Yalies are persons affiliated with Yale University, commonly including alumni, current and former faculty members, students, and others. Records are kept by the Association of Yale Alumni. Here follows a list of notable Yalies.
Notes:
The LL.B. was the primary professional degree in law conferred by Yale Law School until 1971, when it began awarding the J.D..For a list of notable alumni of Yale Law School, see Yale Law School alumni.George Akerlof (B.A. 1962). Economics, 2001Raymond Davis Jr. (Ph.D. 1942). Physics, 2002Peter A. Diamond (B.A. 1960). Economics, 2010John F. Enders (B.A. 1920). Physiology or Medicine, 1954John Fenn (Ph.D. 1940). Chemistry, 2002Murray Gell-Mann (B.S. 1948). Physics, 1969Alfred G. Gilman (B.S. 1962). Physiology or Medicine, 1994Brian Kobilka (M.D. 1981). Chemistry, 2012Paul Krugman (B.A. Economics, 1974). Economics, 2008. Architect of "New Trade Theory", winner of the John Bates Clark Medal, Princeton University economics professor, New York Times columnistErnest Lawrence (Ph.D. 1925). Physics, 1939. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are named for himJoshua Lederberg (Ph.D. 1948). Physiology or Medicine, 1958David Lee (Ph.D. 1959). Physics, 1996Sinclair Lewis (B.A. 1908). Literature, 1930Lars Onsager (Ph.D. 1935). Chemistry, 1968Edmund Phelps (Ph.D. 1959). Economics, 2006Dickinson W. Richards (B.A. 1917). Physiology or Medicine, 1956James Rothman (B.A. 1971). Physiology or Medicine, 2013William Vickrey (B.S. 1935). Economics, 1996.George Whipple (A.B. 1900). Physiology or Medicine, 1934Eric Wieschaus (Ph.D. 1974). Physiology or Medicine, 1995Anne Applebaum (B.A. 1986), 2004 Pulitzer Prize for non-fictionEllen Barry (B.A. 1993), won 2011 Pulitzer Prize for International ReportingCharles Bartlett (B.A. 1943), 1956 Pulitzer Prize for National ReportingStephen Vincent Benét (B.A. 1919, M.A. 1920), two-time Pulitzer-winning authorRon Chernow (B.A. 1970), 2011 Pulitzer Prize for biography of George Washington.Charles Forelle (B.A. 2002), co-author of articles for which the Wall Street Journal won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2007 John Lewis Gaddis, 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Biography, Cold War HistorianPaul Goldberger (B.A. 1972), 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished CriticismStephen Greenblatt (B.A. 1964, M.Phil 1968, Ph.D. 1969), general editor of the Norton Shakespeare, 2012 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-FictionLinda Greenhouse (M.A. 1978), U.S. Supreme Court correspondent for the New York Times, received the Pulitzer in 1998John Hersey (B.A. 1936), Pulitzer-winning author in 1945 for the novel A Bell for Adano, namesake of the annual John Hersey Lecture at YaleQuiara Alegría Hudes (B.A. 1999), playwright, writer of In the Heights, 2012 Pulitzer Prize for DramaCharles Ives (B.A. 1898), 1947 Pulitzer Prize for MusicDavid M. Kennedy (M.A. 1964, Ph.D. 1968), 2000 Pulitzer Prize for History for "Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929–45"Elizabeth Kolbert (B.A. 1983), 2015 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-fictionDavid McCullough (B.A. 1955), famous historian, winner of two Pulitzers, best known for his books on American presidents Harry S. Truman and John AdamsJ.R. Moehringer (B.A. 1986), Los Angeles Times reporter, won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Feature WritingDouglas Moore (B.A. 1915), 1951 Pulitzer, MusicWesley Morris (B.A. 1997), film critic at the Boston Globe, 2012 Pulitzer Prize for CriticismLynn Nottage (M.F.A.), playwright and Pulitzer Prize–winning dramatist of RuinedMel Powell (B.A. 1952 ), 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Music for Duplicates: A Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra; founding dean and professor of music of the California Institute of the ArtsSamantha Power (B.A. 1992), Pulitzer Prize for the book A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of GenocideKevin Puts (M.M. 1996), 2012 Pulitzer Prize for MusicThomas E. Ricks (B.A. 1977), 2000 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting (on Wall Street Journal team); former reporter who writes on defense topicsMark Schoofs (B.A. 1985), reporter, won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for international reportingLewis Spratlan (B.A. 1962, M.M. 1965), composer, won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Music for Life is a Dream, Opera in Three Acts: Act II, Concert VersionGarry Trudeau (B.A. 1970, M.F.A. 1973), Pulitzer Prize in 1975 for his comic strip DoonesburyWendy Wasserstein (M.F.A. 1976), playwright and Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist of The Heidi ChroniclesThornton Wilder (B.A. 1920), playwright, winner of two Pulitzers, the first in 1928 for The Bridge of San Luis Rey, and the second in 1938 for the play Our Town; recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963Bob Woodward (B.A. 1965), journalist, co-author of the Pulitzer-winning book All the President's Men, won a second Pulitzer in 2002 for National ReportingDoug Wright (B.A. 1985), screenwriter, winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for drama, winner of a Tony AwardYehudi Wyner (B.A. 1950, B. Mus. 1951, M. Mus. 1953), composer, recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2006 for his piano concerto 'Chiavi in Mano'; professor emeritus of musical composition at Brandeis UniversityDaniel Yergin (B.A. 1968), wrote Pulitzer-winning The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power; founded Cambridge Energy Research AssociatesInventors and innovators
Joseph P. Allen (Ph.D. 1965), NASA Astronaut with two STS missions experienceDavid Bushnell (ca. 1776), inventor of the screw propeller, submarine, naval mine, and time bombBen Carson (B.A. 1973), pediatric neurosurgeon, first surgeon to successfully separate twins conjoined at the back of the headHerbert Boyer, (1963–66), co-founder of Genentech, Genetic Engineering Pioneer Francis S. Collins (Ph.D. 1974), director, Human Genome ProjectHarry B. Combs (B.S. 1935, Sheffield Scientific School), aviation pioneerHarvey Williams Cushing (B.A.), pioneer of modern brain surgery and considered by many the greatest neurosurgeon of the 20th centuryLee De Forest (B.S. 1896, Ph.D. 1899), inventor of the triodeW. Edwards Deming (Ph.D. 1928), "total quality management" (TQM) guruHelen Flanders Dunbar (M.D. 1930), important early figure in U.S. psychosomatic medicineHenry Leavitt Ellsworth (B.A. 1810), first commissioner of United States Patent Office, founder of United States Department of AgricultureIrving Fisher (B.A. 1888, Ph.D. 1891), economist, "father of monetarism"Eric Fossum (Ph.D. 1984), inventor of CMOS image sensorJ. Willard Gibbs (1858, Ph.D. 1863), mathematician, physical chemist, thermodynamicist, known for Gibbs' PhenomenonGrace Hopper (M.A. 1930, Ph.D. 1934), inventor of COBOL programming languageElmer McCollum (Ph.D. 1904), biochemist, co-discovered vitamins A, B, and DWarren Sturgis McCulloch (B.A. 1921), cybernetics pioneer, created the first computational models for studying the brainPaul B. MacCready (1947), "Engineer of the Century", won the Kremer prize for first human-powered flying machine (the Gossamer Condor); pioneer in solar powered flight; founder of AeroVironmentSaunders Mac Lane (B.A. 1930), mathematician, one of the founders of "category theory"Aaron Marcus (B.F.A., M.F.A. 1968), the first graphic designer in the world to work with computer graphicsSamuel F. B. Morse (1810), telegraph pioneer, inventor of Morse codeHarry Nyquist (Ph.D. 1917), engineer known for the Nyquist theoremJohn Ousterhout (B.S. 1975), creator of the Tcl programming languageRonald Rivest (B.S. 1969), computer scientist, the "R" in the RSA cryptography, 2002 Turing Award recipientGeorge B. Selden, awarded the first United States patent for an automobile in 1895Benjamin Silliman (8 August 1779 – 24 November 1864), early chemist and science educator; one of the first professors of science at Yale College; the first person to distill petroleum; a founder of the American Journal of Science, the oldest scientific journal in the United StatesBenjamin Silliman, Jr., professor of chemistry at Yale University, instrumental in developing the oil industryBenjamin Spock (B.A. 1925), child psychology guruEli Whitney (1792), inventor of the cotton ginTechnologists and entrepreneurs
John J. Donovan (M.S. 1964, M.Ph. 1965, M.Eng. 1965, Ph.D. 1967), IT entrepreneur, founder of Cambridge Technology PartnersJulie Doyle Roberts, co-founder of MetaCriticDonna Dubinsky (B.A. 1977), former CEO of PDA company Palm Inc., co-founder of PDA company HandspringEric Friedman (B.S, M.S., 2000), co-founder of FitbitRob Glaser (B.A., M.A.), founder and CEO, RealNetworksBing Gordon (B.A. 1972), co-founder, executive vice-president, and chief creative officer of Electronic ArtsEdward R. Hartman, co-founder of LegalZoomJustin Kan (B.A. 2005), founder of Justin.tv and twitch.tvMitch Kapor (B.A. 1971), founder, Open Source Applications Foundation, investor (Kapor Enterprises), founder and former CEO, Lotus SoftwareTom Lehman, co-founder of RapGeniusJordan Mechner (B.A. 1985), videogame developer, created Prince of PersiaMahbod Moghadam, co-founder of RapGeniusWendi Deng Murdoch (1997), director, MySpace China; former VP, News Corporation; wife of Rupert MurdochTiffany Pham (B.A. 2008), founder and CEO of MogulEric Ries (B.S. 2001), Silicon Valley entrepreneur, author of The Lean Startup, pioneer of the Lean Startup methodologyKevin P. Ryan, internet entrepreneur, founder of Gilt Groupe, MongoDB, and Business InsiderBen Silbermann (B.A. 2003), co-founder and CEO of PinterestJoseph Tsai (B.A./B.S. 1986, Phd 1990 in Law School), businessman, co-founder, Vice President and CFO of AlibabaAnne Wojcicki (B.S., 1996), co-founder and CEO of personal genomics company 23andMeTim and Nina Zagat, founders of ZagatIlan Zechory, co-founder of RapGeniusJoel Spolsky (B.S. 1991), co-founder of Fog Creek Software and Stack Exchange Network Wallace M. Alexander (1869–1939), heir, corporate director, philanthropistHerbert M. Allison (1965), former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stability; former Chairman, President, and CEO of TIAA-CREF; former President and COO of Merrill LynchHugh D. Auchincloss (1879), Standard OilPerry Richardson Bass (1914–2006), investor and philanthropistRobert M. Bass (B.A. 1971), chairman, Aerion, member and former chair of the Stanford University Board of TrusteesRoland W. Betts (B.A. 1968), investor, film producer (Gandhi), owner of Chelsea Piers, lead owner in George W. Bush's Texas Rangers partnershipMorris Burke Belknap (B.A. 1878) Belknap Hardware and Manufacturing Company Vice President.Jeffrey Bewkes (B.A. 1974), Time Warner President and COOFrancis Biondi Jr, co-founder of King Street Capital ManagementJames Chanos (B.A. 1980), billionaire hedge fund investor, founder of Kynikos AssociatesTim Collins (M.B.A. 1982), founder and CEO, Ripplewood Holdings LLCGranger Kent Costikyan (1929), banker, partner of Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.Charles B. Finch (B.A. 1941, L.L.B. 1944), CEO and chairman of the board, Allegheny Power Systems, and political activistTed Forstmann (B.A. 1961 (TC)), co-founder and senior partner of Forstmann Little & Company, member of the Forbes 400Roberto C. Goizueta (B.A., 1953) CEO and Chairman of