Notable Alumni of Cornell University

Ruth Bader Ginsburg 1933–2020

Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

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

Spouse: Martin D. Ginsburg (Harvard University, Cornell University)

Child: Jane C. Ginsburg (University of Chicago, Harvard University)

Václav Klaus 1941–

Former President of the Czech Republic, 2003–2013

Gabby Giffords 1970–

Former U.S. Representative and gun control activist

Attended until 1996

Also attended: Scripps College

Spouse: Mark Kelly (Naval Postgraduate School, United States Merchant Marine Academy)

Paul Wolfowitz 1943–

10th World Bank President, former Deputy Defense Secretary

Also attended: University of Chicago

Father: Jacob Wolfowitz (New York University)

Edmund Muskie 1914–1996

58th United States Secretary of State

Also attended: Bates College

Janet Reno 1938–2016

First female US Attorney General

Also attended: Harvard University

Bajrakitiyabha, Princess Rajasarinisiribajra 1978–2026

Thai princess, daughter of King Vajiralongkorn

Master of Laws, Doctor of Juridical Science · Class of 2005

Henry Morgenthau Jr. 1891–1967

US Treasury Secretary under Franklin D. Roosevelt

Spouse: Elinor Morgenthau (Vassar College)

Father: Henry Morgenthau (Columbia University in the City of New York, CUNY--City College)

William P. Rogers 1913–2001

US Secretary of State and Attorney General

Also attended: Colgate University

Jamshid Amouzegar 1923–2016

Former prime minister of Iran

George Friedman 1949–

Geopolitical analyst and author

Also attended: CUNY--City College

Elissa Slotkin 1976–

US senator from Michigan

Bachelor of Arts · Rural sociology · Class of 1998

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Mark Kirk 1959–

Former U.S. senator from Illinois

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1981

Also attended: Georgetown University, Blackburn College

Mario García Menocal 1866–1941

3rd President of Cuba

Choi Sang-mok 1960–

Former acting President of South Korea

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1996

Jim Bridenstine 1975–

13th NASA administrator and former congressman

Master of Business Administration · Class of 2009

Also attended: Rice University

José Serra 1942–

Brazilian politician and former Governor of São Paulo

Sharice Davids 1980–

US Representative from Kansas

Juris Doctor

Also attended: Johnson County Community College, University of Missouri--Kansas City

Katherine Clark 1963–

U.S. Representative and House minority whip

Also attended: Harvard University, St. Lawrence University

Lee Ju-ho 1961–

Economist, acting president of South Korea in 2025

Doctor of Philosophy

Alan Keyes 1950–

Republican politician, sought presidential nomination three times

Also attended: Harvard University

Edward Mandell House 1858–1938

Diplomat and adviser to President Woodrow Wilson

Joseph B. Foraker 1846–1917

Governor of Ohio and U.S. senator

Also attended: Ohio Wesleyan University

Ernst Albrecht 1930–2014

German CDU politician and former European civil servant

Florence Kelley 1859–1932

Social reformer for minimum wage and eight-hour days

Also attended: Northwestern University

Stephen Hadley 1947–

20th United States National Security Advisor

Also attended: Yale University

Samuel Bodman 1938–2018

11th US Secretary of Energy

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Chuck Robb 1939–

Former Virginia governor and US senator

Also attended: University of Virginia-Main Campus, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Spouse: Lynda Bird Johnson Robb (The University of Texas at Austin, Norwich University)

Sandy Berger 1945–2015

18th US National Security Advisor under Clinton

Also attended: Harvard University

Simon Chang 1954–

Mayor of Taoyuan and former Taiwan premier

Doctorate · Class of 1981

Also attended: Stanford University

Kenneth Nichols 1907–2000

Army major general, Manhattan Project engineer

Also attended: University of Iowa

Melanie Stansbury 1979–

U.S. Representative from New Mexico

Master of Science · Class of 2007

Also attended: Saint Mary's College of California

Kurt Schrader 1951–

U.S. Representative from Oregon and veterinarian

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1973

Also attended: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Bob Filner 1942–2025

Former U.S. representative from California

Bachelor of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1973

Also attended: University of Delaware

Goodwin Knight 1896–1970

31st Governor of California

Also attended: Stanford University

L. M. Shaw 1848–1932

17th Governor of Iowa

Also attended: Cornell College

David S. Cohen 1963–

Lawyer and deputy director of the CIA

Also attended: Yale University

Song Sang-Hyun 1941–

South Korean lawyer and former ICC President

Also attended: Tulane University of Louisiana

Remi Sonaiya 1955–

Nigerian politician and 2015 presidential candidate

Leslie Voltaire 1949–

2nd chairman of Haiti's Transitional Presidential Council

James Forman 1928–2005

Civil rights leader in SNCC

African American studies · Attended until 1980

Also attended: University of Southern California, Roosevelt University

Child: James Forman, Jr. (Yale University, Brown University)

