This is just a small sample of our notable alums. Psi Upsilon boasts a proud tradition of success because that is exactly what its members strive to achieve. We are incredibly proud of our alums and hope to someday add to this already commendable list.
Politics
Chester A Arthur, Theta 1848 - Chester A Arther was an American politician who served as the 21st President of the United States. Arthur attended Union College in 1845 where he studied the traditional classics. As a senior there in 1848, at age 18, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappaand president of the debate society.
William Howard Taft, Beta 1878 - William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the 10th Chief Justice of the United States. At Yale, he was a member of the Linonian Society, a literary and debating society; Skull and Bones, the secret society co-founded by his father in 1832; and the Beta chapter of the Psi Upsilon fraternity
Paul Martin, Nu 1961 - Paul Edgar Philippe Martin served as the 21st Prime Minister of Canada (2003-2006) and is also a lawyer and businessman. He graduated Nu ’61 with a BA in history and philosophy in 1961. He received his LL.B in 1965.
W. Averell Harriman, Beta 1913 - W. Averell Harriman was an American Democratic Party politician, businessman, and diplomat. He was the son of railroad baron E. H. Harriman. He served as Secretary of Commerce under President Harry S. Truman and later as Governor of New York. Attended Yale where he joined the Skull and Bones society. He graduated in 1913.
William Webster, Gamma 1945 - William Hedgcock Webster is an American lawyer and current Chairman of the Homeland Security Advisory Council. He was born in St. Louis and received his early education in Webster Groves; he received his bachelor's degree from Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts in 1947 and his Juris Doctor degree from the Law School of Washington University in St. Louis in 1949.
Nelson A. Rockefeller, Zeta 1930 - Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller served as the 41st Vice President under Gerald Ford (1974-1977) and as the 49th Governor of New York. He was also a philanthropist and a businessman. He was the grandson of Standard Oil founder and chairman John Davison Rockefeller, Sr. He graduated Zeta ’30 and was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Owen J. Roberts, Tau 1895 -Owen J. Roberts was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court for fifteen years. Roberts was born in Philadelphia and attended Germantown Academy and the University of Pennsylvania, where he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society and was the editor of the Daily Pennsylvanian. He completed his bachelors degree in 1895, and went on to graduate at the top of his class from University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1898.
Robert A. Lovett, Beta 1818 -Robert A. Lovett was the fourth United States Secretary of Defense, serving in the cabinet of President Harry S. Truman from 1951 to 1953 and in this capacity, directed the Korean War.
William S. Cohen, Kappa 1962 -William Sebastian Cohen is an author and American politician from Maine. A Republican, Cohen served as Secretary of Defense (1997-2001) under Democratic President Bill Clinton.
John Paul Stevens, Omega 1941 - John Paul Stevens is the senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He joined the Supreme Court in 1975 and is the oldest member of the Court. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Chicago in 1941; while in college, Stevens also became a member of the Omega chapter of Psi Upsilon.
Business
Robert O. Anderson, Omega 1939 - Robert Orville Anderson was an American business leader, legendary wildcatter and philanthropist who founded Atlantic Richfield Oil Company. Anderson used his clout to support an array of major cultural organizations including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Harper's Magazine.
John Edward Cleghorn, Epsilon Phi 1962 - John Edward Cleghorn was the former Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Bank of Canada. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Canadian Pacific Railway.
Jeffrey H. Coors, Chi 1967 - Jeffrey H. Coors is the brother of Coors Companies CEO Peter Coors, also a Psi Upsilon graduate, and son of William Coors.
John U. Crandall, Zeta 1940 –John Crandall of the Zeta Chapter from Dartmouth College was a former publisher of Time Magazine.
T. Gary Rogers, Epsilon 1963 - T. Gary Rogers is the current CEO of Levi Strauss & Co. He was also the CEO of Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream which was bought out by Nestle in 2006. Rogers was also an Eagle Scout.
William F.(Rick) Cronk, Epsilon 1965 - co-owner and president of Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream. Former national president of the Boy Scouts of America.
Anthony Fadell, Phi 1991 - Anthony M. Fadell “Tony” (born 1969)Brother of the Phi chapter at Michigan University, graduated in 1991. Started working for Apple in Febuary 2001 as a contractor designing the ipod, after several failed attempts at starting his own company. Now is the appointed senior Vice President of the ipod division
William C. Ford, Phi 1947 -William Clay Ford received a BS in Economics from Yale University in 1949 and was a member of Psi Upsilon Fraternity. He became a sole owner of the Detroit Lions in 1964. He sat on Ford Motor’s Bard of Director’s for 57 years, retiring on May, 12 2005.
Thomas J. Watson, Jr., Sigma 1937 - Thomas J. Watson, Jr. was the president of IBM for nearly twenty years. He was listed as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people of the 20th century.
William W. Wirtz, Sigma 1951 - William Wadsworth "Dollar Bill" Wirtz ( October 5, 1929- September 26, 2007)Brother of the Sigma chapter at Brown University, graduated 1951. Is best known as the owner of the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL as well as majority owner in his families company (Writz Corporation), in 2004 it was estimated his net revenues were 3 to 4 billion dollars
Entertainment
George F. Abbott, Upsilon 1911 - George F. Abbott, Upsilon, 1911 –George Francis Abbott was a distinguished playwright, screenwriter, and producer. He has received numerous awards relating to theatre and directing, including multiple Tony awards. A section of New York City’s West 45th Street is named George Abbott Way after him.
Michael B. Bay, Xi 1986 -Michael B. Bay is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making large-budget action films including Pearl Harbor, Transformers, Bad Boys, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Charles Brackett, Xi 1915 - Charles Brackett (Xi ’15) was an American novelist, screenwriter, and film producer. He earned his law degree from Harvard. Brackett wrote 5 novels, and was a producer for 27 films and a writer for 45 films. Most notably he won Academy Awards for three of his films: “The Lost Weekend” (1945), “Sunset Boulevard” (1950), and “Titanic” (1953). He also received an honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1957. He passed away in March of 1969.
Michael Herr, Pi 1961 - Michael Herr (Pi ’61) is a writer and former war correspondent. He is best known for an Oscar nomination he received for co-authoring the screenplay “Full Metal Jacket” (1987). He is also known for the novel he wrote,
“Dispatches” (1977), which describes the experiences he had in Vietnam as a war correspondent for “Esquire” magazine. Currently, Herr is retired and living in New York.
W. Stacy Keach, Epsilon 1963 - an american actor and narrator. Most well known for his work in the Theatre, Keach has also done narrations for both PBS and the Discovery Channel.
Douglas Kennedy, Gamma 1937 - a famous hollywood actor who played in varios star roles in twenty plus movie appearances as well as a variety of tv show stints.
William LeBaron, Omega-Delta 1905 - a famous film producer who's credits included Cimarron.