List of University of Cambridge members
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This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.
The following lists feature members of the University of Cambridge, segregated in accordance with their fields of achievement. To be eligible, an individual must have either studied at the university or worked at the university in an academic capacity. As a consequence, honorary fellows are not included and neither are non-executive chancellors. Lecturers without long-term posts at the university also do not feature, although official visiting fellows and visiting professors do. Individuals that have made particularly notable contributions in two very different fields may appear under two categories. In general, however, an attempt has been made to put individuals in the category for which they were best known.
Politics/Royalty [edit]
Kings and Queens [edit]
Charles Vyner Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak (Magdalene)
Dina al-Hussein of Jordan (Princess Dina Abdul Hamid after 1957 divorce) (Girton)
Edward VII of the United Kingdom (Trinity)- George VI of the United Kingdom (Trinity)
Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, India (Trinity)
Margrethe II of Denmark (Girton)
Mutesa II of Buganda, Kabaka of Buganda (Magdalene)- Muwenda Mutebi II, Kabaka of Buganda (Magdalene)
Peter II of Yugoslavia (Unknown)
Sofía, Queen Consort of Spain (Fitzwilliam)
Princes and Princesses [edit]
- Prince Andrew of Yugoslavia (Clare)
- Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (Trinity)
Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate of Ethiopia (Magdalene)- Charles, Prince of Wales (Trinity)
- Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (Jesus)
Fra' Matthew Festing, Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta (St John's)
Prince Ra'ad bin Zeid of Iraq (Christ's)- Princess Rahma bint Hassan of Jordan (Trinity)
- Prince Rashid bin Hassan of Jordan (Caius)
- Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Magdalene)
Shaikh Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain (Unknown)- Princess Sarvath El Hassan of Jordan (Unknown)
Princess Takamado of Japan (Girton)- Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia (Clare)
Prince Tunku Abdul Rahman of Kedah (St Catharine's)- Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (Trinity)
- Prince William of Gloucester (Magdalene)
- Prince William, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (Trinity)
- Prince Zeid bin Raad of Iraq (Christ's)
Viceroys [edit]
- Clement Francis Cornwall (Trinity/Magdalene) Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (1881–1887)
- Charles Cornwallis (Clare) Governor-General of India (1786–1793)
- Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon (Trinity) 13th Governor General of Canada (1926–1931)
- Sir Robert George Howe (St Catharine's) Governor General of the Sudan (1947–1955)
- David Lloyd Johnston (Trinity Hall) 28th Governor General of Canada (2010-)
- Sir William Manning (Fitzwilliam) Governor of Jamaica (1913–1918) and Governor of Ceylon (1918–1925)
- Louis Mountbatten (Christ's) Last Viceroy of India (1947), First Governor General of India (1947–1948)
- Sarojini Naidu (Girton) First woman to become the President of the Indian National Congress (1925) and Governor of Uttar Pradesh (1947–1949)
- Vere Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough (Trinity) 14th Governor-General of Canada (1931–1935)
- John Winthrop (Trinity) Founder and first Governor of Massachusetts (1630–1648)
Lord Protector [edit]
- Oliver Cromwell (Sidney Sussex)
Presidents and Prime Ministers (international) [edit]
- Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (St Catharine's) President of India 1974-1977
Ba Maw (Unknown) First Prime Minister of Burma (Myanmar) 1937-1939; Head of State 1943-1945
Rupiah Banda (Wolfson) President of Zambia 2008-
Sir Francis Bell (St John's) Prime Minister of New Zealand 1925
Stanley Bruce (Trinity) Prime Minister of Australia 1923-1929
Jerzy Buzek (Unknown) Prime Minister of Poland 1997-2001
Erskine Hamilton Childers (Trinity) President of Ireland 1973-1974- Alfred Domett (St John's) Prime Minister of New Zealand 1862-1863
- Rajiv Gandhi (Trinity) Prime Minister of India 1984-1989
- Mohammad Hidayatullah (Trinity) Acting President of India 1969
Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi (Unknown) Acting Prime Minister of Pakistan 1990
Kim Dae-jung (Clare Hall) President of South Korea 1998-2003
John Lionel Kotelawala (Christ's) Prime Minister of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1953-1956
Lee Hsien Loong (Trinity) Prime Minister of Singapore 2004-- Lee Kuan Yew (Fitzwilliam) First Prime Minister of Singapore 1965-1990
- Edward Mutesa II (Magdalene) First President of Uganda 1963-1966
- Khawaja Nazimuddin (Trinity Hall) Prime Minister of Pakistan 1951-1953
- Jawaharlal Nehru (Trinity) First Prime Minister of India 1947-1964
Anand Panyarachun (Trinity) Prime Minister of Thailand, 1991–1992, then again in 1992- Tunku Abdul Rahman (St Catharine's) First Prime Minister of Malaysia 1957-1970
George Maxwell Richards (Pembroke) President of Trinidad and Tobago 2003-- Samir Rifai (Trinity) Prime Minister of Jordan 2009-2011
William Philip Schreiner (Downing) Prime Minister of the Cape Colony (South Africa) 1899-1902- Dudley Senanayake (Corpus Christi) Prime Minister of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1952–1953, 1960, 1965–1970
