Wesleyan University people

This is a partial list of notable people affiliated with Wesleyan University.

Administration and faculty

Academia

• Debby Applegate, former faculty, American History, 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography
• Hannah Arendt, Fellow 1961–1963, Center for Advanced Studies (now the Center for the Humanities), Political theorist
• Wilbur Olin Atwater, 1865 (Wesleyan B.S.), first Professor of Chemistry; first to quantify the calorie; pioneer, utilization of respiration calorimeter
• Reginald Bartholomew, former Professor of Government; former Ambassador to Italy, Spain, Lebanon
• Edgar S. Brightman, faculty 1915–1919, philosopher, promulgated the philosophy known as Boston personalism
• Nathan Brody, current faculty, Professor of Psychology, known for his work on intelligence and personality
• Norman O. Brown, faculty 1946-196?, Professor of Classics, wrote Life Against Death
• Elisabeth Young-Bruehl, faculty 1974–c. 1995, prominent biographer and psychotherapist
• Judith Butler, faculty 1984–86, philosopher and gender theorist
• Walter Guyton Cady, faculty 1902–1946, Professor of Physics; Duddell Medal and Prize
• Joanne V. Creighton, faculty 1990–94, Professor of English; Interim President, Wesleyan (1994–95); President, Mount Holyoke College
• Raymond Dodge, former long-time Professor of Psychology; experimental psychologist
• Henry Duckworth, faculty 1946–1951, Professor of Physics; President, Royal Society of Canada (1971–1972)
• Max Farrand, former Professor of History
• Leslie H. Gelb, faculty 1964–1967, department of history; Pulitzer Prize; director of project that produced the Pentagon Papers
• Richard N. Goodwin, Fellow 1965–1967, Center for Advanced Studies; advisor, speech writer to Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Senator Robert F. Kennedy
• Philip Hallie, faculty for 32 years, philosopher; developed the model of institutional cruelty
• Masami Imai, current faculty, economist
• Karl William Kapp, faculty 1945–1950; Professor of Economics; one of the leading 20th century institutional economists
• Eugene Marion Klaaren, Emeritus Professor, historian and Professor of Religion
• Charles Lemert, current faculty, social theorist and sociologist
• Clarence D. Long, former Professor of Economics; former member, United States Council of Economic Advisers, under President Dwight Eisenhower (1953–54, 56–57)
• David McClelland, 1938 (Wesleyan B.S.), Professor of Psychology in the early 1950s
• David McCullough, scholar-in-residence 1982, 1983; two National Book Awards (1978, 1982); American Book Award (1982); two Pulitzer Prize (1993, 2005)
• Andrei Markovits, Professor of Comparative Politics and German Studies (1977–1983)
• Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Fellow 1964–1967, Center for Advanced Studies; later U.S. Senator, New York
• Lawrence Olson, faculty 1966–1988; historian specializing in Japan; developed the Asian studies program at Wesleyan
• Scott Plous, current faculty, Professor of Psychology
• Nelson W. Polsby, former faculty, political scientist, well known for study of U.S. Presidency and United States Congress
• Nathan Pusey, former faculty, department of classics, later President of Lawrence University and 24th President of Harvard
• William North Rice, 1865 (Wesleyan Graduate), long time Professor of Geology
• Francisco Rodríguez, current faculty, Professor of Economics and Latin American Studies
• Walter Warwick Sawyer, faculty 1958–1965, Professor of Mathematics
• Hon. Barry R. Schaller, current faculty, teaches Bioethics and Public Health law, ethics and policy; Associate Justice, Connecticut Supreme Court
• Elmer Eric Schattschneider, faculty, 1930–1960, political scientist, namesake for award for best dissertation in U. S. in field of American Politics
• Carl E. Schorske, Professor of History in the 1950s; Pulitzer Prize for history and MacArthur Foundation "genius grant"
• Frederick Slocum, first Professor of Astronomy, director of Van Vleck Observatory from 1915 to 1944
• Richard Slotkin, MAAE (Wesleyan graduate), current faculty, Professor of American Studies; American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• William L. Storrs, faculty 1841–1846, Professor of Law (also Congressman from Conn.; Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court)
• Max Tishler, faculty 1970–1989, Professor, Chemistry; National Medal of Science, Priestley Medal, National Inventors Hall of Fame
• Hing Tong, former Chairman of the Mathematics Department; well known for providing the original proof of the Katětov–Tong insertion theorem
• Charles Kittredge True, faculty 1849–1860, Professor of Intellectual and Moral Science
• Jan Willis, current faculty, Professor of Religion
• Robert Coldwell Wood, former faculty, political scientist; former 1st Undersecretary and 2nd United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (1963–1969)
• John Monroe Van Vleck, 1850 (Wesleyan graduate), faculty 1853–1904, Emeritus 1904–12, Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy
• Woodrow Wilson, faculty 1888–1890, Professor and Chair, History and Political Economy; 13th President, Princeton University; 28th President, United States; Nobel Peace Prize
• John Wrench, former Professor of Mathematics, pioneer in using computers for mathematical calculations; National Academy of Sciences
• Gary Yohe, current faculty, Professor of Economics; senior member, coordinating lead author, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, co-recipient, 2007 Nobel Peace Prize