Rob Andrews 1957–

Former U.S. representative from New Jersey

Juris Doctor · Class of 1982

Also attended: Bucknell University

Huang Kuo-chang 1973–

Chairman of Taiwan People's Party and legal scholar

Doctor of Juridical Science, Master of Laws · Class of 2002

Chiu Yi 1956–

Taiwanese politician and economist

Alfred Sao-ke Sze 1877–1958

Chinese diplomat

Child: Mai-Mai Sze (Wellesley College)

Martin D. Ginsburg 1932–2010

Tax lawyer and husband of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Also attended: Harvard University

Spouse: Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York)

Child: Jane C. Ginsburg (University of Chicago, Harvard University)

Mohammed Ibn Chambas 1950–

Ghanaian diplomat and former UN special representative for West Africa

Master's degree, Doctor of Philosophy · Political science

Also attended: Case Western Reserve University

Leah Ward Sears 1955–

Former chief justice of Georgia Supreme Court

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

Luhut Binsar Panjaitan 1947–

Chair of Indonesia's National Economic Council, retired general

Also attended: George Washington University

Sibling: Nurmala Kartini Sjahrir (Boston University)

Numan Kurtulmuş 1959–

Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey

Also attended: Temple University

Ratan Tata 1937–2024

Indian industrialist, former chairman of Tata Group

Bachelor's degree · Architecture · Class of 1959

Also attended: Harvard University

Edward Bernays 1891–1995

Father of public relations and propaganda pioneer

Spouse: Doris Fleischman (Barnard College)

Child: Anne Bernays (Barnard College)

Willis Carrier 1876–1950

Inventor of modern air conditioning, founded Carrier

Chuck Feeney 1931–2023

Duty Free Shoppers co-founder and philanthropist

Attended until 1956

Paul Graham 1964–

Programmer, venture capitalist and essayist

Bachelor of Arts

Also attended: Harvard University, Rhode Island School of Design

Spouse: Jessica Livingston (Bucknell University)

Reggie Fils-Aimé 1961–

Former president of Nintendo of America

Applied economics

Thomas J. Peters 1942–

Business writer, co-author of In Search of Excellence

Master's degree, Bachelor of Science · Engineering · Class of 1966

Also attended: Stanford University

Padmasree Warrior 1960–

Technology executive, former Cisco CTO

Master's degree · Chemical engineering

Irwin M. Jacobs 1933–

Co-founder and former chairman of Qualcomm

Bachelor's degree · Electrical engineering · Class of 1956

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Child: Paul E. Jacobs (University of California-Berkeley)

Irene Rosenfeld 1953–

Former chairman and CEO of Mondelez International

Bachelor's degree, Doctor of Philosophy · Statistics, Marketing

Elmer Ambrose Sperry 1860–1930

Inventor; founder of Sperry Gyroscope Company

Attended until 1876

Mary Meeker 1959–

Founder of BOND and venture capitalist

Master of Business Administration · Finance

Also attended: DePauw University

Kate Gleason 1865–1933

Engineer, businesswoman and philanthropist

Also attended: Rochester Institute of Technology

Teddy Mayer 1935–2009

Motor racing entrepreneur in Formula One and Indy cars

Jeff Hawkins 1957–

Co-founder of Palm Computing

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Lubna Olayan 1955–

Saudi businesswoman, former CEO of Olayan Financing

Leroy Grumman 1895–1982

Co-founder of Grumman Aircraft Engineering

Wendell Brown 1961–

Entrepreneur, inventor and engineer

Kenneth Hartley Blanchard 1939–

Author of The One Minute Manager

Also attended: Colgate University

Robert F. Smith 1962–

Founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Michael Tien 1950–

Founder of G2000, former Hong Kong legislator

Also attended: Harvard University

Sibling: Tien Pei Chun James (San Jose State University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Joe De Sena 1969–

Founder and CEO of Spartan and the Death Race

Niraj Shah 1975–

Co-founder and CEO of Wayfair

Rohan Murty 1983–

Indian entrepreneur, founder of Soroco

Also attended: Harvard University

Steve Conine 1975–

Co-founder of Wayfair

Steven Weinberg 1933–2021

Theoretical physicist, standard model developer

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

Spouse: Louise Weinberg (Harvard University, Cornell University)

Abraham Maslow 1908–1970

Psychologist who created the hierarchy of needs

Also attended: CUNY--City College, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Barbara McClintock 1902–1992