- Shankar Dayal Sharma (Fitzwilliam) President of India 1992-1997
- Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh (Queens') Prime Minister of Jordan 2011-
- Manmohan Singh (St John's) Prime Minister of India 2004-
Jan Smuts (Christ's) Prime Minister of South Africa 1919-1924,1939–1948- Gerald Strickland (Trinity) Prime Minister of Malta 1927-1932
William Henry Waddington (Trinity) Prime Minister of France 1879
Prime Ministers (Great Britain/United Kingdom) [edit]
- Robert Walpole (King's) First Prime Minister 1721-1742
- Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle (Clare) Prime Minister 1754-1756, 1757–1762
- Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham (St John's) Prime Minister 1765-66, 1782
- Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton (Peterhouse) Prime Minister 1768-1770
- William Pitt the Younger (Pembroke) Prime Minister 1783-1801, 1804–1806
- Spencer Perceval (Trinity) Prime Minister 1809-1812
- Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool (Christ's) 1812–1827[dubious ]
- Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich (St John's) Prime Minister 1827-1828
- Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (Trinity) Prime Minister 1830-1834
- William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (Trinity) Prime Minister 1834, 1835–1841
- George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen (St John's) Prime Minister 1852-1855
- Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (St John's) Prime Minister 1855-1858, 1859–1865
- Arthur Balfour (Trinity) Prime Minister 1902-1905
- Henry Campbell-Bannerman (Trinity) Prime Minister 1905-1908
- Stanley Baldwin (Trinity) Prime Minister 1923-1924, 1924–1929, 1935–1937
Signatories of the American Declaration of Independence [edit]
- Thomas Lynch, Jr. (Caius)
- Arthur Middleton (Trinity Hall)
- Thomas Nelson, Jr. (Christ's)
Soviet spies [edit]
known:
- Anthony Blunt (Trinity)
- Guy Burgess (Trinity)
- John Cairncross (Trinity)
- Donald Maclean (Trinity Hall)
- Kim Philby (Trinity)
- Michael Whitney Straight (Trinity)
suspected:
- Victor Rothschild (Trinity)
(for other suspects, see Cambridge Five)
Other political figures [edit]
- Aitzaz Ahsan (Downing) Interior Minister of Pakistan (1988–1990)
- Mani Shankar Aiyar (Trinity Hall) Indian Minister of Panchayati Raj (2004–2009)
- Augustus Molade Akiwumi (Fitzwilliam) Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana (1958–1960)
- Musa Alami (Unknown) Palestinian nationalist, major contributor to the White Paper of 1939
- Choudhary Rahmat Ali (Emmanuel) Pakistani independence leader, credited with inventing the name "Pakistan"
- Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh (Queens') Jordanian Foreign Minister (1980–1990), Royal State Adviser on International Law
- Sri Aurobindo (King's) Member of the Indian National Congress and independence leader
- Nathaniel Bacon (Sidney Sussex) Early American rebel, instigator of Bacon's Rebellion of 1676
- Joseph Baptista (Fitzwilliam) Founder of the Indian Home Rule Movement (1916) and Mayor of Bombay (1925–1926)
- Johan Baverbrant (St Edmund's) Swedish representative on the Council of Europe
- Christopher Bentley (Wolfson) Minister of Aboriginal Affairs in Ontario (2010-)
- Hans Blix (Trinity Hall) UN weapons inspector, Swedish Foreign Minister (1978–1979)
- Maria Böhmer (Unknown) Current Minister of State in the German Chancellery
- Subhas Chandra Bose (Fitzwilliam) President of the Indian National Congress (1938–1939) and leader of the Indian National Army
- Rab Butler (Pembroke) British Deputy Prime Minister (1962–1963), Home Secretary (1957–1962), Foreign Secretary (1963–1964) and Chancellor of the Exchequer (1951–1955)
- Jerzy Buzek (Unknown) President of the European Parliament (2009-)
- P. K. van der Byl (Pembroke) Rhodesian Foreign Minister (1974–1979)
- Vince Cable (Fitzwilliam) Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Business Secretary (2010-)
- Alastair Campbell (Caius) Press Secretary and Director of Communications & Strategy under Tony Blair
- Fernando María Castiella y Maíz (Unknown) Spanish Foreign Minister (1957–1969)
- William Cecil (St John's) Chief adviser to Queen Elizabeth I, Secretary of State (1550–1553 & 1558–1572)
- Austen Chamberlain (Trinity) British politician, Nobel Prize winner
- Somnath Chatterjee (Jesus) Speaker of the Lok Sabha in the Indian Government (2004–2009)
- Paul Clement (Darwin) Solicitor General of the United States (2004–2008)
- Robert Erskine Childers (Trinity) Irish independence leader, Director of Publicity for the First Irish Parliament (1919–1922)
- Charles Clarke (King's) British Home Secretary (2004–2006) and Education Secretary (2002–2004)
- Kenneth Clarke (Caius) British Chancellor of the Exchequer (1993–1997), Home Secretary (1992–1993), Education Secretary (1990–1992) and Health Secretary (1988–1990)
- Nick Clegg (Robinson) Leader of the British Liberal Democrats and Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2010-)
- Sir C. D. Deshmukh (Jesus) Finance Minister in the Indian Government (1951–1957)
- Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (Trinity) Favourite of and adviser to Queen Elizabeth I, Earl Marshal (1597–1601)
- Gamini Dissanayake (Unknown) Sri Lankan Leader of the Opposition (1994)
- Abba Eban (Queens'/Pembroke) Israeli Deputy Prime Minister (1963–1966), Education Minister (1960–1963) and Foreign Minister (1966–1974)