Arts and letters

• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, visiting writer 2008; MacArthur Fellows Program "genius grant" (2008)
• John Ashbery, Millet Writing Fellow 2010; MacArthur Fellows Program "genius grant"; Pulitzer Prize
• Jeanine Basinger, currently faculty, c. 1970–present, film scholar
• Anselm Berrigan, current faculty, poet, Best American Poetry of 2002, 2004
• Ed Blackwell, artist in residence, late 1970s; recorded extensively with Ornette Coleman
• Anthony Braxton, current faculty, MacArthur Fellows Program "genius grant"; professor of music
• Dr. Robert E. Brown, faculty 1962–1979, professor of music, founded ethnomusicology program at Wesleyan
• Dr. Neely Bruce, current faculty, professor of music; composer, conductor, pianist, scholar of American music
• John Cage, faculty 1961, 1968, composer; affiliated with Wesleyan and collaborated with members of its Music Department from 1950s until his death in 1993
• Tony Connor, current faculty, British poet and playwright, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
• Junot Díaz, Millet Writing Fellow 2009; 2008 Pulitzer Prize, National Book Critics Circle Award
• Annie Dillard, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, English faculty for 21 years
• Eiko & Koma, MacArthur Fellows Program "genius grant"; Japanese performance duo; Eiko is current faculty
• T. S. Eliot, Nobel Prize in Literature (1948), Presidential Medal of Freedom (1964); in the 1960s, special editorial consultant to Wesleyan University Press
• Jimmy Garrison, artist in residence, ?–1976, bassist; best known for long association with John Coltrane
• Angel Gil-Ordoñez, current faculty, professor of music, noted Spanish conductor
• Dana Gioia, Visiting writer 1986–1989, American Book Award; Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts (2003–2009).
• Donald Hall, 14th United States Poet Laureate, 2006–2007; National Book Critics Circle Award, 1955; member, editorial board for poetry, Wesleyan University Press (1958–64)
• Dr. Jon B. Higgins (Wesleyan B.A., M.A., Ph.D.), faculty 1978–1984, scholar and performer of Carnatic Music, Fulbright Scholar
• Jay Hoggard (Wesleyan B.A. 1976), current faculty, vibraphonist
• Paul Horgan, twice winner, Pulitzer Prize for History (1955 and 1976); long time writer in residence
• Susan Howe, Distinguished Visiting Writer and faculty 2010–11, 2011 Bollingen Prize, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• Paul LaFarge, writer, English faculty as of 2010
• Alvin Lucier, current faculty; pioneering experimental composer
• David P. McAllester, faculty 1947–1986; professor, anthropology and music; co-founded Society for Ethnomusicology
• Dr. Makanda Ken McIntyre, former professor of music
• William Manchester, faculty 1955–2004; former Emeritus Professor of History; 2001 National Humanities Medal; The Death of a President, American Caesar
• Lisa Moore (musician), current faculty, international classical and jazz pianist
• V. S. Naipaul, former visiting professor; Nobel Prize in Literature in fiction (2001); Man Booker Prize (1971)
• Palghat Kollengode Viswanatha Narayanaswamy, artist in residence, considered to be among the finest Carnatic vocalists of the 20th century
• Ramnad Raghavan, faculty for many years, South Indian virtuoso of the mridangam
• Dr. S. Ramanathan (Wesleyan Ph.D.-Ethnomusicology), faculty, singer (Carnatic music), and musicologist
• T. Ranganathan, first artist in residence beginning in 1963; Carnatic virtuoso of the mridangam
• Jean Redpath, artist in residence, 1972–1976
• Kit Reed, current faculty, science fiction writer
• F.D. Reeve, faculty 1962–2002 (English and Russian literature), Emeritus Professor of Letters (2002-); poet, translator
• George Saunders, visiting writer, MacArthur Fellows Program "genius grant" (2006)
• Jonathan Schell, journalist, author, visiting professor in writing 2000–2002
• Dani Shapiro, current faculty, professor of creative writing
• Paula Sharp, current writer in residence in the College of Letters (2003-)
• Dr. Joseph Siry, current faculty, leading architectural historian, Professor of Art and Art History
• Dr. Mark Slobin, current faculty, professor of music
• Charles Wilbert Snow, faculty 1921–1952; poet, professor of English; coach, debate team; founder, The Cardinal (literary magazine); Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Conn.
• Mark Strand, former visiting professor; fourth United States Poet Laureate, 1990–1991; MacArthur Fellows Program "genius grant"; Pulitzer Prize
• Sumarsam (Wesleyan M.A. 1976), current faculty, former artist in residence; Javanese virtuoso, scholar of the Gamelan
• Marcus Thompson, former faculty, violist and viola d'amore player, recording artist and educator
• Deb Olin Unferth, current faculty, nominee, 2012 National Book Critics Circle Award; Pushcart Prizes 2005, 2011; professor of English, creative writing
• Dr. T. Viswanathan (Wesleyan Ph.D.-Ethnomusicology 1975), professor of music, Carnatic flute virtuoso
• Richard Wilbur, faculty c. 1950–1980; professor of English; second United States Poet Laureate; twice winner, Pulitzer Prize (1957, 1989); Bollingen Prize
• Dr. Elizabeth Willis, current faculty, poet, teaches creative writing and literature
• Michiyo Yagi, visiting professor in late 1980s, a Japanese musician, koto virtuoso
• Gorō Yamaguchi, artist in residence, Japanese shakuhachi (vertical bamboo flute) virtuoso