the Board, The Coca-Cola CompanyRobert Greenhill (B.A. 1958), founder of M&A department at and former president of Morgan Stanley, former chairman of Smith Barney, CEO of investment banking firm Greenhill & Co.Briton Hadden (B.A. 1920), co-founder of Time magazinePeter Halloran (B.A. 1984), investment banker specializing in Russia and the surrounding region; founder and CEO of Pharos Financial GroupDaniel S. Hamermesh (Ph.D. 1968), professor of economics at University of Texas at Austin, research associate at National Bureau of Economic Research, and research associate and program director at the Institute for the Future of Labor (IZA)Henry Holt (B.A. 1862), founder of publishing firm Henry Holt & Company, which would later merge with other companies to become Holt, Rinehart & WinstonGeorge H. Hume, President and CEO of Basic American FoodsRobert S. Ingersoll (1937), former CEO and chairman, BorgWarnerBrewster Jennings (1920), founder and president of the Socony Mobil Oil Company (Standard Oil of New York, now ExxonMobil), President of Memorial Center for Cancer and Allied Diseases and Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer ResearchCharles B. Johnson (B.A. 1954), chairman, Franklin Templeton InvestmentsEllis Jones (M.B.A.), CEO, Wasserstein Perella & Co.Henry Bourne Joy, president of PackardPeter S. Kaufman (B.A. 1975), investment banker, president of the Gordian Group LLCClarence King (Sheffield 1862), first head of the U.S. Geological SurveyHerbert Kohler (B.S. 1965), chairman and president, Kohler CompanyJulius Kruttschnitt II (B. Phil. 1906), general manager of Mount Isa MinesEdward Lampert (B.A. 1984), founder and chairman, ESL Investments (hedge fund), chairman of Sears Holding CompanyWilliam K. Lanman (B.S. Sheffield 1928), aviator, benefactorHenry Luce (B.A. 1920), co-founder of Time magazineJohn C. Malone (B.A. 1963), CEO of TCI, chairman of Liberty Media, and largest individual landowner in the U.S.Aaron Marcus (B.F.A., M.F.A. 1968), founder of Aaron Marcus and Associates, Inc. (AM+A) in 1982John Franklyn Mars (B.S. 1957), CEO, Mars, IncorporatedVictoria B. Mars, Chairman of Mars IncorporatedRobert McCormick (1903), owner, president, editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune; co-founder of Kirkland & EllisRobert L. McNeil, Jr. (B.S. 1936), developer of paracetamol (acetaminophen) and chairman of McNeil LaboratoriesW. James McNerney (B.A. 1971), CEO of The Boeing CompanyRobert Moses, mid-20th-century New York City construction czarIndra Krishnamurthy Nooyi (M.P.P.M. Yale School of Management 1980), CEO and President, PepsiEric Ober (B.A. 1966), president, CBS News, Food NetworkJoseph M. Patterson (1901), American media mogul, manager of the Chicago Tribune; founder and president, New York Daily NewsJohn Pepper (B.A. 1960), former chairman and CEO of Procter & GambleHarry M. Perks (M.Sc. Eng. 1952) Executive Director, Pennsylvania Convention Center; Streets Commissioner of Philadelphia; President, Day & Zimmermann; Deputy Superintendent of Schools of PhiladelphiaJames Stillman Rockefeller, president and chairman, The First National City Bank of New York; Olympic gold medal for crew, 1924Joel Root (1770–1847), supercargo on the sealing ship Huron, author of a journal of his voyage around the world on that shipElihu Rose (B.A. 1954), real estate developer and military historianWilbur Ross (B.A. 1959), investor, steel magnate, member of the Forbes 400, secretary of commerce in the Trump presidential administrationStacy H. Schusterman, (B.A. 1985), former CEO and chairman of Samson Resources, philanthropist.Stephen A. Schwarzman (B.A. 1969), co-founder and CEO of the Blackstone Group, member of the Forbes 400Daniel C. Searle, heir, CEO of G. D. Searle & Company, conservative philanthropistForest Shely (B.S. 1946), physician and bank director in Campbellsville, Kentucky; 56-year trustee of Campbellsville UniversityTimothy Shriver (B.A. 1981), Chairman and CEO of Special Olympics and member of Kennedy FamilyFrederick W. Smith (B.A. 1966), founder and CEO, FedExCharles F. Spalding (a.k.a. Chuck Spalding) (1919–2000), Vice President of Lazard, political campaigner for John F. Kennedy, television writerHarold Stanley, founder, Morgan StanleyRichard Thalheimer (B.A. 1970), founder and CEO of The Sharper ImageJohn L. Thornton (M.P.P.M. Yale School of Management 1980), former president and co-COO, Goldman SachsJuan Trippe (B.A. 1921), founder and CEO, Pan AmFrederick William Vanderbilt (Sheffield 1893), philanthropist, director of the New York Central RailroadFriedrich Weyerhäuser, founded WeyerhaeuserCornelius Vanderbilt Whitney (1922), businessman, film producer, writer, and government official, owner of thoroughbred racehorsesJohn (Jock) Hay Whitney (B.A. 1926), philanthropist and founder of J.H. Whitney & Co., first U.S. venture capital firmPayne Whitney (B.A. 1898)College founders and presidents
Frederick Barnard (B.A. 1828), mathematician, educator, president (1856–1858) and chancellor (1858–1861) of the University of Mississippi, president (1864–1889) of Columbia University, posthumous namesake of Barnard College, active in the founding of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of SciencesJ. Seelye Bixler (Ph.D 1924), 16th president of Colby College 1960–1979Kimberly W. Benston (B.A. 1974, M.A. 1977, M. Phil. 1978, and Ph.D. 1980), president of Haverford College (2015–present)Richard H. Brodhead (B.A. 1968), president of Duke UniversitySamuel Palmer Brooks, President of Baylor University from 1902 to 1931Aaron Burr, Sr. (B.A. 1735), second president of Princeton University, father of the third Vice-President of the United States, Aaron BurrGerhard Casper (LL.B. 1962; Honorary doctorate, 2000), ninth president of Stanford University, former provost at the University of Chicago, member of the Yale CorporationWilliam Chauvenet (B.A. 1840), Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis (1863–1869)Henry Roe Cloud, first full-blooded Native American to attend Yale, reformer, educator, President of Haskell Indian Nations University; first Native American member of a Yale secret society (Elihu)Oscar Henry Cooper, President of Baylor University 1899–1902, and of Simmons College, now known as Hardin-Simmons University, 1902–1909Raymond Culver, fourth president of Shimer CollegeJonathan Dickinson (B.A. 1706, when Yale was still named the Collegiate School of Connecticut), founder of the College of New Jersey, later named Princeton UniversityElliot Hirshman (1983), eighth president of San Diego State UniversityJames Johnson Duderstadt (B.E. 1964), President of the University of MichiganHenry Durant (B.A. 1827), first president of the University of California (Berkeley)Peter Tyrrell Flawn (Ph.D 1951), geologist and former president of the University of Texas at AustinEdward "Tad" Foote (B.A.), former president of the University of MiamiThomas H. Gallaudet (B.A. 1805, M.A. 1810), educator for the deaf, co-founder and principal (1817–1830) of the American School for the Deaf, namesake of Gallaudet UniversityThomas F. George (M.A. 1968, Ph.D. 1970), chemist and current chancellor of the University of Missouri-St. LouisDaniel Coit Gilman (B.A. 1852), second president of the University of California (Berkeley); first president of Johns Hopkins University (1876–1901); first president of the Carnegie InstitutionWilliam Rainey Harper (Ph.D. 1874), first president of the University of ChicagoCatharine Bond Hill (Ph.D. 1974), tenth president of Vassar CollegeJoseph Gibson Hoyt (B.A. 1840), first chancellor of Washington UniversityRobert M. Hutchins (B.A. 1921, LL.B 1925), president (1929–1945) and chancellor (1945–1951) of the University of ChicagoJohn Wesley Johnson (1862), first president of the University of OregonSamuel Johnson (B.A. 1714, M.A. 1717), first president of Columbia University ( then known as King's College), father of William Samuel Johnson, signer of the US Constitution and third president of Columbia College ( Columbia University)Wiliam Samuel Johnson (B.A. 1744, M.A. 1747), signer of the U.S. Constitution, third president of Columbia College ( now Columbia University) and first US Senator from ConnecticutYamakawa Kenjiro (ca. 1876), founder of Kyūshū Institute of TechnologyJoseph D. Kearney (1986), Dean at Marquette University Law SchoolAptullah Kuran (B.A.1952, M.A.1954), founder and first president(1971–1979) of Bogazici University, Istanbul.Theodore C. Landsmark (B.A. 1973, J.D. 1973), president (1997–present) of Boston Architectural CollegeAnthony W. Marx (B.A. 1981), president (2003–2011) of Amherst CollegeMario Monti (M.Sc.), Rector and then President of Bocconi University, Milan, Italy and Italian Prime MinisterDouglas M. North (B.A. 1962), President of Prescott College and Alaska Pacific University. Head of School The Albany AcademiesG. Dennis O'Brien (B.A. 1952), former president of Bucknell University and the University of RochesterHelen Parkhurst (M.A. 1943), progressive educator, created the Dalton Plan, founder of The Dalton SchoolAurelia H. Reinhardt (Ph.D. 1905), president of Mills College (1916–1943)Andrew Sledd (Ph.D. 1903), first President of the University of Florida (1905–1909); President of Southern University (1910–1914); first Professor of New Testament Literature at Emory University's Candler School of Theology (1914–1939)Frank Strong (Ph.D. 1897), third president of the University of Oregon and sixth chancellor of the University of KansasAmbrose Tighe (B.A. 1879, M.A. 1891), co-founder of William Mitchell College of LawEleazar Wheelock (B.A. 1733), founder of Dartmouth CollegeAndrew Dickson White (B.A. 1853), co-founder and first president of Cornell UniversityProfessors and scholars
Arts and Humanities