- Femi Fani-Kayode (Pembroke) Nigerian Minister of Aviation (2006–2007) and Special Assistant to the President (2003–2006)
- Remi Fani-Kayode (Downing) Nigerian Minister for Local Government Affairs (1963–1966)
- Karen-Christine Friele (Unknown) Norwegian gay rights activist, leader of Forbundet av 1948 (1966–1971)
- Rahul Gandhi (Trinity) General Secretary of the Indian National Congress (2004-)
- Anthony Giddens (King's) Sociologist, propagator of "Third Way" social theory and adviser to Tony Blair
- Nick Griffin (Downing) Leader of the British National Party (1999-)
- Francis Higginson (Jesus) First Minister of Salem, Massachusetts (1629–1630)
- Geoff Hoon (Jesus) British Secretary of State for Defence (1999–2005) and Secretary of State for Transport (2008–2009)
- Michael Howard (Peterhouse) Leader of the Conservative Party (2003–2005), British Home Secretary (1993–1997)
- Michael Ignatieff (King's) Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada (2008–2011)
- Vane Ivanović (Peterhouse) Co-founder of the European Movement (1947), pro-Yugoslavia activist
- Vladeta Janković (Unknown) Co-founder and Deputy President of Democratic Party of Serbia (1992), Yugoslav Ambassador to the United Kingdom
- Vuk Jeremić (Queens') Foreign Minister in the Government of Serbia (2007-)
- Michael Johnson (Unknown) Member of the Australian House of Representatives (2001–2010)
- Suematsu Kenchō (St John's) Japanese Home Minister (1900–1901) and Minister of Communication (1898)
- Norman Lamont (Fitzwilliam) British Chancellor of the Exchequer (1990–1993)
- John Lehman (Caius) US Secretary of the Navy (1981–1987)
- Brian Lenihan, Jnr (Sidney Sussex) Irish Justice Minister (2007–2008) and Finance Minister (2008–2011)
- Alan Leong (Unknown) Leader of the Civic Party of Hong Kong (2011-)
- Arthur Li (Unknown) Member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Secretary for Education and Manpower (2002–2007)
- Sir David Li (Selwyn) Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong and former member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong
- Peter Lilley (Clare) British Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1990–1992) and Secretary of State for Social Security (1992–1997)
- Roy MacLaren (St Catharine's) Canadian Minister of National Revenue (1984–1985) and Minister of International Trade (1993–1996)
- Lord Mark Malloch Brown (Magdalene) Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and previously United Nations Deputy Secretary-General
- Inagaki Manjirō (Caius) Japan's first Minister Resident to the Kingdom of Siam (1897–1899) and Minister Plenipotentiary (1899–1907)
- Allama Mashriqi (Christ's) Founder of the Khaksar movement (1930)
- John McCallum (Queens') Canadian Minister of National Defence (2002–2003) and Minister of National Revenue (2004–2006)
- Andrew Mitchell (Jesus) British Secretary of State for International Development (2010-)
- Marty Natalegawa (Corpus Christi) Foreign Minister in the Indonesian Government (2009-)
- Philip Noel-Baker (King's) British Commonwealth Secretary (1947–1950), Chair of the Labour Party (1946–1947) and Nobel Prize winner
- Simeon Nyachae (Churchill) Kenyan presidential candidate (2002)
- David Owen (Sidney Sussex) Co-founder and leader of the Social Democratic Party (1983–1987 & 1988-1990), British Foreign Secretary (1977–1979)
- Matthew Parris (Clare) British political analyst, Member of Parliament for West Derbyshire (1979–1986)
- Sir Emyr Jones Parry (St Catharine's) British Permanent Representative to the United Nations (2003–2007) and NATO (2001–2003)
- Charles Stewart Parnell (Magdalene) Leader of the Irish Nationalist Party (1882–1891)
- Michael Portillo (Peterhouse) British Defence Secretary (1995–1997) and Employment Secretary (1994–1995)
- Enoch Powell (Trinity) British Minister of Health (1960–1963) and Financial Secretary to the Treasury (1957–1958)
- Shah Mehmood Qureshi (Corpus Christi) Foreign Minister in the Pakistani Government (2008-)
- Sir Benegal Rama Rau (King's) Indian Ambassador to Japan (1947–1948) and the United States (1948–1949)
- Geoffrey Robinson (Clare) Paymaster General in the British Government (1997–1999)
- Tharman Shanmugaratnam (Wolfson) Singapore's Education Minister (2003–2008) and Finance Minister (2007-)
- Kamalesh Sharma (King's) Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations (2008-)
- Shahid Aziz Siddiqi (Wolfson) Federal Secretary in the Government of Pakistan (1997–2000)
- Arun Singh (St Catharine's) Minister of State for Defence in the Government of India (1984–1988)
- Chris Smith (Pembroke) British Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1997–2001)
- Szeming Sze (Christ's) Chinese representative at the foundation of the United Nations (1945) and co-founder of the World Health Organization (1948)
- Sir George Trevelyan, 2nd Baronet (Trinity) Secretary of State for Scotland (1886) and Ireland (1882–1884)
- Christopher Tugendhat (Caius) Vice-President of the European Commission (1981–1985)
- Tin Tut (Unknown) Minister of Finance in the Government of Myanmar (1946–1947)
- Jim Wallace (Downing) Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats (1992–2005) and Deputy First Minister of Scotland (1999–2005)
- Francis Walsingham (King's) Principal Secretary to Elizabeth I of England (1573–1590), "Spymaster"
- William Wilberforce (St John's) Slavery abolitionist
- Roger Williams (Pembroke) Founder of Rhode Island, advocate of Native Americans
