Notable Alumni of Yale University

George W. Bush 1946–

43rd President of the United States

Bachelor of Arts · Study of history · Class of 1968

Also attended: Harvard University

Spouse: Laura Bush (Southern Methodist University, The University of Texas at Austin)

Father: George H. W. Bush (Yale University)

Bill Clinton 1946–

42nd President of the United States

Juris Doctor · Class of 1973

Also attended: Georgetown University

Spouse: Hillary Clinton (Yale University, Wellesley College)

Mother: Virginia Clinton Kelley (Northwestern State University of Louisiana)

George H. W. Bush 1924–2018

41st President of the United States

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1948

Spouse: Barbara Bush (Yale University, Smith College)

Father: Prescott Bush (Yale University)

Hillary Clinton 1947–

Former US Secretary of State and senator

Juris Doctor · Class of 1973

Also attended: Wellesley College

Spouse: Bill Clinton (Yale University, Georgetown University)

Father: Hugh E. Rodham (The Pennsylvania State University)

Gerald Ford 1913–2006

38th President of the United States

Attended until 1941

Also attended: Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Spouse: Betty Ford (Bennington College)

Child: Steven Ford (California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, Utah State University)

William Howard Taft 1857–1930

27th U.S. President and tenth Chief Justice

Also attended: University of Cincinnati-Main Campus

Spouse: Helen Herron Taft (University of Cincinnati-Main Campus)

Father: Alphonso Taft (Yale University)

Alexei Navalny 1976–2024

Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption activist

Attended until 2010

Child: Darya Navalnaya (Stanford University)

JD Vance 1984–

50th Vice President of the United States

Juris Doctor · Class of 2013

Also attended: Ohio State University-Main Campus

Spouse: Usha Vance (Yale University)

Dick Cheney 1941–2025

46th Vice President of the United States

Also attended: University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wyoming

Spouse: Lynne Cheney (University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado College)

Child: Mary Cheney (Colorado College, University of Denver)

John Kerry 1943–

Former U.S. Secretary of State and Senator

Attended until 1966

Also attended: Boston College

Father: Richard J. Kerry (Yale University, Harvard University)

Child: Alexandra Kerry (American Film Institute Conservatory, Brown University)

Giuseppe Conte 1964–

Former Prime Minister of Italy

Cyril Ramaphosa 1952–

5th President of South Africa

Also attended: Harvard University

Spouse: Tshepo Motsepe (Harvard University)

Mario Monti 1943–

Economist and Prime Minister of Italy 2011–2013

Tansu Çiller 1946–

First female prime minister of Turkey

Economics

Also attended: University of Connecticut, University of New Hampshire-Main Campus, Mount Ida College

Barbara Bush 1925–2018

First Lady of the United States, 1989 to 1993

Also attended: Smith College

Spouse: George H. W. Bush (Yale University)

Father: Marvin Pierce (Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

John C. Calhoun 1782–1850

7th Vice President of the United States

Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden 1977–

Crown Princess of Sweden

Attended until 2000

Sibling: Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland (Rhode Island School of Design)

Karl Carstens 1914–1992

President of West Germany from 1979 to 1984

Sonia Sotomayor 1954–

Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

Juris Doctor · Class of 1979

Also attended: Princeton University

Peter Mutharika 1940–

President of Malawi

Sibling: Bingu wa Mutharika (California Miramar University)

Valdis Zatlers 1955–

Seventh president of Latvia, former surgeon

Cory Booker 1969–

U.S. senator from New Jersey

Juris Doctor · Class of 1997

Also attended: Stanford University

John Bolton 1948–

Former US national security advisor and UN ambassador

Ron DeSantis 1978–

46th Governor of Florida

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 2001

Also attended: Harvard University

Spouse: Casey DeSantis (College of Charleston)

Dean Acheson 1893–1971

51st US Secretary of State

Also attended: Harvard University

Spouse: Alice Acheson (George Washington University, Wellesley College)

Child: David Campion Acheson (Yale University, Harvard University)

Ernesto Zedillo 1951–

61st President of Mexico

Amy Klobuchar 1960–

US senator from Minnesota

Bachelor of Arts · Political science · Class of 1982

Also attended: University of Chicago

Spouse: John Bessler (Hamline University, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities)

Father: Jim Klobuchar (University of Minnesota-Twin Cities)

Ben Carson 1951–

Neurosurgeon and former US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Also attended: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Michigan State University

Spouse: Candy Carson (Yale University, Johns Hopkins University)

Clarence Thomas 1948–

Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court

Also attended: College of the Holy Cross, Saint Louis University

Spouse: Virginia Thomas (Creighton University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

Jerry Brown 1938–

Former Governor of California

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley, Santa Clara University

Spouse: Anne Gust Brown (University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Stanford University)

Father: Pat Brown (Alliant International University, University of San Francisco)

Samantha Power 1970–

Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations

Also attended: Harvard University

Spouse: Cass Sunstein (Harvard University)

Brett Kavanaugh 1965–

U.S. Supreme Court associate justice

Bachelor of Arts, Juris Doctor · History · Class of 1990

Spouse: Ashley Estes Kavanaugh (The University of Texas at Austin)

Elvira Nabiullina 1963–

Russian economist and Governor of the Bank of Russia

Henry L. Stimson 1867–1950

US Secretary of War and statesman

Also attended: Harvard University

Father: Lewis Atterbury Stimson (Yale University)

José Paciano Laurel 1891–1959

President of the Philippines from 1943 to 1945

Child: Sotero Laurel (Georgetown University, Harvard University)

Samuel Alito 1950–

Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court

Also attended: Princeton University

Ash Carter 1954–2022

25th United States Secretary of Defense

Bachelor of Arts

Spouse: Clayton Spencer (Yale University, Harvard University)

