Notable Alumni of Princeton University

John F. Kennedy 1917–1963

35th President of the United States

Attended until 1936

Also attended: Harvard University, Stanford University

Spouse: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (George Washington University, Georgetown University)

Father: Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (Harvard University)

Woodrow Wilson 1856–1924

28th President of the United States

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1879

Also attended: Johns Hopkins University, Davidson College, University of Virginia-Main Campus

Father: Joseph Ruggles Wilson (Princeton Theological Seminary, Washington and Jefferson College)

Child: Margaret Woodrow Wilson (Goucher College)

James Madison 1751–1836

Fourth President of the United States

Attended until 1771

Grover Cleveland 1837–1908

22nd and 24th President of the United States

Spouse: Frances Cleveland (Wells College)

Michelle Obama 1964–

Former First Lady of the United States

Bachelor of Arts · Sociology · Class of 1985

Also attended: Harvard University, Marymount University

Spouse: Barack Obama (Occidental College, Harvard University)

Child: Malia Obama (University of Chicago, Harvard University)

Donald Rumsfeld 1932–2021

Former US Secretary of Defense, 13th and 21st

Also attended: Georgetown University

Syngman Rhee 1875–1965

First President of South Korea

Also attended: George Washington University, Harvard University

Aaron Burr 1756–1836

3rd Vice President of the United States

Father: Aaron Burr Sr. (Yale University)

Ted Cruz 1970–

U.S. senator from Texas

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1992

Also attended: Harvard University

Spouse: Heidi Cruz (Claremont McKenna College, Harvard University)

Father: Rafael Bienvenido Cruz (The University of Texas at Austin)

George F. Kennan 1904–2005

Diplomat and historian, advocate of containment policy

Sonia Sotomayor 1954–

Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1976

Also attended: Yale University

Adlai Stevenson II 1900–1965

Illinois governor and UN ambassador

Also attended: Illinois State University, Northwestern University, Harvard University

Father: Lewis Stevenson (Illinois State University)

Child: Adlai Stevenson III (Harvard University)

Pete Hegseth 1980–

29th United States Secretary of Defense

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 2003

Also attended: Harvard University

John C. Breckinridge 1821–1875

14th US Vice President and Confederate general

Also attended: Centre College, Transylvania University

Father: Cabell Breckinridge (Colby-Sawyer College, Princeton University)

Child: Clifton Rodes Breckinridge (Washington and Lee University)

John Foster Dulles 1888–1959

U.S. Secretary of State under Eisenhower

Attended until 1908

Also attended: George Washington University

Child: John W. F. Dulles (Harvard University, Princeton University)

Child: Avery Dulles (Harvard University)

Robert Mueller 1944–2026

Sixth Director of the FBI

Bachelor of Arts · Political science · Class of 1966

Also attended: New York University, University of Virginia-Main Campus

Richard Holbrooke 1941–2010

Diplomat who helped broker the Dayton Accords

Also attended: Brown University

Spouse: Kati Marton (George Washington University, Wells College)

George M. Dallas 1792–1864

11th Vice President of the United States

James Baker 1930–

Former U.S. Secretary of State and White House chief of staff

Also attended: Southern Methodist University, The University of Texas at Austin

David Petraeus 1952–

Retired Army general and fourth CIA director

Also attended: Georgetown University, The United States Military Academy at West Point

Spouse: Holly Petraeus (Dickinson College)

Ralph Nader 1934–

Consumer advocate and repeated presidential candidate

Also attended: Harvard University

Sibling: Laura Nader (Harvard University, Wells College)

George Shultz 1920–2021

Former US Secretary of State and economist

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Spouse: Charlotte Mailliard Shultz (University of Arkansas)

Pedro Pablo Kuczynski 1938–

Former President of Peru and economist

Master in Public Administration · Public administration · Class of 1961

Spouse: Nancy Lange (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Queen Noor of Jordan 1951–

Former Queen of Jordan, philanthropist and activist

Father: Najeeb Halaby (Yale University, Stanford University)

Child: Hamzah bin Al-Hussein (Harvard University)

Allen Dulles 1893–1969

First civilian and longest-serving CIA director

Also attended: George Washington University

Sibling: John Foster Dulles (George Washington University, Princeton University)

Samuel Alito 1950–

Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court

Also attended: Yale University

Kim Kyu-sik 1881–1950

Korean independence leader and provisional government official

Also attended: Roanoke College

Elena Kagan 1960–

Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

Also attended: Harvard University

Benjamin Rush 1746–1813

Founding Father, physician and Declaration of Independence signatory

Child: Richard Rush (Princeton University)

Eliot Spitzer 1959–

54th Governor of New York

Also attended: Harvard University

Spouse: Silda Wall Spitzer (Harvard University)

Jared Polis 1975–

43rd Governor of Colorado

Bachelor of Arts · Political science · Class of 1996

Mother: Susan Polis Schutz (Rider University)

Bill Bradley 1943–

Former NBA player and US senator from New Jersey

Attended until 1965

James Forrestal 1892–1949

First United States Secretary of Defense

Also attended: Dartmouth College

Child: Michael Forrestal (Harvard University, Princeton University)

