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4-H alumni have participated in many fields. One out of every seven adults in the U.S. is a former 4-H member. Participation in 4-H events and activities, the value of projects completed, and the challenges and responsibilities experienced in 4-H have contributed to the personal and leadership development of 4-H alumni. A majority of alumni feel that 4-H experiences have also significantly contributed to their success in the workforce and that the knowledge and skills gained through 4-H continue to benefit them in their adult lives.
Many notable politicians, entertainers, athletes, business individuals, and educators got their first start in 4-H.
Political figures
Notable alumni include U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and U.S. Vice Presidents Al Gore and Walter Mondale.
- Current and former U.S. Senators
- Howard Baker
- Birch Bayh
- Sam Brownback
- Dale Bumpers
- Conrad Burns
- Ben Nighthorse Campbell
- Thad Cochran
- Mike DeWine
- Bob Dole
- Byron Dorgan
- Wendell H. Ford
- Bob Graham
- Judd Gregg
- Clifford Hansen
- Tom Harkin
- Orrin Hatch
- Mike Johanns
- Jon Llewellyn Kyl
- Mitch McConnell
- Bill Nelson
- Sam Nunn
- Larry Pressler
- Pat Roberts
- W. Kerr Scott
- Jeff Sessions
- Paul Simon
- Debbie Stabenow
- Steve Symms
- Herman Talmadge
- Craig L. Thomas
- Strom Thurmond
- Malcolm Wallop
- Current and former U.S. Governors
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Georgia
- Hawai'i
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Michigan
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- Mary Fallin
- North Dakota
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Current and former members of Congress include
- Carl Albert
- William Vollie Alexander Jr.
- John F. Baldwin Jr.
- Roscoe Bartlett
- Rick Berg
- Jaime Herrera Beutler
- Tom Bevill
- Rick Boucher
- Allen Boyd
- William V. Chappell Jr.
- Donald H. Clausen
- Eva M. Clayton
- Howard Coble
- Tony Coelho
- Larry Combest
- Jim Cooper
- George Darden
- Robert William Davis
- Roy Dyson
- Bill Emerson
- Glenn English
- Ronnie Flippo
- William D. Ford
- Virginia Foxx
- Sam Gejdenson
- William F. Goodling
- James W. Grant
- Ralph Hall
- John Paul Hammerschmidt
- Katherine Harris
- J.D. Hayworth
- Wally Herger
- Clyde Holloway
- Jerry Huckaby
- Kenny Hulshof
- Earl Hutto
- Ed Jenkins
- William L. Jenkins
- Chris John
- Ed Jones
- Ron Kind
- Jim Kolbe
- Martin Lancaster
- Tom Latham
- Tiffany Lawrence
- Jim Lightfoot
- Koln McKay
- John T. Myers
- Sue Myrick
- William Flynt Nichols
- Chip Pickering
- Graham Purcell
- Adam Putnam
- Ralph Regula
- J. Roy Rowland
- Martin Sabo
- Daniel Schaefer
- Jim Slattery
- D. French Slaughter
- Bob Smith
- Neal Edward Smith
- Virginia D. Smith
- John Sparkman
- Floyd Spence
- David Stockman
- Bob Stump
- Mike Synar
- Charles H. Taylor
- Gene Taylor
- Lindsay Thomas
- Bennie Thompson
- Jill Long Thompson
- Edolphus Towns
- Bob Traxler
- Morris Udall
- Wes Watkins
- Vin Weber
- Jerry Weller
- Jamie Whitten
- Heather Wilson
Former Puerto Rico Senator Miguel Deynes Soto.
- Cabinet officials
- John Rusling Block and Ann Veneman, former secretaries of Agriculture
- First Ladies
- Rosalynn Carter
- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
- Pat Nixon
- Idaho First Lady Patricia Kempthorne
- Native Americans
Academics
- former Kansas State University President Duane Acker
- former Chancellor of Texas A&M University Perry Adkisson
- former U.S. Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander
- Nobel Prize winners George Beadle and Daniel McFadden
- former Arizona State University President Lattie Coor
- Colorado State University System President Tony Frank
- Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust
- West Virginia University President Gordon Gee
- Steve Gunderson of the Career Education Colleges and Universities
- Former University of Illinois President Stanley O. Ikenberry
- Former Yale University President Howard Lamar
- Former Virginia Tech President William Edward Lavery
- Former University of New Hampshire President Joan Leitzel
- Former Clemson University President Max Lennon
- Former Auburn University President James E. Martin
- Former Kent State University President Glenn Olds
- Former University of Nebraska President Ronald Roskens
- Former Penn State University President Graham B. Spanier
- Former University of Maryland President John S. Toll
- Former Mississippi State University President Donald W. Zacharias
Arts and literature
- Frank Herbert, American Science Fiction writer
- Jim Davis, cartoonist
- Pulitzer Prize winning novelist John Updike
Business and industry
- Andrew Bosworth of Facebook
- Colby Chandler of Eastman Kodak
- Arnold W. Donald of Carnival Corporation
- Bob Evans
- Ken C. Hicks of Footlocker
- Bill Mensch of the Western Design Center
- Javier Palomarez of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- Harold Poling of the Ford Motor Company
- Orville Redenbacher
- Edward B. Rust Jr. of State Farm Insurance
- Jesse W. Tapp of Bank of America
- Randall L. Tobias of Eli Lilly and Co.