Joe Lieberman 1942–2024

Former US senator, 2000 Democratic vice-presidential nominee

Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Arts · Political science, Economics · Class of 1967

Spouse: Hadassah Lieberman (Boston University, Northeastern University)

Cyrus Vance 1917–2002

57th United States Secretary of State

Child: Cyrus Vance, Jr. (Yale University, Georgetown University)

Bill Nelson 1942–

Former NASA administrator and U.S. Senator

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1965

Also attended: University of Florida, University of Virginia-Main Campus

Stacey Abrams 1973–

Georgia politician and voting rights activist

Juris Doctor · Class of 1999

Also attended: Spelman College, The University of Texas at Austin

Sibling: Leslie Joyce Abrams (Yale University, Brown University)

Usha Vance 1986–

Second Lady of the United States and lawyer

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 2007

Spouse: JD Vance (Yale University, Ohio State University-Main Campus)

Mother: Lakshmi Chilukuri (University of California-San Diego)

John Ashcroft 1942–

79th United States Attorney General

Attended until 1964

Also attended: University of Chicago

Steven Mnuchin 1962–

Former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury

Spouse: Louise Linton (Pepperdine University, University of West Los Angeles)

Gina Raimondo 1971–

40th United States Secretary of Commerce

Juris Doctor · Class of 1998

Also attended: Harvard University

Sherrod Brown 1952–

Former US Senator from Ohio

Bachelor of Arts · Russian studies · Class of 1974

Also attended: Ohio State University-Main Campus

Kristrún Mjöll Frostadóttir 1988–

Prime Minister of Iceland and economist

Master of Arts · Class of 2016

Also attended: Boston University

Alan Dershowitz 1938–

Lawyer and former Harvard Law professor

Also attended: CUNY Brooklyn College, Yeshiva University

Scott Bessent 1962–

79th United States Secretary of the Treasury

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1984

Josh Hawley 1979–

US senator from Missouri

Juris Doctor · Class of 2006

Also attended: Stanford University

Walt Whitman Rostow 1916–2003

Economist and national security advisor to Lyndon B. Johnson

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1940

W. Averell Harriman 1891–1986

Businessman, diplomat and governor

Attended until 1913

Child: Kathleen Harriman Mortimer (Bennington College)

Sibling: E. Roland Harriman (Yale University)

Prescott Bush 1895–1972

Banker and US Senator from Connecticut

Father: Samuel P. Bush (Stevens Institute of Technology)

Child: Jonathan Bush (Yale University)

Michael Bennet 1964–

US Senator from Colorado

Juris Doctor · Class of 1993

Also attended: Wesleyan University

Sibling: James Bennet (Yale University)

Richard Blumenthal 1946–

United States Senator from Connecticut

Juris Doctor · Class of 1973

Also attended: Harvard University

Child: Matt Blumenthal (Yale University, Harvard University)

Jake Sullivan 1976–

Former U.S. national security advisor

Spouse: Margaret Goodlander (Yale University)

Jay Rockefeller 1937–2026

Former US senator and governor of West Virginia

Also attended: Harvard University

Father: John D. Rockefeller III (Princeton University)

Mother: Blanchette Ferry Rockefeller (Vassar College)

Paul Bremer 1941–

Diplomat who led Iraq's Coalition Provisional Authority

Also attended: Harvard University

Robert Reich 1946–

Former U.S. Secretary of Labor and professor

Also attended: Dartmouth College

Arlen Specter 1930–2012

U.S. senator from Pennsylvania

Bachelor of Laws · Class of 1956

Also attended: University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus, University of Pennsylvania

Ben Sasse 1972–

Former US senator and University of Florida president

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 2004

Also attended: Harvard University

Sheldon Whitehouse 1955–

US senator from Rhode Island

Bachelor of Arts · Architecture · Class of 1978

Also attended: University of Virginia-Main Campus

Father: Charles Sheldon Whitehouse (Yale University)

Judah P. Benjamin 1811–1884

Confederate cabinet member and US senator

George Pataki 1945–

53rd Governor of New York

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Spouse: Libby Pataki (Clark University)

Child: Allison Pataki (Yale University)

Howard Dean 1948–

Former Vermont governor and DNC chair

Also attended: Yeshiva University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Spouse: Judith Steinberg Dean (Princeton University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine)

Chris Coons 1963–

U.S. senator from Delaware

Master of Theological Studies, Juris Doctor · Ethics · Class of 1992

Also attended: Amherst College

Sargent Shriver 1915–2011

American diplomat, politician and activist

Spouse: Eunice Kennedy Shriver (Manhattanville University, Stanford University)

Child: Maria Shriver (Georgetown University, Manhattanville University)

Wilbur L. Ross Jr. 1937–

39th United States Secretary of Commerce

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1959

Also attended: Harvard University

Spouse: Betsy McCaughey (Columbia University in the City of New York, Vassar College)

Christopher A. Wray 1966–

Eighth Director of the FBI, 2017 to 2025

Juris Doctor, Bachelor of Arts

Robert Moses 1888–1981

Urban planner and public official in New York

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Nathan Hale 1755–1776

Continental Army soldier and spy

Ro Khanna 1976–

U.S. Representative from California

Juris Doctor · Class of 2001

Also attended: University of Chicago

Robert Kagan 1958–

Neoconservative scholar and foreign policy analyst

Also attended: American University, Harvard University

Spouse: Victoria Nuland (Brown University)

Father: Donald Kagan (CUNY Brooklyn College, Ohio State University-Main Campus)