Cytogeneticist and 1983 Nobel Prize winner

Doctor of Philosophy · Botany

Also attended: University of Missouri-Columbia

Isidor Isaac Rabi 1898–1988

Physicist, 1944 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Francis Fukuyama 1952–

Political scientist, author of The End of History

Also attended: Harvard University

Norbert Wiener 1894–1964

Mathematician and MIT professor, cybernetics pioneer

Attended until 1911

Also attended: Harvard University, Tufts University

Vera Rubin 1928–2016

Astronomer who pioneered galaxy rotation research

Also attended: Georgetown University, Vassar College

Child: Judith Young (Harvard University, University of Massachusetts-Amherst)

Child: Karl Rubin (Harvard University, Princeton University)

Sheldon Glashow 1932–

Theoretical physicist, 1979 Nobel laureate in Physics

Also attended: Boston University, Harvard University

David J. Thouless 1934–2019

Physicist, 2016 Nobel Prize laureate in physics

Arthur Ashkin 1922–2020

Physicist, 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1952

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Claudia Goldin 1946–

Harvard economist and Nobel prize winner

Also attended: University of Chicago, Harvard University

Spouse: Lawrence F. Katz (University of California-Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Douglas Osheroff 1945–

Physicist, 1996 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate

Also attended: California Institute of Technology

Hermann Joseph Muller 1890–1967

Geneticist, 1946 Nobel Prize laureate

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York, The University of Texas at Austin

Spouse: Jessie Marie Jacobs (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Kansas)

Child: David E. Muller (California Institute of Technology)

Jack Szostak 1952–

Biologist and Nobel Prize laureate

Doctorate · Biochemistry

George Wells Beadle 1903–1989

Geneticist, 1958 Nobel Prize laureate

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1931

Also attended: University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Robert Fogel 1926–2013

Economic historian, 1993 Nobel laureate in economics

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

William E. Moerner 1953–

Stanford chemist and Nobel Prize winner

Doctorate, Master of Science · Class of 1982

Also attended: Washington University in St Louis

Robert W. Holley 1922–1993

Biochemist, 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Doctor of Philosophy · Organic chemistry · Class of 1947

Also attended: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Eric Betzig 1960–

Physicist and professor at UC Berkeley

Also attended: California Institute of Technology

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak 1942–

Literary theorist and Columbia University professor

Also attended: University of Iowa

Robert Moog 1934–2005

Inventor of the Moog synthesizer

Also attended: Berklee College of Music, Columbia University in the City of New York, CUNY Queens College

Benedict Anderson 1936–2015

Political scientist, author of Imagined Communities

Robert F. Engle 1942–

Economist, 2003 Nobel laureate in Economics

Also attended: Williams College

Frank Drake 1930–2022

Astrophysicist and radio astronomer

Also attended: Harvard University

John Mearsheimer 1947–

Political scientist, offensive realism theorist

Doctor of Philosophy

Also attended: University of Southern California, The United States Military Academy at West Point

Joachim Frank 1940–

Cryo-EM founder and Nobel laureate in Chemistry

Thomas Nagel 1937–

Philosopher, professor emeritus at NYU

Also attended: Harvard University

Spouse: Anne Hollander (Barnard College)

Leonard Susskind 1940–

Stanford theoretical physicist

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1965

Also attended: CUNY--City College

David Starr Jordan 1851–1931

Ichthyologist and founding president of Stanford University

Master of Science · Class of 1872

Also attended: Butler University, Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis, Indiana University-Bloomington

Child: Edith Jordan Gardner (Cornell University, Stanford University)

Mildred Dresselhaus 1930–2017

MIT physicist known as Queen of Carbon Science

Also attended: University of Chicago, Harvard University, CUNY Hunter College

Richard Pipes 1923–2018

Historian of Russian and Soviet history

Also attended: Harvard University

Child: Daniel Pipes (Harvard University)

Kimberlé Crenshaw 1959–

Legal scholar of critical race theory

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

Ellen S. Baker 1953–

Physician and former NASA astronaut

Also attended: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, University at Buffalo

Thomas Midgley 1889–1944

Mechanical and chemical engineer and inventor

Mechanical engineering · Attended until 1911

Urie Bronfenbrenner 1917–2005

Psychologist known for ecological systems theory

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

Hubert Reeves 1932–2023

Canadian astrophysicist and science popularizer

Doctor of Philosophy

Thomas Gold 1920–2004

Astrophysicist and Cornell University professor

Spouse: Merle Gold (University of Chicago)

Frank Knight 1885–1972

Economist, a founder of the Chicago School

Also attended: The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Milligan University

Jill Tarter 1944–

Astronomer in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Henry Heimlich 1920–2016

Surgeon credited with inventing the Heimlich maneuver

Also attended: Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Harry Stack Sullivan 1892–1949