- Leland Tollett of Tyson Foods
- Frank L. VanderSloot of Melaleuca
- Nancy Zieman of Sewing with Nancy
Entertainment and media
- Anne Burrell of the Food Network
- Johnny Carson
- Steve Doocy
- Nancy Grace
- Florence Henderson
- Holly Hunter
- Karen Kilgariff
- David Letterman
- Miss America Jacque Mercer
- Jim Nabors
- Aubrey Plaza
- Donna Reed
- Julia Roberts
- Sissy Spacek
- Tony Award nominee Tom Wopat
Military
- General Creighton Abrams
- Lieutenant General Russel L. Honoré
- General Hugh Shelton
- Brigadier General Wilma Vaught
Music
- Roy Acuff
- Luke Bryan
- Glen Campbell
- Johnny Cash
- John Denver
- Vince Gill
- Faith Hill
- Jermaine Jackson
- Reba McEntire
- Sherrill Milnes
- Jennifer Nettles
- Randy Owen
- Dolly Parton
- Charley Pride
- Kevin Richardson
- Jean Ritchie
- Roy Rogers
- Ricky Skaggs
- Trisha Yearwood
Sciences and technology
4-H alumni include the astronauts:
Sports
- Robert A. "Bob" Baffert, racehorse trainer
- Johnny Bench
- U.S. Triple Crown jockey Steve Cauthen
- Olympic Gold Medal winner Stacy Dragila
- NASCAR Champion Ned Jarrett
- Archie Manning
- National Collegiate Basketball coach Pat Summitt
- Dan Reeves
- Original owner of the Miami Dolphins Joe Robbie
- All-Time leading women's professional basketball scorer Katie Smith
- Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker
- Reggie White
References
- "U.S. Presidents and 4-H". 4-H History Preservation Program. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
- Radhakrishna, Rama B.; Sinasky, Megan (December 2005). "4-H Experiences Contributing to Leadership and Personal Development of 4-H Alumni". The Journal of Extension. 43 (6). Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ^ "Famous 4-H Alumni" (PDF). North Carolina State University. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- ^ Butler, Keira (2014). Raise: What 4-H Teaches Seven Million Kids and How Its Lessons Could Change Food and Farming Forever. Oakland, California: University of California Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-5202-7580-5. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- ^ "National 4-H Alumni Winners". 4-H History Preservation Program. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- ^ "4-H Club". NNDB. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
- ^ "4-H Distinguished Alumni". National Association of Extension 4-H Agents. Archived from the original on February 12, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- ^ Tenkotte, Paul A.; Claypool, James C. (2014). The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 367. ISBN 978-0-8131-5996-6. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- ^ Broyles, Mathew (2006). Pole Bending. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-4042-0547-5. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- Schwartz, Faith (April 24, 2018). "Navajo Nation Attorney General Receives 4-H Luminary Award". University of Arizona. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- DUNE Author Frank Herbert on Environmentalism. He Said This in the 70's!, retrieved October 10, 2021
- "Interview with William Mensch". Stanford University. October 9, 1995. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
- ^ "Famous 4-H Alumni Join National Leaders to Celebrate Youth Impact, Emphasize STEM at 4-H Legacy Awards in D.C." PR Newswire. April 4, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- ^ "Alumni Stories". 4-H. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- Shelton, Hugh; Levinson, Ronald; McConnell, Malcolm (2010). Without Hesitation: The Odyssey of an American Warrior. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-0-3125-9905-8. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
- Naczek, Margaret (July 4, 2018). "From border town to Belmont: Bob Baffert points to family, Nogales ranch as roots to horse racing success". Cronkite News. Retrieved October 19, 2020.