Clergy and spiritual leaders [edit]
Authors [edit]
Fiction writers [edit]
Poets [edit]
Literary scholars [edit]
Travel writers [edit]
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Actors, directors and comedians [edit]
Musicians [edit]
Groups [edit]
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Scientists, technologists and mathematicians [edit]
See also Official list of Nobel Prize winners from Cambridge University
Astronauts [edit]
- Michael Foale (Queens), NASA astronaut
- Nicholas Patrick (Trinity) NASA astronaut
- David Saint-Jacques (Corpus Christi) Canadian Space Agency astronaut
Philosophers [edit]
Armed forces [edit]
- Charles Cornwallis (Clare) Lieutenant General
- Oliver Cromwell (Sidney Sussex) Lord Protector
- Sir Richard Dearlove (Queens'/Pembroke) Head of Secret Intelligence Service
- Arthur Estcourt (Magdalene) First World War Soldier
- Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron (St John's) Parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War
- Billy Fiske (Trinity Hall) Second World War RAF pilot
- Louis Mountbatten (Christ's) First Sea Lord
- Arthur Tedder (Magdalene) First World War RAF Pilot
- General Sir Peter Anthony Wall, KCB, CBE, ADC Gen. Chief of General Staff, British Army, and Chief Royal Engineer
- Frank Ludlow, (Sidney Sussex) Botanist and Army officer
- Siegfried Sassoon, (Clare) Poet, and Lieutenant, Sussex Yeomanry. Awarded the Military Cross for actions during World War I
- Matt Sherman, (Pembroke) Former United States Department of State official and advisor to Generals Stanley McChrystal and David Petraeus
Architects [edit]
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Artists [edit]
- Lord Antony Armstrong-Jones (Jesus) Portrait photographer
- Sir Cecil Beaton (St John's) Fashion and portrait photographer, diarist, style icon, interior designer and Academy Award-winning stage and costume designer
- Quentin Blake (Downing) Cartoonist, illustrator and children's author, well known for his collaborations with writer Roald Dahl
- Sir Roy Yorke Calne (Unknown) Contemporary painter and Group 90 member
- Sir Anthony Caro (Christ's) Abstract sculptor, famed for the use of 'found' industrial objects
- Ralph Chubb (Selwyn) Late Romantic painter and printer
- Roger Fry (King's) Modernist painter and Bloomsbury Group member
- Antony Gormley (Trinity) Sculptor, best known for the Angel of the North
- Jon Harris (Trinity Hall) Painter, illustrator, and calligrapher, best known for his drawings of Cambridge
- Luke Piper (Unknown) Contemporary landscape painter
- Marc Quinn (Robinson) Contemporary sculptor, member of Young British Artists, best known for Self and Alison Lapper Siren
- Mick Rock (Caius) Pop culture photographer, renowned for the iconic images major Rock bands
- Julian Trevelyan (Trinity) Surrealist painter and Modern printmaker
Art experts [edit]
- Clive Bell (Trinity) Formalist art critic, Bloomsbury Group member
- Anita Brookner (Murray Edwards) Art historian, Reader at the Courtauld Institute of Art and first female Slade Professor of Fine Art
- Sir Sydney Cockerell (Unknown) Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum and close friend of John Ruskin
- William George Constable (St John's) Curator of the Boston Museum of Fine Art and Assistant Director of the National Gallery
- Shalini Ganendra (Trinity Hall) Respected fine arts consultant and gallerist, judge on various art award panels
- Michael Kitson (King's) Art historian, Claude Lorrain expert, Professor at the Slade School of Fine Art and the Courtauld Institute of Art
- Michael Jaffé (King's) Art historian, Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum and Proprieter of Clifton Maybank House
- Joseph Koerner (Unknown) Art historian, German art expert, Professor of History of Art and Architecture at Harvard and lecturer at the Courtauld Institute of Art
- Lothar Ledderose (Unknown) Professor of the History of Art of Eastern Asia at the University of Heidelberg, Mellon Lecturer at the National Gallery of Art
- Timothy Potts (Clare) Director of the Kimbell Art Museum, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Fitzwilliam Museum
- Phillip Prodger (Darwin) Art historian, founding Curator of Photography at Peabody Essex Museum
- Duncan Robinson (Clare/Magdalene) Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum and Chairman of the Henry Moore Foundation
- Simon Schama (Christ's) Art historian and critic, Professor at Columbia University, award-winning author and documentary director
- Sir Nicholas Serota (Christ's) Director of the Whitechapel Gallery and The Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, Chairman of the Turner Prize jury
- Sir Charles Waldstein (King's) Director of the American School of Classical Studies, the Archaeological Institute of America and the Fitzwilliam Museum
- Lord Horatio Walpole (King's) Art historian and Proprietor of Strawberry Hill
- Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt (Unknown) Art historian, Secretary of the Great Exhibition and the first Slade Professor of Fine Art
Educationalists [edit]
- Theodore Acland (King's) Headmaster of Norwich School
- Syed Ali Akbar (Peterhouse) Major educator of Hyderabad State
- Frederick Attenborough (Emmanuel) Principal of the University of Leicester and the West London Institute of Higher Education
- John Haden Badley (Trinity) Founder and first headmaster of Bedales School
- Isaac Barrow (Peterhouse) Founder of King William's College