Alumni

Academia

Presidents or founders of universities

• Samuel Rogers Adams B.A. 1851, M.A. 1856 - President, predecessor of the University of Evansville (1856–61)
• David Allison B.A. 1859, M.A. 1862 – President, Mount Allison University, Canada (1891–1911); 2nd President, Mount Allison College, Canada (1869–78)
• John W. Beach 1845 – 7th President, Wesleyan University (1880–87)
• Joseph Beech 1899 – Co-founder, 1st President, West China Union University in Chengtu, China
• Douglas J. Bennet 1959 – 15th President, Wesleyan (1995–07)
• Anthony S. Caprio 1967 – 5th President, Western New England College (1996–)
• Charles Collins 1837 - 1st President Emory and Henry College (1832–52); 11th President, Dickinson College (1852–60)
• Edward Cooke 1838 - 1st President, Lawrence University (1853–59); 2nd President, Claflin University (HBCU) (1872–84); Board of Examiners, Harvard
• Joseph Cummings 1840 – 5th President, Wesleyan (1857–75); 5th Pres., Northwestern University (1881–90); Pres., predecessor of Syracuse University (Genesee College)
• W. H. Daniels, Interim President, Pentecostal Collegiate Institute (Rhode Island), antecedent of Eastern Nazarene College
• Joseph Denison 1840 – Co-founder, 1st President, Kansas State University (1863–73); President, Baker University (1874–79); 1st President, Blue Mont Central College (1860–63)
• Paul Douglass – 6th President, American University (1941–52)
• Gordon P. Eaton 1951 – 12th President, Iowa State University (1986–90)
• Ignatius Alphonso Few 1838 – Co-founder and First President, Emory University
• Cyrus David Foss 1854 – 6th President, Wesleyan (1875–80)
• E. K. Fretwell 1944 – President, University at Buffalo (1967–78); 2nd Chancellor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte (1979–89); Interim President, University of Massachusetts (1991–92); Interim President, University of Florida (1998)
• Charles Wesley Gallagher A.B. 1870, A.M. 1873 - 6th President, Lawrence University (1889–93)
• Bishop John W. Gowdy 1897 – President, Anglo-Chinese College in Fuzhou, China (1904–23); President, Fukien Christian University, Fujian Province, China (1923–27)
• A. LeRoy Greason 1944 – 12th President, Bowdoin College (1981–90)
• William R. Greiner 1955 – 13th President, University at Buffalo (1991–03); also professor of law
• Burton Crosby Hallowell – 9th President, Tufts University (1967–76)
• Abram W. Harris – 14th President, Northwestern University (1906–16); 1st President, University of Maine (1896–06); President, Maine State College (1893–96)
• Bishop Erastus Otis Haven 1842 – 2nd Pres., University of Michigan (1863–69); 6th Pres., Northwestern University (1869–74); 2nd Chanc., Syracuse University; Overseer, Harvard
• Clark T. Hinman – 1st President, Northwestern University (1853–54 (death)); President, Albion College (1846–53)
• Francis S. Hoyt 1844 – 1st President, Willamette University (1853–60)
• Harry Burns Hutchins (class of 1870) - 4th President, University of Michigan (1910–20), twice Acting Pres.; Dean, Michigan law school; organized law department, Cornell
• Isaac J. Lansing B.A. 1872, grad. student 1872-73 – President, predecessor, Clark Atlanta University (HBCU) (1874–1876)
• John McClintock (class of 1834) – 1st President, Drew Theological Seminary (later, Drew University)
• Frank L. McVey (B.A.) – 4th President, University of North Dakota (1909–1917); 3rd President, University of Kentucky (1917–1940); economist
• Oliver Marcy 1846 – twice Acting Pres., Northwestern University (1876–81, 1890); established Northwestern University Museum of Natural History, served as its curator
• Anthony Marx (1981, attended 1977–79) – 18th President, Amherst College (2003–11); President, New York Public Library (2011–)
• Russell Zelotes Mason B.A. 1844, M.A. 1847 - 2nd President, Lawrence University (1861–65); Acting President, (1859–61); Mayor, Appleton, Wisconsin
• Bishop Samuel Sobieski Nelles 1846 – 1st Chancellor, President, Victoria University in the University of Toronto, Ontario Canada (1884–87); President, Victoria College (1850–84)
• John W. North – Co-Founder, University of Minnesota; founding member of its board of regents (1851–60); wrote University's charter
• Henry S. Noyes 1848 – twice Interim President, Northwestern University (1854–56, 1860–67)
• Brother John R. Paige (M.A.) – President, Holy Cross College (2010–); prior vicar general, the Congregation of Holy Cross in Rome
• Bishop Charles Henry Payne A.B. 1856, A.M. 1859 - 3rd President, Ohio Wesleyan University (1876–88)
• Humphrey Pickard (B.A. 1839) – 1st President, Mount Allison Wesleyan College, Canada (later known as Mount Allison University) (1862 to 1869)
• Dr. Matias Perez y Ponce (B.A.) - President, Cagayan Teachers College (Philippine Islands), 1948–1980
• John A. Randall 1881 – 4th President, Rochester Institute of Technology (1922–36)
• George Edward Reed 1869 - 15th President, Dickinson College (1889–1911); with William Tickett, re-established Dickinson School of Law in 1890
• David Rhodes 1968 – 2nd President, School of Visual Arts (incumbent as of 2010)
• Edward Loranus Rice A.B. 1892, Sc.D. 1927 - Acting President, Ohio Wesleyan University (1938–39); biologist; scientific consultant to Clarence Darrow before Scopes Trial
• William North Rice 1865 – thrice Acting President, Wesleyan University (1907, 1908–09, 1918); geologist, earned first PhD. in geology granted by Yale
• B. T. Roberts – Founder, predecessor of Roberts Wesleyan College (named in his honor)
• Michael S. Roth 1978 – 16th President, Wesleyan University (2007–); 8th President, California College of the Arts (2000–07)
• Richard S. Rust 1841 – Co-Founder, 1st President, Wilberforce University (HBCU); co-founder, Rust College (HBCU) (named in his honor)
• Richard W. Schneider M.A. 1973 – 23rd President, Norwich University, the oldest private military academy in the United States (1992–)
• Edwin O. Smith 1893 – Acting President, Connecticut Agricultural College (which is now the University of Connecticut) (1908)
• George Mckendree Steele B.A. 1850, M.A. 1853 - 3rd President Lawrence University (1865–79)
• Samuel Nowell Stevens 1921 - 9th President, Grinnell College (1940–54)
• Beverly Daniel Tatum 1975 – 9th President, Spelman College (HBCU) (2002–); Acting Pres., Mount Holyoke College (2002)
• John Hanson Twombly 1843 - 5th President, University of Wisconsin–Madison (1871–74); Co-Founder, Boston University; Overseer, Harvard
• Joseph R. Urgo M.A. – President, St. Mary's College of Maryland (Public Honors College) (2010–); former Acting President, Hamilton College (2009)
• John Monroe Van Vleck 1850 – twice Acting President, Wesleyan (1872–73, 1887–89); astronomer, mathematician
• Francis Voigt 1962 – Co-Founder, President, New England Culinary Institute (incumbent as of 2010)
• Clarence Abiathar Waldo A.B. 1875, A.M. 1878 – twice Acting President, Rose Polytechnic Institute, now Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology (1885–86, 1888–89); mathematician
• Henry White Warren 1853 – Co-Founder, Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado
• William Fairfield Warren 1853 – Co-Founder, Wellesley College in 1870; 1st Pres., Boston University (1873–03); Acting Pres., Boston University School of Theology (1866–73)
• Robert Weisbuch 1968 – 11th President, Drew University (2005–); former President, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
• Herbert George Welch (Methodist Bishop) B.A. 1887, M.A. 1890 - 5th President, Ohio Wesleyan University (1905–16)
• Bishop Erastus Wentworth B.A. 1837 – 7th President, McKendree College (1846–50)
• George Whitaker (Oregon educator) 1861 – 4th President, Wiley College (1888–91) (HBCU); 7th President, Willamette University (1891–93); President, Portland University
• Alexander Winchell B.A. 1847, M.A. 1850 - 1st Chancellor, Syracuse University (1872–74)
• Elizabeth C. Wright 1897 – principal Co-Founder and Secretary, Registrar, and later 1st Bursar, Connecticut College
• Henry Merritt Wriston B.A. 1911, M.A. – 11th President, Brown University (1937–55); 10th President, Lawrence University (1925–37); father of Walter B. Wriston (see below)