Frank Aarebrot, professor of comparative politics at University of BergenJames S. Ackerman (B.A.), Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of History of Art and Architecture, HarvardDiogenes Allen (B.D., Ph.D. 1964), philosopher, theologian, professor at Princeton Theological Seminary (1981–2002)David Boren (B.A. 1963), Governor of Oklahoma (1975–79), U.S. Senator (D-Oklahoma, 1979–94), president of University of OklahomaRobert Brandom (B.A. 1972), philosopher at the University of PittsburghSusan Buck-Morss (M.A.), philosopher, intellectual historian, professor of political science at CUNY Graduate CenterMichael Burns, actor and professor of historyJudith Butler (Ph.D. 1984), author of Gender Trouble, philosopher, queer theorist, and feminist scholarMark T. Carleton (B.A. 1957), Louisiana historianSteve Charnovitz (B.A. 1975, J.D. 1998), law professor at George Washington UniversityJanet Coleman (B.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.), professor of Ancient & Medieval Political Thought, London School of EconomicsWilliam Cornyn (A.M. 1942, Ph.D. 1944), professor of Slavic and South East Asian LinguisticsLeo Damrosch (B.A. 1963), professor at Harvard University, 2005 National Book Award finalist for Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Restless GeniusAlan Dershowitz (LL.B. 1962), law professor at Harvard UniversityDavid Bates Douglass, professor at the U.S. Military Academy, President of Kenyon College, designer of Green-Wood Cemetery, member of Lewis Cass expedition of 1820Jacques Ehrmann, literary theorist and French Department professor from 1961 to 1972Henry Louis Gates Jr. (B.A., M.A. 1973), professor, chair of Harvard's African and African American Studies departmentRoberto S. Goizueta (B.A., 1976), professor of theology, Boston CollegeDaniel Harrison (Ph.D 1986), Chairman of Department of Music, Yale UniversityDavid Kolb (M.Phil. 1970, Ph.D. 1972), philosopher at Bates CollegeHart Day Leavitt (B.A. 1934), English teacher, Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, 1937–1975* Lawrence Lessig (J.D. 1989), copyright activist, law professor at Harvard UniversityRobert Oscar Lopez (B.A. 1993), associate professor of English and classics at California State University, Northridge.* F. O. Matthiessen (B.A. 1923), literary historian, professor at Harvard UniversityScotty McLennan (B.A. 1970), dean for Religious Life at Stanford UniversityThomas V. Morris (Ph.D.), former University of Notre Dame philosophy professor, currently founding chairman of the Morris Institute of Human ValuesDon Nakanishi (B.S. 1971), former professor of Asian American studies at University of California, Los AngelesBilal Orfali (Ph.D. 2009), professor of Arabic language and Islamic studies at the American University of BeirutCamille Paglia (Ph.D. 1972), author of Sexual Personae, cultural critic and feminist scholarAndrew Pessin, philosopher at Connecticut CollegeAlvin Plantinga (Ph.D. 1958), Christian philosopher, professor at University of Notre DameEileen Pollack (B.S.), professor of creative writing at University of MichiganRichard Rorty (Ph.D 1956), philosopher and professor of Humanities at University of Virginia, 1982–1998 and Stanford University, 1998–2007Ofelia Schutte, professor of philosophy at the University of Southern Florida* T. K. Seung (B.A., Ph.D.), professor of philosophy, government, and law at the University of Texas at AustinDerek Shearer (B.A.), Director of the McKinnon Center for Global Affairs and Chevalier Professor of Diplomacy and World Affairs of Occidental College, former United States Ambassador to FinlandRobert B. Stepto, professor of English, pioneering African-American studies scholarMatthias Storme, professor of law at the Catholic University of Louvain and the Antwerp UniversityRichard Sugarman (born 1944), B.A. & M.A. from Yale University; professor of philosophy and religion at the University of Vermont; advisor to Bernie Sanders.David E. Tolchinsky (B.A. 1985), screenwriter and Chairman of the Department of Radio-TV-Film, Northwestern University* Donald Goddard Wing, librarian and bibliographer, of Yale University LibraryYung Wing (B.A. 1854), first Chinese person to receive an American college degreeFrank Bigelow Tarbell (B.A. 1873, Ph.D. 1879), historian, archeologist and professor of classic studies at Yale and University of ChicagoReinhold Niebuhr (B.D. 1914), author, theologian, Serenity PrayerHossein Ziai (B.A. 1967), intensive mathematics and physics; (Ph.D. Harvard 1976), medieval philosophy. Jahangir and Eleanor Amuzegar Chair in Iranian Studies UCLA.Natural Sciences and Medicine
A. Elizabeth Adams (Ph.D. 1926), professor of Zoology at Mount Holyoke CollegeMichael L.J. Apuzzo (B.A. 1961), academic neurosurgeon, surgical pioneer, Editor and educator; Edwin M. Todd/Trent Wells, Jr. Professor of Neurological Surgery, Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, University of Southern California; Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Neurosurgery, Yale UniversityRichard Lee Armstrong (BSc 1959, Ph.D. Geology 1964), American/Canadian geochemistGeorge Alfred Baitsell (M.A. 1909, Ph.D. 1914), American biologist, official of the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceWalter A. Bell (MSc 1911, Ph.D. Geology 1920), Canadian geologist and paleontologistEdward Bouchet (B.A. 1874, Ph.D. Physics 1876), first African-American to graduate from Yale and the first to receive a Ph.D. at an American universityKatharine Jeanette Bush (Ph.D. 1901), zoologist, first woman to receive a Ph.D. in sciences from YaleSchuyler V. Cammann (B.A. 1935), anthropologist professor at University of PennsylvaniaJohn Elefteriades (M.D. 1976), cardiac surgeon, professor at Yale School of MedicineJohn C. Ewers (M.A. 1934), ethnologist and first Director of the National Museum of American HistoryMcAllister Hull (B.S. 1948, Ph.D. 1951), Manhattan Project explosive lens expert, Yale physics professor, SUNY Buffalo dean, University of New Mexico professor and provostEbenezer Kingsbury Hunt (B.A. 1833), President of the Connecticut State Medical Society, director of the Retreat for the InsaneHoward Koh (B.A. 1973, M.D. 1977), professor, Harvard School of Public HealthJeffrey Laitman (Ph.D 1977), anatomist and physical anthropologist, Distinguished Professor of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, President-Elect of the American Association of AnatomistsArthur Lander, B.A., developmental biologist at University of California, IrvineRobert Langlands (Ph.D. 1960), mathematician, emeritus professor, Institute for Advanced Study, author of the Langlands ProgramAldo Leopold (Master's degree in Forestry, 1909), pioneer in the field of wildlife management at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, author of A Sand County AlmanacAndreas Mandelis (B.Sc. 1974), expert on photonics. Professor at the University of TorontoMichael E. Mann (Ph.D. 1998), climatologist and geophysicist at Penn State University, originator of the "hockey stick graph"George Marcus (B.A. 1968), anthropologist, professor at University of California, IrvineClark Blanchard Millikan (B.A. 1924), professor of aeronautics, noted researcher, administrator and advisor at California Institute of TechnologyHarold J. Morowitz (B.S. 1947, M.S. 1950, Ph.D. 1951), professor of biology and natural philosophy at George Mason UniversityE. R. Ward Neale (M.S. 1951; Ph.D. 1952), geologist, professor at Memorial University of NewfoundlandJohnathan Oberlander (M.A. 1990, M.Phil 1993, Ph.D. 1995), author and professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel HillH.T. Odum (Ph.D. 1950), ecologist, professor at the University of FloridaSaul K. Padover (M.A., 1930), historian and political scientist at The New School of Social Research in New York CityJ. Roger Porter (Ph.D. 1938), microbiology professor at University of Iowa, 1938–1979Tia Powell (M.D,), psychiatrist, former head of NY State Task Force on Life & the LawChristian R. H. Raetz (B.S. 1967), professor of biochemistry at Duke UniversityMichael A. Rogawski (M.D., Ph.D. Pharmacology 1980) professor at the University of California, Davis; former chief Epilepsy Research Section at NIH; epilepsy drugsJames Rothman (B.A. 1971), biologist, winner of 2002 Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (sometimes called "America's Nobel Prize")Florence B. Seibert (Ph.D. 1923), biochemist, winner of 1942 Garvan–Olin Medal and member of the National Women's Hall of FameRobert Shope (faculty 1965–95), arbovirologist and emerging infectious diseases expertLinda Siegel, cognitive psychologist, holder of the Dorothy C. Lam Chair in Special Education at the University of British Columbia 1996–201Benjamin Silliman (B.A. 1796) (M.A. 1799), "father of American scientific education"John Griggs Thompson (B.A. 1955), mathematician, winner of the Fields Medal in 1970Daniel S. Weld (B.A., B.S. 1982), professor of Computer Science and Engineering at University of WashingtonHassler Whitney (B.S. 1928) (B.A. 1929), mathematician, founder of singularity theory, foundational work in manifolds and embeddingJosiah Whitney (B.A. 1839), geologist, chief of California Geological Survey, and geology professor at Harvard UniversityHossein Ziai (B.A. 1967), intensive mathematics and physics; (Ph.D. Harvard 1976), medieval philosophy. Jahangir and Eleanor Amuzegar Chair in Iranian Studies, UCLA.Social Sciences
Douglas Hodgkin (B.A.), political scientist at Bates College, authorRobert C. Lieberman (B.A. 1986), political scientist and provost of the Johns Hopkins UniversityAndrew Lo (B.A. 1980), Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor of Finance at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Director of MIT's Laboratory for Financial EngineeringKenneth Rogoff, economist, professor at Harvard University, former director of research at the International Monetary FundChris William Sanchirico (J.D., Ph.D. 1994), professor of law, business and public policy at University of Pennsylvania Law SchoolDavid Swensen (Ph.D.), Yale Endowment Manager and professor at the Yale School of ManagementKarl Taube (M.A. 1983, Ph.D. 1988 Anthropology), pre-Columbian Mesoamerica researcher and Mayanist, professor of Anthropology at UC RiversideDavid A. Thomas (B.A. 1978, Ph.D. 1986), Dean of the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, former professor at Harvard Business SchoolMahbub ul Haq (PhD, Economics), Pakistani Minister of Finance, Professor at University of Karachi, creator of Human Development IndexPresidents and vice presidents, royalty, other heads of state, prime ministers, and ministers
Abd al-Karim al-Iryani (Ph.D. 1968), Prime Minister of the Republic of Yemen (1980–1983, 1998–2001), and Foreign Minister (1993–1998).George H. W. Bush (B.A. 1948), President of the United States (1989–1993), Vice Pof the United States (1981–1989), member of the House of Representatives (R-Texas) (1967–1971)George W. Bush (B.A. 1968), President of the United States (2001–2009), Governor of Texas (1995–2000)John C. Calhoun (B.A. 1804), seventh Vice President of the United States, for two different presidents, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson; Senator; Member of the House of Representatives; Secretary of State in the Tyler presidential administrationKarl Carstens (L.L.M. 1949), fifth President of Germany (1979–1984)Dick Cheney (Class of 1963), Vice President of the United States (2001–2009)Tansu Çiller (Postdoctoral Fellow), Prime Minister of Turkey (1993–1996)Bill Clinton (J.D. 1973), President of the United States (1993–2001), Governor of Arkansas (1979–1981,1983–1992)Gerald Ford (LL.B. 1941), President of the United States (1974–1977), Vice President of the United States (1973–1974), member of the House of RepresentativesWiliam Samuel Johnson ( B.A. 1744, M.A. 1747), signer of the U.S. Constitution, first U.S. senator from Connecticut, third president of Columbia College (now Columbia University)Stavros Lambrinidis (J.D. 1988), Vice President of the European Parliament (2009–2011), Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece (2011)José P. Laurel, President of the Philippines in World War IISalvador H. Laurel (LL.M 1953) (J.S.D.1960), Vice President of the Philippines (1986–1992)Lee Hong-koo (Ph.D. 1968), Prime Minister of South Korea (1994–1995)Mario Monti (M.Sc. 1968), Prime Minister of Italy (2011–2013)Wendell Mottley (B.A. 1964), Olympic medalist and subsequently a government of Trinidad and Tobago ministerPeter Mutharika (LL.M. 1966, J.S.D. 1969), 5th President of MalawiJovito R. Salonga (J.S.D.1949), Senator of the Philippines (1965–1972) (1987–1992)William Howard Taft (B.A. 1878, honorary LL.D. 1893), 27th President of the United States (1909–1913), 10th Chief Justice of the United States (1921–1930)Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden of the House of Bernadotte (Class of 2000, attended for two years)Valdis Zatlers, President of Latvia (2007–)Ernesto Zedillo (Ph.D. 1981), President of Mexico (1994–2000)Information can be verified through the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges.