- St. Vincent Beechey (Caius) Founder and first headmaster of Rossall School
- Frank Bell (Peterhouse) Founder and first Chairman of the Bell Educational Trust
- Niels Bohr (Trinity) Founder of the Institute of Theoretical Physics in Copenhagen
- Lee Bollinger (Clare Hall) President of Columbia University and the University of Michigan
- Sir William Cecil (St John's) Responsible for revitalising Stamford School in 1548
- William Grant Broughton (Unknown) Founder of The King's School, Parramatta, Australia's first independent school
- Sir Dominic Cadbury (Trinity) Chancellor of the University of Birmingham
- Henry Cavendish (Peterhouse) Co-founder of the Royal Institution
- Lord William Cavendish (Trinity) Founder of Eastbourne College and Chancellor of London University and Cambridge University
- Hugh Childers (Trinity) Founder of the University of Melbourne
- Sir Samuel Curran (St John's) Founder, first Principle and first Vice-chancellor of the University of Strathclyde
- Emily Davies (Girton) Founder of Girton College, the first residential higher education institution for women
- C. D. Deshmukh (Jesus) Vice-chancellor of the University of Delhi
- Arthur Dunn (King's) Founder and second master of Ludgrove School
- Henry Dunster (Magdalene) First president of Harvard
- Nathaniel Eaton (Trinity) First schoolmaster at Harvard
- John Eliot (Jesus) Founder of Roxbury Latin School, the oldest school in North America
- Anthony Giddens (King's) Director of the London School of Economics
- Malcolm Grant (Clare) Provost and President of University College London
- Eli Gottlieb (St John's) Director of the Mandel Leadership Institute
- Sir Brandon Gough (Jesus) Chancellor of the University of East Anglia and Chairman of the Higher Education Funding Council for England
- Sir Thomas Gresham (Caius) Founder and first benefactor of Gresham College
- Lord Thomas de Grey (St John's) Co-founder of the Royal Institute of British Architects
- Sir Hari Singh Gour (Downing) Founder and Vice-chancellor of the University of Delhi, the University of Nagpur and the University of Sagar
- Sir Peter Hall (St Catharine's) Founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Director of the National Theatre
- Andrew D. Hamilton (Unknown) Current Vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford
- John Harvard (Emmanuel) Co-founder and first benefactor of Harvard
- Elizabeth Phillips Hughes (Newnham) De facto founder of Hughes Hall, Cambridge and campaigner for women's right to education
- David Lloyd Johnston (Unknown) Former President of the University of Waterloo
- Marty Kaplan (Unknown) Professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and founding director of the Norman Lear Center
- Sir John Kingman (Pembroke) Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol and Director of the Isaac Newton Institute
- Thomas Langley (Corpus Christi) Founder of Durham School
- Lord George Lascelles (King's) First Chancellor of the University of York
- Edward Latymer (St John's) Founder of The Latymer School and Latymer Upper School
- Arthur Li (Unknown) Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Thomas Linacre (St John's) Founder of the Royal College of Physicians
- Anthony R. M. Little (Corpus Christi) Headaster of Eton College
- Adam Loftus (Trinity) Co-founder and first Provost of Trinity College, Dublin
- Roger Lupton (King's) Provost of Eton College and founder of Sedbergh School
- Jack Meyer (Unknown) Founder of Millfield School and St Lawrence College, Athens
- Bernard Orchard (Fitzwilliam) Re-founder of St Benedict's School, lead it to become the only Catholic day school of Public School status
- Karl Pearson (King's) Founder of the world's first university statistics department at University College London
- Stephen Perse (Caius) Founder of The Perse School
- John Pye-Smith (Homerton) Co-founder of Mill Hill School
- Alison Richard (Newnham) Provost of Yale University and Vice-chancellor of Cambridge University
- Sir Evelyn Robert de Rothschild (Trinity) Governor of the London School of Economics and council member at RADA
- Shahid Aziz Siddiqi (Wolfson) Vice-chancellor of the Ziauddin Medical University
- Henry Sidgwick (Trinity) Co-founder of the Society for Psychical Research and Newnham College, Cambridge
- Sir Nicholas Shackleton (Clare) Cambridge Professor and President of the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA)
- Sheung-Wai Tam (Robinson) President of The Open University of Hong Kong and Chairman of St. Paul's Co-educational College
- Sir Thomas Sutton (Unknown) Founder of Charterhouse School
- John Sperling (King's) Founder of the University of Phoenix
- Edward Thring (King's) Headmaster of Uppingham School and founder of the Headmasters' Conference
- Sir John Tusa (Trinity/Wolfson) Chairman of the University of the Arts London (2007-)
- William Waynflete (King's Hall) Founder of Magdalen College, Oxford and Magdalen College School
- William Wentworth (Peterhouse) De facto founder of the University of Sydney
- John Whitgift (Queens'/Pembroke/Trinity) Founder of Whitgift School and Trinity School and, indirectly, Old Palace School
- Sir David Glyndwr Tudor Williams (Emmanuel/Wolfson) Chancellor of Swansea University and Vice-chancellor of Cambridge University
- James Maurice Wilson (St John's) Headmaster of Clifton College
- Michael Young (Churchill) Co-founder of The Open University
Economists [edit]
" * " Not part of official Cambridge Nobel count.
