Discover the notable alumni of Lincoln University. The list includes people like Thurgood Marshall, Langston Hughes, Ann Walton Kroenke, Cab Calloway & Kwame Nkrumah. This list of notable alumni is loosely sorted by popularity and has people from different domains of life, such as writers, singers, musicians, leaders and sportspersons etc.

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 1 

Langston Hughes

(One of the Earliest Innovators of the Literary Art Form Called Jazz Poetry)

Langston Hughes

Birthdate: February 1, 1901

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Joplin, Missouri, United States

Died: May 22, 1967

Langston Hughes is best remembered as a prominent leader of the Harlem Renaissance. He was one of the first to write jazz poetry. He also wrote plays and short stories. He was a columnist for The Chicago Defender and wrote the iconic poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers.

Kwame Nkrumah

Birthdate: September 21, 1909

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Nkroful

Died: April 27, 1972

Kwame Nkrumah was a Ghanaian revolutionary and politician. He played an important role in the independence of the Gold Coast in 1957, after which he served as the first prime minister of Ghana from 1957 to 1960 and then as the first president of Ghana from 1960 to 1966. He also played an influential role as an advocate of Pan-Africanism.

Cab Calloway

Birthdate: December 25, 1907

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Rochester

Died: November 18, 1994

Jazz singer and dancer, Cab Calloway, was a famous vocalist of the swing era.  From the early 1930s to the late 1940s, he led a very popular band that included musicians like  Dizzy Gillespie, Jonah Jones, and Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham. A man of color, he became the first African-American musician to sell a million records from a single song.

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 4 

Richie McCaw

(New Zealand Professional Rugby Union Player)

Richie McCaw

Birthdate: December 31, 1980

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Oamaru, New Zealand

Richie McCaw is a New Zealand retired rugby union player who captained the national team in 110 test matches. One of the most successful captains of the All Blacks team, McCaw helped New Zealand win two Rugby World Cups in 2011 and 2015. In 2019, Richie McCaw was made an inductee of the World Rugby Hall of Fame.

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 5 

Gil Scott-Heron

(Poet and Singer-songwriter)

Gil Scott-Heron

Birthdate: April 1, 1949

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Died: May 27, 2011

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

 6 

Roscoe Lee Browne

(American Actor and Director)

Roscoe Lee Browne

Birthdate: May 2, 1925

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Woodbury, New Jersey, United States

Died: April 11, 2007

Recommended Lists: Ann Walton Kroenke

Birthdate: December 18, 1948

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: United States of America

 8 

Stephen McKinley Henderson

(Actor)

Stephen McKinley Henderson

Birthdate: August 31, 1949

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Kansas City, USA

Best known for his work in the plays of August Wilson, actor Stephen McKinley Henderson has also impressed audiences with his roles in movies such as Lincoln and Dune. The Juilliard-educated actor has also been nominated for a Tony Award for his role in the play Fences.

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 9 

Keorapetse Kgositsile

(South African Tswana Poet, Journalist and Political Activist)

Keorapetse Kgositsile

Birthdate: September 19, 1938

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Johannesburg, South Africa

Died: January 3, 2018

Keorapetse Kgositsile was a South African Tswana journalist, poet, and political activist. During the 1960s and 1970s, Kgositsile played an important role in the development of the African National Congress. Keorapetse Kgositsile helped bridge the gap between black poetry in the United States of America and African poetry. He was inaugurated as the nation's National Poet Laureate in 2006.

 10 

Pee Wee Kirkland

(Basketball player)

Pee Wee Kirkland

Birthdate: May 6, 1945

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Harlem, New York, United States

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 11 

Mark Inglis

(The First Double Leg Amputee to Scale Mount Everest)

Mark Inglis

Birthdate: September 27, 1959

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: New Zealand

Mark Inglis is a New Zealand mountaineer, winemaker, researcher, and motivational speaker. Also an accomplished cyclist, Inglis won a silver medal at the 2000 Paralympics. In 2006, he became the first double leg amputee to scale Mount Everest. Inglis is also credited with founding a charitable trust called Limbs4All and a sports drink range called PeakFuel.

 12 

Charles Upham

(Farmer)

Charles Upham

Birthdate: September 21, 1908

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Christchurch

Died: November 22, 1994

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 13 

Melvin Tolson

(Poet)

Melvin Tolson

Birthdate: February 6, 1898

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Moberly, Missouri, United States

Died: August 29, 1966

 14 

Ronald Shannon Jackson

(Composer)

Ronald Shannon Jackson

Birthdate: January 12, 1940

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Fort Worth, Texas, United States

Died: October 19, 2013

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 15 

Monte Irvin

(Baseball Player)

Monte Irvin

Birthdate: February 25, 1919

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Haleburg, Alabama, United States

Died: January 11, 2016

 16 

Oliver Nelson

(Saxophonist, Clarinetist)

Oliver Nelson

Birthdate: June 4, 1932

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Died: October 28, 1975

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 17 

Saara Kuugongelwa

(Politician, Economist)

Saara Kuugongelwa

Birthdate: October 12, 1967

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Otamanzi Constituency, Namibia

 18 

Lincoln Kilpatrick

(Actor)

Lincoln Kilpatrick

Birthdate: February 12, 1932

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Died: May 18, 2004

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 19 

George Whitelock

(Former New Zealand Rugby Union Player Who Played as a Loose Forward)

George Whitelock

Birthdate: March 27, 1986

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Palmerston North, New Zealand

Height: 6'3" (190 cm)

 20 

Joe Moody

(New Zealand Rugby Union Footballer Who Plays as a Prop)

Joe Moody

Birthdate: September 18, 1988

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Christchurch, New Zealand

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

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 21 

Robert L. Carter

(Lawyer)

Robert L. Carter

Birthdate: March 11, 1917

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Caryville, Florida, United States

Died: January 3, 2012

 22 

Mburumba Kerina

(Politician)

Mburumba Kerina

Birthdate: June 6, 1932

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Tsumeb, Namibia

Died: June 14, 2021

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 23 

Cecil Dennis

(Politician)

Cecil Dennis

Birthdate: February 21, 1931

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Montserrado, Liberia

Died: April 22, 1980

 24 

Hidipo Hamutenya

(Politician)

Hidipo Hamutenya

Birthdate: June 17, 1939

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Odibo, Namibia

Died: October 6, 2016

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