Samuel Alito (J.D. 1975), Supreme Court justice (2006–present)Henry Baldwin (1797), Supreme Court justice (1830–1844)David J. Brewer (1856), Supreme Court justice (1889–1910)Henry B. Brown (1856, and law study), Supreme Court justice (1891–1906)David Davis (Law 1835), Supreme Court justice (1862–1877)Oliver Ellsworth (Class of 1766), Supreme Court justice (1796–1800)Abe Fortas (Law 1933), Supreme Court justice (1965–1969)Sherman Minton (YLS one-year degree, 1917), Supreme Court justice (1949–1956)George Shiras, Jr. (1853), Supreme Court justice (1892–1903)Sonia Sotomayor (J.D. 1979), Supreme Court justice (2009–present)Potter Stewart (1937, Law 1941), Supreme Court justice (1958–1981)William Strong (1828, GRD 1831, briefly attended YLS), Supreme Court justice (1870–1880)William Howard Taft (B.A. 1878, LL.D. 1893), 27th President of the United States (1909–1913), 10th chief justice of the United States (1921–1930)Clarence Thomas (J.D. 1974), Supreme Court justice (1991–present)Morrison R. Waite (1837), Chief Justice of the United States (1874–1888)Byron White (Law 1946), Supreme Court justice (1962–1993)William B. Woods (1845), Supreme Court justice (1881–1887)Information can be verified at the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress.
Alva B. Adams (1896), U.S. senator (D-Colorado, 1923–24, 1932–1941)John Ashcroft (B.A. 1964 cum laude), U.S. attorney general (2001–2005), U.S. senator (R-Missouri, 1995–2001), governor of Missouri (1985–1993)Abraham Baldwin (B.A. 1772), U.S. representative (1789–1799), U.S. senator (1799–1807); author of the charter for, and president of, the University of Georgia (1786–1801)Roger Sherman Baldwin (B.A. 1811), governor of Connecticut (1844–46), U.S. senator (Whig-Connecticut, 1847–51)John Beall (B.A. 1950), U.S. senator (R-Maryland, 1971–1976)Michael Bennet (J.D. 1993), U.S. senator (D-Colorado, 2009–)Hiram Bingham III (1898), governor of Connecticut (1925), U.S. senator (R-Connecticut, 1924–1933); explorer who rediscovered the lost city of Machu Picchu, Peru; said to be the inspiration behind the fictional Indiana Jones characterRichard Blumenthal (J.D. 1973), U.S. senator (D-Connecticut, 2011–)David Boren (B.A. 1963), governor of Oklahoma (1975–79), U.S. senator (D-Oklahoma, 1979–94), president of University of OklahomaStephen R. Bradley (B.A. 1775, M.A. 1778), U.S. senator (Democratic-Republican Party), Vermont, 1801–1813Nicholas F. Brady (B.A. 1952), U.S. senator (R-New Jersey, 1982)Sherrod Brown (B.A. 1974), U.S. representative (1993–2007), U.S. senator (D-Ohio, 2007–present)James L. Buckley (B.A. 1943, Law 1949), U.S. senator (C-New York, 1971–1977); president of Radio Free Europe, 1982–1985; federal judge for the United States Court of Appeals (District of Columbia Circuit) (1985–1996)Prescott Bush (B.A. 1917), U.S. senator (R-Connecticut, 1953–1963), father of George H.W. Bush, grandfather to George W. BushJohn Chafee (B.A. 1947), governor of Rhode Island (1962–69), secretary of the navy (1969–72), U.S. senator (R–Rhode Island, 1976–99)John M. Clayton (1815), secretary of state in the Taylor administration, U.S. senator (AJ–Delaware, 1829–1836; W-Delaware, 1845–1849; O-Delaware 1853–1856)LeBaron Colt (B.A. 1868), U.S. senator (R-Rhode Island, 1913–1924)Chris Coons (J.D./M.A.), U.S. senator (D-Delaware, 2010–)David Daggett (1783), U.S. senator (F-Connecticut, 1813–19)David Davis (Law 1835), appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court by Lincoln (1862–1877); U.S. senator (I-Illinois, 1877–1883)John Davis (1787–1854), U.S. senator (W/NR-Massachusetts, 1835–1841 and 1845–1853)Henry L. Dawes (1839), U.S. senator (R-Connecticut, 1875–93)John Danforth (J.D, DIV 1963), U.S senator (R-Missouri, 1976–95)Mark Dayton (B.A. 1969), U.S. senator (D-Minnesota, 2001–2007)Fred Dubois (B.A. 1872), U.S. senator (R-Idaho,1891–1897; D-Idaho, 1901–1907)William M. Evarts (1837), secretary of state under Hayes, U.S. senator (R-New York, 1885–91)Gary Hart (DIV 1961, LLB 1964), U.S. senator (D-Colorado, 1975–1987)John Heinz (B.A. 1960), U.S. senator (R-Pennsylvania)James Hillhouse (B.A. 1773), U.S. senator (F-Connecticut, 1796–1810 )James Jeffords (B.A. 1956), U.S. senator (I-Vermont, 1989–2007)William Samuel Johnson (B.A. 1744, M.A. 1747), United States Founding Father, member of the Continental Congress (1785–1787), delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, president (1787–1800) of Columbia University (he was its first president under its new name of Columbia College; his father was the first president of the institution when it was known as King's College), U.S. senator (Connecticut, 1789–1791)John Kean (1852–1914), U.S. senator (R-New Jersey)Amy Klobuchar (B.A. 1982), U.S. senator (D-Minnesota, 2007–present)James Lanman (1788), U.S. senatorJoseph Lieberman (B.A. 1964, J.D. 1967), U.S. senator (I-Connecticut, 1989–2013)Joseph Medill McCormick (1900), U.S. senate 1919–24, publisher, Chicago TribuneReturn J. Meigs, Jr. (B.A. 1785), U.S. senator (DR–Ohio, 1808-181), 4th governor of Ohio (1810–1814), 8th U.S. postmaster general (1814–1823); namesake of Meigs County, OhioHenry Mitchell (1804), U.S. representative (Jacksonian-New York, 1833–35)Thurston Morton (B.A. 1929), U.S. senator (R-Kentucky, 1957–68)Bill Nelson (B.A. 1965), U.S. representative (D-Florida, 1979–91), astronaut (STS-61-C, 1986), U.S. senator (D-Florida, 2001–present)Truman Newberry, Republican United States senator from Michigan 1919–1922, secretary of the navy 1908–1909Francis Newlands (ca. 1859), U.S. senator (D-Nevada, 1903–17)William Proxmire (B.A. 1948), U.S. senator (D-Wisconsin, 1957–89)Arlen Specter (LL.B. 1956), U.S. senator (D-Pennsylvania, 1981–2011)Stuart Symington (B.A. 1923), United States Secretary of the Air Force, U.S. Senator (D-Missouri, 1953–1976)Robert A. Taft (B.A. 1910), U.S. senator (R-Ohio, 1939–1953)Robert Taft, Jr. (B.A. 1939), U.S. representative (R-Ohio, 1963–64, 1967–70), U.S. senator (R-Ohio, 1971–76)John V. Tunney (B.A. 1956), U.S. representative (D-California, 1965–1970), U.S. senator (D-California, 1971–1977). He was the inspiration for Robert Redford's character in the film The CandidateFrederic Walcott (1891), U.S. senator (R-Connecticut, 1929–35)John Wales (B.A. 1801), U.S. senator (W-Delaware, 1849–1851); co-founder of Delaware CollegeMalcolm Wallop (B.A. 1954), U.S. senator (R-Wyoming, 1977–95)Lowell Weicker (B.A. 1953), U.S. representative (R-Connecticut, 1968–1971), U.S. senator (R-Connecticut, 1971–1989), governor of Connecticut (1990–1994).Sheldon Whitehouse (B.A. 1978), U.S. senator (D-Rhode Island, 2006–present)Pete Wilson (B.A. 1956), U.S. senator (R-California, 1983–1991), governor of California 1991–1999Alumni who have served as governors may also have served in other government capacities, such as president or senator. In such cases, the names are left un-linked, but are annotated with a "See also:" which links to the section on this page where a more detailed entry can be found.
James Hopkins Adams (1831), Governor of South Carolina (1854–1856)John Ashcroft (B.A. 1964 ), Governor of Missouri (1985–1993) (See also: Senators)Roger Sherman Baldwin (B.A. 1811), Governor of Connecticut (1844–46) (See also: Senators)Hiram Bingham III (B.A. 1898), Governor of Connecticut (1925) (See also: Senators)David L. Boren (B.A. 1963), Governor of Oklahoma (1975–79) (See also: Senators)Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. (J.D. 1964), current and 39th Governor of California and California's 34th Governor (1975–1983)George W. Bush (B.A. 1968), Governor of Texas (1995–2000) (See also: Presidents & Vice Presidents)Dick Celeste (B.A. Magna Cum Laude 1959), Governor of Ohio (1983–1991) (See also: #Diplomats)John Chafee (B.A. 1947), Governor of Rhode Island (1962–69) (See also: Senators)William Jefferson Clinton (J.D.), Governor of Arkansas (1983–1992) (See also: Presidents & Vice Presidents)Wilbur L. Cross (B.A.1885, Ph.D. 1889), Governor of Connecticut (1931–1939), Yale professor of EnglishJack Dalrymple (B.A. 1970), Governor of North Dakota (2010–)John Davis (1787–1854), Governor of Massachusetts (1834–1835 and 1841–1843)Mark Dayton (B.A. 1969), Governor of Minnesota (2011–)Howard Dean (B.A. 1971), Governor of Vermont (1991–2003)Henry Huntly Haight (B.A. 1844), Governor of California (1867–1871)W. Averell Harriman (B.A. 1913), Governor of New York (1955–1958), U.S. Ambassador to Russia (1943–1946), Ambassador to Britain (1946), Secretary of Commerce (1946–1948)Tony Knowles (B.A. 1968), Governor of Alaska (1994–2002), Mayor of Anchorage, Alaska (1981–1987)William Livingston (B.A. 1741), first Governor of New Jersey (1776–1790) after the signing of the Declaration of IndependenceGary Locke (B.A. 1972), Governor of Washington (1997–2005) (thereby the first Chinese American governor in the United States)Return J. Meigs, Sr. (B.A. 1785), 4th Governor of Ohio (1810–1814) (See also: Senators)Marshall F. Moore, 7th Governor of Washington TerritoryGeorge Pataki (B.A. 1967), Governor of New York (1995–2007)Gifford Pinchot (Yale College graduate, 1889), Governor of Pennsylvania (1923–1927, 1931–1935), first Chief of the United States Forest Service (1905–1910), and founder of and professor in Yale School of ForestryWinthrop Rockefeller (Class of 1935), attended Yale from 1931 to 1934; Governor of Arkansas (1967–1971)Carlos Romero Barceló (B.A. 1953), Governor of Puerto Rico (1977–1985) (See also: Other Legislators)William Scranton (B.A. 1939, J.D. 1946), Governor of Pennsylvania (1963–1967), United States Ambassador to the United Nations (1976–1977), member of the United States House of Representatives Undergraduate picture at:Israel Smith (Yale College graduate, 1781), Governor of Vermont (1807–1808), member of the United States House of Representatives and member of the United States SenateRobert Taft (B.A. 1953), Governor of Ohio (1999–2007)Samuel J. Tilden (B.A. 1837, LL.D. 1875), Governor of New York (1875–1876), Democratic nominee for President in 1876Lowell Weicker (B.A. 1953), Governor of Connecticut (1990–1994) (See also: Senators)Pete Wilson (B.A. 1956), Governor of California (1991–1999) (See also: Senators)The following have worked within the cabinet for their respective governments.