Entrepreneurs, business leaders and philanthropists [edit]
- Marcus Agius (Trinity Hall) Financier and businessman, chairman of Barclays bank
- Immad Akhund (Clare) Internet entrepreneur, CEO and co-founder of Heyzap
- Lord Robert Alexander (King's) Chairman of the NatWest bank
- Simon Ambrose (Magdalene) Business entrepreneur, winner of The Apprentice
- Sir Hugh Barton (Trinity) Chairman and Managing Director of Jardine, Matheson & Co
- Peter Bazalgette (Fitzwilliam) Media expert, Creative Director figure at the global TV firm Endemol
- Sir Max Bemrose (Clare) Noted industrialist
- Karan Bilimoria (Sidney Sussex) Entrepreneur, Co-founder and Chairman of Cobra Beer
- Lee Bollinger (Clare Hall) Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York board of directors
- John Browne (St John's) Chief Executive of BP
- Sir Egbert Cadbury (Trinity) Managing Director of Cadbury, the British confectionery firm
- Dame Elizabeth Cadbury (Unknown) Philanthropist, founder of the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital
- Peter Cadbury (Trinity) Entrepreneur, founder and first chairman of Westward Television
- David Cleevely (Unknown) Entrepreneur and international telecoms expert, co-founder and Chief Executive of Abcam plc
- Lord David Cobbold (King's) Proprietor of Knebworth House and founder of the Knebworth Rock Festival
- Simon Murray (Jesus) Director of Operations of the National Trust and Chief Party Starter
- Gerald Corbett (Unknown) Chief Executive of Railtrack, chairman Moneysupermarket.com and formerly Woolworths
- Charles "Nick" Corfield (St John's) Silicon Valley Entrepreneur, inventor of Adobe FrameMaker
- Sir Andrew Crockett (Queens') General Manager of the Bank for International Settlements, member of JPMorgan Chase & Group of Thirty
- Gavyn Davies (St John's) Managing Director of Goldman Sachs investment bank and Chairman of the BBC
- Sir C. D. Deshmukh (Jesus) Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (1943–1949)
- Dinesh Dhamija (Fitzwilliam) Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive of the pioneering online travel agency Ebookers
- Ray Dolby (Pembroke) Audio technologies inventor and founder of Dolby
- Mohamed A. El-Erian (Queens') Chief Executive of PIMCO investment firm
- Jude Gomila (Caius) Internet entrepreneur, co-founder of Heyzap gaming website
- Andrew Gower (Fitzwilliam) Video game developer, co-founder of Jagex Ltd and founder of RuneScape
- Sir Brandon Gough (Jesus) Business leader, Chairman of Yorkshire Water, Coopers & Lybrand, and De La Rue plc
- Clive Fiske Harrison (Trinity Hall) Investment Banker, Chairman of Fiske plc.
- Hermann Hauser (King's) Electronics entrepreneur, co-founder of Acorn Computers
- Andy Hopper (Corpus Christi) Electronics entrepreneur, academic
- Michael Johns (Caius) Healthcare executive, former White House speechwriter
- Sir Paul Judge (Trinity) Businessman and entrepreneur, Director of Standard Bank Group
- Sir Henry Keswick (Trinity) Chairman of Jardine Matheson Holdings
- Raymond Kwok (Jesus) Hong Kong property billionaire
- Randy Lerner (Clare) American sports entrepreneur, owner of Cleveland Browns and Aston Villa F.C.
- Edward Lewis (Trinity) Founder of Decca Records
- Sir David Li (Selwyn) Chairman and Chief Executive of the Bank of East Asia
- Paddy Lowe (Sidney Sussex) Engineering Director of the McLaren Formula One racing team
- Michael Lynch (Christ's) Software and internet entrepreneur. Co-founder and Chief Executive of Autonomy Corporation
- Paul Mellon (Clare) Philanthropist, owner of Mellon Financial Corporation
- Zia Mody (Selwyn) Founding Partner of AZB & Partners, India's second largest law firm
- Nigel Newton (Selwyn) Founder and Chief Executive of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
- Edwin Nixon (Selwyn) Successively Managing Director, Chairman and Chief Executive of IBM [UK], then Chairman of Amersham
- Archie Norman (Emmanuel) Chairman of ITV plc and formerly Kingfisher plc and Asda
- Nathan Myhrvold (Unknown) Formerly Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft and co-founder of Intellectual Ventures
- Christian Purslow (Fitzwilliam) Managing Director of Liverpool Football Club and Founder of MidOcean Partners private equity firm
- Sir Michael Rake (Unknown) Chairman of BT Group and formerly director of Barclays, McGraw-Hill and the Financial Reporting Council
- Sir Benegal Rama Rau (King's) Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (1949–1957)
- Sir Harry Ricardo (Trinity) Pioneering engine designer, founder of Ricardo plc (1927)
- Charles Rolls (Trinity) Co-founder of Rolls-Royce, the automobile and aviation company
- Anthony Gustav de Rothschild (Trinity) Managing Partner of N M Rothschild & Sons, art collector and race horse breeder
- Edmund Leopold de Rothschild (Trinity) Chairman of N M Rothschild & Sons, art collector and noted horticulturalist
- Sir Evelyn Robert de Rothschild (Trinity) Chairman of N M Rothschild & Sons and Director of IBM United Kingdom Holdings Limited
- Leopold de Rothschild (Trinity) Banker, art collector and thoroughbred race horse breeder
- Lionel Nathan de Rothschild (Trinity) Banker, Conservative politician and creator and manager of Exbury Gardens
- Mayer Amschel de Rothschild (Magdalene/Trinity) Banker, High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire and race horse owner
- Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild (Trinity) Managing Partner of N M Rothschild & Sons and funder of the Suez Canal construction
- Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild (Trinity) Chairman of N M Rothschild & Sons and biologist
- Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild (Magdalene) Banker, Liberal politician and pioneering zoologist
- David Sainsbury (King's) Sainsbury's supermarket fortune heir; philanthropist
- Sir Robert Sainsbury (Pembroke) Chairman of Sainsbury's supermarket (1967–1969)
- Simon Sainsbury (Trinity) Director and Deputy Chairman of Sainsbury's supermarket
- Rod Smallwood (Trinity) and Andy Taylor (Trinity) Music entrepreneurs, managers of Iron Maiden, founders of Sanctuary Records
- Martin Sorrell (Christ's) Founder of WPP, the world's largest advertising group
- John Sperling (King's) For-profit education entrepreneur, founder of the University of Phoenix
- Lord Dennis Stevenson (King's) Director BSkyB (1994–2001) a Chairman of HBOS (1999-)
- Stephen B. Streater (Trinity) Electronics entrepreneur, founder of Eidos
- Roger Tamraz (Unknown) International banker and oil industry entrepreneur, Director of Intra Bank
- Dorabji Tata (Caius) Indian industrialist and philanthropist, Chairman of the Tata Group
- Kenneth Thomson (St John's) & David Thomson (Selwyn) Canada's wealthiest family, Thomson Corp. (information services)
- Sam Toy (Fitzwilliam) Chairman of Ford Motor Company [UK]
- Geoff Travis (Churchill) Founder of Rough Trade Records and Rough Trade Music Store
- Lord David Triesman (King's) Business leader, Labour life peer and disgraced ex-chairman of The FA
- Sir John Tusa (Trinity/Wolfson) Managing Director of the Barbican Arts Centre (1995–2007) and the BBC World Service (1986–1993), Chairman of the Victoria and Albert Museum (2007)
- Tim Waterstone (St Catharine's) Founder of Waterstone's (1982), the largest specialist bookseller in the UK
- Samuel Whitbread (St John's) Early owner of Whitbread & Co Ltd brewing firm, Whig politician
- William Henry Whitbread (Trinity) Managing Partner of Whitbread & Co Ltd brewing firm, Whig and Liberal politician
- Tony Wilson (Jesus) Music and youth culture entrepreneur, Founder of Factory Records and owner of The Haçienda nightclub
- Daniel Yergin (Unknown) Founder of Cambridge Energy Research Associates and Pulitzer Prize winner
- Xin Zhang (Unknown) Founder and CEO of SOHO China
Legal experts [edit]
- Aitzaz Ahsan (Downing) President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan (1990–2007)
- Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh (Queens') International Court of Justice judge (2000-)
- Mary Arden (Girton) First female High Court judge to be assigned to the Chancery Division
- Mirza Hameedullah Beg (Trinity) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India (1977–1978)
- Christopher Bentley (Wolfson) Attorney General of Ontario (2007-)
- Paul Clement (Darwin) Attorney General of the United States (2007-)
- Sir Louis Blom-Cooper (Fitzwilliam) Major lawyer specialising in public law and co-founder of Amnesty International
- Lee Bollinger (Clare Hall) US High Court lawyer
- Sir Dennis Byron (Fitzwilliam) Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (1996–1999), President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (2007-)
- Gary Chartier (Queens’) US anarchist legal theorist
- Kenneth Clarke (Caius) British Lord Chancellor (2010-)
- Edward Coke (Trinity) Jurist, influential on early English and American law
- Alvin Robert Cornelius (Selwyn) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (1960–1968)
- Charles Falconer (Queens') British Lord Chancellor (2003–2007)
- Rosalyn Higgins (Girton) First female International Court of Justice judge, President (2006–2009)
- Karl Hudson-Phillips (Selwyn) International Criminal Court judge, Trinidad and Tobago legal advisor and politician
- Anthony Gates (Fitzwilliam) Chief Justice of the High Court of Fiji (2007-)
- Lord Peter Goldsmith (Caius) Attorney General for England, Wales and Northern Ireland (2001–2007)
- Lady Brenda Hale (Girton/Newnham) Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2009-)
- Mohammad Hidayatullah (Trinity) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India (1968–1970), first Muslim to attain the post
- Derry Irvine (Christ's) British Lord Chancellor (1997–2003), mentor of Tony Blair and Cherie Booth
- Anthony Julius (Jesus) Lawyer in Princess Diana and David Irving cases
- Makhdoom Ali Khan (Corpus Christi) Attorney General of Pakistan (2001–2007)
- Susan Kiefel (Wolfson) Justice of the High Court of Australia (2007-)
- Sir Elihu Lauterpacht (Trinity) International Court of Justice lawyer
- Sir Hersch Lauterpacht (Unknown) Judge of the International Court of Justice (1955–1960), member of the UN's International Law Commission (1952–1954)
- Lawrence Lessig (Trinity) US Cyberlaw expert, founder of the Creative Commons movement, free software advocate
- Andrew Li (Fitzwilliam) Chief Justice of Hong Kong (1997–2010)
- Wong Yan Lung (Magdalene) Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong
- Sir Richard May (Selwyn) Major judge, British representative on the UN's International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
- S.M.Mir (Christ's) Prime Minister/Chief Minister Tonk State (1945–46)District and Sessions Judge
- Zia Mody (Selwyn) Founding Partner of AZB & Partners, India's second largest law firm
- Hisashi Owada (Unknown) International Court of Justice judge, President (2009-)
