

John Franklin Kelly Miller Cornel West

Rhodes scholars

The Rhodes Scholarship is the world's oldest and arguably most prestigious international fellowship. The scholarships have been awarded to applicants annually since 1902 by the Rhodes Trust in Oxford on the basis of academic qualities, as well as those of character.

Name Original chapter Notability References Norman Washington Manley Beta Beta Lambda 1914 Rhodes Scholar; Premier of Jamaica; founder of Jamaica's People's National Party [57][58] Westley Moore Sigma Sigma 2001 Rhodes Scholar; New York Times bestselling author [59] Randal Pinkett Kappa Phi Lambda 1994 Rhodes Scholar; fourth winner of NBC's reality show The Apprentice [60][61] Andrew Zawacki Kappa Pi 1994 Rhodes Scholar [28]

Westley Moore

Business

Name Original chapter Notability References Jesse Binga Theta (Honorary) Founder of Binga State Bank in Chicago [52] Henry Brown Alpha Eta Lambda Vice President for Marketing Affairs and Development with Anheuser-Busch [62] W. Melvin Brown Beta Delta CEO of American Development Corporation [21] Allen Counts Beta Chairman of Doley Securities, Inc.; former President of Mcclendon, Pryor, Counts (once the largest black-owned investment bank in the US) [34] Thomas J. Burrell Theta CEO of Burrell Advertising [21] Nathaniel Goldston Delta Psi Lambda CEO and founder of Gourmet Services [62] Alonzo F. Herndon Eta Lambda (Honorary) Founder and President of Atlanta Life Insurance; namesake of the Alonzo Herndon Stadium at Morris Brown College [18][63] Norris Herndon Sigma President of Atlanta Life Insurance [64] Eugene Jackson Epsilon Psi CEO of World African Network [41] Charles James III Delta Zeta CEO of James Produce [62] Clifton Jeter Beta CEO of the Agricultural Federal Credit Union; CFO of Kennedy Center [34] John H. Johnson Theta Founder of Johnson Publishing Company, which publishes Ebony and Jet magazines; first Black person to appear on the Forbes 400 "Rich List"; namesake of Howard University's School of Communications; Presidential Medal of Freedom and 1966 Spingarn Medal recipient; a portion of Chicago's famed Michigan Avenue was renamed "John H. Johnson Avenue" [28][35][65] L.D. Milton unknown President of Citizens Bank [41] Henry Parks Kappa Founder of Parks Sausage [21] William F. Pickard Epsilon Xi CEO Global Automotive Alliance; professor University of Michigan School of Business; 2001 Michigan Citizen of the Year award winner; business lecturer [66] 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 [67][68][69] Jonathan Rodgers Alpha Epsilon CEO of TV One; president of CBS Television Stations; executive producer for the CBS Morning News and weekend evening newscasts [70] Don Thompson Gamma Rho CEO and President of McDonalds, Worldwide [71] Joshua Smith Delta Xi CEO of Maxima Corporation [21] Mark D Banks Delta Alpha Lambda President of Logos Consulting [21]

Alonzo Herndon Gerald Albright Duke Ellington

Entertainment

Music

Name Original chapter Notability References Cannonball Adderley Beta Nu Jazz saxophonist [72] Gerald Albright Iota Chi Jazz saxophonist [21] 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 [21] 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 [21][35][73] Marc Gay Beta Singer in the R&B group Shai [21] Lionel Hampton Phi Jazz percussionist and bandleader; National Medal of Arts recipient; Goodwill Ambassador for the United States [72][74] Antonio Hart Sigma Jazz saxophonist [21] 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 [21][75] Fletcher Henderson Alpha Phi Pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music [76] Ja A. Jahannes Nu Poet, playwright, composer, and spoken word artist [72] Edward Griffin Epsilon Tau CEO of hip hop U-C-IT LLC [77] Carl Martin Beta Singer in the R&B group Shai [72] Lionel Richie Alpha Nu Lambda Singer and member of the Commodores; Grammy Award and Academy Award winner; 2003 Hollywood Walk of Fame honoree [72][78] Noble Sissle Theta Jazz composer, lyricist, bandleader, and singer of the Harlem Renaissance; lyricist of Shuffle Along, which became the first hit musical on Broadway written by and about African-Americans [79][80] Darnell Van Rensalier Beta Singer in the R&B group Shai [72] Jonathan White Gamma Delta Jazz composer, saxophonist [72]