Dean Acheson (B.A, 1915), Secretary of State in the Truman presidential administrationJames Jesus Angleton (B.A. 1941), chief of CIA Counterintelligence Staff (1954–1974)Les Aspin (B.A. 1960), Secretary of Defense, congressman (D–Wisconsin) (1971–1993)McGeorge Bundy (B.A. 1940), former cabinet official, National Security Advisor (1961–1966)Ashton Carter (B.S. 1976), physicist, Harvard University professor, and United States Secretary of Defense in the Obama administrationJohn Chafee (B.A. 1947), Governor of Rhode Island (1962–69), Secretary of the Navy (1969–72), U.S. senator (R-Rhode Island, 1976–99) (also listed under Senators and Governors)John M. Clayton (1815), secretary of state in the Zachary Taylor administration, senator (AJ-Delaware, 1829–1836; W-Delaware, 1845–1849; O-Delaware 1853–1856) (also listed under Senators)Hillary Clinton (J.D. 1973), U.S. Secretary of State (2009–2013), U.S. senator (D-New York, 2001–2009)William H. Donaldson (B.A. 1954), chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (2003–2005), co-founder of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, founder and former dean of the Yale School of Management, president of the New York Stock ExchangeWilliam M. Evarts (1837), secretary of state in the Rutherford B. Hayes administration, U.S. senator (R-New York, 1885–91) (also listed under Senators)Olu Falae, Finance Minister of Nigeria (1989–1991), presidential candidate (1999)Roswell Gilpatric (B.A. 1928), Deputy Secretary of Defense (1961–1964), presiding partner, Cravath, Swaine & Moore (1966–1977)Austan Goolsbee (B.A. 1991, M.A. 1991), Chairman of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisors (2010–2011), professor of economics, University of ChicagoPorter Goss (B.A. 1960), CIA director (2004–2006), Florida congressmanStephen Hadley (J.D. 1972), national security advisorRobert S. Ingersoll (1937), deputy secretary of state and ambassador to Japan under presidents Nixon and FordJohn Kerry (B.A. 1966), U.S. senator (D-Massachusetts, 1985–2013) United States Secretary of State (2013–2017)William McChesney Martin, Jr. (B.A. ca. 1926), the ninth and longest-serving chairman of the U.S. Federal ReserveRogers Morton (BA.) Secretary Interior and Secretary CommerceJohn Negroponte (B.A. 1960), first director of national intelligence (2005–present), first ambassador to post-Saddam Iraq (2004–2005)Wilbur Ross (B.A ), secretary of commerce (2017-incumbent) in the Trump presidential administrationRobert Rubin (LL.B. 1964), secretary of the treasury (1995–1999) in the Clinton presidential administrationHenry L. Stimson (B.A. 1888), secretary of state in the Hoover presidential administrationAlphonso Taft (B.A. 1833, Law), attorney general and secretary of war in the Ulysses S. Grant presidential administrationStrobe Talbott (B.A. 1968), deputy secretary of state (1994–2001) in the Clinton presidential administration, president of the Brookings InstitutionCyrus Vance (B.A. 1939, Law 1942), secretary of state in the Carter presidential administrationSteven Mnuchin (B.A. 1985), secretary of the treasury (2017-incumbent) in the Trump presidential administrationRoy L. Austin, U.S. ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago (2001–2009)Hiram Bingham IV, U.S. vice consul in Marseilles, France, 1940–1941L. Paul Bremer (B.A. 1963), U.S. ambassadorDick Celeste ( B.A. Magna Cum Laude 1959), U.S. ambassador to India (1997–2001)Robert P. De Vecchi (B.A. 1952, L.H.D.H honorary 2005), president emeritus of the International Rescue CommitteeCarl Gershman (B.A. Magna Cum Laude 1965), U.N. Representative and National Endowment for Democracy PresidentDonald Gips (MBA), U.S. ambassador to South Africa (2009–2013)Gordon Gray III (B.A. 1978), U.S. ambassador to Tunisia (2009–2012)David Huebner (J.D.), U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa (2009–2014)Rashad Hussain (J.D.), U.S. special envoy to the Organisation of Islamic CooperationHoward Leach (B.A.), U.S. ambassador to France (2001–2005)Gary Locke (B.A. 1972), U.S. ambassador to China (2011–present)Robert D. McCallum, Jr., U.S. ambassador to Australia (2006–2009)John Negroponte (B.A. 1960), U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (2001–2004) and Deputy Secretary of State (2007–2009)John O'Leary (B.A. 1969), U. S. ambassador to ChileSamantha Power (B.A. 1992), U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (2013–present)Clark T. Randt, Jr., U.S. ambassador to China (2001–2009)Philip T. Reeker (B.A. 1986), U.S. ambassador to Macedonia (2008–present)Ogden Reid, U.S. ambassador to Israel (1959–1961)Charles Rivkin (B.A. 1984), U.S. ambassador to France and Monaco (2009–2013)William Scranton (B.A. 1939, J.D. 1946), U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (1976–1977)Derek Shearer (B.A.), U.S. ambassador to Finland (1994–1997)R. Douglas Stuart, Jr. (J.D. 1946), U.S. ambassador to Norway (1994–1989)Richard Swett (B.A. 1979), U.S. ambassador to Denmark (1998–2001)David Thorne (B.A. 1966), U.S. ambassador to Italy (2009–present)Peter Tufo (J.D.), U.S. ambassador to Hungary (1997–2001)Frederick Vreeland (B.A. 1951), U.S. ambassador to Morocco (1992–1993)Justices and attorneys
See also: Supreme Court Justices
Cecilia Altonaga (J.D. 1986), federal judge, first Cuban American woman to be appointed as a federal judge in the United StatesR. Lanier Anderson III (B.A., 1958), federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh CircuitRichard S. Arnold (B.A., 1957), late judge of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, federal courthouse in Little Rock named in his honorRichard Blumenthal (J.D.), Connecticut attorney generalDavid Sherman Boardman (B.A. 1793), Connecticut judge and congressmanDavid Boies (LL.B.. 1966), famous lawyer (Microsoft antitrust, Bush v. Gore, Napster v. RIAA)José A. Cabranes (J.D. 1965), judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second CircuitBenjamin Darrow (J.D., ca. 1890), New York district attorneyDaryl Dawson (L.L.M.), justice of the High Court of AustraliaMarc Stuart Dreier (B.A. 1972), lawyer and felonDwight Foster (B.A. 1848), Massachusetts Attorney General and Associate Justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial CourtNathan L. Hecht (B.A. 1971), Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme CourtErnest W. Gibson III (B.A. 1951), Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme CourtJames Kent (B.A. 1781), father of American equity jurisprudence, Chancellor of New YorkWilliam Kunstler (B.A. 1941), civil liberties lawyerBurke Marshall (B.A. 1943, LL.B. 1951), assistant attorney generalEdwin Meese (B.A. 1953), former United States Attorney GeneralJohn W. Nields Jr. (B.A. 1964), former chief counsel to House Select Committee investigating Iran–Contra affairBarrington Daniels Parker, Jr. (B.A. 1965, J.D. 1969), United States Court of Appeals for the Second CircuitSonia Sotomayor (J.D. 1979), Supreme Court JusticeRobert W. Sweet (LL.B. 1948), judge of New York Southern DistrictThomas Day Thacher (B.A. 1904), United States Solicitor General and federal judgeCyrus Vance, Jr. (B.A. 1978), New York County District AttorneyLeonard Bacon (B.A. 1820), abolitionistAditi Banerjee, attorney, writer and minority (Hindu) rights activist in the USCassius Marcellus Clay (B.A. 1832), abolitionist; namesake of Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr., whose son, boxer Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., took the name Muhammad AliRev. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. (B.D. 1956), chaplain of Yale (1958–1975), senior minister of Riverside Church in New York, political and civil rights activist, authorSevern Cullis-Suzuki (B.S. 2002), environmental activist, speaker, television host, and author; member of Kofi Annan's Special Advisory Council (United Nations)David Dellinger (B.A. 1936), conscientious objector, member of the Chicago SevenJeremiah Evarts (B.A. 1802), author, editor, activist, opponent of the Indian Removal Act of 1830Bruce W. Klunder (B.D. 1961), Presbyterian minister, civil rights activist with C.O.R.E., killed during protest against segregated schools in Cleveland, OhioBarry Scheck (B.S., 1971), co-founded the Innocence ProjectSargent Shriver (B.A. 1938, LL.B. 1941), main organizer and first director of the Peace Corps; California politician and businessman; husband of Eunice Kennedy; father of Maria Shriver (news journalist and wife of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Bobby Shriver (Yale B.A. 1976)Ron Sider (B.D., 1967, Ph.D. 1969), theologian and activist; President of Evangelicals For Social Action and professor at Palmer Theological Seminary.Jared Taylor (B.A., 1973), author, editor, activist, founder of the New Century FoundationPhyllis Ann Wallace (1948), economist and civil rights activistY.C. James Yen (B.A. 1918; M.A. (Honorary) 1928), founder of Chinese Mass Education Movement and Rural Reconstruction MovementChristopher Buckley (B.A. 1975), political pundit, columnist, author of Thank You for SmokingWilliam F. Buckley (B.A. 1950), political pundit, founder of the National Review, host of public affairs television show Firing LineDavid Gergen (B.A. 1963), political pundit, worked as an advisor for the Republican and Democratic presidential administrations of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill ClintonAndrés Martinez (B.A. 1988), editorial page editor of the Los Angeles TimesMarvin Olasky (B.A. 1971), editor-in-chief of WORLD magazineKenneth M. Pollack (B.A. 1988), Middle East expert, author, fellow of the Brookings InstitutionGideon Rose (B.A. 1985), author, editor-in-chief of Foreign AffairsFareed Zakaria (B.A. 1986), political pundit, author, host of public affairs show Foreign ExchangeMoses Cleaveland (B.A. 1777), founder of Cleveland, OhioManasseh Cutler (B.A. 1765), co-author of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, member of the Ohio Company of Associates (the first non-Native American settlement in Ohio), congressman (F-Massachusetts) (1801–1805)James Gadsden (B.A. 1806), namesake of the Gadsden Purchase, in which the United States purchased from Mexico the land that became parts of Arizona and New MexicoJames Wadsworth (1787), founder of Geneseo, New York, and leading pioneer and community leader of the Genesee ValleyJohn Brown (B.A. 1771), accuser of Benedict ArnoldHenry B. Carrington (1845), Union army general in the American Civil WarA. Peter Dewey, first American to be killed in the Vietnam War, in 1945Nathan Hale (B.A. 1773), America's first spy, "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country."David Humphreys (B.A. 1771), aide-de-camp to George WashingtonLewis Nixon, army officer featured in Band of BrothersJarvis Offutt (1917), World War I aviator, namesake of Offutt Air Force Base.John Paterson (B.A. 1762), major general in the American Revolution and congressman from New YorkJohn Francisco Richards II (B.A. 1917), World War I aviator, namesake of Richards-Gebaur Air Force BaseRichard K. Sutherland (B.A. 1916), army general during World War IIBenjamin Tallmadge (B. A. 1773), head of General George Washington's Cuper Spy Ring on Long Island and New YorkDecius Wadsworth (1785), Colonel U.S. Army War of 1812 and Chief of Ordnance 1815–1821Nathan Whiting (B.A. 1743), colonel of Connecticut troops during the French and Indian War; nephew of university president Thomas ClapDavid Wooster (B.A. 