Samuel J. Tilden 1814–1886

Governor of New York and 1876 Democratic presidential nominee

Also attended: New York University

Oliver Ellsworth 1745–1807

Third Chief Justice of the United States

Also attended: Princeton University

Child: Henry Leavitt Ellsworth (Yale University)

Child: William W. Ellsworth (Yale University)

Robert A. Taft 1889–1953

US senator from Ohio, son of President Taft

Attended until 1910

Also attended: Harvard University

Father: William Howard Taft (Yale University, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus)

Mother: Helen Herron Taft (University of Cincinnati-Main Campus)

Anita Hill 1956–

Brandeis law professor, witness in Clarence Thomas hearings

Also attended: Oklahoma State University-Main Campus

H. H. Kung 1881–1967

Chinese banker and government official

Also attended: Oberlin College

Spouse: Soong Ai-ling (Wesleyan College)

Jiang Yi-huah 1960–

Former Taiwan executive head and political scientist

Wang Ch'ung-hui 1881–1958

Chinese jurist and diplomat, judge at the Hague court

David Wu 1955–

Former U.S. representative from Oregon

Juris Doctor · Class of 1982

Also attended: Harvard University, Stanford University

Lin Chia-lung 1964–

Taiwan's foreign affairs head, former Taichung mayor

Doctorate, Master's degree

Yung Wing 1828–1912

First Chinese graduate of an American university

Victor Gao 1962–

Vice president of CCG, international relations expert

Attended until 1993

Alex Azar 1967–

24th U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services

Juris Doctor · Class of 1991

Also attended: Dartmouth College

Neera Tanden 1970–

President of Center for American Progress, former Biden adviser

Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles

Spouse: Benjamin Edwards (University of California-Los Angeles, Rhode Island School of Design)

Patrick F. Philbin 1960–

Lawyer, Deputy White House Counsel under Trump

Also attended: Harvard University

Janet Yellen 1946–

78th US Treasury Secretary and former Fed chair

Also attended: Brown University

Spouse: George Akerlof (Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Maryana Iskander 1975–

Former CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation

Juris Doctor · Class of 2003

Also attended: Rice University

Indra Nooyi 1955–

Former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo

Master's degree · Management studies · Class of 1980

William Boeing 1881–1956

Aviation pioneer and founder of Boeing

Vivek Ramaswamy 1985–

Founder of Roivant Sciences, businessman

Juris Doctor · Class of 2013

Also attended: Harvard University

Hunter Biden 1970–

Businessman and second son of Joe Biden

Juris Doctor

Also attended: Georgetown University

Father: Joe Biden (University of Delaware, Syracuse University)

Mother: Neilia Hunter (Syracuse University)

Henry Ford II 1917–1987

Former president and chairman of Ford Motor Company

Child: Edsel Ford II (Babson College, Harvard University)

Sibling: William Clay Ford, Sr. (Yale University)

Jim Rogers 1942–

Investor and financial commentator

John Templeton 1912–2008

Investor who created the Templeton Growth Fund

Child: John Templeton, Jr. (Yale University, Harvard University)

Henry Luce 1898–1967

Founder of Time, Life, Fortune and Sports Illustrated

Father: Henry W. Luce (Yale University)

Wendi Murdoch 1968–

Chinese-born American entrepreneur and film producer

Also attended: California State University-Northridge

Joseph Tsai 1964–

Co-founder and chairman of Alibaba Group

Juris Doctor, Bachelor of Arts · East Asian studies, Economics · Class of 1990

Stephen A. Schwarzman 1947–

Chairman and CEO of Blackstone

Also attended: Harvard University

Child: Teddy Schwarzman (Duke University, University of Pennsylvania)

John C. Malone 1941–

Billionaire businessman, former CEO of Tele-Communications Inc

Also attended: Johns Hopkins University, New York University

Isha Ambani 1991–

Indian businessperson and heiress

Also attended: Stanford University

Father: Mukesh Ambani (Stanford University)

Sibling: Akash Ambani (Brown University)

Samuel Finley Breese Morse 1791–1872

Painter and inventor who helped develop the telegraph

Father: Jedidiah Morse (Yale University)

Sibling: Sidney Edwards Morse (Yale University)

Ernest Lawrence 1901–1958

Physicist, cyclotron inventor, Nobel laureate

Also attended: University of Chicago, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Olaf College

Sibling: John H. Lawrence (Harvard University, University of South Dakota)

Murray Gell-Mann 1929–2019

Theoretical physicist who introduced the quark concept

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Judith Butler 1956–

Feminist philosopher and gender studies scholar

Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts

Also attended: Bennington College

Paul Krugman 1953–

Economist and CUNY Graduate Center professor

Attended until 1974

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Spouse: Robin Wells (University of California-Berkeley)

Grace Hopper 1906–1992

Computer scientist, Navy rear admiral, programming pioneer

Doctor of Philosophy, Master's degree · Mathematics · Class of 1934

Also attended: Vassar College

Samuel P. Huntington 1927–2008

Political scientist and Harvard professor

Also attended: University of Chicago, Harvard University

Josiah Willard Gibbs 1839–1903

Mechanical engineer, physicist and chemist

Doctor · Class of 1863

Father: Josiah Willard Gibbs, Sr. (Yale University)

Lars Onsager 1903–1976

Physical chemist and theoretical physicist at Yale

Raymond Davis Jr. 1914–2006

Chemist and physicist

Lawrence Lessig 1961–

Harvard Law professor and legal scholar

Juris Doctor · Class of 1989

Also attended: University of Pennsylvania

David Lee 1931–

Physicist, 1996 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate

Also attended: University of Connecticut, Harvard University

John B. Goodenough 1922–2023

Materials scientist and Nobel laureate in chemistry

Bachelor of Science · Mathematics

Also attended: University of Chicago

Father: Erwin Ramsdell Goodenough (Harvard University, Hamilton College)

