Phi Delta Theta Fraternity - Washington, DC Alumni Club

Phis in Government

Over the years, Phi Delts have played an integral role in the shaping of our democracy through their service in local government, state houses, the United States Congress and, yes, even the presidency. Below is just a partial list of prominent Phis who have made an impact in and around our Nation's Capital.

Executive Branch

Benjamin Harrison, Miami (Ohio)
President of the United States (1889-93)

Adlai E. Stevenson, Centre
Vice President of the United States (1893-97)

J. David Almacy, Widener
White House Internet Director (2005-07)
U.S. Department of Education (2002-05)

James A. Baker III, Texas-Austin
Co-Chairman, Iraq Study Group (2006)
Special Presidential Envoy on Iraqi Debt (George W. Bush 2003-04)
Personal Envoy of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Western Sahara (1997-2004)
White House Chief of Staff (George H.W. Bush 1992-93)
Secretary of State (George H.W. Bush 1989-92)
Secretary of Treasury (Reagan 1985-88)
White House Chief of Staff (Reagan 1981-85)

Peter R. Coneway, Texas-Austin
U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein (2006-08)

Terry Dornbush, Vanderbilt
U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands (1994-98)

Wyche Fowler, Davidson
U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (1997-2001)
U.S. Senator (Georgia, 1977-95)

David Hinson, Washington
Chairman, Federal Aviation Administration (1993-96)

Allan Hubbard, Vanderbilt
Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council (George W. Bush 2005-2007)
Deputy Chief of Staff, Vice President Dan Quayle (1990-92)
Executive Director of the President’s Council on Competitiveness (George H.W. Bush 1990)

William A. Irvine, Allegheny
U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors (1975-77)

J. Douglas McKay, Oregon State
Secretary of Interior (1952-56)
Governor of Oregon (1949-52)

Robert Porter Patterson, Union
Secretary of War (1945-47)
Distinguished Service Cross

Geoffrey Pyatt, University of California, Irvine
Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the United States of America, New Delhi, India (2006-present)

Mercer Reynolds III, North Carolina
Co-Chair, Presidential Inaugural Committee (2001, 2005)
National Finance Chairman, Bush-Cheney 2004
U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland & Liechtenstein (2001-03)

J. Thomas Schieffer, Texas-Austin
U.S. Ambassador to Japan (2005-09)
U.S. Ambassador to Australia (2001-05)
Texas House of Representatives (1972-78)

Clay Sell, Texas Tech
U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary (2005-08)

Scott Stanzel, Iowa State
Deputy White House Press Secretary (2006-09)

Ronald Walker, Arizona
Director, National Park Service (1973-75)

Lawrence Warder, Akron
Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Department of Education (2006-09)

Supreme Court

Fred Vinson, Centre
Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court (1946-53)
Secretary of Treasury (1945-46)

James McReynolds, Vanderbilt
Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court (1914-41)
Assistant U.S. Attorney General (1903-07)

Sherman Minton, Centre
Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court (1949-56)
U.S. Senator (Indiana, 1935-40)

U.S. Senate

Sen. James E. Risch, Idaho
U.S. Senator (Idaho, 2009-present)
Governor of Idaho (2006-2007) Lt. Governor of Idaho (2003-2006, 2007-2008)

Brock Adams, Washington
U.S. Senator (Washington, 1987-93)
Secretary of Transportation (1977-79)
U.S. Representative (Washington, 1965-77)

Dennis DiConcini, Arizona
U.S. Senator (Arizona, 1977-95)

J. Bennett Johnston, Washington & Lee
U.S. Senator (Louisiana, 1972-97)

Sam Nunn, Georgia Tech
U.S. Senator (Georgia, 1972-97)

James Broyhill, North Carolina
U.S. Senator (North Carolina, appointed 1986)
U.S. Representative (North Carolina, 1963-86)

U.S. House of Representatives

Rep. Frank Kratovil, McDaniel (formerly Western Maryland)
U.S. Representative (Maryland, 2009)

Rep. Walter Minnick, Whitman College
U.S. Representative (Idaho, 2009)

Neil Abercrombie, Union College
U.S. Representative (Hawaii, 1986-87, 1991-2010)

William Bankhead, Alabama
U.S. Representative (Alabama, 1917-40)
Speaker of the House (1934-40)

D. Douglas Barnard, Mercer
U.S. Representative (Georgia, 1977-93)

Berkley Bedell, Iowa State
U.S. Representative (Iowa, 1975-87)