1738), brigadier general in the American Revolutionary War; namesake of Wooster, Ohio, The College of Wooster, and the Wooster SchoolRichard S. Aldrich (B.A. 1906), U.S. Representative, R-Rhode IslandLawrence Coughlin, Republican Representative from Pennsylvania 1969–1991Nelson Antonio Denis (J.D., 1980), New York State AssemblymanCharles S. Dewey, Republican Representative from Illinois 1941–1942Jerome F. Donovan (Law 1894), U.S. Representative, D-New York (1918–1921)E. D. Estilette (B. A. 1857), Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1876; state district court judge in St. Landry Parish, LouisianaPorter J. Goss (U.S. Representative, R-FL, 1989–2004, and director of CIA)George Hambrecht (LL.B. 1904), Wisconsin State Assembly (1909–1910, 1915)Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (B.A. 2012), Alaska House of Representatives (2013–)Sheila Jackson Lee (B.A. 1972), U.S. Representative, D-TexasPhillip Livingston (B.A. 1737), Delegate and signer of the Declaration of Independence from New York, state senatorDwight Loomis (1847), U.S. Representative from Connecticut (1859–1863)Samuel Augustus Maverick (B.A. 1828), member of the Texas State Senate, namesake for eponym maverickEdward Ralph May (1838), sole delegate to the Indiana Constitutional Convention of 1850 to support African American suffrageDavid M. McIntosh (B.A. 1980), U.S. Representative, R-Indiana (1994–2001)Warren A. Morton (1924–2002), (B.S. 1945), speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives (1979–1980)Eleanor Holmes Norton (M.A. 1963, LL.B. 1964), non-voting congressional delegate for District of Columbia (1991–present)Hugh Q. Parmer (B.A.), Democratic member of both houses of the Texas State Legislature, 1963–1965 and 1983–1991; mayor of Fort Worth, Texas from 1977 to 1979William S. Reyburn, Republican Representative from Pennsylvania 1911–1913Carlos Romero Barceló (B.A. 1953), U.S. Representative (Resident commissioner), D-Puerto Rico (1993–2000), Governor of Puerto Rico (1977–1985).Gerry Studds (B.A. 1959, M.A. 1961), U.S. Representative, D-MA, 1973–1997Richard Swett (B.A. 1979), U.S. Representative, D-New Hampshire, 1991–1995 (See also: Diplomats)Bradford Bishop, fugitive, indicted for murderCory Booker (J.D. 1997), mayor of Newark, New JerseyJabez Bowen (B.A. 1757), Federalist supporter, deputy governor of Rhode IslandSusan Bysiewicz (B.A. 1983), Secretary of State for the State of Connecticut, 1999–2010Jay Carney (B.A. 1987), White House Press Secretary in the Obama administration, 2011–presentJohn T. Downey, judge, former CIA flyer imprisoned in China 1952–1973Albert Bel Fay (B.S. 1936), Houston, Texas, shipbuilder, oilman, and Republican Party officialStephen Clark Foster (1815–1898), first American mayor of Los Angeles, CaliforniaDavid Frum (B.A. and M.A. 1982), White House Speech writer in the Bush administration (2000) who coined Axis of Evil phraseJodi Grant (B.A. 1990), executive director of the Afterschool AllianceSayed Rahmatullah Hashemi, Taliban spokesmanRobert Hathaway, ruler of SarkClarence King (Ph.D. 1862), founder of the U.S. Geological SurveyDenison Kitchel (B.A. 1930), attorney in Phoenix, Arizona, and national campaign manager for Barry M. Goldwater in 1964Lewis Libby (B.A. 1972), former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, principal figure in the Plame AffairJohn Lindsay (B.A. 1944, LL.B. 1948), Mayor of New York CityArthur Mag, lawyer, legal counsel to Harry S. TrumanRobert Marjolin (Economics, 1934), French Marshall Plan implementor and European CommissionerWalter Russell Mead (B.A. 1976), academic, writer on foreign affairs, and public intellectualRoger Milliken, textiles magnate and godfather of American conservatismShannon K. O'Neil (B.A. 1993 and M.A. 1999), Douglas Dillon fellow in the Latin America studies department at the Council on Foreign RelationsRobert DeShaun "Shawn" Peace (B.S. 2002), the subject of The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, was born and raised in East OrangeGifford Pinchot, founder of the United States Forest ServiceThomas Thacher (B.A. 1871), founder of prominent law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and first president of the Yale ClubSean Trende (B.A. 1995), Senior Elections Analyst for RealClearPolitics, co-author of The Almanac of American PoliticsKori Udovički (Ph.D 1999 in Economics), Governor of the National Bank of Serbia 2003–2004, assistant secretary-general of United Nations 2007–Aleksey Vayner, an internet sensation due to his video resume sent to UBS titled Impossible is NothingVictoria, Crown Princess of SwedenAnthony A. Williams (B.A. 1979), Mayor of Washington, D.C., 1999–2007Janet Wu (B.A., 1988), broadcast journalist and writerJanet Yellen (Ph.D. 1971), Chair of the Federal Reserve, 2014–presentHiram Bingham II (1853), missionary to Hawaii and the Gilbert IslandsWilliam Ragsdale Cannon (B.D., 1940; PhD, 1942), professor and dean of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University; United Methodist Church bishopThomas Frederick Davies, Sr. (1853 & 1893), third Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan, 1889–1905Jonathan Edwards, New England pastor and theologianLeroy Gilbert, Chaplain of the United States Coast GuardJeffrey R. Holland (PhD, 1973), former president of Brigham Young University, Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)Ashley Day Leavitt (B.A. 1900), minister of Harvard Congregational Church, Brookline, MassachusettsJohn H. Leith (PhD, 1949), Presbyterian author, theologian and professorAaron L. Mackler (B.A. 1980), notable rabbi in the Conservative movementAsahel Nettleton (1809), theologian and pastor from Connecticut who was highly influential during the Second Great AwakeningJames W.C. Pennington (1809–1870), African American orator, minister, and abolitionist; the first black man to attend classes at Yale when he audited classes at Yale Divinity School from 1834 to 1839Harry Boone Porter, liturgist, journalist, clergyman of the Episcopal Church, editor of The Living Church magazineYasir Qadhi (Ph.D. candidate), Muslim theologianAndrew Leete Stone (1836), minister, authorAnson Phelps Stokes, III (BA 1927), eleventh bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of MassachusettsRoy M. Terry, Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air ForceAsa Thurston (1816), one of the first missionaries to introduce Christianity to the Kingdom of Hawai'iArchitecture and visual art
Josef Albers, painterRichard Anuszkiewicz, painter of the Op-Art movementGraham Arader (B.A. Economics 1972), rare map and print dealerMatthew Barney (B.A. 1989), video and installation artistJennifer Bartlett (M.F.A), painterJonathan Borofsky, artistSteven Brill (B.A. 1972, J.D. 1975), founder of Court TV and The American LawyerTheophilus Brown, painterNorman Carlberg, sculptor, director of Rinehart School of SculptureChuck Close (M.F.A. 1964), painterGregory Crewdson (M.F.A. 1988), photographerJohn Currin (M.F.A. 1986), painterBrian D'Amato (B.A. 1984), novelist and sculptorEdward D. Dart (B.A. 1949), architectPhilip-Lorca diCorcia (M.F.A. 1979), photographerRackstraw Downes (B.F.A. 1963, M.F.A 1964), painterLeya Evelyn, painterJanet Fish (M.F.A. 1963), painterPaul Fontaine (B.F.A. 1935), painterNorman Foster (M.Arch. 1961), architectHelen Frank, painter and printmakerDan Friedman, graphic designerAnn Gale (M.F.A. 1991), painter, professor at the University of Washington School of ArtAaron Gilbert (M.F.A. 2008), painterBrendan Gill (B.A. 1936), architecture writer and criticSteve Giovinco (M.F.A. 1989), photographerJohn Graham, Jr. (1931), architect, designer of the Space NeedleNancy Graves, sculptorWilliam Harlan Hale (B.A. 1931), writer, journalist, editorErwin Hauer, sculptorBarkley L. Hendricks (B.F.A. and M.F.A. 1970–1972), painterEva Hesse (M.F.A. 1959), sculptorMuzharul Islam (M.Arch. 1961), Bangladeshi architectSujata Keshavan (M.F.A. 1987), graphic designerJohannes Knoops (M.Arch II 1995), architect, educator, Rome Prize FellowJack Lembeck (MFA 1970), painter and sculptorMaya Lin (B.A. 1981, M. Arch 1986, honorary Ph.D. 1987), architect, best known for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, subject of the 1995 Academy Award-winning documentary Maya Lin: A Strong Clear VisionRobert Mangold, painterBrice Marden (M.F.A. 1963), painterMalerie Marder (M.F.A. 1998), photographerJoshua Meyer (B.A. 1996), painterDon Nice (M.F.A. 1964), painterHally Pancer (M.F.A 1988), photographerScott Pask (M.F.A. 1997), scenic designer, Tony Award for The PillowmanJoshua Prince-Ramus (B.A., 1991), architectMartin Puryear (M.F.A. 1971), sculptorRichard Rogers (M.Arch. 1962), architect, 2007 Pritzker Prize winnerMark Rothko (Class of 1924), painterLeo Rubinfien (M.F.A. 1976), photographerEero Saarinen (B.Arch, 1934), architect, best known for the St. Louis Gateway ArchRichard Serra (B.F.A., M.F.A. 1964), sculptorRodney Smith (Th.M 1973), photographerRobert A. M. Stern (M. Arch. 1965), architect, current dean of Yale School of ArchitectureSarah Sze (B.A.), sculptor and MacArthur Foundation fellowGarry Trudeau (B.A. 1970, M.F.A. 1973), Doonesbury cartoonistMarc Trujillo (M.F.A. 1994), painterKatie Vida (M.F.A. 2010), interdisciplinary artist and curatorWilliam T. Williams (M.F.A 1968), artist, first African American included in the H.W. Janson History of ArtAnn Temkin, (PhD 1984), curator, currently Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture at MoMAConstance Thalken, (M.F.A 1988), photographerHistory, literature, and journalism
Carl Bialik (Class of 2001), journalist, Wall Street JournalHarold Bloom (Ph.D. 1956), literary criticSteven Brill (B.A. 1972, J.D. 1975), founder of Court TV and The American LawyerRobert Brustein (DRA 1951), founder of the Yale Repertory Theatre, critic, authorThad Carhart, writer of The Piano Shop on the Left Bank and other booksLan Samantha Chang (B.A. 1987), writer and director of the Iowa Writers' WorkshopSusan Choi (B.A. 1990), authorMarie Colvin (B.A. 1978), journalistJames Fenimore Cooper (Class of 1805), author of The Last of the MohicansWilbur Cross, authorBrian D'Amato (B.A. 1984), novelist and sculptorIlana Dayan (Ph.D 1992), Israeli journalist and anchorwomanCharles DeKay, linguist, poet, critic and fencerRandy Charles Epping (M.A. 1983), authorCharles Finch (B.A. 2002), novelist and criticJustus Miles Forman (1898), author and playwrightBrendan Gill (B.A. 1936), architectural criticDavid Gonzalez, journalist, New York TimesDana Goodyear (B.A. 1998), journalist and poetLinda Greenhouse, journalist, covers the United States Supreme Court for the New York TimesEdwin S. Grosvenor (B.A. 1974), President and Editor-in-Chief, American Heritage magazineGilbert M. Grosvenor (B.A. 1954), formerly editor, then president, now Chairman Emeritus at National GeographicLloyd Grove, editor at large for The Daily BeastRoland Hagenbüchle, scholar for American Studies and philosopherWilliam Harlan Hale (B.A. 1931), writer, journalist, editorQuiara Alegria Hudes (BA), playwright, In the Heights, 2008 Tony for Best MusicalJoan Kahn (attended Yale School of Art one year, early 1930s), mystery editor and anthologist; novelist and children's writerMichiko Kakutani (B.A. 1976), book critic for the New York TimesMina Kimes (B.A. English 2008), investigative journalistKarl Kirchwey (B.A. 1979), poetJohn Knowles (B.A. 1949), author of A Separate PeaceLarry Kramer (B.A. 1957), playwright and gay activistJohn Lahr (B.A. 1963), drama critic for the New YorkerDavid Leavitt (B.A. 1983), authorDavid Leonhardt (B.A. 1994), Washington bureau chief for New York TimesElizabeth Letts (B.A. 1983), author of The Eighty Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse that Inspired a NationJeremy Leven, author, screenwriter, director and producer whose works include Don Juan DeMarcoJonathan Levi, author, producer, musician, co-founder of GrantaAdam Liptak (B.A. 1984), Supreme Court correspondent for The New York TimesJonathan Littell (B.A. 1989), writer; won the Prix GoncourtWilliam Logan (B.A. 1972), poet, criticWednesday Martin, journalist, memoirist, anthropologistPeter Matthiessen (B.A. 1950), naturalist, author of historical fiction and non-fictionJane Mayer (B.A. 1977), journalist and authorJ.D. McClatchy (Ph.D. 1974), poet, critic, member of American Academy of Arts and LettersGordon McLendon (B.A. 1942), radio pioneer, Top 40 radio format, co-founder of the Association for Intelligence OfficersClaire Messud (B.A. 1987), author of The Emperor's ChildrenNerissa Nields (B.A. 1989), of the band The NieldsAnn Packer (B.A. 1981), authorGeorge Packer (B.A. 1982), authorZZ Packer (B.A. 1994), authorJon Pareles (B.A), popular music critic at The New York TimesTom Perrotta (B.A. 1983), authorDavid Pogue (B.A. 1985), technology columnist for The New York TimesMartin Puryear (M.F.A. 1971), sculptorAlexandra Robbins (B.A. 1998), authorSam Savage (B.A., 1968, Ph.D., 1979), authorVincent Scully (B.A. 1940), art historianAri Shapiro (B.A. 2000), White House correspondent for National Public RadioAlex Sheshunoff (B.A. 1996), authorAmity Shlaes (B.A. 1982), journalist, New York Times bestselling authorAndrew Solomon (B.A. 1985), writerMark Strand (B.F.A 1959), former Poet Laureate of the United StatesSarah Sze (B.A.), sculptor and MacArthur Foundation fellowMarc Trujillo (M.F.A. 1994), painterErica Simone Turnipseed, writerNoah Webster (B.A. 1778, Ll.D. 1823), lexicographer, author of the first definitive dictionary of the American English language, helped found Amherst CollegeFrederic Will (Ph.D., 1954), writerDick Wimmer (M.A. 1959), novelistNaomi Wolf (B.A. 1984), feminist writerTom Wolfe (Ph.D. 1957), journalist, author of The Right Stuff and The Bonfire of the VanitiesBen Yagoda (B.A. 1975), journalist, author of a history of the New YorkerAnna Ziegler (B.A. 2001), playwrightMusicians and composers
Marin Alsop (1973–1975, transferred to Juilliard), conductor and music director of the Baltimore Symphony OrchestraJune Anderson, sopranoEric Banks (B.A. 1990), composerJane Ira Bloom, soprano saxophonistCarter Brey, principal cellist for the New York PhilharmonicRobert Carl, composer and chair of the Composition Department at the Hartt SchoolRachel Cheung (M.Mus. 2013), Hong Kong pianistJonathan Coulton (B.A. 1992), musician, internet celebrityJack Glatzer (B.A. 1960), concert violinistMichael Gore (B.A. 1973), Academy Award-winning composerAdam Guettel (B.A. 1987), Tony Award-winning composer/lyricistMark Helias (M.Mus. 1976), bassist and composerWalter Hekster (M.Mus. 1963), composer, clarinetist and conductorLisa Hopkins, opera singer and Tony Award winnerCharles Ives (B.A. 1898), composer, classical musicRanidu Lankage (B.A. 2005), Sinhalese R&B and hip-hop artistMitch Leigh (B.A 1951, M.Mus. 1952), composer, producer Man of La Mancha, "To Dream the Impossible Dream"Gilbert Levine (M.A. 1972), conductor, leading figure in classical music televisionGeorge Lewis (B.A. 1974), trombonist and composerDavid Longstreth, songwriter, singer, guitarist for the Dirty ProjectorsRobert Lopez (B.A. 1997), co-creator of the Broadway musicals Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon and winner of 3 Tony AwardsAlvin Lucier, experimental composerJohn Mauceri (B.A. 1967), conductor and scholarPras Michel, Grammy Award-winning rapper, member of hip-hop trio The FugeesDouglas Moore (B.A 1915, B.M 1917), composerKevin Olusola (B.A. 2011), beatboxer, cellist, singer, songwriter, Grammy-winning member of PentatonixJohann Sebastian Paetsch (M.M. 1987), musician and cellistCole Porter (B.A. 1913), composerAndré Raphel, conductor of the Wheeling Symphony OrchestraRoot Boy Slim, real name Foster MacKenzie III (B.A. 1967), lyricist and blues musicianKurt Hugo Schneider (B.A. 2010), YouTube sensation, music producer, and filmmakerChad Shelton (M.A. 1997), operatic tenorSam Tsui (B.A. 2011), YouTube sensation, singerRudy Vallée (B.A. 1927), singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainerMaury Yeston (B.A. 1967, Ph.D. 1974 ), lyricist, composer, Tony Awards for Nine and TitanicJoel Benjamin (B.A. 1985), three-time U.S. chess champion (1987, 1997, 2000)Steve Benjamin (B.A. 1978), silver medalist in Sailing at the 1984 Summer Olympics, and competitive sailorJohnny Bent, silver medalist with the American hockey team in the 1932 Winter OlympicsCraig Breslow, Major League Baseball pitcherJohnny Broaca, Major League Baseball player, 1936 World Series championWalter Camp (B.A. 1880), the "Father of American Football"Alan L. Corey, Jr., polo player, five-time winner of the Monty Waterbury CupRon Darling, Mets pitcherBrian Dowling (B.A. 1969), quarterbackChris Dudley (B.A. 1987), former NBA playerTheo Epstein (B.A. 1995), became Red Sox general manager at age 28, youngest in Major League Baseball historyGary Fencik (Class of 1975, B.A. 1976), professional football player twice selected for the Pro Bowl as a defensive back for the Chicago BearsRobert A. Gardner (Class of 1912), two-time U.S. Amateur golf championEarl G. Graves, Jr. (B.A. 1984), former NBA player, all-time leading scorer in Yale's Men's Basketball history (3rd Ivy)Howard (Howdy) Groskloss, oldest living former Major League Baseball player, aged 100 as of 2006George Haas, Jr., polo player, three-time winner of the Monty Waterbury Cup.Chris Hetherington (B.A. 1996), NFL running backChris Higgins, forward for the National Hockey League Vancouver CanucksCalvin Hill (B.A. 1969), football player with the NFL's Cowboys, Redskins and BrownsKenny Hill (B.A. 1980), football player with the NFL's Raiders, Giants and ChiefsSarah Hughes (Class of 2008), gold medalist in 2002 Olympic figure skatingBill Hutchinson, former Major League Baseball playerPhilip L. B. Iglehart, Chilean polo playerLevi Jackson (1926–2000), first African American elected by his teammates to captain an Ivy League football teamSada Jacobson (B.A. 2006), bronze medalist in 2004 Olympic women's saberDick Jauron (B.A. 1973), head coach of the National Football League's Buffalo Bills (2006–2009)Eric Johnson (B.A. 2001), NFL tight endRyan Lavarnway, major league baseball catcher (Boston Red Sox/Los Angeles Dodgers)Nate Lawrie (B.A. 2004), NFL tight endGlenn Layendecker (B.A. 1983), professional tennis playerBob McKeown (B.A. 1971), Canadian Football League Grey Cup champion, award-winning journalist with CBC News, NBC and CBS.David Meckler, professional ice hockey playerChuck Mercein (B.A. 1964), football player with the NFL's Giants, Packers, Redskins and JetsWendell Mottley (B.A. 1964), Olympic medalist, and subsequently a government minister for Trinidad and TobagoKate O'Neill (B.A. 2003), long distance runner 2004 Summer Olympics competitor in 10,000 mWinthrop Palmer, silver medalist with the American hockey team in the 1932 Winter OlympicsMike Pyle (B.A. 1960), professional football player selected for the Pro Bowl as a center for the Chicago BearsRenée Richards, former professional tennis player, captain of the 1954 men's team as Richard RaskindMike Richter (B.A. 2006), former New York Rangers goaltenderRyan Max Riley, World Cup ski racer and two-time national champion on the US Ski TeamJohn Rogan, former CFL quarterbackJeff Rohrer (B.A. 1981), football player with the NFL's Dallas CowboysDon Schollander (B.A. 1968), swimmer, five-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist: 1964, 4 gold; 1968, 1 gold, 1 silver; one of the first inductees into U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame (1983)George C. Sherman, Jr., polo playerFrank Shorter (B.A. 1969), gold medal (1972) and silver medal (1976), Olympic MarathonAdam Snow, polo player, played varsity hockey and lacrosse at Yale against Harvard UniversityJohn Spagnola (B.A. 1978), football player with the NFL's Eagles, Seahawks and PackersJeff Van Gundy (attended Yale College for his freshman year), head coach for the NBA's New York Knicks and Houston RocketsAnne Warner (B.A. 1976), first Yale College female undergraduate to win an Olympic medal (bronze, rowing)Josh West, Olympic medalist rower.Blair Yaworski (born 1985), Canadian professional ice hockey player.Angela Bassett (B.A. 1980 African-American Studies, MFA 1983), Academy Award-nominated actressJennifer Beals (B.A. 1987 American Literature), actress, best known for Flashdance and The L WordHenry Bean, screenwriter/director The BelieverJordana Brewster, actress, plays Mia in The Fast and the FuriousRob Campbell (MFA 1990), actor, debuted in UnforgivenBruce Cohen, film producer, won an Academy Award for American BeautyMichael Cimino (B.A. 1961, M.A. 1963), Academy Award-winning director of The Deer HunterJennifer Connelly (Class of 1992), Academy Award-winning actressWhitfield Cook, author, playwright and screenwriterRobert Curtis Brown (B.A. 1979), television, film, and stage actorClaire Danes (Class of 2002), actressNoah Emmerich (B.A. 1992), actorJodie Foster (B.A. 1985 in literature, magna cum laude), Academy Award-winning actress (The Accused, The Silence of the Lambs), and directorJames Franco, actor, comedianPaul Giamatti (BA 1989, MFA 1994), actor, starred in SidewaysAlex Gibney, Academy Award-winning documentary-filmmaker (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, 2005; Taxi to the Dark Side, 2007)David Alan Grier, actor, comedianKathryn Hahn, actressMichael Herz, director, founder of Troma StudiosGeorge Hickenlooper (B.A. 1985), film directorGeorge Roy Hill, Academy Award-winning directorLloyd Kaufman (B.A. 1968), director, actor, President of Troma Studios, IFTA CharmanElia Kazan, Academy Award-winning directorZoe Kazan (B.A. 2005, Theatre), film and stage actress, Elia's granddaughterPhil LaMarr (B.A. 1989), actor, comedianAdam Leipzig (B.A. 1979 in literature), film and theater producerThomas F. Lennon (B.A. 1973), Academy Award-winning documentary filmmakerRon Livingston (B.A. 1989), actor, best known for Office SpaceFrances McDormand (MFA 1982), Academy Award-winning actressBill Moseley, actorPaul Newman (DRA 1954), Academy Award-winning actorAlessandro Nivola (B.A. 1994), actorEdward Norton (B.A. 1991), Academy Award-nominated actor (American History X), also known for Fight ClubLupita Nyong'o (MFA 2012), Academy Award-winning actress (12 Years A Slave)Kip Pardue (B.A. 1998), actorBronson Pinchot (B.A. 1981), actorVincent Price (B.A. 1933, History & English), actorIra Sachs (B.A. 1987), directorLiev Schreiber, (MFA 1992), actorRobert Simonds, film producer, best known for Big Daddy, Cheaper by the Dozen, and The Wedding SingerGene Siskel (B.A. 1967), movie criticTodd Solondz (B.A. 1981), director, Welcome to the Dollhouse and HappinessOliver Stone (Class of 1968), Academy Award-winning directorMeryl Streep (MFA), Academy Award-winning actressTed Tally (B.A.), Academy Award-winning screenwriterJohn Turturro (MFA 1983), actorSam Waterston (B.A. 