Lionel Hampton Lionel Richie Noble Sissle

Film, television and theatre

Name Original chapter Notability References Darryl M. Bell Delta Zeta Actor, best known for A Different World [21] Andra Fuller Tau Alpha Actor, best known for Black Jesus, Roomies, Lovers, & Friends; LA Complex [21] Bret "E." Benson Mu Gamma Actor TV and film; motivational speaker, best known for ATLANTA, Fatal Attraction, Angie's List [21] Benny Boom Pi Rho Director of music videos [21] Matthew Braham Zeta Mu Actor Rusty Cundieff Alpha Delta Actor, writer; director of Tales from the Hood and Chappelle's Show; correspondent on TV Nation [21] Trevon Davis Alpha Phi Theatre actor in Dreamgirls; finalist on BET's Sunday's Best; appeared on MTV's Making the Band 4 [81] Rel Dowdell Alpha Chi Writer and director of feature films Train Ride and Changing the Game [21] 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 [21][82] Derek Fordjour Delta Chi Producer of The Black Sorority Project: The Exodus, the story of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority [83] Kevin Grevioux Beta Writer, producer, actor in Underworld films, The Mask, Steel, Congo, Planet of the Apes [84] Sydney Hall Beta Actor in The Deal, Lord of War, and Generation Kill [85][86] Kefla Hare Xi Beta Television actor; reality television cast member, Road Rules: Down Under, Hip Hop Harry actor, You Are Not The Man I Married [21] Gary Hardwick Epsilon Producer, writer, director of The Brothers, Deliver Us from Eva, Radio, and Bring It On [21] Omari Hardwick Zeta Pi Actor in Saved, Dark Blue, Power, and The A-Team [87][88] Rob Hardy Beta Nu Film director, film producer, screenwriter, and television director [89] Hill Harper Kappa Phi Lambda Actor on Limitless, CSI: NY; author of Letters to a Young Brother [90][91] Christian Keyes Alpha Phi Alpha Television and movie actor, singer, and model; Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Let's Stay Together, Moonlight, Sex Chronicles [92] J.L. Kirkwood Beta Eta Spoken word artist; best-selling author; TLC's Four Weddings; BET Telly Award Winning Journey of Peace; ABC Chicagoing; HGTV House Hunters, DeVry Commercials; J.P. Morgan Chase Commercials; 107.5 WGCI #1 Spoken Word Artist [93] Gabriel Langley Beta Sigma Cast member on College Hill, the first African American reality television show [21] Vaughn Lowery Alpha Spokesmodel for Joe Boxer [94][95] Yohance Myles Beta Upsilon Actor; best known for Hours, Common Law

Hill Harper Paul Robeson

Government, law, and public policy

Note: individuals who belong in multiple sections appear in the first relevant section.

Vice Presidents and Supreme Court

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 [96][97][98] Thurgood Marshall Nu First Black 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 [67][99]

Hubert Humphrey Thurgood Marshall

Cabinet and Cabinet-level ranks

Name Original chapter Notability References Lee P. Brown Epsilon Beta Director of National Drug Control Policy; first African-American Mayor of Houston, Texas [41][100] Robert J. Brown Mu Lambda Special Assistant to President Nixon for Minority Affairs [101][102] 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 [67][103] 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 [13][104] 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 [67][68] Emmett Scott Honorary Special Assistant to the Secretary of War [52] Ron C. Sims Zeta Pi Lambda Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development; served as King County Executive, King County, Washington [52] Louis Wade Sullivan Alpha Rho Secretary of Health and Human Services; co-founder and first President of Morehouse School of Medicine [21]

Lee Brown Samuel Pierce Louis Sullivan

Members of the United States Congress

Name Original chapter Notability References Edward Brooke Beta Senator from Massachusetts; Attorney General of Massachusetts; Chairman Emeritus of World Policy Council; 1967 Spingarn Medal and 2004 Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient [34][67][105] Roland Burris Beta Eta Senator from Illinois, appointed to fill the seat vacated by President Barack Obama; first Black Illinois Attorney General [106][107] Emanuel Cleaver Eta Gamma Representative from Missouri; Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri [28][108] Danny K. Davis Gamma Delta Representative from Illinois [109] William Dawson Theta Representative from Illinois; first African-American chairman of a regular House Committee (Committee on Expenditures in Executive Department); Dawson Technical Institute at Kennedy-King College (Chicago) is named in his honor [21] Ron Dellums Delta Omicron Representative from California; co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus; Mayor of Oakland; led the fight in the US against South African apartheid [67][110][111] Julian C. Dixon Alpha Delta Representative from California [67] Chaka Fattah Zeta Omicron Lambda Representative from Pennsylvania [21] Floyd H. Flake Zeta Gamma Lambda Representative from Illinois; President of Wilberforce University [23][24] Harold Ford, Sr. Beta Omicron Representative from Tennessee; legislator of Tennessee [67] William H. Gray Rho Representative from Pennsylvania; House Majority Whip and House Democratic Whip; CEO of the United Negro College Fund [21] Al Green Beta Nu Representative from Texas [109] Earl F. Hilliard Alpha Rho Representative from Alabama; Legislator of Alabama [67] Steven Horsford Eta Lambda Representative from Nevada [112] Gregory W. Meeks Zeta Zeta Lambda Representative from New York; New York State Assembly [67] Ralph Metcalfe Alpha Xi Representative from Illinois; co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus; 1932 and 1936 Olympian; Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building (Chicago) is named in his honor [67][111] Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Eta first Black Representative from New York(Harlem); Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee; early civil rights and racial equality legislation advocate;long-time Pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church [67] Charles B. Rangel Alpha Gamma Lambda Representative from New York; co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus; first Black person to chair the Committee on Ways and Means; New York State Assembly Representative; Marine combat veteran awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals [21][111][113] David Scott Beta Nu Representative from Georgia [114] Robert C. Scott Sigma Representative from Virginia [21] Bennett M. Stewart Xi Lambda Representative from Illinois [25] Hansen Clarke Gamma Lambda Representative from Michigan [115]