Sibling: Ward Goodenough (Cornell University)

Brian Kobilka 1955–

Stanford professor, 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate

Doctorate · Class of 1981

Also attended: University of Minnesota-Duluth, Duke University

Thorstein Veblen 1857–1929

Economist and sociologist, author of The Theory of the Leisure Class

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1884

Also attended: Johns Hopkins University, Carleton College, Cornell University

John Fenn 1917–2010

Analytical chemist, 2002 Nobel Chemistry laureate

Doctorate · Chemistry

Also attended: Berea College

Edmund Phelps 1933–2026

Economist, 2006 Nobel laureate in Economics

Doctor of Philosophy

Also attended: Amherst College, University of Pennsylvania

George Akerlof 1940–

Economist, 2001 Nobel laureate in economics

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Spouse: Janet Yellen (Yale University, Brown University)

Sibling: Carl W. Akerlof (Yale University, Cornell University)

John Franklin Enders 1897–1985

Biomedical scientist and Nobel laureate

Also attended: Harvard University

William Vickrey 1914–1996

Columbia economist and Nobel laureate

Bachelor of Science · Mathematics · Class of 1935

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Joshua Lederberg 1925–2008

Molecular biologist, 1958 Nobel laureate

Doctor of Philosophy · Botany · Class of 1948

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Spouse: Esther Lederberg (CUNY Hunter College, University of Wisconsin-Madison)

William Nordhaus 1941–2026

Yale economist, 2018 Nobel economics laureate

Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts · Class of 1972

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Lee de Forest 1873–1961

Inventor of the Audion triode vacuum tube

Spouse: Nora Stanton Blatch Barney (Cornell University)

Alfred G. Gilman 1941–2015

Pharmacologist, 1994 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Also attended: Case Western Reserve University, University of Virginia-Main Campus

Father: Alfred Gilman, Sr. (Yale University, Columbia University in the City of New York)

George Whipple 1878–1976

Physician, 1934 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Also attended: Johns Hopkins University

Benjamin Spock 1903–1998

Pediatrician and author of Baby and Child Care

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Richard Rorty 1931–2007

Philosopher, professor at Princeton and Stanford

Also attended: University of Chicago

Father: James Rorty (Tufts University)

Philip Zimbardo 1933–2024

Psychologist who led the Stanford Prison Experiment

Doctor of Philosophy · Psychology · Class of 1959

Also attended: CUNY Brooklyn College

Spouse: Christina Maslach (Harvard University, Stanford University)

Hiram Bingham III 1875–1956

Explorer who publicized Machu Picchu

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley, Harvard University

Father: Hiram Bingham II (Yale University, Andover Newton Theological School)

Child: Jonathan Brewster Bingham (Yale University)

Fredric Jameson 1934–2024

Literary critic and Marxist political theorist

Doctor of Philosophy · French studies · Class of 1959

Also attended: Haverford College

Benjamin Lee Whorf 1897–1941

Linguist, advocate of linguistic relativity

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Eric F. Wieschaus 1947–

Developmental biologist and 1995 Nobel Prize winner

Also attended: University of Notre Dame

Dickinson W. Richards 1895–1973

Physician, physiologist and Nobel laureate

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Eli Whitney 1765–1825

Inventor of the cotton gin

Peter Diamond 1940–

Economist, 2010 Nobel Prize winner

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Richard Henderson 1945–

Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate 2017

James Dwight Dana 1813–1895

Geologist, mineralogist and zoologist

Child: Edward Salisbury Dana (Yale University)

Reinhold Niebuhr 1892–1971

Protestant theologian and Union Theological Seminary professor

Also attended: Elmhurst University, Eden Theological Seminary

Sibling: H. Richard Niebuhr (Yale University, Elmhurst University)

Irving Fisher 1867–1947

American economist and statistician

Robert A. Dahl 1915–2014

Yale political scientist, pluralist democracy theorist

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1940

Also attended: University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Francis Collins 1950–

Geneticist, former director of the NIH

Also attended: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Virginia-Main Campus

Donna Haraway 1944–

Philosopher and science and technology studies scholar

Also attended: Colorado College

James A. Robinson 1960–

Political scientist and economist at University of Chicago

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1993

Othniel Charles Marsh 1831–1899

Professor of paleontology and fossil collector

Piet Hein 1905–1996

Danish mathematician, inventor, designer and poet

Aaron Beck 1921–2021

Psychiatrist, father of cognitive behavioral therapy

Doctor of Medicine · Class of 1946

Also attended: Brown University

Child: Judith S. Beck (University of Pennsylvania)

Douglas Diamond 1953–

Economist, professor of finance at Chicago Booth

Doctor of Philosophy · Economics · Class of 1980

Also attended: Brown University

Joel Mokyr 1946–

Economic historian and Northwestern University professor

John G. Thompson 1932–

American mathematician, Fields and Abel Prize winner

Attended until 1955

Also attended: University of Chicago

Joseph Greenberg 1915–2001

Linguist known for typology and language classification

Also attended: Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York

Carl Woese 1928–2012

Microbiologist who defined the Archaea domain

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1953

Also attended: Amherst College

James Henry Breasted 1865–1935

American archaeologist, Egyptologist and historian

Also attended: Chicago Theological Seminary, North Central College

Gaylord Simpson 1902–1984

Paleontologist and modern synthesis participant

Doctor of Philosophy · Geology · Class of 1926

Spouse: Anne Roe (University of Denver, Columbia University in the City of New York)