1961), actorSigourney Weaver (MFA), actressSam Weisman (B.A. 1969), director/producer/actorJennifer Westfeldt (B.A. 1991), actress, screenwriter (Kissing Jessica Stein)James Whitmore, actorDouglas Wick (B.A. 1976), film producerJessica Yu (B.A. 1987), Academy Award-winning film directorLewis Black (MFA 1977), stand-up comedian who often appears on The Daily ShowJames Bohanek (B.A. 1991), Broadway and television actorJames Burrows (M.A.), producer, Cheers,Will & GraceDick Cavett, TV personality, nominated eleven times for the Emmy Award, and won three timesEnrico Colantoni (MFA), actor, Just Shoot Me, Galaxy Quest, and Veronica MarsAnderson Cooper (B.A. 1989), CNN anchor of Anderson Cooper 360°Bill Corbett (DRA 1989), actor, writer, played Crow T. Robot in Mystery Science Theater 3000Suzanne Cryer (B.A., M.F.A.), actress, Silicon Valley, Two Guys and a GirlBrett Dalton (MFA 2011), actor in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Claire Danes (did not graduate), actress in HomelandDavid Duchovny (M.A. English literature 1989), actor in The X-Files, CalifornicationDick Ebersol, president of NBC sports division, helped launch Saturday Night LiveKathryn Finney (MPH 2000), television correspondent Today ShowMalcolm Gets (MFA), actor, best known for as "Richard Karinsky" on Caroline in the CitySara Gilbert (B.A. 1997), actress, best known for her portrayal as the daughter "Darlene Conner" on the sit-com RoseanneFelipe Gozon, Philippine television executiveMichael Gross (DRA 1973), actor, best known as "Steven Keaton" (the father of Michael J. Fox's character) on Family TiesHarry Hamlin (B.A. 1974), actor best known as attorney "Michael Kuzak" in NBC TV drama L.A. LawJohn Hodgman (B.A. 1992), author and comedian who often appears on The Daily Show and in the Get a Mac ad campaigns, representing a humanized PC.Conor Knighton (B.A. 2003 Film Studies), host of InfoMania on Current TVLeo Laporte, host of The Screen Savers on TechTVMatt Jackson (B.A. 2014), 4th longest winstreak on Jeopardy!Alex Jacob (B.A. 2006), winner of Jeopardy! 2015 Tournament of ChampionsDemetri Martin (B.A. 1995), stand-up comedian who often appears on The Daily ShowKellie Martin (B.A 2001)Crystal McKellar (B.A. 1999), played "Becky Slater" in The Wonder Years in her youth; now an attorneyAnne Meacham (B.A. 1947), Broadway and television actress (Another World)Ari Meyers (B.A. 1991), actress, played Emma McArdle on Kate & AllieRobert Myhrum (MFA), Emmy-nominated television directorChris Noth (CDR 1985), actor Law & Order: Criminal Intent", Sex and the CityMaulik Pancholy (MFA 1998), actor, 30 Rock, Phineas and Ferb, WhitneyWalter F. Parkes (B.A. 1973), producer/writer, former head of DreamworksStone Phillips (B.A. 1977), television anchor for NBCRobert Picardo (B.A. 1975), the holographic doctor on the television show Star Trek: VoyagerDavid Hyde Pierce (B.A. 1981), actor, best known as "Dr. Niles Crane" on Frasier; winner of four Emmy AwardsAlan Poul (B.A. 1976), television director and producerJosh Saviano (B.A. 1998), played Paul Pfeiffer on The Wonder YearsMatt Shakman (B.A. circa 1997), director, It's Always Sunny in PhiladelphiaTony Shalhoub (MFA 1980), actor, MonkGene Siskel (MFA 1974), film critic, At the MoviesSteve Skrovan (B.A. 1979), executive producer of Everybody Loves Raymond and An Unreasonable ManBen Stein (LLD 1970), economist, host of Win Ben Stein's MoneyMing Tsai (B.A. 1986), chef on East Meets West with Ming Tsai on PBSCourtney B. Vance (MFA 1986), actor, 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent as "Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver"Margaret Warner, co-anchor on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, PBS' weekday news programSam Waterston (B.A. 1962), actor, played A.D.A. Jack McCoy on Law & OrderSuzanne Whang (B.A. 1983), hostess of HGTV's House Hunters and House Hunters InternationalAllison Williams (B.A. 2010), actress, GirlsHenry Winkler (MFA 1970), actor, best known as "Fonzie" on Happy DaysBellamy Young (B.A. 1991), Broadway and television actressVictoria Clark (BA 1982), Tony Award for Best Lead Actress for The Light in The PiazzaMichael P. Price (MFA 1963), theatre producer and longest-serving artistic director in American theatre, Executive Director of Tony Award-winning Goodspeed MusicalsTed Sperling (BA 1982), Tony Award for orchestrationAndy Sandberg (BA 2005/06), Tony Award-winning producer of Hair, 2009.Professors who are also Yale alumni are listed in italics.
Sidney Altman: Chemistry, 1989Gérard Debreu: Economics, 1983John Fenn: Chemistry, 2002. Received his PhD from Yale 1940, and was a member of the Yale faculty from 1962 to 1994Tjalling Koopmans: Economics, 1975Wangari Maathai: Peace, 2004; visiting professor at the Forestry School in 2002 YDN articleErwin Neher: Physiology or Medicine, 1991; biophysicist at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry who was previously a postdoctoral fellow at YaleGeorge Palade, professor at Yale Medical School from 1973–1990: Physiology or Medicine, 1974.James Rothman: Physiology or Medicine, 2013Robert Shiller: Economics, 2013Thomas A. Steitz: Chemistry, 2009Edward Tatum: Physiology or Medicine, 1958; was at Yale from 1945 to 1948James Tobin: Economics, 1981Robert P. Abelson, late Eugene Higgins Professor of Psychology and professor of Political ScienceSydney E. Ahlstrom, historian of religion in AmericaJosef Albers, artistAkhil Amar (B.A. 1980, J.D. 1984), law professorKanichi Asakawa (Ph.D. 1902), historian, first Japanese professor at U.S. universityE. Wight Bakke, economist and industrial relations scholar; director of the Yale Labor and Management CenterHarold Bloom (Ph.D 1955), writer and critic, author of The Anxiety of Influence, Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human and many other scholarly booksGrigory Margulis, mathematician, Fields medallist and Wolf Prize winnerSerge Lang, mathematician and activistJohn Morton Blum, professor of political historyCleanth Brooks, Professor of English, world-renowned expert on writer William FaulknerJohn Carlson, molecular biologistNeil W. Chamberlain, economist and industrial relations scholar; assistant director of the Yale Labor and Management CenterDennis S. Charney, expert in the neurobiology and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders.Kenneth L. Davis, president and CEO of Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York CityArthur Louis Day, geophysicist and volcanologistPaul de Man, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, departments of French and Comparative Literature; literary critic posthumously controversial for articles he wrote for collaboration paper in occupied Belgium, one of which is widely held to be antisemiticJacques Derrida, philosopher; held visiting professorship at invitation of Paul de ManWai Chee Dimock, William Lampson Professor of English and American StudiesInge Druckrey, teacher of graphic designIsidore Dyen, professor of comparative linguistics and Austronesian languagesJohn Elefteriades, cardiac surgeonDonald Engelman, biochemist and cancer researcherAnne Fadiman, author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Francis Writer in Residence at YaleFred Rogers Fairchild (1877–1966), economistIrving Fisher, economistBassam Frangieh, scholar of Arabic language and literatureJohn Lewis Gaddis, Cold War historianJacques Armand Gauthier, comparative morphologist, paleontologist, and systematistPeter Gay, Enlightenment historianJohn Geanakoplos, economist, current James Tobin professor of economicsDavid Gelernter (1976), computer scientist, co-creator of the Linda programming languageJosiah Willard Gibbs (1839–1903), theoretical physicist, chemist, and mathematician, first American Ph.D. in engineeringLouise Gluck, Pulitzer Prize winner, poetOrvan Hess, M.D. (1906–2002), practitioner and researcher at the Yale School of Medicine, known for the fetal heart monitorPaul Hindemith, composer, musician, conductor, music theoristValerie Horsley, biologistRene Edward De Russy Hoyle, U.S. Army Major GeneralG. Evelyn Hutchinson, zoologist, considered to be the father of modern limnologyDonald Kagan, historian of ancient GreeceLouis I. Kahn, architectShizuo Kakutani, mathematician, Kakutani fixed-point theoremDeen Kemsley, taught at Yale School of Management for a year in 2003, currently teaches at A.B. Freeman School of BusinessPaul Kennedy, historianHarold Hongju Koh, dean of Yale Law School, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor in the Clinton AdministrationJoseph LaPalombara, Arnold Wolfers Professor of Political Science and Management EmeritusAlvin Lustig, graphic designerBronisław Malinowski (1884–1942), pioneer in ethnographic anthropology, and a professor at Cornell University, Yale University, and Harvard UniversityBenoît Mandelbrot, mathematician known for fractal geometryJulián Marías, philosopher, author of History of PhilosophySamuel Elmo Martin (1924–2009), linguist, developed the Yale Romanization system for transliterating KoreanJohn S. Meyer, physicianNeal E. Miller, James Rowland Angell Professor of PsychologyJames Mitchell, actor, played Palmer Cortlandt on All My ChildrenDavid Montgomery, Professor of HistoryEdmund S. Morgan, Professor of HistoryElting E. Morison, historian, essayist, military biographer, was Professor of History and American Studies as well as the master of Timothy Dwight College between 1966 and 1972William Nordhaus (1963), economistSherwin B. Nuland, surgeon and author of How We DieWilliam Odom, director, National Security AgencyArthur Okun, economistOystein Ore, mathematicianAldo Parisot, musician and cellistJaroslav Pelikan, historian, author of The Christian TraditionPeter C. Perdue, historian of Modern ChinaAlan Perlis, professor of Computer Science and first ever recipient of the Turing AwardDouglas W. Rae, political theoristEmir Rodríguez Monegal, professor of Latin American contemporary literature, founder of Mundo NuevoJuan Rosai, professor of Pathology and Director of the Department of Anatomic Pathology at Yale University, 1985–1991Philip Rubin, cognitive scientist, CEO, Haskins LaboratoriesHerbert Scarf, economistJames C. Scott, political scientist and anthropologistVincent Scully, Sterling Professor Professor of the History of Art in ArchitectureBenjamin Silliman, Jr., professor of chemistry, son of Benjamin Silliman, founder of Yale Chemistry DepartmentOktay Sinanoğlu, theoretical chemist and molecular biologist, and the youngest Yale full professorJ. Morris Slemons, formed the Department of Obstetrics at the School of Medicine in 1914Jonathan Spence, historian, author of The Search For Modern ChinaJoan Steitz, biochemist, discoverer of snRNPsWilliam Francis Gray Swann, Anglo-American physicistDavid Underdown, historian of 17th-century EnglandLee Watson, Broadway and opera lighting designer, author and Purdue University professorJay Winter, Charles J. Stille Professor of History; World War I specialistPaul Wolfowitz, political science instructor from 1970–72C. Vann Woodward, professor of historyMary C. Wright (1917–1970), historian of China, and first woman to be appointed a full professor in the arts and sciences faculty, in 1964Ernesto Zedillo (Ph.D. 1981), economics teacher and head of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, president of Mexico (1994–2000)W. Mark Saltzman, founder of Yale's Department of Biomedical Engineering 