William Dawson Ron Dellums Julian Dixon Chaka Fattah Harold Ford, Sr. William H. Gray

US Governors and Lieutenant Governors

Name Original chapter Notability References Walter A. Gordon Alpha Epsilon 17th Governor of the United States Virgin Islands; Federal District Judge of the United States Virgin Islands [116][117] Joe Rogers Omicron Tau Lieutenant Governor of Colorado [118] Roy L. Schneider Beta 25th Governor of the United States Virgin Islands [34] Charles Wesley Turnbull Gamma Iota 26th Governor of the United States Virgin Islands [118][119] James R. Williams Alpha Tau Lieutenant Governor of Ohio candidate; 25th General President of Alpha Phi Alpha [8][13]

Ralph Metcalfe Adam Powell, Jr.

Diplomats

Name Original chapter Notability References Orison Rudolph Aggrey Gamma Iota Ambassador to Republic of The Gambia, Republic of Senegal, and Romania [67] Archibald Carey, Jr. Theta Diplomat; attorney; Circuit Court Judge; Pastor [120][121] Walter Carrington Sigma Ambassador to Republic of Senegal and Federal Republic of Nigeria [122][123] Horace Dawson Nu Ambassador to Republic of Botswana; Director of the Ralph Bunche International Affairs Center, Howard University; Chairman of the World Policy Council [16] Frederick Douglass *Honorary* Minister to Republic of Haiti; anti-slavery activist [28][124] Lionel Hampton Phi Goodwill Ambassador; jazz percussionist and bandleader; National Medal of Arts recipient [72][74] James A. Joseph Beta Sigma Ambassador to South Africa; Under Secretary of Interior [21] Kenton Keith Upsilon Ambassador to State of Qatar [43] Raphael Lanier Mu Lambda Minister to Liberia; first President of Texas Southern University [16] Delano Lewis Upsilon Ambassador to South Africa; President and Chief Executive Officer of National Public Radio; President of The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company [21][125] Donald McHenry Eta Tau Ambassador to United Nations [67] 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) [126][127] Gerald Eustis Thomas Sigma Ambassador to Guyana and Kenya; Admiral, US Navy [25][128] Terence Todman unknown Ambassador to Republic of Chad, Guinea, Costa Rica, Spain, Denmark, and Argentina [25][128] Lester Walton Eta Minister to Liberia [129][130] Clifton Reginald Wharton, Sr. Sigma Ambassador to Norway and Minister to Romania [64][131] Franklin H. Williams Nu Ambassador to Republic of Ghana and the United Nations; President of the Phelps-Stokes Fund [21] Andrew Young Beta Ambassador to The United Nations; Representative from Georgia; two-term Mayor of Atlanta; 1990 Governor of Georgia candidate; 1978 Spingarn Medal, 1981 Presidential Medal of Freedom, and French Légion d'honneur recipient [28][35][132][133]