Philip H. Dybvig 1955–

Economist and professor at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics

Doctor of Philosophy · Economics · Class of 1979

Also attended: Indiana University-Bloomington

Aldo Leopold 1887–1948

Ecologist and author of A Sand County Almanac

Child: Luna Leopold (University of California-Los Angeles, Harvard University)

Child: Nina Leopold Bradley (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Morris Swadesh 1909–1967

Linguist specializing in comparative and historical linguistics

Also attended: University of Chicago

Spouse: Mary Haas (Yale University, University of Chicago)

Alvin Plantinga 1932–

Christian philosopher, Notre Dame professor emeritus

Also attended: Harvard University, Calvin University, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

W. Edwards Deming 1900–1993

Management theorist, statistician and consultant

Also attended: University of Wyoming

Catharine MacKinnon 1946–

Feminist legal scholar and University of Michigan law professor

Also attended: Smith College

Father: George MacKinnon (University of Colorado Boulder, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities)

Harvey Williams Cushing 1869–1939

Neurosurgeon, father of modern neurosurgery

Also attended: Harvard University

Lyman Spitzer 1914–1997

Theoretical physicist and astronomer

Attended until 1935

Also attended: Princeton University

Robert Langlands 1936–

Mathematician, founder of the Langlands program

Ron Rivest 1947–

Cryptographer and MIT Institute Professor

Also attended: Stanford University

Michael Dean Woodford 1955–

Columbia University macroeconomist

Also attended: University of Chicago, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Erwin Chargaff 1905–2002

Biochemist and Columbia University professor

Robert D. Putnam 1941–

Political scientist, Harvard Kennedy School professor

Also attended: Swarthmore College

Harold Lasswell 1902–1978

Political scientist and communications theorist

Also attended: University of Chicago

Harry Nyquist 1889–1976

Swedish-American physicist and electronic engineer

Doctor of Philosophy · Physics

Also attended: University of North Dakota

Andrew Dickson White 1832–1918

Co-founder and first president of Cornell University

Spouse: Helen Magill White (Boston University, Swarthmore College)

Eben Moglen 1959–

Columbia law professor and free software advocate

Also attended: Swarthmore College

Elihu Thomson 1853–1937

Inventor who helped found major electrical companies

Also attended: Harvard University

Arthur Laffer 1940–

Economist known for the Laffer curve

Also attended: Stanford University

Robert T. Bakker 1945–

Paleontologist who helped drive the dinosaur renaissance

Also attended: Harvard University

Mahbub ul Haq 1934–1998

Pakistani economist who devised the Human Development Index

Doctor of Philosophy · Economics

Jonathan Haidt 1963–

Social psychologist and NYU Stern professor

Bachelor of Arts · Philosophy · Class of 1985

Also attended: University of Pennsylvania

Gordon Gould 1920–2005

Physicist credited with inventing the laser

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York, Union College

Michael Parenti 1933–2026

American political scientist, historian and cultural critic

Doctor of Philosophy · Political science

Also attended: CUNY--City College, Brown University

Child: Christian Parenti (The New School)

William Graham Sumner 1840–1910

Sociologist, first sociology professor at Yale

Robert Sternberg 1949–

Psychologist and Cornell University professor

Also attended: Stanford University

Zhan Tianyou 1861–1919

Railroad engineer, chief engineer of Peking-Kalgan Railway

Zheng Ji 1900–2010

Nutritionist, founder of modern nutrition science in China

Also attended: Ohio University-Main Campus

Ian Barbour 1923–2013

Scholar of science and religion

Also attended: University of Chicago, Duke University, Swarthmore College

Ma Yinchu 1882–1982

Chinese economist, father of China's family planning

Master's degree · Class of 1910

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Sijue Wu 1964–

Mathematician and University of Michigan professor

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1990

Jonathan M. Rothberg 1963–

Scientist and entrepreneur in DNA sequencing

Also attended: Carnegie Mellon University

Holden Thorp 1964–

Chemist, former chancellor of UNC Chapel Hill

Also attended: California Institute of Technology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

John Dewey 1859–1952

Philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer

Also attended: Johns Hopkins University, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of Pennsylvania

Sibling: Davis Rich Dewey (Johns Hopkins University, University of Vermont)

Meryl Streep 1949–

Acclaimed American actress

Master of Fine Arts · Class of 1975

Also attended: Vassar College

Spouse: Don Gummer (Yale University, Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis)

Child: Henry Wolfe Gummer (Dartmouth College)

Sigourney Weaver 1949–

Actress known for action heroine roles

Also attended: Sarah Lawrence College, Stanford University

Father: Sylvester Weaver (Dartmouth College)

Sinclair Lewis 1885–1951

Novelist, first American Nobel Literature laureate

Also attended: Oberlin College

Spouse: Dorothy Thompson (Illinois Institute of Technology, Syracuse University)

Jodie Foster 1962–

Actress and filmmaker

Bachelor's degree · Literary studies · Class of 1985

Spouse: Alexandra Hedison (University of California-Los Angeles, SUNY at Purchase College)

Paul Newman 1925–2008

Actor, filmmaker, racecar driver and philanthropist

Also attended: Kenyon College, Ohio University-Main Campus

Spouse: Joanne Woodward (Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College, Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater)

Child: Nell Newman (College of the Atlantic)

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 1977–

Nigerian writer

Also attended: Eastern Connecticut State University, Johns Hopkins University, Drexel University

James Fenimore Cooper 1789–1851

19th-century writer of historical romances

Edward Norton 1969–

Actor and filmmaker, four-time Oscar nominee

Attended until 1991

Jennifer Connelly 1970–

Actress

Attended until 1989

Also attended: Stanford University

Oliver Stone 1946–

Film director and screenwriter, three-time Oscar winner

Also attended: New York University

James Franco 1978–

Actor and filmmaker

Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles, Columbia University in the City of New York, CUNY Brooklyn College

