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List of legislators educated at the United States Naval Academy

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Over 20 graduates of the United States Naval Academy (USNA) have served as members of the United States Congress as legislators in the United States Senate or United States House of Representatives or in their home nation. The Naval Academy is an undergraduate college in Annapolis, Maryland, with the mission of educating and commissioning officers for the Navy and Marine Corps. The Academy is often referred to as Annapolis, while sports media refer to the Academy as "Navy" and the students as "Midshipmen"; this usage is officially endorsed.[1] During the latter half of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th, the United States Naval Academy was the primary source of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps officers, with the Class of 1881 being the first to provide officers to the Marine Corps. Graduates of the Academy are also given the option of entering the United States Army or United States Air Force. Most Midshipmen are admitted through the congressional appointment system.[2] The curriculum emphasizes various fields of engineering.[3]

This list is drawn from graduates of the Naval Academy who became members of Congress or its equivalent in their native country. The Academy was founded in 1845 and graduated its first class in 1846. The first alumnus to graduate and go on to become a member of Congress was John Buchanan Robinson, who graduated from the Class of 1868. As of March 2009, three alumni are members of Congress: Senator John McCain (class of 1958), Senator James H. Webb, Jr. (class of 1968), and Representative Joe Sestak (class of 1974). Roilo Golez (class of 1970) served as a Congressman in his native country, the Philippines.

Over 990 noted scholars from a variety of academic fields are Academy graduates, including 45 Rhodes Scholars and 16 Marshall Scholars. Additional notable graduates include one President of the United States, two Nobel Prize recipients, 52 astronauts and 73 Medal of Honor recipients.[b]

Legislators

[edit]
"Class year" refers to the alumni's class year, which usually is the same year they graduated. However, in times of war, classes often graduate early. For example, the Class of 1943 actually graduated in 1942.
Name Class year Notability References
John Buchanan Robinson 1868 Representative from Pennsylvania (1897–1897) [a][4][5]
Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont 1880 Representative from New York (1901–1903) [a][6][7]
John W. Weeks 1881 Representative from Massachusetts (1905–1913); Senator from Massachusetts (1913–1919) [a][8][9]
Ovington Weller 1881 Senator from Maryland (1921–1927) [a][10][11]
Robert B. Howell 1885 Senator from Nebraska (1922–1933) [a][12][13]
Richmond Pearson Hobson 1889 Admiral; Representative from Alabama (1907–1915); recipient of the Medal of Honor for attempting to block a channel during the Spanish–American War, was taken prisoner [a][14][15][16][17]
Thomas C. Hart 1897 Admiral; Senator from Connecticut (1945–1946); veteran on the Spanish–American War, World War I, and World War II; commander of United States Asiatic Fleet at the outbreak of World War II; instructor at the Academy [a][18][19]
Victor S. K. Houston 1897 Representative from Hawaii (1927–1933) [a][20][21]
Willis W. Bradley 1907 Captain; Governor of Guam (1929–1931); Representative from California (1947–1949); Medal of Honor recipient for actions during an ammunition explosion on board USS Pittsburgh (CA-4) in 1917 [a][22][23]
Samuel Wilder King 1910 Representative from Hawaii (1935–1943); 11th Territorial Governor of Hawai'i (1953–1957) [a][24][25]
Edouard Izac 1915 Representative from California (1937–1947); World War I Medal of Honor recipient; held as a prisoner of war onboard a German submarine and in Germany, but escaped [a][c][26][27]
George W. Grider 1936 Captain; Representative from Tennessee (1965–1967); World War II submariner, commanding officer of USS Flasher (SS-249) and USS Cubera (SS-347) [a][28][29]
William Anderson 1943 Representative from Tennessee (1965–1973); World War II submariner; second commanding officer of the Navy's first operating nuclear submarine USS Nautilus (SSN-571) [a][30][31]
Jeremiah Denton 1947 Rear Admiral; Senator from Alabama (1981–1987); naval aviator who spent almost 8 years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam [a][32][33][34]
Peter N. Kyros 1947 Representative from Maine (1967–1975) [a][35][36]
Thomas C. McGrath, Jr. 1950 Representative from New Jersey (1965–1967) [a][37][38]
Charles Wilson 1956 Representative from Texas (1973–1996); convinced Congress to support the largest ever CIA covert operation to supply the Afghan Mujahideen during the Soviet–Afghan War; profiled in the book and film Charlie Wilson's War [a][39][40]
John McCain 1958 Captain; U.S. Senator from Arizona (1987–2018); Republican Presidential Nominee in 2008; Vietnam-era Naval Aviator and POW [a][41][42][43]
James H. Webb, Jr. 1968 Senator from Virginia (2006–2013); Marine Corps officer and Vietnam veteran; United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs (1984–1987); Secretary of the Navy (1987–88); noted American novelist for books such as Fields of Fire [a][41][44][45]
Roilo Golez 1970 Congressman of the Philippines on his sixth term; former National Security Adviser (2001–2004), former Postmaster General (1981–1986) [46][47]
Ronald K. Machtley 1970 Representative from Rhode Island (1987–1995); president of Bryant University (1996–) [a][48][49]
Joseph Sestak 1974 Vice Admiral; Representative from Pennsylvania (2007–present); highest-ranking former military officer to serve in Congress [a][50][51][52]
Eric J. J. Massa 1981 Representative from New York (2009–2010) [53]
Chip Cravaak 1981 Representative from Minnesota (2011–2013) [54]
Mikie Sherrill 1994 Representative from New Jersey's 11th district (2019–present) [55]
Todd Young 1995 Representative from Indiana (2011–2017); Senator from Indiana (2017–present)
Elaine Luria 1997 Commander; Representative from Virginia's 2nd district (2019–present) [56]
Oliver Belmont
Jeremiah Denton upon his return from being a POW
Charlie Wilson
Jim Webb