Neo-Freudian psychiatrist and psychoanalyst

Also attended: University of Chicago

Robert Tappan Morris 1965–

Computer scientist, creator of the Morris worm

Also attended: Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Father: Robert Morris (Harvard University)

Gerard K. O'Neill 1927–1992

Physicist and space activist, Princeton professor

Also attended: Swarthmore College

Alfred J. Lotka 1880–1949

Mathematician who proposed the predator–prey model

Master of Arts · Class of 1909

Gregory Goodwin Pincus 1903–1967

Biologist, co-inventor of the oral contraceptive pill

Also attended: Harvard University

Eric W. Weisstein 1969–

Mathematician, creator of MathWorld

Also attended: California Institute of Technology

Douglas McIlroy 1932–

Computer scientist and Dartmouth adjunct professor

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Chao Yuen Ren 1892–1982

Chinese-American linguist and musician

Also attended: Harvard University

Child: Lensey Namioka (University of California-Berkeley)

Child: Rulan Chao Pian (Harvard University)

Robert Jay Lifton 1926–2025

Psychiatrist known for his theory of thought reform

Also attended: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York Medical College

Michael H. Hart 1932–

Astrophysicist, author of The 100

Bachelor of Arts · Mathematics · Class of 1952

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

Ed Lu 1963–

Physicist and former NASA astronaut

Also attended: Stanford University

Wilson Greatbatch 1919–2011

Engineer and inventor with over 325 patents

Also attended: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, University at Buffalo

Edmund M. Clarke 1945–2020

Computer scientist who developed model checking

Doctor of Philosophy · Computer science

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

Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick 1950–2009

Scholar of queer theory

Also attended: Yale University

Bruce N. Ames 1928–2024

Biochemist and UC Berkeley professor

Bachelor of Arts · Chemistry · Class of 1950

Also attended: California Institute of Technology

Laurens Hammond 1895–1973

Inventor of the Hammond organ

Gilles Brassard 1955–

Canadian computer scientist, Université de Montréal professor

Robert S. Langer, Jr. 1948–

Biotechnologist, chemical engineer and inventor

Bachelor of Science · Chemical engineering · Class of 1970

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Edmund Gettier 1927–2021

Philosopher known for the Gettier problem

Also attended: University of Massachusetts-Amherst

J. P. Guilford 1897–1987

Psychologist known for psychometric study of intelligence

Also attended: University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Nora Stanton Blatch Barney 1883–1971

Civil engineer, architect and suffragist

Spouse: Lee de Forest (Yale University)

Mother: Harriot Eaton Stanton Blatch (Vassar College)

Alice Catherine Evans 1881–1975

Microbiologist at the US Department of Agriculture

Bachelor of Science · Bacteriology · Class of 1909

Also attended: University of Wisconsin-Madison

James L. Elliot 1943–2011

Astronomer who helped discover Uranus's rings

Also attended: Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

C. Everett Koop 1916–2013

13th US Surgeon General under Reagan

Also attended: Dartmouth College, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania

William Hardy McNeill 1917–2016

Historian, author of The Rise of the West

Also attended: University of Chicago

Child: John Robert McNeill (Duke University, Swarthmore College)

William Higinbotham 1910–1994

Physicist on the first nuclear bomb team

Louis Leon Thurstone 1887–1955

Psychologist and pioneer of psychometrics

Also attended: University of Chicago

Alan B. Krueger 1960–2019

Economist and Princeton professor

Also attended: Harvard University

Margaret Floy Washburn 1871–1939

Psychologist known for animal behavior research

Doctor of Philosophy

Also attended: Vassar College

G. David Low 1956–2008

NASA astronaut and aerospace executive

Also attended: Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, Washington and Lee University

Father: George Low (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)

Peter Goldreich 1939–

Astrophysicist and Caltech professor

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1967

Robert Atkins 1930–2003

Cardiologist known for the Atkins Diet

Also attended: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Marcia Neugebauer 1932–

Geophysicist, pioneer of direct solar wind measurements

Also attended: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Spouse: Gerald Neugebauer (California Institute of Technology, Cornell University)

Karl Patterson Schmidt 1890–1957

American herpetologist

Also attended: Lake Forest College

M. Carey Thomas 1857–1935

Second president of Bryn Mawr College

Attended until 1877

Also attended: Johns Hopkins University

Robert Marshak 1916–1992

Physicist and eighth president of City College of New York

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Theobald Smith 1859–1934

Pioneering epidemiologist and bacteriologist

Also attended: Albany Medical College

Alan Lightman 1948–

Physicist, novelist and MIT professor

Also attended: California Institute of Technology, Princeton University

Frank Rosenblatt 1928–1971

Psychologist and pioneer of artificial neural networks

Maria Van Kerkhove 1977–

Infectious disease epidemiologist at the WHO

Bachelor of Science · Biology · Class of 1999

Also attended: Stanford University

William Bates 1860–1931

Ophthalmologist who developed the Bates method

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Daniel T. Barry 1953–

Retired NASA astronaut and engineer

Also attended: University of Miami, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Princeton University

