List of Beta Theta Pi members

Beta Theta Pi is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. As of 2025, it consists of 142 active chapters and nineteen colonies in the United States and Canada. It has initiated more than 227,200 members. Below is a list of some of the notable members of Beta Theta Pi fraternity.Brown, James T., ed. Catalogue of Beta Theta Pi (9th edition). Galesburg, Illinois: Wagoner Printing Co., 1917. via HathiTrust.

Academia

NameChapter and yearNotabilityThomas Swain BarclayProfessor of political science at Stanford UniversityThomas A. BartlettWillamette 1951Chancellor of the University of Alabama SystemGeorge F. BaughmanFlorida 1937Founding president of New College of FloridaDavid Ross BoydWooster 1878First president of the University of Oklahoma and president of the University of New MexicoPaul BragdonAmherst 1950President of Reed CollegeJames S. BuchananCumberland 1885President of the University of OklahomaThomas CourticeOhio WesleyanPresident of Ohio Wesleyan UniversityStanley CoulterHanover 1870Dean of Purdue UniversityJohn Patrick CrecineCarnegie Mellon 1961President of Georgia TechWilliam H. DanforthWestminster 1948Chancellor of Washington University in St. LouisDonald DawsonMissouri 1932Curator of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and MuseumJames DuderstadtYale 1964President of the University of MichiganJoseph Dupuy EgglestonHampden-Sydney 1886President of Virginia TechRobert F. EngleWilliams 1964Winner of the 2003 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences; co-director of the Volatility and Risk Institute at New York University Stern School of BusinessRobin Hugh FarquharBritish Columbia 1960President of Carleton UniversityCarl Russell FishHarvard 1900Historian at the University of Wisconsin–MadisonThomas P. GerrityMIT 1963Dean of the Wharton School of BusinessWilliam Pratt GrahamSyracuse 1903Chancellor of Syracuse UniversityAndrew Dousa HepburnWashington & Jefferson 1851President of Miami University and Davidson CollegeAlexander Q. HolladayVirginia 1859President of North Carolina State University and Virginia SenateThe Beta Theta Pi: Volume 23 (1895), p. 468John S. HoughamWabash 1846President of Purdue UniversityWabash College Archives, John S. Hougham Manuscript Collection . Retrieved September 27, 2007.Alfred HumeVanderbilt 1878Chancellor of the University of MississippiCharles KeelerUC Berkeley 1893Director of the California Academy of SciencesSamuel LawsMiami University 1848President of the University of Missouri and Westminster CollegeDeane Waldo MalottKansas 1921Chancellor of the University of Kansas and president of Cornell UniversityWilliam Alexander Parsons MartinIndiana 1846President of the Tongwenguan and the Imperial University of PekingDavid T. McLaughlinDartmouth 1954President of Dartmouth CollegeDale T. MortensenWillamette 1961Professor at Northwestern University and winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic SciencesFranklin David MurphyKansas 1936Chancellor of the University of Kansas and UCLAJames Kennedy PattersonHanover 1856First president of the University of KentuckySteven SampleIllinois 1958President of the University of Southern CaliforniaJames M. SellersChicago 1916President of Wentworth Military AcademyCharles N. SimsDePauw 1859Chancellor of Syracuse UniversityEdgar F. Shannon Jr.W&L 1939President of the University of VirginiaFrancis W. ShepardsonDenison 1882Professor at the University of Chicago, director of the Illinois Department of Registration and Education, and secretary and acting director of the Julius Rosenwald FundDavid Stanton TappanMiami 1864President of Miami UniversityGeorge WhippleYale 1905Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1934; founding dean of the University of Rochester Medical CenterTimothy M. WolfeMissouri 1980President of the University of Missouri SystemY. C. James YenYale 1918Founder of the Chinese Mass Education Movement

Art and architecture

NameChapter and yearNotabilityJohn Bakewell Jr.Cal Berkeley 1893ArchitectGeorge BellowsOhio State 1905Realist painter Bernard BerensonBoston 1887Art historianBarry BishopCincinnati 1951Photographer for National Geographic and part of the first American team to summit Mount EverestArthur Brown Jr.Cal Berkeley 1896ArchitectDing DarlingBeloit 1899Cartoonist who won the Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Cartooning twice, head of the U.S. Biological Survey, and founder and first president of the National Wildlife Federation

Astronauts

NameChapter and yearNotabilityJoseph P. AllenDePauw 1959NASA astronaut; mission Specialist for STS-5 mission aboard Columbia and STS-51A mission aboard DiscoveryKenneth D. CameronMIT 1971Management astronaut; naval aviator-astronaut; Colonel, USMC (Ret.); commander for STS-56 mission aboard Discovery and STS-74 mission aboard AtlantisPaul J. WeitzPenn State 1954NASA astronaut; naval aviator-astronaut; Captain, USN (Ret.); pilot, Apollo-Skylab 2 (SL-2); commander for STS-6 mission aboard Challenger; deputy director, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