Sibling: Tom Franco (California College of the Arts, University of California-Santa Cruz)

Sibling: Dave Franco (University of Southern California)

Frances McDormand 1957–

Actress, four-time Academy Award winner

Master of Fine Arts · Class of 1982

Also attended: Bethany College

Spouse: Joel Coen (Simon's Rock at Bard College, New York University)

Elia Kazan 1909–2003

Greek-American film and theatre director

Also attended: Williams College, The Juilliard School

Lupita Nyong'o 1983–

Actress, Academy Award winner for 12 Years a Slave

Also attended: Hampshire College

Father: Peter Anyang' Nyong'o (University of Chicago)

David Duchovny 1960–

Actor known for The X-Files

Also attended: Princeton University

Spouse: Téa Leoni (Sarah Lawrence College)

Claire Danes 1979–

Actress, three-time Primetime Emmy winner

Attended until 2000

Mark Rothko 1903–1970

Latvian-born abstract painter known for color field works

Attended until 1921

Thornton Wilder 1897–1975

Playwright and novelist, three-time Pulitzer winner

Also attended: Princeton University, Oberlin College

Sibling: Amos Wilder (Yale University, Oberlin College)

Sibling: Charlotte Wilder (Harvard University, Mount Holyoke College)

Angela Bassett 1958–

Actress, Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner

Bachelor of Arts, Master of Fine Arts

Spouse: Courtney B. Vance (Yale University, Harvard University)

Norman Foster 1935–

British architect, pioneer of high-tech architecture

Spouse: Elena Ochoa (University of California-Los Angeles)

Vincent Price 1911–1993

Actor best known for horror film villains

Also attended: Washington University in St Louis

Child: Victoria Price (Williams College, University of New Mexico-Main Campus)

Child: Vincent Barrett Price (University of New Mexico-Main Campus)

Liev Schreiber 1967–

Actor and Tony Award winner

Also attended: Hampshire College, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Sibling: Pablo Schreiber (University of San Francisco, Carnegie Mellon University)

Paul Giamatti 1967–

Actor known for everyman roles

Father: A. Bartlett Giamatti (Yale University)

Sibling: Marcus Giamatti (Yale University, Bowdoin College)

Cole Porter 1891–1964

Composer and songwriter for Broadway and Hollywood

Also attended: Harvard University

John Turturro 1957–

Actor and filmmaker, frequent Coen brothers collaborator

Also attended: State University of New York at New Paltz

Bob Woodward 1943–

Investigative journalist at The Washington Post

Attended until 1965

Also attended: George Washington University

Father: Alfred Eno Woodward Jr. (Northwestern University, Oberlin College)

Jordana Brewster 1980–

Actress

Noah Webster 1758–1843

Lexicographer and spelling reformer

Jennifer Beals 1963–

Actress known for Flashdance

Tony Shalhoub 1953–

Actor and filmmaker

Also attended: University of Maine, University of Southern Maine, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Harold Bloom 1930–2019

Literary critic and Yale professor

Also attended: Cornell University

Fareed Zakaria 1964–

CNN host, political commentator and author

Also attended: Harvard University

Mother: Fatima Zakaria (Yale University)

Anne Applebaum 1964–

Journalist and historian

Attended until 1986

Tom Wolfe 1930–2018

Author and journalist associated with New Journalism

Also attended: Washington and Lee University

Robert Penn Warren 1905–1989

Poet, novelist and critic; Yale professor

Attended until 1928

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley, Vanderbilt University

Spouse: Eleanor Clark (Vassar College)

Child: Rosanna Warren (Yale University, Johns Hopkins University)

Patricia Clarkson 1959–

Film, television and stage actress

Also attended: Fordham University

Eero Saarinen 1910–1961

Finnish-American architect who designed the Gateway Arch

Spouse: Aline B. Saarinen (New York University, Vassar College)

Charles Ives 1874–1954

American modernist composer

Also attended: Harvard University

Michael Cimino 1939–2016

American film director, screenwriter and producer

Also attended: Michigan State University

Camille Paglia 1947–

Feminist academic and social critic

Also attended: Binghamton University

Julie Harris 1925–2013

Stage actress with a record five Tony Awards

Louis Kahn 1901–1974

Estonian-born American architect

Also attended: University of Pennsylvania

Child: Nathaniel Kahn (Yale University)

Peter Ackroyd 1949–

English novelist, biographer and critic

Phil LaMarr 1967–

Actor, voice actor and stand-up comedian

Alan J. Pakula 1928–1998

Film director known for the paranoia trilogy

Spouse: Hope Lange (Reed College)

Edward Abbey 1927–1989

Author and environmentalist, wrote Desert Solitaire

Also attended: University of New Mexico-Main Campus, University of Pennsylvania

Spouse: Rita Deanin Abbey (University of New Mexico-Main Campus, Goddard College)

George Roy Hill 1921–2002

Film director of The Sting

Van Heflin 1908–1971

Theatre, radio and film actor

Also attended: University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus

Sam Waterston 1940–

Actor in theater, television and film

Child: Katherine Waterston (New York University)

Child: James Waterston (Yale University)

Claes Oldenburg 1929–2022

Sculptor known for large replicas of everyday objects

Ben Stein 1944–

Actor, writer, lawyer and commentator

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Father: Herbert Stein (University of Chicago, Williams College)