Jeff Merkley 1956–

US senator from Oregon

Master in Public Administration · Class of 1982

Also attended: Stanford University

Mark A. Milley 1958–

Retired Army general, 20th Joint Chiefs chairman

Bachelor of Arts · Politics

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud 1940–2015

Former foreign minister of Saudi Arabia

Sibling: Turki bin Faisal Al Saud (Georgetown University, Princeton University)

Sibling: Mohammed bin Faisal Al Saud (Menlo College, Swarthmore College)

Oliver Ellsworth 1745–1807

Third Chief Justice of the United States

Also attended: Yale University

Child: Henry Leavitt Ellsworth (Yale University)

Child: William W. Ellsworth (Yale University)

Bill Frist 1952–

Former Senate majority leader and physician

Attended until 1974

Also attended: Harvard University, Stanford University

Sibling: Thomas F. Frist, Jr. (Washington University in St Louis, Vanderbilt University)

Henry Lee III 1756–1818

Ninth governor of Virginia

Child: Robert E. Lee (The United States Military Academy at West Point)

Child: Henry Lee IV (College of William and Mary)

Edward Livingston 1764–1836

Jurist and former U.S. Secretary of State

Sibling: Robert R. Livingston (Columbia University in the City of New York)

Mitch Daniels 1949–

Former Governor of Indiana and Purdue University president

Also attended: Georgetown University

Chung Un-chan 1947–

Former South Korean prime minister and economist

Also attended: Miami University-Oxford

Kit Bond 1939–2025

Former U.S. Senator and governor of Missouri

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1960

Also attended: University of Virginia-Main Campus

Tamon Yamaguchi 1892–1942

Japanese rear admiral killed at Midway

Paul van Zeeland 1893–1973

Former Prime Minister of Belgium and economist

Fakhruddin Ahmed 1940–

Economist, former chief adviser of Bangladesh

Also attended: Williams College

John Forsyth 1780–1841

13th US Secretary of State

Robert Smith 1757–1842

Second Secretary of the Navy and sixth Secretary of State

Frank Carlucci 1930–2018

US Secretary of Defense under Reagan

Attended until 1952

Also attended: Harvard University

Abel P. Upshur 1790–1844

Former US Secretary of State and Secretary of the Navy

Also attended: Yale University

Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein of Jordan 1975–

Jordanian prince, son of King Hussein

Spouse: Princess Rym, Princess Ali bin Al-Hussein of Jordan (Columbia University in the City of New York)

Mother: Queen Alia of Jordan (CUNY Hunter College)

William Colby 1920–1996

Former Director of Central Intelligence

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Spouse: Sally Shelton-Colby (Johns Hopkins University, University of Missouri-Columbia)

Leo Falcam 1935–2018

Former President of the Federated States of Micronesia

Attended until 1965

John Danforth 1936–

Former U.S. senator and UN ambassador

Also attended: Yale University, Washington University in St Louis

Sibling: William Henry Danforth (Harvard University, Westminster College)

Mirabeau B. Lamar 1798–1859

Second president of the Republic of Texas

Jonathan Dayton 1760–1824

Founding Father, youngest signer of the Constitution

William Paterson 1745–1806

Founding Father and Supreme Court associate justice

Charles Lee 1758–1815

U.S. Attorney General from 1795 to 1801

Sibling: Richard Bland Lee (College of William and Mary)

Sibling: Henry Lee III (Princeton University)

W. Michael Blumenthal 1926–

US Treasury Secretary under Jimmy Carter

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Marie Yovanovitch 1958–

Former US Ambassador to Ukraine

David H. McCormick 1965–

US senator from Pennsylvania, former Bridgewater CEO

Master in Public Administration · Class of 1994

Also attended: The United States Military Academy at West Point

Spouse: Dina Powell (The University of Texas at Austin)

Richard Rush 1780–1859

8th U.S. Attorney General and Treasury Secretary

Father: Benjamin Rush (Princeton University)

Raja Krishnamoorthi 1973–

U.S. representative from Illinois

Bachelor of Science · Mechanical engineering · Class of 1995

Also attended: Harvard University

Norman Thomas 1884–1968

Socialist and six-time Socialist Party presidential candidate

Also attended: Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York

Claiborne Pell 1918–2009

Rhode Island senator, namesake of the Pell Grant

Attended until 1940

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Father: Herbert Pell (Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York)

Terri Sewell 1965–

U.S. representative for Alabama

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1986

Also attended: Harvard University

George W. Campbell 1769–1848

5th US Secretary of the Treasury

Paul Sarbanes 1933–2020

U.S. Senator from Maryland from 1977 to 2007

Attended until 1954

Also attended: Harvard University

Child: John Sarbanes (Harvard University, Princeton University)

Walden Bello 1945–

Filipino academic and former congressman

Doctorate · Class of 1975

William Bradford 1755–1795

Second United States Attorney General

Lisa P. Jackson 1962–

Former EPA administrator

Master of Science · Chemical engineering · Class of 1986

Also attended: Tulane University of Louisiana

Michael Oren 1955–

Former Israeli ambassador to the US, historian

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Anthony Lake 1939–

17th US National Security Advisor, former UNICEF head

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1974

Also attended: Harvard University

Larry Kudlow 1947–

Financial commentator and former National Economic Council director

Also attended: University of Rochester

Luo Jialun 1897–1969

Educator, diplomat and May Fourth Movement leader

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Denny Chin 1954–

US circuit judge, Second Circuit

Also attended: Fordham University

Bob Ehrlich 1957–

60th Governor of Maryland

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1979

Also attended: Wake Forest University

Spouse: Kendel Ehrlich (University of Delaware, University of Baltimore)