Ida Rhodes 1900–1986

Mathematician and early computer development pioneer

Attended until 1923

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Anna Botsford Comstock 1854–1930

First female professor at Cornell, nature study author

Bachelor of Science · Class of 1885

Spouse: John Henry Comstock (Yale University, Cornell University)

Frank Fetter 1863–1949

Economist of the Austrian School

Jennifer Tour Chayes 1956–

Computer scientist, dean at UC Berkeley

Also attended: Wesleyan University, Harvard University, Princeton University

T. Colin Campbell 1934–

Biochemist, professor emeritus at Cornell University

Also attended: University of Georgia

Michael Greger 1972–

Physician, author and plant-based diet advocate

Also attended: Tufts University

Jay C. Buckey 1956–

Physician and astronaut, STS-90 payload specialist

Also attended: Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Tom DeMarco 1940–

Software engineer, author and early developer of structured analysis

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Gad Saad 1964–

Canadian marketing professor applying evolutionary psychology

Swati Mohan 1983–

Aerospace engineer, NASA Mars 2020 guidance and controls lead

Bachelor's degree · Mechanical engineering, Aerospace engineering · Class of 2004

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Robert Wilson Shufeldt 1850–1934

Ornithologist and military physician

Also attended: George Washington University

Father: Robert Wilson Shufeldt (Middlebury College)

Jorge Newbery 1875–1914

Argentine aviator and engineer

Ching Wan Tang 1947–

Chemist, OLED inventor, 2011 Wolf Prize winner

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1975

Huang Wanli 1911–2001

Chinese hydrologist and Tsinghua University professor

Moses H. W. Chan 1946–

Chinese-American physicist, Penn State professor

Also attended: Bridgewater College

Mao Yisheng 1896–1989

Chinese bridge engineer and educator

Also attended: Carnegie Mellon University

Te-Tzu Chang 1927–2006

Agricultural and environmental scientist

Also attended: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

K. C. Hsiao 1897–1981

Chinese historian and political scientist

Deng Shuqun 1902–1970

Chinese mycologist

Gregory Chow 1930–

Economist who invented the Chow test

Also attended: University of Chicago

Hu Dunfu 1886–1978

Mathematician and first dean of Tsinghua University

Jin-Yi Cai 1961–

Computer scientist, professor at UW–Madison

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1986

Also attended: Temple University

Chih-Kung Lee 1959–

Applied physicist, National Taiwan University professor

Donald A. Thomas 1955–

Former NASA astronaut and engineer

Also attended: Case Western Reserve University

Jack Sarfatti 1939–

Theoretical physicist studying quantum physics and consciousness

Also attended: University of California-Riverside, University of California-San Diego, Brandeis University

Mae Jemison 1956–

Former NASA astronaut, first African-American woman in space

Also attended: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Stanford University

Anthony Fauci 1940–

Immunologist, former NIAID director

Also attended: Boston University, College of the Holy Cross, Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Spouse: Christine Grady (Georgetown University, Boston College)

Thorstein Veblen 1857–1929

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

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

Freeman Dyson 1923–2020

Theoretical physicist and mathematician

Child: Esther Dyson (Harvard University)

Pearl S. Buck 1892–1973

Writer, author of The Good Earth, Nobel Prize winner

Also attended: Randolph-Macon College

Toni Morrison 1931–2019

Novelist, awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993

Master of Arts

Also attended: Howard University

Kurt Vonnegut 1922–2007

Satirical novelist and author

Also attended: University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon University, The University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Child: Mark Vonnegut (Harvard University, Swarthmore College)

Sibling: Bernard Vonnegut (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Gillian Anderson 1968–

Actress known for playing Dana Scully in The X-Files

Attended until 1987

Also attended: DePaul University

Christopher Reeve 1952–2004

Actor who played Superman in the film series

Also attended: The Juilliard School

Spouse: Dana Reeve (California Institute of the Arts, Middlebury College)

Father: F. D. Reeve (New England College, Princeton University)

Thomas Pynchon 1937–

Novelist

Bachelor of Arts · English literature · Class of 1959

Jane Lynch 1960–

Actress and comedian, six-time Emmy winner

Also attended: Illinois State University

Howard Hawks 1896–1977

Hollywood film director, producer and screenwriter

Sibling: Kenneth Hawks (Yale University)