Robert Scott Charles Turnbull Frederick Douglass

Mayors

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 [21][134] Richard Arrington, Jr. Gamma Kappa First Black Mayor of Birmingham [21] Thomas V. Barnes Gamma Rho Mayor of Gary, Indiana [25] Marion Barry Beta Xi Mayor of Washington, DC; first Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) [16][135] Ted Berry Alpha Alpha First Black Mayor of Cincinnati; board member of the NAACP [136] Byron Brown Delta Epsilon Senator of New York; first Black Mayor of Buffalo [137] 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 [21][138] David Dinkins Beta First Black Mayor of New York City [21] Gow Fields Mu Zeta Lambda First Black Mayor of Lakeland, Florida [139] Maynard Jackson Alpha Rho First Black and three-term Mayor of Atlanta; Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is in part named in his honor [21] Harvey Johnson, Jr. Beta Omicron First Black Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi [140] 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 [21][141][142] Wayne M. Messam Iota Delta First Black Mayor of Miramar, Florida [143] Marc Morial Psi Louisiana State Legislature; Mayor of New Orleans; 8th CEO of the National Urban League [28][144] 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 [28] Rudolph McCollum Jr. Beta Mayor of Richmond [34] James McGee Xi First Black Mayor of Dayton [145] Norm Rice Zeta Pi Lambda First and only African-American Mayor of Seattle [28] Eugene Sawyer Beta Upsilon Mayor of Chicago [41] Lionel Wilson Alpha Epsilon First Black Mayor of Oakland [28] AC Wharton Beta Omicron Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee [28]

Marion Barry Byron Brown Willie Brown David Dinkins

Judges and lawyers

Seventy-five percent of all Black male lawyers are Alphas.^[10]

Name Original chapter Notability References Robert Benham Eta Lambda Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia [18] 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. [21][146] 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][147][148] Julius Chambers Gamma Beta Attorney 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 [19][20] Christopher Darden Epsilon Mu Prosecutor in the murder trial of O. J. Simpson [149] 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 [13][150] Harry T. Edwards unknown Justice for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit [67] 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 [21][25] 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][64][151] 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. National Memorial; 31st General President of Alpha Phi Alpha [13][152] 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 [67][153] 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 [13][154] Greg Mathis Gamma Lambda Host of television series Judge Mathis [155][156] Daryl D. Parks Beta Nu Managing partner in the law firm that represented the parents of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, and the family of Eric Garner [157] 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 [158][159] 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 [160] 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 [161][162] Charles Z. Smith Beta Nu First African-American to serve as Washington State Supreme Court Justice 1998-2002; first African-American to serve as King County Superior Court judge and Seattle Municipal Court judge; served as a special assistant to United States Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy (1960-64) to investigate corruption related to Teamster Union pension funds; brought an indictment in Chicago against Teamster Union President James Hoffa; appointed by President Clinton in 1999 to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom [163] A. P. Tureaud Beta Attorney in Garner v. Louisiana, which legalized sit-in protests at segregated private businesses and restaurants [164][165] Horace Ward Alpha Rho Senator of Georgia; first African American to serve on the federal bench in Georgia [18][166]

Kwame Kilpatrick Marc Morial Norm Rice Joe Brown Robert Carter

Other US political and legal figures

Name Original chapter Notability References William T. Andrews unknown New York State Assembly [129] 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 [67][167] Roy A. Burrell Delta Upsilon Lambda Louisiana House of Representatives; former member of the Shreveport City Council; former president of the Delta Upsilon Lambda chapter [168] Al Edwards unknown Texas House of Representatives; considered the father of the Juneteenth Holiday [169] Randy D. Dunn Omicron Xi Lambda Missouri House of Representatives [170] Patrick O. Jefferson Dillard University Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 11; lawyer in Arcadia, Louisiana [171] Carl McCall Theta Zeta Legislator of New York; Comptroller of New York; 2002 Democratic candidate for Governor of New York [67][172] William Byron Rumford Gamma Phi Lambda Member of the California State Legislature [173][174] C. O. Simpkins, Sr. Dillard University Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for Caddo Parish, 1992 to 1996 [175] Albert Vann Alpha Xi Lambda New York State Assembly [176] Herb Wesson Nu California State Assembly; Speaker of the California State Assembly [177] Tyrone Yates Alpha Alpha Ohio House of Representatives [178]

Government officials outside the U.S.

Name Original chapter Notability References E. David Burt Nu Beta Member of Parliament; Deputy Leader of the Progressive Labour Party; former Senator, Bermuda [179] Shawn Crockwell unknown Member of Parliament and Minister of Tourism, Development & Transport, Bermuda [180] 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 [57][58] Diallo Rabain Epsilon Theta Lambda Member of Parliament; former Opposition Senate Leader and Senator, Bermuda [181] Edward Richards Epsilon Theta Lambda First Premier of Bermuda [182] Lawrence Scott Epsilon Theta Lambda Member of Parliament, Bermuda; son of former Premier of Bermuda William Alexander Scott [183] Peter Turnquest Eta Gamma Member of Parliament, Deputy Leader of the Free National Movement Party, the Bahamas [183] 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 [184]

