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Alumni list


To see the people behind forgotten accomplishments, either select the state from the image to the right or from the drop-down menu above the map.


To see a complete list with the date of attendance, see the Alumni list.

Forging Fifty States Alumni List

Early Penn Alumni Who Explored, Organized, and Created a Nation
Alumni   State

Benjamin Rush PA

In 1783, Penn alumnus Benjamin Rush helped draft the charter for and served as a member of the first Board of Trustees of Dickinson College.

Casper Wistar, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Smith Barton, Nicholas Biddle, William Hamilton PA

In 1803, before embarking on the journey that would inspire and fascinate the nation, Meriwether Lewis traveled to Philadelphia to study with three Penn alumni--Casper Wistar, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Smith Barton--and a Penn professor, Robert Patterson. Benjamin Smith Barton taught Lewis how to correctly collect and label specimens and how to name the specimens with Latin names. Smith had just published Elements of botany, or Outlines of the natural history of vegetables, the first American handbook of botany, which Lewis took with him on the trip. Upon the return of the Corps of Discovery in 1806, Lewis and Clark delivered most of the specimens to Barton for inspection, classification, and further analysis that could be included in the journals. Lewis studied medicine and paleontology with Casper Wistar, who had published the first American textbook on anatomy. In the early 1800s, Wistar was also the foremost authority on fossils in America. Wistar talked to Lewis about the Megalonyx, a prehistoric beast whose bones Wistar and Thomas Jefferson had discovered. Jefferson and Wistar believed that Lewis might find evidence of mammoths inhabiting the prairies in the West. Benjamin Rush taught Lewis about frontier illnesses, including how to perform bloodletting. Rush provided the corps with a medical kit that included Turkish opium for nervousness, emetics to induce vomiting, medicinal wine, and 50 dozen of Dr. Rush's Bilious Pills. These pills were laxatives made of more than 50% mercury, which the corps called "thunderclappers." The men's meat-rich diet and lack of clean water during the expedition gave them cause to use the pills frequently. The pills' efficacy is questionable, but they did provide an excellent tracer for archaeologists trying to determine the corps' actual route to the Pacific. Penn professor Robert Patterson advised Lewis to take two sextants, a few artificial horizons, a good Arnold’s watch or chronometer, a surveyor’s compass with a ball and socket, a two-pole chain, and a set of plotting instruments. Lewis obtained all these items here – in fact, the chronometer was his single most expensive purchase – and Clark used the plotting tools at Fort Clatsop on the Pacific Coast to convert their directions and distances onto his renowned map of their travels. In addition, Patterson prepared a set of astronomical formulae for Lewis and devised a statistical table which Lewis could use to set down his astronomical observations. When the Corps of Discovery returned from its epic adventure in 1806, two additional Penn alumni, Nicholas Biddle and William Hamilton, played major roles in preserving the legacy of the expedition. Biddle accepted William Clark's invitation to meet face to face in Fincastle, Virginia where he agreed to edit Lewis and Clark’s journals. Finally, in 1814, Biddle’s manuscript was published as The History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark to the Sources of the Missouri, Thence Across the Rocky Mountains and Down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. William Hamilton, a wealthy devotee of landscape gardening and horticulture, planted, at Jefferson's request, some seeds that Lewis had collected in the West. Hamilton's renowned greenhouses, adjacent to his handsome residence, The Woodlands, designated a National Historic Landmark, offered ideal conditions for such experiments, and Lewis took the opportunity to tour Hamilton's cultivated gardens. Thanks to Hamilton’s efforts, the strange and fascinating flora and fauna of the West was introduced to the young American public.

George McClellan PA

In 1826, Penn alumnus George McClellan obtained a charter from the Pennsylvania General Assembly for Jefferson Medical College (now Thomas Jefferson University).

J. Granville Leach PA

In 1893, Penn alumnus J. Granville Leach convinced the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames of America to adopt a resolution requesting the mayor of Philadelphia and all private citizens to display the Flag on June 14th. Leach went on to recommend that thereafter the day be known as “Flag Day.” As a result of the resolution, Dr. Edward Brooks, then Superintendent of Public Schools of Philadelphia, directed that Flag Day exercises be held on June 14, 1893, in Independence Square. Schoolchildren were assembled, each carrying a small flag, and patriotic songs were sung and addresses delivered. Inspired by what had occurred in Philadelphia, the governor of New York directed in 1894 that on June 14 the flag be displayed on all public buildings. Not to be outdone, citizens in Illinois formed an organization they called the American Flag Day Association to promote Flag Day exercises. Thanks to its efforts, on June 14th, 1894, more than 300,000 children participated in the programs held in various parks across Chicago.

Jacob Jeanes, Walter Williamson PA

In 1848, Penn alumni Jacob Jeanes and Walter Williamson helped found the Homeopathic College of Pennsylvania (now Drexel University College of Medicine).

James C. Booth, John F. Frazer PA

In 1836, Penn alumni James C. Booth and John F. Frazer joined Penn professor Henry Darwin Rogers on the first geological survey of Pennsylvania. They discerned 12 distinct sets of rocks, which were easily distinguishable from each other. This field labeling system was used by all other subsequent Pennsylvania geological surveys, as well as other geological surveys of the Appalachian states. Penn alumnus Peter Lesley also joined the survey and continued on subsequent geological surveys of the state for the next three years.

Joseph Longshore PA

In 1850, Penn alumnus Joseph Longshore helped found the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, the first modern medical school for women in the world.

Joseph W. Taylor PA

In 1880, Penn alumnus Joseph W. Taylor left much of his estate to found Bryn Mawr College, a private women’s college.

Robert Bridges PA

In 1767, Penn alumnus Robert Bridges outfitted the famous surveying expedition that determined the Mason-Dixon line -- the dividing line between Pennsylvania and Maryland. To keep the members of the expedition dry, Bridges’ sail-making loft in Philadelphia constructed several large “marquee” tents, 16 smaller tents, and “Waggon clothes.” In addition to these items, Bridges repaired the telescope tents used to plot the actual Mason-Dixon line, as well as built two "speaking trumpets” or megaphones so the survey members could talk over longer distances.

Samuel Nicholas PA

On November 5, 1775, Penn alumnus Samuel Nicholas became the first officer commissioned in the Continental Marines, and is considered to be the founder and first Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. Five days later on November 10, the date that today’s United States Marine Corps celebrates as its birthday, Samuel Nicholas helped raise two battalions of Marines.

Samuel Simon Schmucker PA

In 1832, Penn alumnus Samuel Simon Schmucker founded Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College).

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