Business

NameChapter and yearNotabilityJohn E. AndersonUCLA 1940Founder of Topa Equities, Ltd.; namesake of UCLA Anderson School of ManagementStephen Bechtel Jr.Purdue 1947Co-owner of the Bechtel CorporationStephen Bechtel Sr.California 1923Chairman and CEO of the Bechtel GroupBill BowermanOregon 1933Founder of Nike, Inc.Donald BrenWashington 1955Owner of The Irvine CompanyDan CarneyWichita State 1953Co-founder of Pizza HutDouglas ClaytonCornell 1982CEO of Leopard CapitalArthur D. Collins Jr.Miami 1969CEO of MedtronicWilliam CookNorthwestern 1953Founder of the Cook GroupDavid CoulterCarnegie Mellon 1971Chairman and CEO of BankAmerica CorporationErnest Kent CoulterOhio State 1892Founder of Big Brothers Big Sisters of AmericaJustin Whitlock Dart Sr.Northwestern 1929Founder of Dart IndustriesEdward A. DeedsDenison University 1897Engineer, inventor, and industrialistChris DeWolfeWashington 1988CEO of Myspace.comDavid DuffieldCornell 1962President and CEO of PeopleSoft Inc.Spencer EcclesUtah 1956Financier and chairman emeritus of the Intermountain Region of Wells Fargo CorporationWilliam EsreyDenison 1961President and CEO of SprintWeldon B. GibsonWashington State University 1938Executive at SRI InternationalJeffrey GraysonOregon 1964Investment banker, businessman, and criminalWilliam Herbert HuntW&L 1951Investor connected with the silver trading scandal called Silver ThursdayJoel HyattDartmouth 1972Founder of Hyatt Legal ServicesEdgar Kaiser Jr.Stanford 1965Chairman of the Bank of British ColumbiaR. Crosby Kemper Jr.Missouri 1950President of UMB Financial CorporationCharles KochMIT 1957Chairman and CEO of Koch IndustriesDavid KochCo-owner and executive vice president of Koch IndustriesAlan Ladd Jr.Southern CaliforniaPresident of United Artists and MGM/UA entertainmentKenneth LayMissouri 1967Chairman and CEO of Enron; indicted/convicted on charges related to Enron's financial collapseJ. Hugh LiedtkeAmherst 1942Founder of Zapata Corporation and CEO of PennzoilConrad LeslieMiami University 1949Businessman and crop forecasterAlexander F. MathewsVirginia 1856Banker and lawyerHugh McCollNorth Carolina 1957Chairman and CEO of Bank of AmericaSteve MillerSouthern California 1966President of Dean Witter ReynoldsJ. C. NicholsKansas 1902Real estate developerDaniel NinivaggiColumbia 1986CEO of Lordstown Motors and chairman of Garrett Motion, CEO of Icahn Enterprises and Federal-MogulBlake NordstromWashington 1982President of NordstromBruce NordstromWashington 1955Chairman and CEO of NordstromErik Nordstrom Washington 1985Co-president of NordstromJohn R. OpelWestminster 1948President of IBMCharles Lathrop PackTelevision 1878Timberman and economistSamuel J. PalmisanoJohns Hopkins 1973CEO of IBMJohn Henry Patterson Miami University 1867Founder of National Cash RegisterDonald PetersenWashington 1946CEO of the Ford Motor CompanyMarvin PierceMiami University 1916President of the McCall Corporation; father of Barbara BushMitchell RalesMiami University 1978Co-founder of Danaher CorporationSteven RalesDePauw 1973Co-founder of Danaher CorporationSteven RogelWashington 1965CEO of the Weyerhaeuser CompanyMortimer L. SchiffAmherst 1896 Banker and 5th president of the Boy Scouts of AmericaFrank ShrontzIdaho 1953Chairman and CEO of The Boeing CompanyJeffrey SkillingSouthern Methodist 1975CEO of Enron; convicted on charges related to Enron's financial collapseKenneth A. SpencerKansas 1921Founder, president, and CEO of Spencer Chemical CompanyRobert K. SteelDuke 1973President and CEO of WachoviaG. Kennedy ThompsonNorth Carolina 1973CEO of Wachovia, 2000–2008; board member of Hewlett-PackardSam WaltonMissouri 1940Founder of Wal-MartJohn WarnockUtah 1961Computer scientist who co-founded Adobe Systems IncFred WilsonMIT 1983Venture capitalist and prominent bloggerThornton WilsonIowa State 1942Chairman emeritus of The Boeing CompanyOwen D. YoungSt. Lawrence 1894Chairman of General Electric, founder of RCA, co-founder of NBC, and US representative to The Hague conference on reparations who developed the Young PlanJohn ZeglisUniversity of Illinois 1969Chairman and CEO of AT&T Wireless

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