Chris Bell, Texas-Austin
U.S. Representative (Texas, 2002-04)

Barber Conable, Cornell
U.S. Representative (New York, 1965-85)

Jim Courter, Colgate
U.S. Representative (New Jersey, 1979-91)

Joel Hefley, Oklahoma State
U.S. Representative (Colorado, 1987-2007)

James McNulty, Arizona
U.S. Representative (Arizona, 1983-85)

Jim Ramstad, Minnesota
U.S. Representative (Minnesota, 1991-2008)

Paul G. Rogers, Florida
U.S. Representative (Florida, 1955-79)

Max Sandlin, Baylor
U.S. Representative (Texas, 1996-2004)

Jim Slattery, Washburn
U.S. Representative (Kansas, 1983-95)

Governors

John Brown, Kentucky
Governor of Kentucky (1979-83)

George Busbee, Georgia
Governor of Georgia (1975-83)

Jon Corzine, Illinois
Governor of New Jersey (2006-09)
U.S. Senator (New Jersey, 2001-06)

W. Booth Gardner, Washington
Governor of Washington (1985-92)

Thomas W. Hardwick, Mercer
Governor of Georgia (1921-23)
U.S. Senator (Georgia, 1914-18)
U.S. Representative (Georgia, 1903-14)

Ragnvald Nestos, North Dakota
Governor of North Dakota (1921-25)

Ernest Vandiver, Georgia
Governor of Georgia (1959-63)

Mark White, Baylor
Governor of Texas (1983-87)

William Winter, Mississippi
Governor of Mississippi (1980-84)

State Government

Rep. Adam Hasner, Maryland
Majority Leader, Florida House of Representatives (R-District 87, 2002-present)

Sen. H. Russell Potts, Jr., Maryland
Virginia General Assembly, Senate (R-District 27, 1992-present)

Arts

Erich Kunzel, Dartmouth
Cincinnati Pops conductor (1977-2009)
2006 National Medal of Arts Recipient
Conducted National Symphony at U.S. Capitol for PBS-TV’s nationally televised Memorial Day and Fourth of July concerts (1991-2009)

Military

Lt. Gen. Charles G. Cooper, Mississippi
Commanding General, Pacific Fleet USMC Ret.'85

Major General Frederick N. Funston, Kansas
Spanish-American War, Philippine-American War, USA

Major General Leonard D. Heaton, Denison
U.S. Surgeon General (1959-69), USA Ret.'69
Commanding General, Walter Reed Army Medical Center (1953-59)

General Charles Horner, Iowa
Commander, Aerospace Defense, USAF Ret.'94

General John E. Hull, Miami (Ohio)
Commander-in-Chief, United Nations Forces (1953-55), USA Ret.'55; U.S. Army Vice Chief of Staff (1951-53)

Admiral John S. McCain, Sr., Mississippi
Commander of Air Forces, World War II, USN Deputy Chief of Naval Operations-Air (1943)
Navy Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, 2 Gold Stars
Father of Admiral John McCain, Jr., Grandfather of U.S. Senator John McCain (Arizona)
USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) commissioned in July 1994

General Bernard W. Rogers, Kansas
Supreme Allied Commander, NATO (1979), USA Ret.'87
U.S. Army Chief of Staff (1976-79)

Lt. Gen. DeWitt C. Smith, Maryland
Commandant, Army War College (1977), USA Ret.'63

Media

Chuck Conconi, Kent State
Former Editor-at-Large, The Washingtonian Magazine

Bob Schieffer, Texas Christian
CBS Evening News Anchor & Host of Face the Nation

Sports

Ralph Friedgen, Maryland
Head Football Coach, University of Maryland

Tommy Mont, Maryland
Quarterback, NFL's Washington Redskins, 1947-50
Head Football Coach, University of Maryland, 1956-59
Head Football Coach, DePauw University, 1959-77
Maryland Sports Hall of Fame, 1973

Nick Novak, Maryland
Placekicker, Cologne Centurions (NFL Europe, 2006-present)
Washington Redskins (NFL, 2005-06)

Mike Tice, Maryland
Assistant Head Coach, NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars (2006-present)
Head Coach, NFL's Minnesota Vikings (2002-05)

Gary Williams, Maryland
Head Coach, University of Maryland Men's Basketball

Ralph Wilson, Virginia
Owner, NFL's Buffalo Bills

More...

For more, check out the special Phi Delta Theta section of The Political Graveyard.

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