References

[edit]
General references

^ a: "Members of Congress". United States Naval Academy. 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
^ b: "Notable Graduates". United States Naval Academy. 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
^ c: "Medal of Honor Recipients". United States Naval Academy. 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-04.

Inline citations
  1. ^ "The Official Web Site of Naval Academy Athletics". Navy Sports. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
  2. ^ "Apply For Nomination". United States Naval Academy. 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
  3. ^ "Academic Education". United States Naval Academy. 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
  4. ^ "John Buchanan Robinson Class of 1868". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  5. ^ "Robinson, John Buchanan". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  6. ^ "Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont Class of 1880". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  7. ^ "Belmont, Oliver Hazard Perry". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  8. ^ "John Wingate Weeks Class of 1881". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  9. ^ "Weeks, John Wingate". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  10. ^ "Ovington Eugene Weller Class of 1881". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  11. ^ "Weller, Ovington Eugene". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  12. ^ "Robert Beecher Howell Class of 1885". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  13. ^ "Howell, Robert Beecher". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  14. ^ "Richmond P. Hobson". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  15. ^ "Medal of Honor Recipients War With Spain". United States Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  16. ^ "Richmond Pearson Hobson Class of 1898 (sic)". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  17. ^ "Hobson, Richmond Pearson". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  18. ^ "Thomas Charles Hart Class of 1897". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  19. ^ "Hart, Thomas Charles". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  20. ^ "Victor S. K. Houston Class of 1897". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  21. ^ "Houston, Victor Stewart Kaleoaloha". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  22. ^ "Willis Winter Bradley Class of 1907". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
  23. ^ "Bradley, Willis W." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
  24. ^ "Samuel Wilder King Class of 1910". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  25. ^ "King, Samuel Wilder, (1886–1959)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  26. ^ "Edouard Victor Michel Izac Class of 1915". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  27. ^ "Izac, Edouard Victor Michel". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  28. ^ "George William Grider Class of 1936". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  29. ^ "Grider, George William". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  30. ^ "William Robert Anderson Class of 1943". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  31. ^ "Anderson, William Robert". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  32. ^ "Denton, Jeremiah Andrew". Biography. POW Network. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
  33. ^ "Jeremiah Andrew Denton Class of 1947 (sic)". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
  34. ^ "Denton, Jeremiah Andrew, Jr". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  35. ^ "Peter N. Kyros Class of 1947". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  36. ^ "Kyros, Peter Nicholas". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  37. ^ "Thomas C. McGrath Class of 1950". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  38. ^ "McGrath, Thomas Charles, Jr". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  39. ^ "Charles Nesbit Wilson Class of 1956". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
  40. ^ "Wilson, Charles". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  41. ^ a b Timberg, Robert (1996-09-11). The Nightingale's Song. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. pp. 13–14, 31. ISBN 0-684-82673-9. Retrieved 2009-02-11. the nightingale's song.
  42. ^ "McCAIN, John Sidney, III". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  43. ^ Bernstein, Richard (1999-10-01). "Books of the Times; Standing Humbly Before a Noble Family Tradition". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  44. ^ "James H. Webb Class of 1968". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  45. ^ "Webb, James H. (Jim)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  46. ^ "Rep. Roilo Golez". Golez. 2005. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
  47. ^ "Proclamation, Roilo Golez, Congressman, 11 May 2010", [1], May 11, 2010
  48. ^ "Ronald K. Machtley Class of 1970". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  49. ^ "Machtley, Ronald K." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  50. ^ "Joseph Sestak Class of 1974". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  51. ^ "Sestak, Joe". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Archived from the original on 2007-12-31. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  52. ^ "Highest Ranking Veteran in Congress Calls for Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'". Reuters. 2008-05-08. Archived from the original on 2009-03-11. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  53. ^ "Congressman Eric Massa". House of Representatives. Archived from the original on 2009-03-25. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  54. ^ "Legislative Search Results". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  55. ^ "Mikie Sherrill for Congress". Mikie Sherrill for Congress. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  56. ^ "Meet Elaine". Elaine for Congress. Retrieved 2020-05-23.

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