Journalists and media personalities

Name Original chapter Notability References Ron Allen Psi News correspondent for NBC and ABC [185][186] Tony Brown Alpha Upsilon Commentator on the syndicated television show Tony Brown's Journal; founding dean of Howard University's School of Communication [21][187] Malvin Russell Goode Omicron First Black news correspondent for ABC as a United Nations reporter [21] Jay Harris Nu Theta Sportscaster for ESPN on SportsCenter and ESPNEWS [188][189] Stan Verrett Beta Sportscaster for ESPN on SportsCenter and ESPNEWS [190] Roland S. Martin Pi Omicron Editor of the Chicago Defender, radio talk show host; contributor to CNN, Anchor for TV One network news [191][192] Stuart Scott Mu Zeta Sportscaster for ESPN on SportsCenter [21] Chuck Stone Alpha Kappa Speechwriter for Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.; first president of the National Association of Black Journalists; Tuskegee Airman [21][193][194] Lewis Ossie Swingler Alpha Delta 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 [195][196] 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 [197]

Literature

Name Original chapter Notability References Countee Cullen Eta Poet of the Harlem Renaissance [72] Eric Jerome Dickey Kappa Eta Author [21] E. Lynn Harris Kappa Kappa Author, playwright [21] Chester Himes Kappa Author whose works include If He Hollers Let Him Go and a series of Harlem Detective novels [21][198] Lawrence Ross Alpha Epsilon Author of The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities [21] Carl Weber Beta Gamma Author [21] Frank Yerby Theta Best-selling author [21]

Countee Cullen

Military service

Name Original chapter Notability References David L. Brewer Gamma Zeta Admiral, United States Navy; Superintendent of L.A. Unified School District, community activist [199] 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 [200] Roscoe Cartwright Alpha Zeta General, United States Army [28] Victor Daly Alpha French Croix de Guerre recipient; novelist and author [201] 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 [202] Fred A. Gorden Mu Beta Lambda Brigadier General; first African-American First Captain of the West Point Academy [28][203] 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, 20th 2010 [21] Benjamin Thurman Hacker Epsilon Mu Lambda Rear Admiral, United States Navy [21] Clifton Stanley Hardy Tau Commissioned as Second Lieutenant in the U.S Army, Regional translator for the 365th infantry(french) World War I [184] Edward Honor Beta Sigma Major General, United States Army [21] James E. Huger Alpha Zeta Montford Point Marine; Awarded Congressional Medal of Honor by President Barak Obama; former executive director and general secretary of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; Alpha Award of Merit recipient, [204][205] James McCall Psi Major General Chief in the Pentagon Budget Office [28] 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 [139] Winston E. Scott Alpha Phi Lambda Astronaut, Johnson Space Center [21] Bobby Wilks Alpha Eta First African American Coast Guard aviator; first African American to reach the rank of Coast Guard captain [139] Johnnie E. Wilson Theta Theta Lambda Four-star general, United States Army [184]

Samuel Gravely Benjamin Hacker Winston E. Scott Johnnie Wilson

Religion

Name Original chapter Notability References Qu'Derrick R. Covington Epsilon Zeta Founder/President of It Is Finished Ministries [206] Vinton R. Anderson Xi 92nd Bishop of African Methodist Episcopal Church; President of World Council of Churches [43] Tyrone Crider Theta Mu Lambda National Director of Operation PUSH [206][207] Harold Davis (Pastor) Beta Sigma President of American Baptist Churches [206] 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][208] 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 [21] E. Edward Jones Delta Sigma President of National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. from 1986 to 2003 [206] 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 [28][35][209] 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 [210][211] Alfred J. Smith unknown President of Progressive National Baptist Convention [206]

Science

Sixty percent of all Black Male Doctors and sixty-five percent of all Black Male Dentists are Alphas.^[10]

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 [16][17] James Comer Gamma Eta Prominent child psychiatrist; founder of the Comer School Development Program at the Yale Child Study Center; associate dean at the Yale School of Medicine [21][212] Lloyd Augustus Hall Alpha Mu 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 [213] LaSalle Leffall, Jr. Beta Nu President of American College of Surgeons; President of American Cancer Society [21] 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 [21][214] 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 [215] Louis Wade Sullivan Alpha Rho Secretary of Health and Human Services; co-founder and first President of Morehouse School of Medicine [21] Levi Watkins, Jr. 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 [21] J. Marshall Shepherd Iota Delta Physicist; NASA meteorologist; professor at University of Georgia; expert on global climate change and environmental issues [216]