Sibling: William Hawks (Yale University)

Rem Koolhaas 1944–

Dutch architect and Harvard professor

Bill Maher 1956–

Comedian and host of HBO's Real Time

Richard Meier 1934–

Architect, 1984 Pritzker Prize winner

Ann Coulter 1961–

Conservative political commentator, author and lawyer

Bachelor of Arts · History

Also attended: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Harold Bloom 1930–2019

Literary critic and Yale professor

Also attended: Yale University

E. B. White 1899–1985

Writer and author of Charlotte's Web

Attended until 1921

Spouse: Katharine Sergeant Angell White (Bryn Mawr College)

Sibling: Stanley Hart White (Harvard University, Cornell University)

Bill Nye 1955–

Science communicator, host of Bill Nye the Science Guy

Spouse: Blair Tindall (Columbia University in the City of New York, Manhattan School of Music)

Spouse: Liza Mundy (Princeton University, University of Virginia-Main Campus)

Steve Reich 1936–

Composer, pioneer of minimal music

Attended until 1957

Also attended: Northeastern University Oakland, The Juilliard School

Hu Shih 1891–1962

Chinese scholar, writer, diplomat and language reformer

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

Junot Díaz 1968–

Dominican American writer and MIT professor

Frank Morgan 1890–1949

Character actor with a 35-year film career

Also attended: American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York

William Sadler 1950–

Film and television actor

Also attended: SUNY College at Geneseo

Franchot Tone 1905–1968

Actor, producer and director of stage and film

Jimmy Smits 1955–

Actor in The West Wing and NYPD Blue

Also attended: CUNY Brooklyn College

Joanna Russ 1937–2011

Science fiction writer and feminist scholar

Bachelor of Arts

Also attended: Yale University

Adolphe Menjou 1890–1963

Actor in silent films and talkies

Margaret Bourke-White 1904–1971

Documentary photographer and photojournalist

Also attended: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Columbia University in the City of New York, Case Western Reserve University

Spouse: Erskine Caldwell (Erskine College)

Catherine Hicks 1951–

Retired actress known for 7th Heaven

Master of Fine Arts

Also attended: Saint Mary's College

Diane Ackerman 1948–

Poet, essayist and naturalist

Doctor of Philosophy

Also attended: The Pennsylvania State University

Spouse: Paul West (Columbia University in the City of New York)

Thelma Schoonmaker 1940–

Film editor, longtime collaborator of Martin Scorsese

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

Huey Lewis 1950–

Lead singer of Huey Lewis and the News

Pat Fraley 1949–

Voice actor in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Peter Eisenman 1932–

Architect, member of the New York Five

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Sibling: Robert Eisenman (Columbia University in the City of New York, Cornell University)

NoViolet Bulawayo 1981–

Zimbabwean writer

Also attended: Southern Methodist University, Texas A & M University-College Station, Stanford University

Ronald D. Moore 1964–

Screenwriter and producer of Battlestar Galactica

Susan Brownmiller 1935–2025

Feminist activist and author of Against Our Will

Attended until 1954

Ethan Phillips 1955–

Actor, played Neelix on Star Trek: Voyager

Also attended: Boston University

Louis Bromfield 1896–1956

Bestselling novelist and early sustainable agriculture advocate

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Dominique Thorne 1997–

American actress

Harry Chapin 1942–1981

Singer-songwriter and hunger activist

Child: Jen Chapin (Berklee College of Music)

Sibling: Tom Chapin (State University of New York at Plattsburgh)

Lauren Weisberger 1977–

Author of The Devil Wears Prada

Dan Duryea 1907–1968

Actor known for portraying villains

Greg Graffin 1964–

Lead vocalist and co-founder of Bad Religion

Doctor of Philosophy · History of science

Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles

Lorrie Moore 1957–

Writer and essayist known for short stories

Also attended: St. Lawrence University

Hendrik Willem van Loon 1882–1944

Dutch-American historian and author

Alice Dunbar Nelson 1875–1935

Poet, journalist and activist of the Harlem Renaissance

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

Spouse: Henry Arthur Callis (Cornell University)

Spouse: Paul Laurence Dunbar (Howard University)

Adepero Oduye 1977–

Actress, known for Pariah and 12 Years a Slave

Peter Yarrow 1938–2025

Singer and member of Peter, Paul and Mary

Bachelor of Arts · Psychology · Class of 1959

Arthur Dove 1880–1946

Early American modernist and abstract painter

Spouse: Helen Torr (Drexel University, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts)