Hady Amr 1967–

Diplomat and former special representative for Palestinian affairs

Also attended: Tufts University

Jeff Bezos 1964–

Founder of Amazon

Bachelor of Science · Computer science, Electrical engineering · Class of 1986

Also attended: Harvard University

Spouse: MacKenzie Scott (Princeton University)

Spouse: Lauren Sánchez (El Camino Community College District)

Eric Schmidt 1955–

Former CEO of Google

Bachelor's degree · Electrical engineering · Class of 1976

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Spouse: Wendy Schmidt (University of California-Berkeley, Smith College)

Meg Whitman 1956–

Business executive and former US ambassador to Kenya

Bachelor of Science · Economics · Class of 1977

Also attended: Harvard University

Lee Iacocca 1924–2019

Developed Ford Mustang, revived Chrysler as CEO

Also attended: Lehigh University

MacKenzie Scott 1970–

Philanthropist, novelist and early Amazon contributor

Spouse: Jeff Bezos (Harvard University, Princeton University)

Jerome Powell 1953–

Former chair of the Federal Reserve

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1975

Also attended: Georgetown University

Michael Porter 1947–

Harvard Business School professor and consulting firm co-founder

Also attended: Harvard University

Dario Amodei 1983–

CEO and co-founder of Anthropic

Sibling: Daniela Amodei (University of California-Santa Cruz)

Paul Volcker 1927–2019

12th chairman of the Federal Reserve

Also attended: Harvard University

John C. Bogle 1929–2019

Founder of Vanguard Group, index fund pioneer

Also attended: University of Pennsylvania

Malcolm Forbes 1919–1990

Publisher of Forbes magazine

Child: Christopher Forbes (Princeton University)

Child: Steve Forbes (Princeton University)

Steve Forbes 1947–

Chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes

Father: Malcolm Forbes (Princeton University)

Child: Moira Forbes (Harvard University, Princeton University)

Stockton Rush 1962–2023

Co-founder and CEO of OceanGate

Bachelor of Science in Engineering · Aerospace engineering · Class of 1984

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Lauren Bush Lauren 1984–

CEO and co-founder of FEED Projects, former model

Spouse: David Lauren (Duke University)

Father: Neil Bush (Tulane University of Louisiana)

Arthur D. Levinson 1950–

Calico CEO and Apple director

Doctor of Philosophy · Biochemistry · Class of 1977

Also attended: University of California-San Francisco, University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Carl Icahn 1936–

Investor, founder of Icahn Enterprises

Philosophy

Also attended: New York University

Tim Ferriss 1977–

Entrepreneur, investor and author of The 4-Hour Workweek

Andrea Jung 1959–

Former Avon CEO and president of Grameen America

Lachlan Murdoch 1971–

Businessman and son of Rupert Murdoch

Mother: Anna Murdoch Mann (New York University)

Sibling: Elisabeth Murdoch (Vassar College)

Ivy Lee 1877–1934

Founder of modern public relations

John D. Rockefeller III 1906–1978

Philanthropist, eldest son of John D. Rockefeller Jr

Spouse: Blanchette Ferry Rockefeller (Vassar College)

Father: John D. Rockefeller Jr. (Brown University)

Laurance Rockefeller 1910–2004

Businessman, financier, philanthropist and conservationist

Also attended: Harvard University

Spouse: Mary French Rockefeller (Vassar College)

Father: John D. Rockefeller Jr. (Brown University)

Ellen Pao 1970–

Businesswoman and former CEO of Reddit

Also attended: Harvard University

Spouse: Buddy Fletcher (Yale University, Harvard University)

Zhu Min 1952–

Economist, former IMF deputy managing director

Also attended: Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University

Wu Ying Sheung Gordon 1935–

Hong Kong businessman, chairman of Hopewell Holdings

William Fung 1949–

Hong Kong businessman, Li & Fung group managing director

Also attended: Harvard University

Sibling: Victor Fung (Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

William Clay Ford 1957–

Executive chair of Ford Motor Company

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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

Mother: Martha Firestone Ford (Vassar College)

Alan Turing 1912–1954

Mathematician and father of theoretical computer science

Attended until 1938

Richard Feynman 1918–1988

Theoretical physicist, 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics co-winner

Doctorate · Class of 1942

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Sibling: Joan Feynman (Columbia University in the City of New York, Syracuse University)

Dani Rodrik 1957–

Turkish economist, professor at Harvard Kennedy School

Also attended: Harvard University

John Forbes Nash 1928–2015

Mathematician known for game theory

Doctor · Class of 1950

Also attended: Carnegie Mellon University, Bluefield University

Spouse: Alicia Nash (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Steven Weinberg 1933–2021