Garrett Morgan Earl Renfroe

Service and social reform

Name Original chapter Notability References Julius Chambers Gamma Beta Attorney 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 [19][20] Frederick Douglass Omega (Honorary) United States Ambassador to Haiti; anti-slavery activist [28][124] 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 [28][35] Lloyd L. Gaines Alpha Psi Central figure of one of the most important cases in the US civil rights movement, the Supreme Court case styled Gaines v. Canada [217] Lester Granger Theta Zeta 3rd Executive Secretary of the National Urban League [28] Dick Gregory Beta Eta 1968 Presidential candidate; comedian, social activist, writer [28][218] George Edmond Haynes Beta Founder and First President of the National Urban League; first African American to receive a PhD from Columbia University [219] 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 [18][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 [21] Charles S. Johnson Theta Editor of the National Urban League's Opportunity magazine; first Black President of Fisk University [14] Lyman T. Johnson Gamma Plaintiff whose successful legal challenge opened the University of Kentucky to African-American students in 1949 [220] Eugene K. Jones Alpha Co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; second Executive Director of the National Urban League; Member of President Franklin D Roosevelt's Black Cabinet [12][14] 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 [28][35][209] 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) [30] 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 [13][104] 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 [30] 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 [221][222] Marc Morial Psi Louisiana State Legislature; Mayor of New Orleans; 8th CEO of the National Urban League [28][144] Floyd McKissick unknown 2nd President of Congress of Racial Equality; Founder of Soul City [223][224] Hugh Bernard Price Eta Alpha Lambda 7th President of the National Urban League [21] Paul Robeson Nu NFL player, Actor and singer; social activist, 1945 Spingarn Medal recipient; Stalin Peace Prize laureate [35][225] 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 [158][159] 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 [205] 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 [226] Channing Heggie Tobias Beta Chairman of the NAACP, Director of the Phelps-Stokes Fund; 1948 Spingarn Medal recipient [35][227] 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 [228] Wyatt Tee Walker Gamma Co-founder and 3rd Executive Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); Civil and human rights activist [206][229] Alfred Bitini Xuma unknown President of the African National Congress [230][231] Max Yergan Theta 2nd President of the National Negro Congress; Co-founder of the International Council on African Affairs; 1933 Spingarn Medal recipient [35][232][233] Whitney Young Beta Mu 4th President of the National Urban League; 1968 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; namesake of the Whitney Young Memorial Bridge [234]

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

Sports

Note: individuals who belong in multiple sections appear in the first relevant section.

Olympics

Name Original chapter Notability References Dave Albritton Kappa 1936 Olympian, high jump; inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame, 1980 [235] Don Barksdale Gamma Xi 1948 Olympian and first African American to play with the USA Olympic Basketball Team; NBA player [236][237] Walt Bellamy Gamma Eta 1960 Olympian NBA player; NBA Rookie of the Year(1962); NBA Hall of Fame (1993) [238] Quinn Buckner Gamma Eta 1976 Olympian; NBA player [21][239] James A. Butts Eta Pi Lambda 1976 Olympian, track and field [240] Otis Davis Alpha Delta Winner of two gold medals for record-breaking performances in both the 400 metres and 4x400 metres relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics [241] Phil Edwards Eta Olympic athlete and winner of five bronze medals [241] Sayon Cooper Delta Xi 2000 Olympian, track and field [242] Edward Gourdin Alpha Eta 1924 Olympian; first man to make 25 feet in the long jump [243][244] Chris Huffins Alpha Epsilon Bronze medalist in 2000 Olympics [245] Cornelius Johnson unknown 1932 and 1936 Olympian; high jump [246] 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 [241] Ralph Metcalfe Nu Xi Representative from Illinois; 1932 and 1936 Olympian [21][247] Manteo Mitchell Nu Zeta 2012 silver medalist in track and field [248] Godfrey Murray Epsilon 1972 Track and field Olympian [249] 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 [21][250] Fritz Pollard, Jr. Alpha Gamma 1936 Olympian, 110m hurdles [246] Mike Powell Omicron Eta 1988 and 1992 Olympian, long jump [21] Andrew Stanfield Alpha Alpha Lambda 1952 and 1956 Olympian, track and field [246] Eddie Tolan Epsilon 1932 Olympian, 100 and 200 metres [242] Lenny Wilkens Zeta Pi Lambda NBA player and coach; 1996 Olympian, Basketball Coach [21][251] Archibald Williams Alpha Epsilon 1936 Olympian, track and field [246] John Woodruff Omicron 1936 Olympian, track and field [246] Kevin Young Gamma Xi 1988 and 1992 Olympian, track and field [236][252]