Professors and scholars

• David Abram 1980 – philosopher, cultural ecologist
• Elliot Aronson M.A. 1956 – among the 100 most eminent psychologist of the 20th century
• John William Atkinson 1947 – psychologist, pioneered the scientific study of human motivation, achievement, and behavior
• Wilbur Olin Atwater 1865 – chemist, leader in development of agricultural chemistry (appears above)
• Adam J. Berinsky 1992 – professor of political science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Albert Francis Blakeslee 1896 – botanist, director of the Carnegie Institution for Science; professor, Smith College
• George Hubbard Blakeslee A.B. 1893, A.M. 1897 – professor of history, Clark University; founded first journal of International Relations
• Lael Brainard – former professor of applied economics, MIT Sloan School of Management
• Kenneth Bruffee – professor of English, Emeritus, wrote first peer tutoring handbook
• Leslie Cannold 1987 - academic ethicist, Australian public intellectual
• John Bissell Carroll 1937 – psychologist known for his contributions to psychology, educational linguistics, and psychometrics
• K C Chan – Dean of Business and Management and professor of finance, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Arthur W. Chickering 1950 – known for contributions to student development theories
• John H. Coatsworth 1963 – dean of Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (2008–)
• Marion Cohen Ph.D. in mathematics (distribution theory) – mathematician and poet
• Jeffrey N. Cox 1975 – Professor of English literature; leading scholar of late eighteenth to early nineteenth-century theater and drama
• Norman Daniels 1964 – philosopher, ethicist, and bioethicist, Harvard
• Ram Dass M.A. – born Richard Alpert, former professor of psychology, Harvard
• Marc Davis (academic) 1989 – founding director of Yahoo! Research Berkeley
• Walter Dearborn B.A. 1900, M.A. - pioneering educator and experimental psychologist; long time professor, Harvard
• Daniel Dennett (attended) – professor of philosophy, Tufts University; Jean Nicod Prize
• Nicholas Dirks 1972 – professor of anthropology, history, and Dean of the faculty of Arts and Sciences, Columbia
• Raymond D. Fogelson – anthropologist; a founder of the subdiscipline of ethnohistory; professor, University of Chicago
• Michael Foster (academic) – professor of Japanese literature, culture, and folklore; author
• Daniel Z. Freedman – physicist, professor of physics and applied mathematics, MIT, co-discovered supergravity
• David Garrow 1975 – Pulitzer Prize for Biography; Fellow, Homerton College, Cambridge University
• William H. Gass – three-time winner, National Book Critics Circle Award; professor, philosophy, Washington University in St. Louis
• Mark H. Gelber 1972 – American-Israeli scholar of comparative literature and German-Jewish literature and culture
• Adolf Grünbaum 1943 – philosopher of science and critic of psychoanalysis and Karl Popper
• Saidiya Hartman – professor of African American literature and history, Columbia (as of 2010)
• Robert H. Hayes 1958 – Philip Caldwell Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus, Harvard Business School (1966–2000; Emeritus 2001-)
• Gerald Holton 1941 – professor of physics and professor of the History of Physics Emeritus, Harvard University
• Ole Holsti MAT 1956 – political scientist, Duke University (1974–1998), Emeritus chair (1998–present); creator, Inherent bad faith model
• Shelly Kagan – Clark Professor of Philosophy, Yale University and the former Henry R. Luce Professor of Social Thought and Ethics, Yale
• Edwin W. Kemmerer – economist; economic adviser to foreign governments worldwide; professor, Princeton University
• Seth Lerer 1976 – professor of English and comparative literature, Stanford University
• Peter Lipton 1976 – Hans Rausing Professor and head of the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Cambridge University
• Silas Laurence Loomis 1844 – professor of chemistry, physiology, and toxicology, Georgetown
• Delmar R. Lowell – historian and genealogist
• David McClelland 1938 – noted for his work on achievement motivation; co-creator of scoring system for Thematic Apperception Test; professor, Harvard
• Lee C. McIntyre - philosopher of science
• Saree Makdisi 1987 - Professor of English and Comparative Literature, UCLA; also literary critic
• Harold Marcuse physics, 1979 – professor of modern and contemporary German history
• Harold Marks – British educator
• Elmer Truesdell Merrill 1881 – Latin scholar; professor of Latin, University of Chicago
• Tavia Nyong'o (B.A.) – historian, Kenyan-American cultural critic, professor, New York University, Marshall Scholarship
• Thomas Pickard (politician) – Canadian professor of mathematics, Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada (1848–1869)
• Edward Bennett Rosa 1886 – Elliott Cresson Medal, Franklin Institute; professor of physics (1891–1901)
• Juliet Schor – professor, sociology, Boston College; professor, economics (for 17 years), Harvard
• Sanford L. Segal 1958 - mathematician, Professor of mathematics, historian of science and mathematics
• Steven M. Sheffrin 1972, economist and noted expert on property tax limitations in the United States
• Neil Asher Silberman – archaeologist and historian
• Richard Slotkin MAEE – professor of American studies (appears above), published by Wesleyan University Press
• Charles H. Smith (historian of science) 1972
• H. Eugene Stanley 1962 – recipient in 2004 of Boltzmann Medal; professor of physics, Boston University
• John Stauffer M.A.L.S. 1991 - historian, 2002 Frederick Douglass Prize; chair, History of American Civilization and professor of English, Harvard
• Leland Stowe 1921 – Pulitzer Prize in 1930 and Légion d'honneur; professor and journalist, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (1955–1970), Emeritus (1970)
• Mark C. Taylor 1968 – philosopher of religion, professor and chair of Religion, Columbia
• Lawrence Rogers Thompson – 1971 Pulitzer Prize for Biography of Robert Frost; professor of English, Princeton University.
• Edward Thorndike 1895 – psychologist; work led to theory of connectionism in artificial intelligence, neuroscience, philosophy of mind
• Lynn Thorndike 1902 – George Sarton Medal; historian; former professor, Columbia
• Robert L. Thorndike 1941 - psychometrician and educational psychologist
• Robert M. Thorndike 1965 – professor of psychology known for several definitive textbooks on research procedures and psychometrics
• Charles Tiebout 1950 – economist, most known for his development of the Tiebout model
• Aaron Louis Treadwell B.S. 1888, M.S. 1890 – professor, biology and zoology, Vassar College
• Edward Burr Van Vleck 1884 – mathematician, professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
• Christian K. Wedemeyer 1991 – history of religions faculty, University of Chicago Divinity School
• Kenneth D. West 1973 – Professor of Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison; developed (with Whitney K. Newey) the Newey-West estimator
• Caleb Thomas Winchester 1869 – scholar of English literature
• Horst Siebert – German economist; chair, economic theory, University of Kiel (1989–2003), University of Konstanz (1984–89), University of Mannheim (1969–84)
• Robert Stalnaker – Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Philosophy, MIT; delivered the 2006–2007 John Locke Lectures at Oxford University