Theoretical physicist, standard model developer

Physics · Attended until 1957

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

Spouse: Louise Weinberg (Harvard University, Cornell University)

John Bardeen 1908–1991

Physicist, two-time Nobel Prize in Physics winner

Doctor of Philosophy · Physics · Class of 1936

Also attended: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Father: Charles Russell Bardeen (Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University)

Child: William A. Bardeen (University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Cornell University)

Edward Said 1935–2003

Palestinian-American academic and literary critic

Also attended: Harvard University

Spouse: Mariam C. Said (Columbia University in the City of New York)

Child: Najla Said (Princeton University)

Arthur Holly Compton 1892–1962

Physicist, 1927 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate

Also attended: University of Chicago, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Bluffton University

Sibling: Karl Taylor Compton (Princeton University, College of Wooster)

John Rawls 1921–2002

Political philosopher

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1950

Clinton Davisson 1881–1958

Physicist, 1937 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate

Doctor of Philosophy

Also attended: University of Chicago

Frances Arnold 1956–

Nobel laureate chemical engineer, Caltech professor

Attended until 1979

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Father: William Howard Arnold (Princeton University, Cornell University)

Yoichiro Nambu 1921–2015

Japanese-American physicist, originator of spontaneous symmetry breaking theory

Frank Wilczek 1951–

Theoretical physicist, 2004 Nobel laureate in Physics

Also attended: University of Chicago

Spouse: Betsy Devine (Princeton University)

Willard Libby 1908–1980

Chemist who developed radiocarbon dating

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Spouse: Leona Woods (University of Chicago)

Robert Hofstadter 1915–1990

Physicist, 1961 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate

Also attended: CUNY--City College

Child: Douglas Hofstadter (University of Oregon, Stanford University)

Kip S. Thorne 1940–

Astrophysicist, 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate

Doctor · Class of 1965

Also attended: California Institute of Technology

Gary S. Becker 1930–2014

Economist, 1992 Nobel Memorial Prize winner

Also attended: University of Chicago

John McCarthy 1927–2011

Founder of the field of artificial intelligence

Doctor of Philosophy · Mathematics · Class of 1951

Also attended: California Institute of Technology

Marvin Minsky 1927–2016

AI pioneer and MIT professor

Doctor of Philosophy · Mathematics · Class of 1954

Also attended: Harvard University

Jim Peebles 1935–

Cosmologist and Nobel laureate in Physics

Edwin McMillan 1907–1991

Physicist, 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry co-winner

Also attended: California Institute of Technology

Robert Nozick 1938–2002

Political philosopher and Harvard professor

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Richard Smalley 1943–2005

Chemist, 1996 Nobel laureate, buckyball co-discoverer

Doctor of Philosophy · Organic chemistry · Class of 1973

Also attended: University of Chicago, Hope College, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Pete Conrad 1930–1999

Apollo 12 commander, third person on the Moon

Bachelor of Science · Aerospace engineering · Class of 1953

Edward Witten 1951–

Theoretical physicist known for string theory

Physics · Attended until 1976

Also attended: Brandeis University, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Father: Louis Witten (Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Child: Daniela Witten (Stanford University)

Mary E. Brunkow 1961–

Molecular biologist and Nobel Prize laureate

Doctor of Philosophy · Molecular biology · Class of 1991

Also attended: University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Terence Tao 1975–

Mathematician and 2006 Fields Medal winner

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1996

Also attended: Johns Hopkins University

Alonzo Church 1903–1995

Mathematician known for lambda calculus

Attended until 1927

Also attended: Harvard University

Harlow Shapley 1885–1972

Astronomer and head of Harvard College Observatory

Attended until 1913

Also attended: University of Missouri-Columbia

Spouse: Martha Betz Shapley (University of Missouri-Columbia, Bryn Mawr College)

Child: Mildred Shapley Matthews (University of Michigan-Ann Arbor)

Lloyd Shapley 1923–2016

Nobel-winning economist and mathematician

Doctor of Philosophy · Mathematics · Class of 1953

Also attended: Harvard University

Father: Harlow Shapley (University of Missouri-Columbia, Princeton University)

Mother: Martha Betz Shapley (University of Missouri-Columbia, Bryn Mawr College)

Edward C. Prescott 1940–2022

Economist; 2004 Nobel economics laureate

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Case Western Reserve University, Carnegie Mellon University

Oliver Hart 1948–

Harvard economist, 2016 Nobel laureate in Economics

Eugene Merle Shoemaker 1928–1997

Geologist, co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9

Doctor of Philosophy · Geology · Class of 1960

Also attended: California Institute of Technology

Spouse: Carolyn S. Shoemaker (California State University-Chico)

Henry Norris Russell 1877–1957

Astronomer who co-developed the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram

Michael Spence 1943–

Nobel laureate economist

Bachelor of Arts · Philosophy · Class of 1966

Also attended: Harvard University

Michael E. Brown 1965–

Caltech planetary astronomer, discoverer of Eris

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

James Heckman 1944–

Economist and Nobel laureate at University of Chicago

Doctor of Philosophy · Economics · Class of 1971

Also attended: Colorado College

Brian Kernighan 1942–

Computer scientist who helped develop Unix

Doctor of Philosophy · Electrical engineering · Class of 1969

David Card 1956–

Labour economist; 2021 Nobel economics laureate

Doctor of Philosophy · Economics

John Milnor 1931–

Mathematician, Fields Medal and Abel Prize winner

Attended until 1954

Joshua Angrist 1960–

MIT economist, 2021 Nobel laureate in Economics

Doctor of Philosophy · Economics

Also attended: Oberlin College

Manjul Bhargava 1974–

Mathematician, professor at Princeton University

Also attended: Harvard University

Norman Finkelstein 1953–

Political scientist and activist on Holocaust politics and Israel-Palestine

Also attended: Binghamton University

Bob Kahn 1938–

Internet pioneer who co-proposed TCP and IP

Master's degree, Doctorate · Class of 1964

Also attended: CUNY--City College

Martin Seligman 1942–

Psychologist and promoter of positive psychology

Also attended: University of Pennsylvania

Michael Freedman 1951–

Mathematician, 1986 Fields Medal winner

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Father: Benedict Freedman (University of California-Los Angeles, Columbia University in the City of New York)

Jacob Bekenstein 1947–2015

Theoretical physicist, pioneer of black hole thermodynamics

Also attended: New York University

Charles Fefferman 1949–

Mathematician and professor at Princeton University

Dana Scott 1932–

Logician, 1976 ACM Turing Award winner

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1958

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Robert J. Van de Graaff 1901–1967

Physicist who developed the Van de Graaff generator

Also attended: The University of Alabama

John George Kemeny 1926–1992

Co-developer of BASIC and Dartmouth College president

Doctorate · Class of 1949

Lyman Spitzer 1914–1997

Theoretical physicist and astronomer

Attended until 1938

Also attended: Yale University

Jerry Fodor 1935–2017

Philosopher of mind and cognitive science

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Dennis Sullivan 1941–

Mathematician known for algebraic and geometric topology

Doctor of Philosophy

Also attended: Rice University

Henry Fairfield Osborn 1857–1935

Paleontologist and geologist

Child: Henry Fairfield Osborn, Jr. (Princeton University)

Akshay Venkatesh 1981–

Number theorist, professor at the Institute for Advanced Study

Hugh Everett III 1930–1982

Physicist who proposed the relative state interpretation

Also attended: Catholic University of America

Allen Newell 1927–1992

Cognitive scientist and AI pioneer at Carnegie Mellon

Also attended: Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University

Fei-Fei Li 1976–

Stanford computer scientist who created ImageNet

Bachelor's degree · Physics · Class of 1999

Also attended: California Institute of Technology

Spouse: Silvio Savarese (California Institute of Technology)

Alfred Aho 1941–

Canadian computer scientist known for compilers

Gita Gopinath 1971–

Economist and Harvard professor

Doctor of Philosophy

Also attended: University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Joseph Nye 1937–2025

American political scientist and historian

Bachelor of Arts · Historiography

Also attended: Harvard University

Stephen Cole Kleene 1909–1994

Logician and a founder of recursion theory

Doctorate · Mathematics · Class of 1934

Also attended: Amherst College

John Tate 1925–2019

Mathematician known for algebraic number theory

Attended until 1950

Also attended: Harvard University

Father: John Torrence Tate, Sr. (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

Avi Wigderson 1956–

Israeli mathematician at Institute for Advanced Study

John Tukey 1915–2000

Mathematician and statistician, developed the FFT

Attended until 1939

Also attended: Brown University

Cornel West 1953–

Philosopher, theologian, activist and public intellectual

Master of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1980

Also attended: Harvard University

Alan Sokal 1955–

Physicist and mathematician

Also attended: Harvard University

Michael O. Rabin 1931–2026

Computer scientist and 1976 Turing Award co-recipient

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1956

Raymond Smullyan 1919–2017

Mathematician, logician, magician and pianist

Attended until 1959

Also attended: University of the Pacific, University of Chicago, Reed College

Richard Chace Tolman 1881–1948

Mathematical physicist and Caltech professor

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Spouse: Ruth Sherman Tolman (University of California-Los Angeles)

Sibling: Edward C. Tolman (Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Greg Mankiw 1958–

Harvard economics professor and macroeconomist

Also attended: Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

John Tuzo Wilson 1908–1993

Canadian geophysicist known for plate tectonics contributions

Gerald Carr 1932–2020

NASA astronaut, commander of Skylab 4

Master of Science · Aeronautical engineering · Class of 1962

Also attended: Naval Postgraduate School, University of Southern California

Robert H. Dicke 1916–1997

Astronomer and physicist, Princeton professor

Also attended: University of Rochester

Margaret Geller 1947–

Astrophysicist who mapped the nearby universe

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1974

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Richard E. Stearns 1936–2026

Computer scientist, 1993 ACM Turing Award winner

Doctor of Philosophy · Mathematics · Class of 1961

Also attended: Carleton College

Richard E. Bellman 1920–1984

Applied mathematician who introduced dynamic programming

Attended until 1946

Also attended: Johns Hopkins University, CUNY Brooklyn College, CUNY--City College

