Notable Alumni
Psi Upsilon is proud of each of our more than 45,000 members from the past and present. This list is intended to acquaint you with some of the more widely acclaimed brothers in government, business, entertainment and sports.
Politics
Chester A. Arthur, Theta 1848 (Union College) – 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 Kappa and president of the debate society. Chester Alan Arthur was elected vice president of the United States in the election of 1880, as James Garfield’s running mate. He became president following Garfield’s assassination that same year. He served as president until 1885.
William Howard Taft, Beta 1878 (Yale University) – A true “man for all seasons,” Taft was both a brilliant politician and an avid Psi U. In the course of his illustrious career he served as president of the United States, chief justice of the Supreme Court (the only man to hold both of these positions), governor general of the Philippines, and secretary of war. It was under his guidance that the Supreme Court moved from the Capitol into a building of its own, greatly adding to the stature of the Court. He was one of the prime motivating forces behind Psi Upsilon’s growth into an international organization as it was largely through his urging that, in 1920, Psi U established a chapter at the University of Toronto.
Paul Martin, Nu 1961 (University of Toronto) – the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, Martin took office in December 2003. He began his career in public service in 1988. He ran for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada in 1990 but was defeated by Jean Chretien. He served as associate finance critic and critic for the environment for the Liberal opposition in the House of Commons from 1991 to 1993. When the Liberal Party returned to power in 1993, Martin was sworn in as minister of finance. He served as minister of finance through June 2002 when he left the Cabinet to run for Leader of the Liberal Party. He won with 94 percent of the vote.
W. Averell Harriman, Beta 1913(Yale University) – Perhaps the most influential diplomat of the 20th century, Averell Harriman’s career spanned five decades of American political life. Born the son of a wealthy railroad magnate, Harriman could have easily lived on the reputation of his father. A businessman himself, Harriman’s primary interests in life were politics and the welfare of his country. An expert in negotiations with Russia, he visited the country for the first time in 1899 with his father as guests of Czar Nicholas. He had a personal relationship with every Premier of the Soviet Union from Stalin to Gorbachev. During his career he served as secretary of commerce, ambassador to Britain, European administrator of the Marshall Plan, governor of New York, special envoy to the Soviet Union and Great Britain, and undersecretary of state. In the words of Senator Edward Kennedy, “We couldn’t have held the 20th century without him.”
William H. Webster, Gamma 1945 (Amherst College) – 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. A former federal judge, he was named Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and later served as Director of the CIA.
Nelson A. Rockefeller, Zeta 1930 (Dartmouth College) – Like Averell Harriman, Rockefeller was not content to rest upon his inheritance and rose to make his mark on the United States. He began his career as the head of Rockefeller Center, Inc., which coordinated economic and cultural relations between the Americas. He later went on to seek the governor’s seat in New York State. After losing to Averell Harriman in his first attempt, he later was successful. The highlight of his political career came in 1974 when he was named by Gerald Ford to serve as vice president of the United States.
William S. Cohen, Kappa 1962 (Bowdoin College) – President Clinton’s second-term secretary of defense. The former United States Senator from Maine was the first Republican named to a senior Democratic cabinet post since the 1960s. He was the center of Clinton’s efforts to establish a bipartisan defense and foreign policy.
John Paul Stevens, Omega 1941 (University of Chicago) – John Paul Stevens is the senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. 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. Brother Stevens was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1976 by President Gerald Ford, and is the oldest member of the Court.
Robert O. Anderson, Omega 1939 (University of Chicago) – American business leader, legendary wildcatter and philanthropist; 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. Member of the US Business Hall of Fame.
Thomas d’Aquino, Zeta Zeta 1962 (University of British Columbia) – Acknowledged as one of Canada’s most influential thinkers and strategists, Mr. d’Aquino has chalked up four decades of achievement in shaping fiscal, taxation, international trade, energy and environmental policies. Canadian historian, Jack Granatstein, lists Mr. d’Aquino as one of the one hundred most influential Canadians of the twentieth century, Canadian author Peter Newman describes Mr. d’Aquino as “the most powerful influence on public policy formation in Canadian history”. Thomas d’Aquino is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, lawyer, corporate director, author and educator. He is Chairman of Thomas d’Aquino Capital, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Intercounsel Ltd., a private venture development and strategic consulting company. He was the Founding CEO of today’s Business Council of Canada (formerly the Canadian Council of Chief Executives which he led from 1981 to 2009). He remains associated with the Business Council as a Distinguished Lifetime Member. He also serves as a Special Advisor to the Business Council of Alberta.
Business
John Edward Cleghorn, Epsilon Phi 1962 (McGill) – former Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Bank of Canada. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Canadian Pacific Railway.
Anthony “Tony” Fadell, Phi 1991 (University of Michigan) – Considered the “Father of the IPod”, he joined Apple in 2001 and served as the Senior Vice President of the IPod division from 2006 until 2008 and was also the co-creator of the IPhone and worked on the first three generations of the device. In 2010 he co-founded Nest Labs and announced the Nest learning thermostat in 2011. Nest was acquired by Google in 2014 where he stayed until 2016. Currently he is the Principal at Future Shape, a global investment and advisory firm coaching startups working on foundational deep technology.
William C. Ford, Phi 1947 (University of Michigan) – Bill Ford became the sole owner of the Detroit Lions in 1964. He sat on Ford Motor’s Board of Directors for 57 years, retiring in 2005.
Entertainment
Dan Brown, Gamma ’86 (Amherst College) – Author of numerous best-selling novels including “Digital Fortress”, “Angels & Demons”, and “Deception Point”. His acclaimed novel “The DaVinci Code” has become one of the most widely read books of all time.
Harlan F. Coben, Gamma ’84 (Amherst College) – Winner of the Edgar Award, Shamus Award, and Anthony Award – the first author to win all three – New York Times bestseller Harlan Coben’s critically-acclaimed novels include “Just One Look”, “No Second Chance”, and “Tell No One”. His books are international bestsellers published in more than twenty-eight languages in over thirty countries.
Michael B. Bay, Xi 1986 (Weslyan University) – Michael B. Bay is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making large-budget action films including Bad Boys, Pearl Harbor, Transformers, and The Rock.
W.W. Stacy Keach, Epsilon 1963 (University of California, Berkeley) – Award-winning actor who has starred in numerous films, several TV series, and on stage. He has received Obie, Golden Globe, and Emmy awards for his work, and Tony and Grammy nominations. He is perhaps best known for his role as Mike Hammer in the CBS series of the same name.