Jesse Owens and Ralph Metcalfe Mike Powell

American 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 [21] 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 [236][237] Walt Bellamy Gamma Eta 1960 Olympian NBA player, Basketball Hall of Fame [253] Junior Bridgeman Delta Chi Lambda NBA player; 12 years in the NBA; his number was retired by the Milwaukee Bucks [242] John O. Brown unknown Basketball coach for Dillard University [242] Quinn Buckner Gamma Eta 1976 Olympian; NBA player, 10 seasons in the NBA [21][239] Todd Day Kappa Kappa NBA player, 9 seasons in the NBA [28] Wayne Embry Delta Upsilon NBA player and General Manager; five-time NBA All-Star; Basketball Hall of Fame [41] Clyde Fletcher Kappa Kappa NBA player, player for Arkansas Razorbacks 1990 NCAA Final Four team [254][255] Walt Frazier unknown 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 [256][257] Dolly King unknown NBL player (predecessor of the NBA) [258] Stan McKenzie Delta Lambda NBA player, 7 seasons in the NBA [259] Jim McMillian Eta NBA player; three-time college All-American; three-time Haggerty Award winner, 9 seasons in the NBA [260] Chris Mills Eta Epsilon Lambda NBA player, 10 seasons in the NBA [28] Bobby Phills Beta Sigma NBA player, Continental Basketball Association player [41] Garrett Temple Nu Psi NBA player [261] Wes Unseld unknown NBA player and coach; Basketball Hall of Fame [28] Walt Wesley Upsilon NBA player, ten seasons in the NBA [259] 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 [21][251] John "Hot Rod" Williams Rho Iota NBA player, 13 seasons in the NBA [28] George Gregory Eta In 1931, he became the first black basketball player to be selected as an All-American

John Woodruff

American football

Name Original chapter Notability References Emmanuel Arceneaux Delta Kappa NFL player, Minnesota Vikings [262] Bobby Bell Mu National Football League (NFL) player, Pro Football Hall of Fame [263][264] Gordon Bell Epsilon NFL player [265] Wes Chandler Theta Sigma NFL player; four-time Pro Bowl player; two-time college All American; 2014 College Football Hall of Fame inductee [21] Michael Clayton Nu Psi NFL player [266] 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 College Football Hall of Fame [267] Greg Coleman Beta Nu NFL player; first African American punter in the NFL [242] Marco Coleman Nu Mu NFL player; 14 seasons in the NFL; Pro Bowler [268] Canute Curtis Pi Mu NFL player [269] 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 [270] Donald Driver Delta Kappa NFL player; three-time Pro Bowler; author [266] Carl Eller Mu NFL player, 2004 Pro Football Hall of Fame [270] Mel Farr, Jr. Gamma Xi NFL player [236][271] Mike Farr Gamma Xi NFL player [236][272] Charles Fisher Pi Mu NFL player, 12 years in the NFL [273] Barry Foster unknown NFL player, two-time Pro Bowler [273] Julius Franks Epsilon First African American to become an All-American football player at the University of Michigan [274] Derrick Gaffney Theta Sigma NFL player, 9 years in the NFL [275][276] Nesby Glasgow Alpha Xi NFL player, 14 years in the NFL [277][278] Barrett Green Pi Mu NFL player, 7 years in the NFL [269] Sammy Green Theta Sigma NFL player [275][279] 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 [280] Charles Haley Xi Delta NFL player; 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame; five-time Pro Bowl player [28] T. J. Heath Xi Xi NFL player, Jacksonville Jaguars [262] Darryl Henley Gamma Xi NFL player and college All American [281] Eddie Hinton Zeta Zeta NFL player, Baltimore Colts; played in Super Bowl V; former all-time leading receiver at the University of Oklahoma [282] Darius Holland Alpha Iota NFL player, 10 seasons in the NFL [283] Germain Ifedi Pi Omicron NFL player [284] Duke Ihenacho Epsilon Mu NFL player [285] Michael Jackson Mu Xi NFL player, 8 years in the NFL [28] Trezelle Jenkins Epsilon NFL player [273] Demetrious Johnson Zeta Alpha NFL player; founder of the Demetrious Johnson Charitable Foundation [286] Ron Johnson Epsilon NFL player; two-time Pro Bowler; College Football Hall of Fame; college football All-American; Chairman of the National Football Foundation [287] Tyrell Johnson Theta Upsilon NFL player; starting strong safety for the Minnesota Vikings, 2008 to present [262] Dhani Jones Epsilon NFL player, 11 seasons in the NFL; TV personality [242] Steve Jordan Alpha Gamma NFL player; six-time Pro Bowler [242] Lewis Kelly Beta Delta NFL player, 6 seasons [288] Reggie Kelly Kappa Beta NFL player [289] Carnell Lake Gamma Xi NFL player; five-time Pro Bowler; NFL 1990s All Decade Team [21] Henry Lawrence Beta Nu NFL player; two-time Pro Bowler [242] Mark Lee Alpha Xi NFL player, 11 years in the NFL [277][290] Cliff Louis Delta Alpha Lambda NFL signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2007; former member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, Florida Tuskers, Arizona Cardinals, Edmonton Eskimos, Detroit Lions, and Dallas Cowboys; offensive tackle for the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League [270] Mike Merriweather Nu Chi NFL player, three-time Pro Bowl player [242] Ronald Moore Gamma Chi NFL player [291] Bill Munsey Mu NFL player CFL player [263] Adrian Murrell Pi Mu NFL player, 10 years in the NFL [273] Marques Murrell Pi Nu NFL player [266] Leo LeMarcus Newman Alpha Eta Lambda NFL player [273] Vincent Newsome Alpha Xi NFL player, current assistant director of pro personnel for Baltimore Ravens [292] Roman Oben Alpha Pi NFL player, 9 years in the NFL [293] Brig Owens Alpha Alpha NFL player, 11 years in the NFL; included in the list of "70 Greatest Redskins" [242] Michael Pittman Epsilon Beta NFL player, 10 years in the NFL [266] 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 [28] Marcus Pollard Epsilon Kappa NFL player, 14 years in the NFL [21] Jethro Pugh Beta Zeta NFL player, 13 years in the NFL [242] Jay Ratliff Omicron Kappa NFL player; three-time Pro Bowl selection; First Team All Pro selection [262] Ken Riley Beta Nu NFL player, 15 years in the NFL [294] 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][225] 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 [242] Bernard Russ Pi Mu NFL player [269] Art Shell Delta Nu NFL player, four-time Pro Bowl player; Pro Football Hall of Fame; second Black head coach in the NFL [41] Olaniyi Sobomehin Alpha Xi NFL player [266] Max Starks Theta Sigma NFL player, two-time Super Bowl Champion [295] Sandy Stephens Mu NFL player; First African American All-American Quarterback, Rose Bowl Hall of Fame [263][296] Lemuel Stinson Eta Upsilon NFL player [242] 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 [297] Billy Taylor Epsilon Michigan University football All American and school record holder of rushing yardage, CFL player [298] John Thornton Pi Mu NFL player, 9 years in the NFL [273] Wallace Triplett Gamma Nu NFL player, first African-American to be drafted into and play in the NFL [299] 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 [21] 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 [242] Raymond Webber Gamma Delta NFL player, Tampa Bay Buccaneers [262] Aron White Zeta Pi NFL player, Atlanta Falcons [300] Gerald Williams Omicron Kappa NFL player; 11 seasons in the NFL [301] 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 [302] 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 [303][304] Claudius Wright Zeta Theta NFL player [273] Eric Wright Zeta Alpha NFL player, two-time Pro Bowl player [41] Jason Wright Alpha Mu NFL player [242]