Juan Martín Maldacena 1968–

Theoretical physicist at the Institute for Advanced Study

Doctorate · Class of 1996

Jeffrey David Ullman 1942–

Computer scientist and Stanford professor emeritus

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Michael Artin 1934–

Mathematician and MIT professor emeritus

Attended until 1955

Also attended: Harvard University

Child: Wendy Artin (Tufts University, University of Pennsylvania)

Hal Abelson 1947–

MIT computer science professor and SICP co-author

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Wendy Brown 1955–

Political theorist at Institute for Advanced Study

Master of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy · Politics · Class of 1983

Also attended: University of California-Santa Cruz

James Mark Baldwin 1861–1934

Philosopher and psychologist

Richard S. Hamilton 1943–2024

Mathematician who developed the theory of Ricci flow

Also attended: Yale University

Serge Lang 1927–2005

Yale mathematician and author of Algebra

Attended until 1951

Also attended: California Institute of Technology

Harold Scott MacDonald Coxeter 1907–2003

British-Canadian geometer and mathematician

Attended until 1933

Heinz Hopf 1894–1971

German mathematician and topologist

Attended until 1928

Wilder Penfield 1891–1976

Neurosurgeon who mapped brain cortex functions

Literature · Attended until 1913

Also attended: Johns Hopkins University

Sunetra Gupta 1965–

Oxford epidemiologist and novelist

Harry Hammond Hess 1906–1969

Geologist, a founding father of plate tectonics

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1932

Also attended: Yale University

Hillel Furstenberg 1935–

Mathematician, Abel Prize and Wolf Prize laureate

Also attended: Yeshiva University

James C. Adamson 1946–

Former NASA astronaut and retired Army colonel

Also attended: The United States Military Academy at West Point

Michael H. Hart 1932–

Astrophysicist, author of The 100

Doctor of Philosophy · Astronomy · Class of 1972

Also attended: Adelphi University, Cornell University, New York University

Walter Alvarez 1940–

Geologist who co-developed the asteroid dinosaur extinction theory

Also attended: Carleton College

Father: Luis Walter Alvarez (University of Chicago)

Kenneth Bainbridge 1904–1996

Harvard physicist who worked on cyclotron research

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Eric Lander 1957–

Geneticist and former presidential science advisor

Frederick Seitz 1911–2008

Physicist and 4th president of Rockefeller University

Also attended: Stanford University

María Teresa Ruiz 1946–

Chilean astronomer who discovered brown dwarf Kelu-1

Doctorate · Astrophysics · Class of 1973

Deborah S. Jin 1968–2016

Physicist, pioneer in polar molecule quantum chemistry

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1990

Also attended: University of Chicago

Theodore Roszak 1933–2011

Social historian, author of The Making of a Counter Culture

Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles

James Burnham 1905–1987

Philosopher and political theorist

Nambi Narayanan 1941–

Indian aerospace scientist at ISRO

Yu Deng 1989–

Mathematician and professor at University of Chicago

Doctorate · Class of 2015

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Nieng Yan 1977–

Structural biologist and professor at Tsinghua University

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 2007

Anthony Zee 1945–

Physicist and professor at UC Santa Barbara

Also attended: Harvard University

Yum-Tong Siu 1943–

Mathematician and Harvard professor

Also attended: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Jackie Y. Ying 1966–

Nanotechnology scientist, founding director of Singapore's IBN

Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Arts · Class of 1991

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

Horng-Tzer Yau 1959–

Mathematician and Harvard professor of mathematics

Chung Kai-lai 1917–2009

Chinese-American mathematician in probability theory

Zhiwei Yun 1982–

Mathematics professor at MIT

Xiao-Gang Wen 1961–

Condensed matter physicist, MIT professor

Chenyang Xu 1981–

Algebraic geometer, professor at Princeton University

Phillip Griffiths 1938–

Mathematician known for work in algebraic geometry

Also attended: Wake Forest University

John O. Dabiri 1980–

Caltech professor of aeronautics and bioengineering

Also attended: California Institute of Technology

Malcolm Kerr 1931–1984

Middle East scholar and president of American University of Beirut

Also attended: Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University

Father: Stanley Kerr (University of Pennsylvania)

Child: Steve Kerr (University of Arizona)

Larry Sabato 1952–

Political scientist at University of Virginia

Also attended: University of Virginia-Main Campus

F. Scott Fitzgerald 1896–1940

Novelist of the Jazz Age

Attended until 1917

Child: Frances Scott Fitzgerald (Vassar College)

Eugene O'Neill 1888–1953

American playwright

Also attended: Harvard University

Mother: Ella O'Neill (Saint Mary's College)

Child: Eugene O'Neill, Jr. (Yale University)

James Stewart 1908–1997

Actor who appeared in 80 films

Architecture · Attended until 1932

David Duchovny 1960–

Actor known for The X-Files

Attended until 1982

Also attended: Yale University

Spouse: Téa Leoni (Sarah Lawrence College)

Brooke Shields 1965–

Actress and model, star of Pretty Baby

Spouse: Chris Henchy (University of New Mexico-Main Campus)

Father: Francis Alexander Shields (University of Pennsylvania)