Ralph Waite 1928–2014

Actor, lead of The Waltons

Also attended: Bucknell University

Brian Dennehy 1938–2020

Actor, two-time Tony Award winner

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Child: Elizabeth Dennehy (Hofstra University)

Henry Winkler 1945–

Actor known as Fonzie in Happy Days

Also attended: Emerson College, Austin College

Child: Max Winkler (University of Southern California)

Chris Noth 1954–

Actor known for Sex and the City

Also attended: Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater, Marlboro College

Stacy Keach 1941–

Actor in theatre, film and television

Master of Fine Arts

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Sibling: James Keach (Yale University, Northwestern University)

Jonathan Edwards 1703–1758

American revivalist preacher, philosopher and theologian

Child: Jonathan Edwards (Princeton University)

Child: Pierpont Edwards (Princeton University)

Naomi Wolf 1962–

Feminist author of The Beauty Myth

Father: Leonard Wolf (University of Iowa)

Shawn Levy 1968–

Filmmaker and actor, founder of 21 Laps Entertainment

Also attended: University of Southern California

Efrem Zimbalist Jr. 1918–2014

Actor and theatre producer

Child: Stephanie Zimbalist (The Juilliard School)

Anderson Cooper 1967–

CNN anchor and broadcast journalist

Political science · Attended until 1989

Father: Wyatt Emory Cooper (University of California-Berkeley, University of California-Los Angeles)

Mother: Gloria Vanderbilt (Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater)

Zoe Kazan 1983–

Actress and writer

Mother: Robin Swicord (Florida State University)

Sibling: Maya Kazan (Wesleyan University)

James Whitmore 1921–2009

American actor with over 150 stage, film and TV roles

Richard Serra 1939–2024

Sculptor known for large-scale abstract works

Master of Fine Arts · Class of 1964

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley, University of California-Santa Barbara

Spouse: Nancy Graves (Yale University, Vassar College)

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II 1986–

Actor known as Black Manta in Aquaman

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Jonathan Littell 1967–

Writer, author of The Kindly Ones

Father: Robert Littell (Alfred University)

Marie Colvin 1956–2012

War correspondent for The Sunday Times

Ernie Hudson 1945–

Actor known as Winston in Ghostbusters

Also attended: Wayne State University

Child: Ernie Hudson Jr. (Michigan State University)

Edwin Austin Abbey 1852–1911

Illustrator, painter and muralist

Master of Arts · Class of 1897

Also attended: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

Jeremy Strong 1978–

Actor, Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe winner

Bachelor of Arts · English studies · Class of 2001

Archibald MacLeish 1892–1982

Poet and Librarian of Congress

Also attended: Harvard University

Robert Picardo 1953–

Actor who played The Doctor in Star Trek

Also attended: Circle in the Square Theatre School

Geoff Pierson 1949–

Actor known for Dexter

Sara Gilbert 1975–

Actress and talk show co-host

Lance Reddick 1962–2023

Actor in The Wire, Fringe and Bosch

Master of Fine Arts

Also attended: Johns Hopkins University, University of Rochester

Dan Schneider 1966–

Television producer of Nickelodeon children's shows

Also attended: Harvard University

William F. Buckley Jr. 1925–2008

Conservative writer and political commentator

Father: William Frank Buckley (The University of Texas at Austin)

Child: Christopher Buckley (Yale University, Fordham University)

Pat Robertson 1930–2023

Televangelist and media mogul

Bachelor of Laws

Also attended: New York Theological Seminary, Washington and Lee University

Father: A. Willis Robertson (University of Richmond)

Child: Gordon P. Robertson (Yale University)

Perry King 1948–

Television and film actor

Also attended: The Juilliard School

Delbert Mann 1920–2007

American television and film director

Also attended: Vanderbilt University

Eva Hesse 1936–1970

German-born sculptor, postminimal art pioneer

Also attended: The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

Joanna Russ 1937–2011

Science fiction writer and feminist scholar

Master of Fine Arts

Also attended: Cornell University

David G. McCullough 1933–2022

Historian and author, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner

Bachelor of Arts · English literature · Class of 1955

Brian Tyree Henry 1982–

Actor with Academy Award nomination

Also attended: Morehouse College

Benjamin West 1738–1820

American-born British painter of The Death of General Wolfe

Rebecca Walker 1969–

Writer and feminist, coined "third wave"

Father: Melvyn R. Leventhal (New York University)

Mother: Alice Walker (Spelman College, Russell Sage College)

Tom McCarthy 1966–

Filmmaker and actor, co-wrote and directed Spotlight

Also attended: Boston College

Alessandro Nivola 1972–

Screen and stage actor

Jonathan Majors 1989–

Actor, Yale School of Drama graduate

Willa Fitzgerald 1991–

Actress known for MTV's Scream

Kristen Connolly 1980–

Actress known for The Cabin in the Woods

Also attended: Middlebury College

Achal Prabhala 1980–

Indian writer

Also attended: Middlebury College

Dylan Baker 1959–

Actor known for Spider-Man 2 and Happiness

Also attended: Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus, Southern Methodist University, College of William and Mary

Spouse: Becky Ann Baker (Western Kentucky University)

Ron Livingston 1967–

Actor in Office Space and Band of Brothers

Spouse: Rosemarie DeWitt (Hofstra University)

John Hersey 1914–1993

Writer and journalist, early New Journalism practitioner

Chuck Close 1940–2021

Photorealist painter and photographer

Also attended: University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Everett Community College, University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Spouse: Sienna Shields (Lewis & Clark College)

David Hyde Pierce 1959–

Actor known for playing Niles Crane on Frasier

Spouse: Brian Hargrove (The Juilliard School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Jane Kaczmarek 1955–