Donald Driver Rosey Grier Paul Robeson

Other athletics

Name Original chapter Notability References JC Cuffee Iota Alpha Professional MMA mixed martial arts fighter [305] Gerald Harris Pi Professional MMA mixed martial arts fighter; The Ultimate Fighter (UFC), FCF, TFC, and International Fight League [306][307] Nassor Lewis unknown Professional MMA mixed martial arts fighter, Gladiator Challenge, King of the Cage [308] Eulace Peacock Pi Rho Member of the National Track and Field Hall of Fame; rival of Jesse Owens [309] 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 [274]

Other Alphas

Name Original chapter Notability References Raymond Cannon Mu First Editor of The Sphinx, the official publication of Alpha Phi Alpha; 12th General President of Alpha Phi Alpha [13][28] Henry McKee Minton Rho Co-founder of Sigma Pi Phi fraternity; co-founder of Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia; 1891 Valedictorian of Phillips Exeter Academy [50][310] Hilyard Robinson Eta Architect; designed buildings for Howard University, Hampton University and Langston Terrace Dwellings in Washington, DC; architect of Tuskegee, Alabama Army Airfield; first and only African American to design a US airbase [16]

General Presidents

Citations

References

• Mason, Herman (1999). The Talented Tenth: The Founders and Presidents of Alpha (2nd ed.). Winter Park, FL: Four-G. ISBN 1-885066-63-5. 
• Wesley, Charles H. (1969). The History of Alpha Phi Alpha, A Development in College Life (11th ed.). Chicago, Illinois: Foundation. 
• Wesley, Charles H. (1981). The History of Alpha Phi Alpha, A Development in College Life (14th ed.). Chicago, IL: Foundation. ASIN: B000ESQ14W. 

External links

• Alpha Phi Alpha official site
• List of Alpha Phi Alpha chapters
• The House of Alpha on YouTube