Maria Ressa 1963–

Nobel Peace laureate, co-founder of Rappler

Wentworth Miller 1972–

Actor known for playing Michael Scofield in Prison Break

Thornton Wilder 1897–1975

Playwright and novelist, three-time Pulitzer winner

Also attended: Yale University, Oberlin College

Sibling: Amos Wilder (Yale University, Oberlin College)

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

José Ferrer 1912–1992

Puerto Rican actor and director of stage and film

Spouse: Uta Hagen (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Robert Venturi 1925–2018

Architect, founding principal of Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates

Licentiate · Architecture

Spouse: Denise Scott Brown (University of Pennsylvania)

Mel Ferrer 1917–2008

Actor, director and producer

Jonathan Safran Foer 1977–

Novelist, author of Everything Is Illuminated

Spouse: Nicole Krauss (Stanford University)

Sibling: Joshua Foer (Yale University)

Dean Cain 1966–

Actor who played Superman in Lois & Clark

Ellie Kemper 1980–

Actress known for The Office

Henry van Dyke 1852–1933

Author, educator, diplomat and clergyman

Also attended: Princeton Theological Seminary

Frank Stella 1936–2024

Painter, sculptor and printmaker known for minimalism

Spouse: Barbara Rose (Smith College, Barnard College)

Benny Carter 1907–2003

Jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader

Also attended: Harvard University

Jodi Picoult 1966–

Novelist who has published 30 novels

Also attended: Harvard University

Lex Barker 1919–1973

Film and television actor

Spouse: Arlene Dahl (University of Minnesota-Twin Cities)

Booth Tarkington 1869–1946

Novelist, two-time Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner

Also attended: Purdue University-Main Campus

Michael Lewis 1960–

Author and financial journalist

Bachelor of Arts · Art history

Spouse: Tabitha Soren (New York University)

Spouse: Kate Bohner (Columbia University in the City of New York, University of Pennsylvania)

Peter Maxwell Davies 1934–2016

English composer and conductor, Master of the Queen's Music

Attended until 1964

Milton Babbitt 1916–2011

Composer and music theorist, Pulitzer Prize recipient

Music · Attended until 1942

Also attended: New York University, University of Pennsylvania

Joshua Logan 1908–1988

Broadway director, co-writer of South Pacific

Spouse: Barbara O'Neil (Yale University)

John Stossel 1947–

Libertarian TV presenter and consumer journalist

Edmund Wilson 1895–1972

Writer, literary critic and journalist

Attended until 1916

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Spouse: Mary McCarthy (Vassar College)

Father: Edmund Wilson, Sr. (Princeton University, Columbia University in the City of New York)

José Donoso 1924–1996

Chilean writer and journalist

W. S. Merwin 1927–2019

Poet and translator

Jim Lee 1964–

Comic artist, president and publisher of DC Comics

Also attended: Washington University in St Louis

Mark Feuerstein 1971–

Actor in Caroline in the City

Wayne Rogers 1933–2015

Actor known for M*A*S*H and House Calls

Also attended: Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater

Jorge Edwards 1931–2023

Chilean novelist, journalist and diplomat

Postgraduate education · Political science

Klaus Rifbjerg 1931–2015

Danish writer and poet

Attended until 1951

Mohsin Hamid 1971–

Pakistani novelist and writer

Also attended: Harvard University

Bosley Crowther 1905–1981

Film critic for The New York Times

Craig Mazin 1971–

Creator of HBO's Chernobyl, screenwriter and producer

Peter Safran 1965–

Film producer and former DC Studios co-CEO

Also attended: New York University

John Norman 1931–

Philosophy professor, author of the Gor novels

Also attended: University of Southern California, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Rossif Sutherland 1978–

Canadian actor

Errol Morris 1948–

Documentary filmmaker, Oscar winner for The Fog of War

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley, San Francisco Art Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Child: Hamilton Morris (Wesleyan University, University of Chicago)

Edward Platt 1916–1974

Actor, played the Chief in Get Smart

Also attended: The Juilliard School

Nicholas Hammond 1950–

Actor in The Sound of Music and Spider-Man series

Graham Phillips 1993–

Actor and director, known for The Good Wife

David E. Kelley 1956–

Television producer and writer

Also attended: Boston University

Spouse: Michelle Pfeiffer (Golden West College)

Bo Goldman 1932–2023

Screenwriter and two-time Academy Award winner

George Will 1941–

Conservative columnist for The Washington Post

Also attended: Trinity College, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Spouse: Mari Maseng (University of Pennsylvania, University of South Carolina-Columbia)

Susan Cain 1968–

Author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts

Also attended: Harvard University

Douglas McGrath 1958–2022

Screenwriter, film director and actor

Samuel Page 1976–

Actor in Mad Men and House of Cards

Judith Miller 1948–

Journalist, formerly of The New York Times

Also attended: Barnard College, Columbia University in the City of New York, Ohio State University-Main Campus

Spouse: Jason Epstein (Columbia University in the City of New York)

Molly Ephraim 1986–

Actress known for Last Man Standing

Dick Foran 1910–1979

Actor and singer known for Western musicals

Sibling: Walter E. Foran (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Philip Freneau 1752–1832

