A lifelong Democrat, William M. Citron served as a member of the Connecticut State Assembly, Connecticut State Legislature, and had two terms in the United States Congress as a representative for Connecticut. He served in the Army in both World War I and World War II. Citron was an outspoken opponent of anti-semitism and, in 1935, wrote to the U.S. Olympic Committee to urge that American athletes boycott the Olympics scheduled to take place in Berlin in the summer of 1936. He also made remarks (printed in the Congressional Record), that the United States' attendance at the Olympic events would give tacit approval to the racist practices of the Nazi government. In addition, Citron introduced legislation to regulate development along the Connecticut River and to provide flood control. His career was most active during the Great Depression, and he was a participant in the New Deal.
William North Rice (1845-1928) was a graduate and long-time faculty member and administrator at Wesleyan University. As a student, he was a member of Phi Nu Theta. He was known as a scientist, minister, and educational expert.
William Phoebus Lyon (1813-1884), was the founder and senior principal of the Irving Institute, a private boarding school for boys in Tarrytown, New York. On August 5, 1840, the honorary degree of A.M. was conferred upon him by Wesleyan University. In the summer of 1841, Lyon traveled to Middletown in order to observe the final examinations of the Wesleyan student body.
Connecticut's Archives Online