Harold Gould 1923–2010

Character actor in Rhoda and The Golden Girls

Also attended: SUNY at Albany

George Jean Nathan 1882–1958

Drama critic and magazine editor

Brian Hallisay 1978–

Actor in Revenge and The Client List

William H. Gass 1924–2017

Novelist, critic and philosophy professor

Also attended: Kenyon College, Ohio Wesleyan University

Richard Price 1949–

Novelist and screenwriter

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Spouse: Lorraine Adams (Princeton University, Columbia University in the City of New York)

Eric Linklater 1899–1974

Scottish novelist and Carnegie Medal winner

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Dane Clark 1912–1998

Film character actor

Arthur Laurents 1917–2011

Playwright, theatre director and screenwriter

Ellen Albertini Dow 1913–2015

Actress, the rapping grandmother in The Wedding Singer

Ricky Jay 1946–2018

Stage magician, actor and writer

Jessie Redmon Fauset 1882–1961

Novelist, poet, and editor of African-American literature

Attended until 1905

Also attended: University of Pennsylvania

Sibling: Arthur Fauset (University of Pennsylvania)

Andrea Savage 1973–

Actress and creator of I'm Sorry

Keith Olbermann 1959–

Sports and political commentator

Grayson Hall 1922–1985

Actress known for Dark Shadows

Also attended: Temple University

Gene Saks 1921–2015

American stage and film director and actor

Also attended: The New School

Spouse: Bea Arthur (The New School)

Laura Riding 1901–1991

Poet, critic, novelist and essayist

Spouse: Louis R. Gottschalk (Cornell University)

Joyce Brothers 1927–2013

Psychologist, television personality and advice columnist

Bachelor of Arts

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

David Seidler 1937–2024

Screenwriter of The King's Speech

Attended until 1959

Red Mitchell 1927–1992

Jazz double-bassist and composer

Steven Franken 1932–2012

Film and television actor

Raj Patel 1972–

British academic, writer and documentary filmmaker

Carla Gallo 1975–

Actress in Undeclared, Carnivàle and Bones

Ato Essandoh 1972–

Actor in The Diplomat

Meta Golding 1971–

Television and film actress

Téa Obreht 1985–

Novelist, author of The Tiger's Wife

Will Gluck 1978–

Film director and screenwriter, known for Easy A

William T. Vollmann 1959–

Novelist, 2005 National Book Award for Fiction winner

John Naisbitt 1929–2021

Author of Megatrends, futurist

Also attended: Harvard University, University of Utah

Paul Green 1894–1981

Playwright and Pulitzer Prize for Drama winner

Also attended: Campbell University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Child: Paul Green (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Robert Smigel 1960–

Comedian and writer, SNL TV Funhouse creator

Also attended: New York University

Louis Wolheim 1880–1931

Stage and screen actor

Herb Edelman 1933–1996

Actor, twice nominated for an Emmy

Also attended: CUNY Brooklyn College, Yeshiva University

Melville Shavelson 1917–2007

Film director, producer, screenwriter and author

Peter Ostrum 1957–

Child actor who played Charlie in Willy Wonka

Richard Fariña 1937–1966

Folksinger, songwriter, poet and novelist

Nicola Yoon 1972–

Author of Everything, Everything

Also attended: Emerson College

Florencia Lozano 1969–

Actress known for One Life to Live

Also attended: New York University, Brown University

Sidney Kingsley 1906–1995

Dramatist and Pulitzer Prize for Drama winner

Christopher Rich 1953–

Actor known for Boston Legal

Also attended: The University of Texas at Austin

Maria Dizzia 1974–

Actress and Tony Award nominee

Also attended: University of California-San Diego

Gordon Matta-Clark 1943–1978

Artist known for site-specific works in the 1970s

Steve Carver 1945–2021

Film director and producer

Also attended: Washington University in St Louis

Robert Schenkkan 1953–

Playwright and screenwriter

Also attended: The University of Texas at Austin

Spouse: Maria Dahvana Headley (New York University)

Kenneth Roberts 1885–1957

Historical novelist and journalist

Justin H. Min 1989–

American actor

Bachelor of Arts

Mary Duncan 1895–1993

Stage and film actress

Pietro Belluschi 1899–1994

Italian-American architect and modernist leader

Annie Leonard 1964–

Environmental activist, creator of The Story of Stuff

Also attended: Barnard College

Barry Eisler 1963–

Thriller novelist, author of the John Rain series

Basil Ruysdael 1888–1960

Actor and opera singer

Evan Parke 1968–

Jamaican-American actor in King Kong

Also attended: Yale University

Gardner McKay 1932–2001

Actor, artist and author

William Prince 1913–1996

Actor in soap operas, film and television

Spouse: Augusta Dabney (University of California-Berkeley)