Art and architecture

• Steven Badanes 1967 – professor of architecture, University of Washington
• I Made Bandem Ph.D. (ethnomusicology) – Balinese dancer, author; Rector (President), The Indonesian Institute of the Art
• Meredith Bergmann 1976 – sculptor, Women's Memorial (Boston)
• Lisa Brown 1993 – illustrator, author
• George Fisk Comfort – art scholar and exponent; founder, Metropolitan Museum of Art and Everson Museum of Art
• Thomas Hudson Connell 1956 – painter
• Bradshaw Crandell – artist and illustrator; known as the "artist of the stars"; inducted into Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame (2006)
• Jeffrey Deitch – Director, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2010–); founder, Deitch Projects; first U.S. Editor, Flash Art
• Vincent Fecteau 1992 – sculptor; work in permanent collections, Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
• Ellen Forney 1989 - cartoonist
• Danny Forster 1999 – architect; host, Discovery Channel shows Extreme Engineering and Build It Bigger; professor of architecture
• Renée Green – artist, sculptor, writer, filmmaker
• Rachel Harrison 1989 – contemporary sculptor; multimedia artist
• Dana Hoey 1989 - visual artist working with photography
• Jonathan Horowitz 1987 – multimedia artist; sculptor, sound installations
• Wayne Howard 1971 – graphic artist
• Bruce Eric Kaplan – cartoonist (The New Yorker); television writer, producer (Six Feet Under; Seinfeld)
• Stephan Koplowitz 1979 – choreographer and director specializing in site-specific multimedia performances
• Abigail Levine – choreographer, dancer
• C. Stanley Lewis – artist, professor of art
• Paul Lewis (architect) 1998 – principal, LTL Architects; Director, Graduate Studies, Princeton University School of Architecture
• Glenn Ligon – contemporary conceptual artist; work in permanent collection of the White House
• Nava Lubelski 1990 – contemporary artist
• Thomas McKnight – artist; work commissioned by then President Bill Clinton and in permanent collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art and Smithsonian Institution
• Alix Olson 1997 – performance artist, award-winning slam poet
• John Spike 1973 – noted art historian of Italian Renaissance; contemporary art critic
• Thomas Bangs Thorpe 1834–1837 - antebellum humorist, painter, illustrator, author
• Robert Vickrey – artist and author; collections in Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Brooklyn Museum, Corcoran Gallery of Art
• Ben Weiner 2003 – contemporary artist; oil painting, video
• Chris Wink – co-founder, Blue Man Group

Balsan Prize Winners

• Charles Coulston Gillispie 1940–1997 Balzan Prize; George Sarton Medal; Pfizer Award; professor, history of science, Emeritus, Princeton University
• Russell J. Hemley 1977 - physicist; 2005 Balzan Prize (with Ho-Kwang Mao); Director, Carnegie Institution for Science; National Academy of Sciences