Poet and newspaper editor, Poet of the American Revolution

Jac Schaeffer 1978–

Screenwriter and creator of WandaVision

Bachelor of Arts · English

Also attended: University of Southern California

Matt Salinger 1960–

Actor in Revenge of the Nerds and Captain America

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Father: J. D. Salinger (Columbia University in the City of New York)

Cathy Yan 1983–

Director of Dead Pigs and Birds of Prey

Also attended: New York University

Howard Gordon 1961–

TV writer and producer of 24 and Homeland

William Hootkins 1948–2005

Actor in Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark

Josh Zuckerman 1985–

Actor in Desperate Housewives and Kyle XY

Lowell Thomas 1892–1981

Journalist, broadcaster and documentary filmmaker

Master's degree · Class of 1916

Also attended: University of Denver, Valparaiso University

Child: Lowell Thomas Jr. (Dartmouth College)

Parker Stevenson 1952–

Actor known for The Hardy Boys and Baywatch

Spouse: Kirstie Alley (Kansas State University)

Philip Wylie 1902–1971

Writer of science fiction and mysteries

Child: Karen Pryor (Cornell University)

David Remnick 1958–

New Yorker editor and Pulitzer Prize winner

Robert Wright 1957–

Journalist and author of The Moral Animal

Also attended: Texas Christian University

Jennifer Weiner 1970–

Writer, television producer and journalist

Phillips Holmes 1907–1942

Film and stage actor

Ring Lardner Jr. 1915–2000

Screenwriter and novelist

Spouse: Frances Chaney (CUNY Hunter College)

Jon Spaihts 1970–

Screenwriter who co-wrote the Dune films

Caroline Shaw 1982–

Composer, violinist and singer

Also attended: Yale University, Rice University

Douglas Rushkoff 1961–

American media theorist and writer

Also attended: California Institute of the Arts

Laura Breckenridge 1983–

Actress

C. Y. Lee 1938–

Taiwanese architect who designed Taipei 101

Master of Architecture

Lin King 1993–

Taiwanese American writer and translator

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Galway Kinnell 1927–2014

American poet and university teacher

Also attended: University of Rochester

Maggie Sajak 1995–

Country singer, daughter of Pat Sajak

Father: Pat Sajak (Columbia College Chicago)

Robert Garrett 1875–1961

First modern Olympic champion in discus and shot put

Sibling: John W. Garrett (Princeton University)

Chloe Kim 2000–

Snowboarder and two-time Olympic gold medalist

Frank Jarvis 1878–1933

1900 Olympic 100 m champion sprinter

Jesse Marsch 1973–

Soccer coach of the Canada men's national team

Bob Bradley 1958–

Soccer coach who managed Chicago Fire

Also attended: Ohio State University-Main Campus

Sibling: Scott Bradley (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Francis Lane 1874–1927

Sprinter at the 1896 Summer Olympics

David Blatt 1959–

Israeli-American basketball coach and executive

Diana Matheson 1984–

Canadian women's soccer player, 2012 Olympic bronze medalist

Albert Tyler 1872–1945

Pole vaulter, 1896 Olympic silver medalist

Joey Cheek 1979–

Speed skater, 2006 Olympic gold medalist

Shikha Uberoi 1983–

Indian-American tennis player, former Indian No. 1

Sibling: Neha Uberoi (Princeton University)

William Stevenson 1900–1985

Olympic relay champion and Oberlin College president

Child: Helen Stevenson Meyner (Colorado College)

Fred Alexander 1880–1969

Tennis player, 1908 Australasian Championships singles winner

Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum 1969–

Show jumping equestrian

Moe Berg 1902–1972

Baseball catcher who served as a WWII spy

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Caroline Lind 1982–

Rower and two-time Olympic gold medalist

Maia Weintraub 2002–

Foil fencer, 2022 NCAA champion

Ashleigh Johnson 1994–

Water polo goalkeeper who competed for Princeton

Lynn Jennings 1960–

Retired American long-distance runner

John Van Ryn 1905–1999

1930s tennis champion and doubles specialist

Maya Lawrence 1980–

Fencer, 2012 Olympic team épée bronze medalist

Also attended: Teachers College at Columbia University

Sondre Guttormsen 1999–

Norwegian pole vaulter

Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles

Sibling: Simen Guttormsen (Princeton University, Duke University)

Jed Graef 1942–

Swimmer, 1964 Olympic 200m backstroke gold medalist

Nelson Diebel 1970–

Olympic champion swimmer and former world record-holder

Jason Garrett 1966–

Former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys

Thích Nhất Hạnh 1926–2022

Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist

James Curtis Hepburn 1815–1911

Missionary and physician behind Hepburn romanization

Also attended: University of Pennsylvania

Ali Reza Pahlavi 1966–2011

Son of Iran's last Shah

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

Sibling: Leila Pahlavi (Brown University)

Sibling: Reza Pahlavi (University of Southern California, Williams College)

Paul Percy Harris 1868–1947

Lawyer who founded Rotary International

Also attended: University of Iowa, University of Vermont

Edoardo Agnelli 1954–2000

Son of Fiat patriarch Gianni Agnelli

George Leslie Mackay 1844–1901

Canadian missionary, first Presbyterian missionary in northern Taiwan