- Lord Nicholas Phillips (King's) Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales (2005–2008) and President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2009-)
- Sir Benegal Rama Rau (King's) Vice-chairman of the UN's International Law Commission (1949–1952)
- Lord James Scarlett (Trinity) 1769–1844 Judge, Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer
- Sir Peter Singer (Selwyn) British High Court Judge
- Sir Hari Singh Gour (Downing) Author of the Indian Penal Code, Member of the Legislative Assembly
- Sir Peter Smith (Selwyn) British High Court Judge
- Walter Woon (St John's) Attorney-General of Singapore (2008–2010)
- Wee Chong Jin (St John's) First Chief Justice of the Republic of Singapore (1963–1990)
- Yong Pung How (Downing) Chief Justice of Singapore (1990–2006)
- Ahmad Mohamed Ibrahim (St John's) Attorney-General of Singapore (1965–1967)
- Joseph Grimberg - First to be appointed Senior Counsel in Singapore and current Senior Consultant in Drew & Napier, a leading law firm in Singapore
Historians [edit]
Journalists and media personalities [edit]
Sportsmen and women [edit]
Athletes [edit]
- Harold Abrahams (Caius) Olympian Gold Medalist (sprinter, long jumper)
- David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter (Magdalene) Olympian Gold Medalist (hurdler)
- Syed Mohammad Hadi (Peterhouse) Multi-talented India international
- Philip Noel-Baker, Baron Noel-Baker (King's) Nobel Prize winner (runner)
Cricketers [edit]
- Sir George "Gubby" Allen (Trinity) England captain (1936–1948)
- Mike Atherton (Downing) England captain (1993–1998), lead England in a record 54 Test matches
- Giles Baring (Magdalene) First class (1930–1946)
- Mark Bott First Class (1986-)
- Mike Brearley (St John's) England captain (1977–1980)
- Antony Roy Clark (Downing) First class (1981)
- John Crawley (Trinity) England international (1994–1999)
- Percy de Paravicini (Trinity) First class (1882–1911)
- Ted Dexter (Jesus) England captain (1961–1964)
- Phil Edmonds (Fitzwilliam) England international (1975–1987)
- Tony Lewis (Christ's) England and Glamorgan cricket captain (1955–1974)
- Alfred Lyttelton (Trinity) First man to play both cricket and football for England
- Peter May (Pembroke) England international (1951–1961)
- Derek Pringle (Fitzwilliam) England international (1983–1993)
Footballers [edit]
- Arthur Dunn (King's) England international (1883–1892)
- Percy de Paravicini (Trinity) England international (1883–1884)
- Alfred Lyttelton (Trinity) First man to play both cricket and football for England
- John Veitch (Unknown) England international (1894)
- Steve Palmer (Unknown)
- Jie Huang (St. Catharine's) Manchester United (2014)
Mountaineers [edit]
- E. S. Kennedy (Caius)
- George Mallory (Magdalene)
Racing Drivers [edit]
See also: Cambridge University Automobile Club
- Oliver Turvey (Fitzwilliam) GP2 Driver (2010-)
Racehorse Trainers [edit]
- John Gosden (Unknown)
Rowers [edit]
- David Jennens (Clare) European Champion
- Josh West (Caius) Olympic Silver Medallist
- John Pritchard (Robinson) Olympic Silver Medallist
- Kieran West (Christ's/Pembroke) Olympic Gold Medallist
- Sarah Winckless (Fitzwilliam) World Champion
- Annie Vernon (Downing) Olympic Silver Medallist
Rugby Footballers [edit]
- Rob Andrew (St John's) England international (1985–1997)
- Logie Bruce Lockhart (St John's) Scotland international (1948–1953)
- Eddie Butler (Fitzwilliam) Wales international (1980–1984)
- Gavin Hastings (Magdalene) Scotland international (1986–1995)
- Martin Purdy (Fitzwilliam) Club level (2003-)
- Dan Vickerman (Hughes Hall) Australia international (2002–2008)
- Rickesh Patel (Selwyn College) Indian International (2007–2012)
- Wavell Wakefield (Pembroke) England international (1920–1927)
Table Tennis Players [edit]
- Deng Yaping (Jesus) Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion
Winter Sports [edit]
- Billy Fiske (Trinity Hall) Youngest US Olympic Gold Medalist (bobsleigh)
Sports Administrators [edit]
- H. de Winton and J. C. Thring (Trinity) Formalised rules of association football (soccer)
- John Veitch (Unknown) President of Marylebone Cricket Club (1898)
Explorers [edit]
- William John Bankes (Trinity) Responsible for the largest individual collection of Egyptian artifacts, at the family home Kingston Lacy
- Julius Brenchley (Unknown) Pre-eminent adventurer of the Victorian era
- Johann Ludwig Burckhardt (Unknown) Responsible for rediscovering the ancient ruins of the city of Petra, lost for almost a millennium
- Sir Thomas Cavendish (Corpus Christi) First man to intentionally circumnavigate the globe
- Walter Butler Cheadle (Caius) Explorer of Western Canada, namesake of Cheadle, Alberta
- Sir Vivian Fuchs (St John's) Responsible for the first overland crossing of Antarctica
- Kenneth Gandar-Dower (Trinity) Led the expedition to Mount Kenya in an attempt to capture the Marozi, piloted one of the first flights to India
- George Mallory (Magdalene) Possibly the first man ever to reach the summit of Mount Everest
- St. John Philby (Trinity) Leading Arabist and explorer of the Middle East
- John Robinson (Corpus Christi) The pastor of the Pilgrim Fathers
- William Wentworth-FitzWilliam (Trinity) Explorer of Western Canada, first "tourist" to travel through the Yellowhead Pass
- Roger Williams (Pembroke) Founder of Rhode Island, known for attempts to cooperate with Native Americans
- John Winthrop (Trinity) Founder and first Governor of Massachusetts