Jonathan Wong Chee-Hynn 1986–

Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor and producer

Luo Nian Sheng 1904–1990

Translator of Ancient Greek literature into Chinese

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

Ling Ma 1983–

Chinese American novelist and University of Chicago professor

Also attended: University of Chicago

Ed Marinaro 1950–

Actor and former NFL running back

Thomas Perry 1947–2025

Mystery and thriller novelist, Edgar Award winner

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1969

Also attended: University of Rochester

Sarah Spain 1980–

Sports reporter and podcast host

Kate Snow 1969–

NBC News senior national correspondent

Bachelor of Science

Also attended: Georgetown University

Enrique Martinez Celaya 1964–

Cuban-born painter, sculptor and author

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

Ari Melber 1980–

MS NOW chief legal correspondent and host

Also attended: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Vikas Khanna 1971–

Indian celebrity chef, restaurateur and filmmaker

Also attended: New York University

Rob Marciano 1968–

Senior national weather correspondent for CBS News

Charles Moore 1929–2020

Track and field athlete, businessman and philanthropist

Dick Savitt 1927–2023

1951 Australian Open and Wimbledon men's singles champion

Kyle Dake 1991–

American freestyle wrestler

Bachelor of Science · Sociology · Class of 2013

Harry Porter 1882–1965

High jumper, 1908 Olympic gold medalist

Frank Foss 1895–1989

Pole vaulter, 1920 Olympic gold medalist

Peter Revson 1939–1974

Formula One driver and two-time Grand Prix winner

Alma Richards 1890–1963

1912 Olympic high jump gold medalist

Also attended: University of Southern California, Brigham Young University-Provo, Stanford University

Francis Hunter 1894–1981

Tennis player and Olympic gold medalist

Gary Bettman 1952–

Commissioner of the National Hockey League

Also attended: New York University

Henry Russell 1904–1986

1928 Olympic 4×100 m relay gold medalist

John Anderson 1907–1948

Discus thrower, 1932 Olympic gold medalist

Edward Cook 1888–1972

1908 Olympic pole vault gold medalist

Joe Nieuwendyk 1966–

Canadian NHL player who played 20 seasons

William Larned 1872–1926

Tennis player, seven-time U.S. Championships singles winner

Ken Dryden 1947–2025

Canadian hockey goaltender and politician

Karen Chen 1999–

Figure skater, 2022 Olympic team event gold medalist

Bruno Hortelano 1991–

Spanish sprinter

Jenő Hámori 1933–2025

Hungarian fencer, 1956 Olympic team sabre champion

Postdoctoral research · Biophysical chemistry

Also attended: University of Pennsylvania

Pablo Morales 1964–

Retired competitive swimmer

Also attended: Stanford University

William Stowe 1940–2016

Rower, 1964 Olympic gold medalist

Rebecca Johnston 1989–

Canadian ice hockey player

David Munson 1884–1953

1904 Olympic gold medalist in team race

Garrett Serviss 1878–1907

High jumper

Father: Garrett Putnam Serviss (Cornell University)

Lesley Ashburner 1883–1950

Hurdler, 1904 Olympic bronze medalist

Ivan Dresser 1896–1956

Long-distance runner and Olympic team gold medalist

Taylor Knibb 1998–

Triathlete and Ironman 70.3 World Champion

Tell Berna 1891–1975

Middle and long-distance runner, 1912 two-mile record holder

Brianne Jenner 1991–

Canadian women's ice hockey player

Richard Parke 1893–1950

Bobsledder, 1928 Winter Olympics five-man gold medalist

Kirill Gotovets 1991–

Belarusian ice hockey defenseman

Marion Greig 1954–

Rower at the 1976 Summer Olympics

Ben Scrivens 1986–

Canadian ice hockey goaltender

Charles Ackerly 1898–1982

Wrestler, 1920 Olympic gold medallist

Travis Mayer 1982–

Freestyle skier, 2002 Olympic moguls silver medalist

Also attended: Harvard University

Lauriane Rougeau 1990–

Former Canadian professional ice hockey player

Attended until 2013

Michael Bach 1960–

Rower and Olympic silver medalist

John Nunn 1942–

Rower, 1968 Olympic double sculls bronze medalist

David Clark 1959–

American rower

Bryan Colangelo 1965–

Former NBA general manager of Raptors, Suns and 76ers

Father: Jerry Colangelo (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Kansas)

Troy Mullins 1987–

World Long Drive competitor

John Mott 1865–1955

YMCA leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate

Also attended: Upper Iowa University

Leo Frank 1884–1915

Factory superintendent wrongly convicted of murder and lynched

Nick Berg 1978–2004

American radio tower repairman killed in Iraq in 2004

Also attended: Drexel University

Katrina Leung 1954–

Former FBI informant and Ministry of State Security agent

Also attended: University of Chicago