Notable non-graduate alumni of West Point
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of notable people who attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, but did not graduate.
- James Fannin, Hero of the Texas War for Independence
- John Archibald Campbell, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, left West Point to care for family's affairs after father's death.
- Jacob Zeilin, First Marine Corps general officer, Commandant of the Marine Corps.
- Edgar Allan Poe, excelled in language, but he was expelled for neglecting duties at West Point before graduating. He would have been in the class of 1834.
- Alexander Barrow, U.S. Senator from Louisiana, lawyer
- Wharton Jackson Green, U.S. Congressman and Civil War officer, dropped out before graduation in the Class of 1854.
- Lewis Addison Armistead, Confederate brigadier general killed at Gettysburg, was expelled from the Class of 1839 for a fight in which he broke a plate over the head of fellow future Confederate general Jubal Early. He was nevertheless commissioned in the Regular Army, which he left as a major to join the Confederacy.
- James McNeill Whistler, artist, dropped out of the class of 1855.
- Andrew Jackson Houston, U.S. Senator, son of Sam Houston, left class of 1875.
- Albert W. Gilchrist, Governor of Florida
- Courtney Hodges, four-star general in World War II, would have been in the class of 1909; dropped out after the first year because "found deficient" in mathematics (as was his classmate George Patton, though Patton reentered to graduate with the next class). Hodges later returned after World War I to West Point as an Instructor.
- Ralph Yarborough, U.S. Senator from Texas (1957-1971), leader of the Democratic Party of Texas
- Chris Keener Cagle, professional football player, dropped out of the class of 1929.
- Timothy Leary, counterculture icon and LSD proponent, dropped out of the class of 1943.
- Byron (Low Tax) Looper Politician convicted of murder.
- Maynard James Keenan, singer of the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle, was accepted to West Point in 1984 while he was a cadet candidate at USMAPS; rather than attend West Point after graduating from USMAPS, he chose to complete his term of active duty enlistment.
- Richard Hatch, winner of the first Survivor, dropped out of the class of 1986.
- Dan Hinote, professional NHL ice hockey player, dropped out in 1996 when he was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche. He was the first NHL player ever drafted from West Point.
- Adam Vinatieri, place kicker, Indianapolis Colts, would have been in the class of 1995 but dropped out after attending West Point for several weeks in the summer of 1991.