Business

• Richard Barth 1948 – president, chairman, CEO, Ciba-Geigy (1986–96) (then a Fortune 500 company)
• Douglas J. Bennet – former CEO, National Public Radio
• William Bissell – sole managing director (CEO), Fabindia (1993–)
• Joshua Boger 1973 – founder (1989), CEO (1992-09), chairman (1997–2006), member of board (as of 2011), Vertex Pharmaceuticals
• Jonathan S. Bush – co-founder, president, CEO, athenahealth (as of 2011)
• Marc N. Casper 1990 – president, CEO, director, Thermo Fisher Scientific (2009–) (Fortune 500 company)
• Gilbert Clee 1935 – former managing partner (CEO), McKinsey & Company
• Robert Crispin 1968 – former president, CEO, ING Group Investment Management Americas (2001–07) (Fortune 500 company)
• D. Ronald Daniel 1952 – managing partner (CEO) (1976–88), McKinsey & Company; American Academy of Arts and Sciences; developed concept, Critical success factors
• David S. Daniel – CEO, Spencer Stuart (as of 2011); former president, Louis Vuitton (N.A.); former CEO, Evian Waters of France (U.S.)
• Charles W. Denny III 1958 – president, CEO (1992–03), chairman (2001–03), Square D
• Edwin Deacon Etherington 1948 – former president, CEO, American Stock Exchange; 12th President of Wesleyan
• Charles E. Exley, Jr. 1951 – president (1976–91), chairman (1984–91), CEO (1983–91), NCR Corporation (Fortune 500 company)
• Mallory Factor – merchant banker
• Houghton "Buck" Freeman 1946 – president, vice-chairman, COO, AIG (1983–93) (Fortune 500 company); co-founder, president, AIU Japan
• Mansfield Freeman 1916 – one of original founders of AIG (Fortune 500 company); philanthropist
• Stephen K. Friedman 1991 – president of MTV (2011–)
• Michael Fries 1985 – president, CEO, Vice Chairman, Liberty Global (2005–) (Fortune 500 company); former president, CEO, UnitedGlobalCom (2004–05)
• Pete Ganbarg 1988 – executive vice president, Atlantic Records (as of 2011)
• Walter B. Gerken 1948 – former president, CEO, Pacific Mutual Life Insurance (Fortune 500 company); current Senior Adviser, Boston Consulting Group
• Peter Glusker 1984 – CEO, Gilt Groupe Japan (2010–); CEO, Gilt City Japan (2010–)
• Jordan Goldman 2004 – founder, CEO, Unigo (2008–); creator, "Students' Guide to Colleges" (five editions, Penguin Books)
• Christopher Graves 1981 – president, CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Public Relations Worldwide (2010–); one of founders, Wall Street Journal Television
• Daniel Gregory 1951 – co-founder, former chairman, Greylock Partners, one of the oldest venture capital firms in the U.S.
• John Hagel III 1972 – co-chairman, Deloitte Center for Edge Innovation (as of 2011); coined term infomediary
• Henry I. Harriman – co-founder, New England Power Company; corporate executive, American public utilities; President, United States Chamber of Commerce (1932–35)
• Charles James 1976 – V.P., General Counsel, ChevronTexaco Corp. (Fortune 500 company)
• Dina Kaplan 1993 – co-founder, COO, blip.tv; Fortune's 2010 list, ten "Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs;" 2007 Emmy Award for Spot News
• Herb Kelleher 1953 – founder, chairman, former president, CEO, Southwest Airlines (Fortune 500 company); Chair, Board of Governors, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas (2011–13)
• Edward M. Kennedy, Jr. 1983 – attorney (disability law); co-founder, president, Marwood Group, wall street investment firm (as of 2011)
• Chan Ka Keung – chairman, Kowloon–Canton Railway Corporation (as of 2011); former Director, Hong Kong Futures Exchange
• George M. La Monte 1884 – chairman of board of directors, Prudential Insurance Company (now a Fortune 500 company)
• Gary Loveman 1982 – chairman, president, CEO, Caesars Entertainment Corporation (2003–); former professor, Harvard School of Business
• John Macy – president, Corporation for Public Broadcasting (1969–72); ran the Council of Better Business Bureau (1972–1979)
• Tom Matlack 1986 – entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and author
• Mary O. McWilliams – Chair, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Seattle Branch (term ending 2013); former president, CEO, Regence Blue Shield (2000–08)
• Nick Meyer – president, Paramount Vantage until December 2008; former president, Lionsgate International, a division of Lionsgate Studios
• Donna Morea 1976 – president U.S., Europe, and Asia, CGI Group (Fortune 500 company) (2004–)
• Candace Nelson – founder, world's first cupcake bakery chain, Sprinkles Cupcakes; pastry chef; judge, Cupcake Wars
• Robert Pruzan 1985 – co-founding partner, principal, Centerview Partners; former CEO, Dresdner Kleinwort; former president, Wasserstein Perella
• Gregg Ribatt – president, CEO, Collective Brands Performance Group (as of 2011); former president, CEO Stride Rite
• John Rice 1974 – former president, CEO Lever Brothers; former president, CEO Unilever Foods, NA (2004–06)
• Tom Rogers 1976 – president, CEO, TiVo (as of 2011); former chairman, CEO, Primedia; former president, NBC Cable; founded CNBC
• Amy Schulman 1982 – Senior V. P., General Counsel, Pfizer (Fortune 500 company); Forbes magazine 2009 list, "The World's Most Powerful Women"; National Law Journal's 2009 list, "20 Most Influential General Counsels"
• Jonathan I. Schwartz 1987 – president (2004–10), CEO (2006–10), Sun Microsystems (Fortune 500 company); founder, CEO, Lighthouse Design (1989–96)
• Marc Shmuger 1980 – head of Universal Pictures until October 2009
• Frank V. Sica 1973 – managing partner (CEO), Tailwind Capital (as of 2011); vice-chairman, JetBlue Airways; president, Soros Fund Management (2000–03)
• Jonathan Soros 1992 – co-deputy chairman, president Soros Fund Management (2004–)
• Gideon Stein – entrepreneur; founder, former CEO, Omnipod, Inc. (now a division of Symantec)
• Gerald Tsai 1947-48 – founder, CEO Primerica (Fortune 500 company), pioneered use of performance funds
• Jeffrey Weitzen 1978 – former president, CEO, Gateway 2000
• Dan Wolf 1979 – founder, president, CEO, Cape Air; Massachusetts Senator, elect (2011–)
• John F. Woodhouse 1953 – former president, CEO (1982–95), chairman (1985–99), senior chairman (1999–?), Sysco (Fortune 500 company)
• Walter B. Wriston 1941 – commercial banker; former chairman (1979–84), CEO (1967–84), Citibank and Citicorp (Fortune 500 companies)
• Straus Zelnick 1979 – president, COO (1989–93), 20th Century Fox; CEO, BMG Entertainment (1998–00); founder, Zelnick Media (2001–)

Film, television, acting

Academy Award winners

• Akiva Goldsman 1983 – Oscar-winning screenwriter; film, A Beautiful Mind (Best Adapted Screenplay, 2001);The Client, A Time to Kill, Angels & Demons, I Am Legend
• Allie Wrubel – Oscar-winning composer, songwriter; film, Song of the South, song, "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" (Best Original Song, 1947); Songwriters Hall of Fame (1970)

Emmy Award winners

• Phil Abraham – Emmy Award-winning film and television cinematographer, director
• Dana Delany 1978 – two-time Emmy Award-winning actress; television shows China Beach, Presidio Med, Desperate Housewives, Body of Proof; films Tombstone, Fly Away Home
• Janet Grillo 1980 – Emmy Award-winning producer; writer and director
• Evan Katz – Emmy Award-winning writer, executive producer of television series 24
• Michael E. Knight 1980 – three-time Emmy Award-winning actor, best known for his role as Tad Martin on All My Children
• David Kohan 1986 – Emmy Award-winning co-creator, executive producer, Will & Grace and Good Morning, Miami
• Diane Kolyer – Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Children's Program (2004); director, writer, producer
• Jeffrey Lane – five Emmy Awards, one Tony Award, two Peabody Awards, Golden Globe; television scriptwriter, film producer, actor
• Alan Levin 1946 – three-time Emmy Award-winning maker of documentaries
• Marc Levin 1973 – Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker; 1997 DuPont-Columbia Award; founder Blowback Productions (1988)
• Bruce McKenna 1984 – Emmy Award-winning television and movie producer, writer; Writers Guild Award; The Pacific
• Jim Margolis – five Emmy Awards (2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007), writer, producer, supervising producer, The Daily Show
• Mary Mcdonagh Murphy – six-time Emmy Award-winning independent documentary film director, writer and producer
• Owen Renfroe – three-time Emmy Award-winning television soap opera director; former film editor
• Matthew Senreich 1996 – Emmy Award-winning screenwriter, director; producer, Robot Chicken
• Stephen Talbot 1970 – two Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards; Edward Murrow Award; DuPont-Columbia Award; Edgar Allan Poe Award; TV reporter, writer, producer
• Matthew Weiner – 2011 Time 100 Most Influential People in the World; 9 Emmy Awards, 3 Golden Globes; creator, executive producer, writer, Mad Men; screenwriter, supervising producer, The Sopranos
• Joss Whedon 1987 – Oscar-nominated screenwriter; Emmy Award, Nebula Award, Hugo Awards; writer, creator, producer, director, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog; screenwriter, Speed, Toy Story; director, screenwriter, Serenity, The Avengers
• Bradley Whitford 1981 – Emmy Award-winning actor; TV dramas, The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip; films, Billy Madison, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
• Bruce Wrubel 1985 – two Emmy Awards (2010, 2011); co-executive producer, writer Modern Family, Ugly Betty, Will & Grace