Actress with three Golden Globe nominations

Also attended: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Spouse: Bradley Whitford (Wesleyan University, The Juilliard School)

Paul Guilfoyle 1949–

Actor, Captain Jim Brass in CSI

Also attended: Lehigh University

Willie Garson 1964–2021

American actor in over 75 films and 300 TV episodes

Also attended: Wesleyan University

Aja Naomi King 1985–

Film and television actress

Also attended: University of California-Santa Barbara

Sarah Rafferty 1972–

Actress, known for Suits

Master of Fine Arts

Also attended: Hamilton College

Winston Duke 1986–

Trinidadian and Tobagonian actor

Also attended: University at Buffalo

Courtney B. Vance 1960–

Actor in stage, film and television

Also attended: Harvard University

Spouse: Angela Bassett (Yale University)

Richard Fleischer 1916–2006

Film director

Also attended: Brown University

Allison Williams 1988–

Actress and film producer

Spouse: Ricky Van Veen (Wake Forest University)

Father: Brian Williams (Catholic University of America, George Washington University)

Maya Lin 1959–

Architect, designer and sculptor

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1981

Marco Beltrami 1966–

Film and television score composer

Also attended: University of Southern California, Brown University

Madeline Miller 1978–

Novelist, author of The Song of Achilles and Circe

Also attended: University of Chicago, Brown University

Noah Emmerich 1965–

Actor in The Truman Show

Spouse: Melissa Fitzgerald (University of Pennsylvania)

Sibling: Toby Emmerich (Wesleyan University)

Sanaa Lathan 1971–

Film, television and stage actress

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Leigh Bardugo 1975–

Fantasy author of the Grishaverse novels

Lin Huiyin 1904–1955

Chinese architect, writer and poet

Also attended: University of Pennsylvania

Spouse: Liang Sicheng (Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania)

Peter Matthiessen 1927–2014

Novelist, co-founder of The Paris Review

Gene Siskel 1946–1999

Chicago Tribune film critic and TV review co-host

Harry Hamlin 1951–

Actor in Clash of the Titans and L.A. Law

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Barbara O'Neil 1910–1980

Actress in Gone with the Wind

Spouse: Joshua Logan (Princeton University)

Paul Rand 1914–1996

Graphic designer of IBM and UPS logos

Also attended: The New School, Pratt Institute-Main

Chris Bauer 1966–

Actor known for The Wire and True Blood

Also attended: University of San Diego, American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York

Frederic Remington 1861–1909

Painter and sculptor of the American West

Tom Noonan 1951–2026

Actor, director and screenwriter

Attended until 1973

Marin Alsop 1956–

Conductor and violinist

Also attended: The Juilliard School

Da'Vine Joy Randolph 1986–

Actress and Academy Award winner

Master of Fine Arts · Class of 2011

Also attended: Temple University

Brett Dalton 1983–

Actor known for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Daniel J. Boorstin 1914–2004

Historian and 12th Librarian of Congress

Also attended: Harvard University

Željko Ivanek 1957–

Slovenian-American actor and Emmy winner

Robert Lopez 1975–

Songwriter, co-creator of The Book of Mormon

Spouse: Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Williams College)

C. S. Lee 1971–

Actor known for Dexter

Also attended: Cornish College of the Arts

Monty Woolley 1888–1963

Actor known for The Man Who Came to Dinner

Also attended: Harvard University

Bronson Pinchot 1959–

American actor

R.F. Kuang 1996–

Chinese-American novelist, author of Babel

Doctor of Philosophy · Chinese literature

Also attended: Georgetown University

Jiang Xueqin 1976–

Chinese-Canadian educator, Predictive History YouTuber

Ma Yansong 1975–

Architect and founder of MAD Architects

Melissa Chan 1980–

Chinese American freelance journalist

Attended until 2002

Kong Te-cheng 1920–2008

77th-generation Confucius descendant, last Duke Yansheng

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

D. B. Woodside 1969–

Actor known for Suits and Single Ladies

Also attended: SUNY at Albany, New York Film Academy

David Alan Grier 1956–

Actor and comedian known for In Living Color

Also attended: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Lewis Black 1948–

Stand-up comedian and actor

Also attended: University of Maryland-College Park, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Alan Rosenberg 1950–

Actor known for L.A. Law and Cybill

Also attended: Case Western Reserve University

Spouse: Marg Helgenberger (Northwestern University, University of Nebraska at Kearney)

Dick Cavett 1936–

Television personality and former talk show host

Chris Cuomo 1970–

News anchor, formerly of CNN

Also attended: Fordham University

Father: Mario Cuomo (St John's University (NY))

Mother: Matilda Cuomo (St John's University (NY))

Charlie Korsmo 1978–

Former child actor turned lawyer and academic

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Jefferson Mays 1965–

Actor and Tony Award recipient

Also attended: University of California-San Diego

John Currin 1962–

Painter known for satirical figurative paintings

Also attended: Carnegie Mellon University

Mina Kimes 1985–

ESPN senior writer and NFL Live analyst

Adam Richman 1974–

Actor and host of dining challenge TV shows

Also attended: Emory University

Natalie Paul 1986–

Actress in The Deuce, The Sinner and Power

Also attended: New York University

Glenn Beck 1964–

Conservative political commentator and radio host

Eddie Eagan 1897–1967

Boxer and bobsledder, gold medalist at Summer and Winter Olympics

Also attended: Harvard University

Nathan Chen 1999–

Figure skater, 2022 Olympic men's singles champion

Don Schollander 1946–

Swimmer, five-time Olympic champion

Frank Shorter 1947–

1972 Olympic marathon champion

Also attended: University of Florida

Severn Cullis-Suzuki 1979–

Canadian environmental activist and writer