Writers

• Carter Bays 1997 – writer, creator, executive producer, How I Met Your Mother
• Shari Springer Berman 1985 – Oscar-nominated screenwriter, director, American Splendor (Best Adapted Screenplay); The Extra Man, Cinema Verite
• Mark Bomback – screenwriter
• Jennifer Crittenden 1992 – writer, producer; two Humanitas Prizes, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, The New Adventures of Old Christine, among others
• Ed Decter 1979 – screenwriter: There's Something About Mary, The Santa Clause 2, The Santa Clause 3, among others
• Jennifer Flackett 1986 – screen/television writer, film director; Madeline, Wimbledon, Little Manhattan, Nim's Island and Journey to the Center of the Earth
• Liz Friedman – writer, producer; Xena: Warrior Princess, Hack, The O.C., Numb3rs, House; co-creator, writer, executive producer, Young Hercules
• David H. Goodman 1995 - television writer and producer, Fringe, Without a Trace
• Willy Holtzman – screenwriter, playwright; Humanitas Prize, Writers Guild Award, Peabody Award
• Alex Kurtzman – film, television screenwriter, producer; film: The Legend of Zorro, Mission: Impossible III, Transformers, Cowboys & Aliens; television: Fringe
• Brett Matthews 1999 – writer, TV shows and comics
• Benjamin Meyer – film writer, editor
• Craig Thomas (screenwriter) 1997 – writer, creator, executive producer How I Met Your Mother
• Zack Whedon 2002 – screenwriter
• Mike White 1992 – Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award, screenwriter for Chuck & Buck, Orange County, and The Good Girl

Directors

• Michael Arias (attended from age 16–18) – film director, producer, visual effects artist
• Miguel Arteta 1989 – Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award, film director (Star Maps, Chuck & Buck, The Good Girl, Youth in Revolt)
• Michael Bay 1986 – film director (The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys Series, Transformers Series)
• Eric Byler 1994 – film director (Charlotte Sometimes, My Life Disoriented, Americanese, TRE)
• Jan Eliasberg 1974 - director (television, theatre, and film)
• Michael Fields – director
• Ruben Fleischer 1997 – director; Zombieland, 30 Minutes or Less
• David Kendall – television and film director, producer, and writer; Growing Pains, Boy Meets World, Smart Guy, Hannah Montana; Dirty Deeds, The New Guy, among others
• Daisy von Scherler Mayer 1988 – film director (Party Girl, Madeline, The Guru, Woo)
• Ray Tintori 2006 – director (film and music videos)
• Jon Turteltaub 1985 – film director (Cool Runnings, Phenomenon, While You Were Sleeping, National Treasure, 3 Ninjas)
• Matt Tyrnauer – director and journalist; Valentino: The Last Emperor (2009), short listed for an Oscar Nomination (2010)
• Paul Weitz 1988 – Oscar-nominated director (with brother Chris Weitz), American Pie, About a Boy, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Actors and others

• Edoardo Ballerini – actor, writer, director
• Andrew Bancroft – comedian
• Jordan Belfi 2000 – actor
• Amy Bloom 1975 – creator, State of Mind
• Peter Cambor 2001 – film and television actor; NCIS: Los Angeles
• Rob Campbell – actor (film, television, and stage)
• Hunter Carson 1998 – actor, screenwriter, producer, director
• Philip Casnoff 1971 - Golden Globe nominated Broadway, television, and film actor (Chess, Shogun: The Musical, North and South, Sinatra)
• Lynn Chen 1998 – actress, Saving Face
• William Christopher 1954 – actor, Father John Patrick Francis Mulcahy on M* A* S* H, Private Lester Hummel on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
• Jem Cohen 1984 – Independent Spirit Award, feature filmmaker and video artist
• Toby Emmerich – producer, film executive, screenwriter; head of New Line Cinema (as of 2008)
• Halley Feiffer 2007 – actress, playwright
• Bradley Fuller - producer, co-owns Platinum Dunes
• Bobbito García 1988 – hip hop DJ, writer
• William "Willie" Garson – actor, White Collar; most known for his portrayal of Stanford on Sex and the City
• Max Goldblatt 2005 – actor, writer, director
• Matthew Greenfield – Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award, producer of independent films
• Adam Hann-Byrd 2004 – actor, Little Man Tate, The Ice Storm, Jumanji
• Elisabeth Harnois 2001 – actress, Young Artist Award (1993); Adventures in Wonderland, Pretty Persuasion
• Jack Johnson 2009 – actor, best known for performance in Lost in Space
• Sebastian Junger 1984 – documentarian; Restrepo; 2011 Academy Award nomination; Grand Jury Prize, best documentary, 2010 Sundance Film Festival
• Warren David Keith - stage and film actor, director
• Chrishaunda Lee - television host, actress
• Jieho Lee 1995 – filmmaker
• Tembi Locke – African American actress, has appeared on more than 40 television shows
• Lauren LoGiudice – actress and writer
• Monica Louwerens 1995 – actress, beauty queen from Canada, competed in 1996 Miss America Pageant
• Barton MacLane – actor, playwright, screenwriter; appeared in many classic films from the 1930s through the 1960s
• Laurence Mark 1971 – Oscar-nominated producer; Independent Spirit Award; Jerry Maguire, As Good as It Gets, Finding Forrester, Dreamgirls, Julie & Julia
• Lin-Manuel Miranda – actor, two Tony Awards (2008), a Grammy Award (2009), a Drama Desk Award (2008), finalist for Pulitzer Prize in Drama
• Becky Mode - playwright, actress, television producer
• Dyna Moe 2000 - comedian, writer, filmmaker, and illustrator
• William R. Moses attended - television and film actor
• Julius Onah – filmmaker of Nigerian descent
• Amanda Palmer 1998 – director Hotel Blanc (2002); playwright, actress, The Onion Cellar (2006); producer, actress in A.R.T.'s Cabaret (2010)
• Benjamin Parrillo 1992 – actor, Cold Case, 24, NCIS, Boston Legal
• Leszek Pawlowicz - Ultimate Tournament of Champions, 2005; won, Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, 1992; won all of Ben Stein's Money, 1999, among other wins
• Zak Penn 1990 – screenwriter (Fantastic Four, X-Men, The Last Stand, PCU, The Incredible Hulk); director (Incident at Loch Ness, The Grand); co-creator, Alphas
• Jeffrey Richards 1969 – producer, four Tony Awards; August: Osage County (Pulitzer Prize, 5 Tony Awards); co-producer, Spring Awakening (3 Tony Awards, Grammy Award)
• John Rothman 1971 – film, stage, and television actor
• Stefan Schaefer 1994 – director, screenwriter, producer, independent films; Confess and Arranged; Fulbright Scholar
• Sarah Schaub 2006 - two Young Artist Awards, actress (Promised Land), among other roles
• Paul Schiff 1981 - film producer (My Cousin Vinny, Rushmore, Mona Lisa Smile, Solitary Man)
• Lawrence Sher 1992 – cinematographer and producer, The Dukes of Hazzard, Garden State, among other work
• Wendy Spero – actress, comedian, writer
• Kim Stolz 2005 – America's Next Top Model Cycle 5 finalist
• Kim Wayans – actress; member, Wayans family
• Henry Willson – Hollywood talent agent; clients included Rock Hudson, Tab Hunter, Guy Madison, Robert Wagner; discovered Lana Turner (aka Rhonda Fleming)
• Scott Wiper 1992 – director, screenwriter, actor
• Frank Wood 1984 – Tony Award-winning actor (Side Man); Angels in America
• Angela Yee 1997 – radio personality
• Alexander Yellen 2003 – cinematographer

Law

Supreme Court of the United States

• David Josiah Brewer 1851-1854 – 51st Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court (1890–1910); major contributor to doctrine of substantive due process and to minority rights; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (1884–90); U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas (1865–69); Kansas Supreme Court (1870–1884)

Non U.S. government judicial figures

• George Edwin King B.A. 1859, M.A. 1861 - 10th Puisne Justice, Supreme Court of Canada (1893–01); Attorney General (1870–78); Supreme Court of New Brunswick (1880–93)

U.S. Federal appellate and trial courts

• Hon. Andrew Kleinfeld 1966 – Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1991–); Judge, United States District Court for the District of Alaska (1986–91)
• Hon. Martin A. Knapp 1868 – Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (1916–23); Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (1910–16); Judge, United States Commerce Court (1910–13)
• Hon. Lyle L. Richmond 1952 – Assoc. Justice, High Court of American Samoa (in A.S., highest appellate ct. below U.S. Sup. Ct.) (1991–); Attorney Gen., A.S.
• Hon. Anthony Scirica 1962 – Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (Philadelphia) (1987–); Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (1984–87)
• Hon. Stephen S. Trott 1962 – Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1988–); United States Attorney for the Central District of California
• Hon. Frank R. Alley, III - Judge, United States Bankruptcy Court, District of Oregon (as of 2011)
• Hon. John Harris Baker A.M. 1879 – Judge, United States District Court for the District of Indiana
• Hon. John D. Bates 1968 – Judge, United States District Court for the District of Columbia (2001–); Judge, United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (2006–)
• Hon. Edward G. Biester, Jr. 1952 – Judge, United States Court of Military Commission Review (2004–07); Attorney General for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1979–80)
• Hon. Denise Jefferson Casper B.A. 1990 - Judge, United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (2010–)
• Hon. Alonzo J. Edgerton 1850 – Judge, United States District Court for the District of South Dakota (1889–96); Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Dakota Territory
• Hon. Katherine B. Forrest 1986 – Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (2011–)
• Hon. Frederick E. Fuller – Federal Judge for Interior Alaska; appointed in 1912; early champion for the credibility of Alaska natives as witnesses in federal court
• Hon. Steven Gold 1977 - Chief United States Magistrate Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (1993–)
• Hon. Terry J. Hatter 1954 – Judge, United States District Court for the Central District of California, Los Angeles (as of 2011); Chief Judge, 1998; senior status, 2005
• Hon. Mark R. Kravitz 1972 – Judge, United States District Court for the District of Connecticut (2003–)
• Hon. Arthur MacArthur Sr. - Judge, predecessor, United States District Court for the District of Columbia (1870–87)
• Hon. James Rogers Miller Jr. 1953 – Judge, United States District Court for the District of Maryland (1970–86)
• Hon. Patricia Head Minaldi 1980 – Judge, United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana (2003–)
• Hon. J. Frederick Motz 1964 – Judge, United States District Court for the District of Maryland (1985–), Chief Judge (1994–01); United States Attorney for the District of Maryland
• Hon. John Wesley North – Judge, by Presidential appointment, predecessor, United States District Court for the District of Nevada; founder, Northfield, Minn. & Riverside, Calif.
• Hon. Rachel A. Ruane 1997 – Judge, United States Los Angeles Immigration Court (2010–)
• Hon. Dominic J. Squatrito 1961 – Judge, United States District Court for the District of Connecticut (1994–); Fulbright scholar
• Hon. Ronald M. Whyte mathematics 1964 – Judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of California (1992–)
• Hon. John Simson Woolson A.B. 1860, A.M. 1863 – Judge, United States District Court for the District of Iowa

U.S. State courts

• Hon. Raymond E. Baldwin – Chief Justice (1959–1963), Associate Justice (1949–1959), Connecticut Supreme Court
• Hon. Richard C. Bosson 1966 - Chief Justice (2002–2006), Associate Justice (2002–), New Mexico Supreme Court; Chief Judge, New Mexico Court of Appeals (2001–2002)
• Hon. John Moore Currey - eighth Chief Justice (1866–1868), Associate Justice (1864–1866), Supreme Court of California
• Hon. Charles Douglas III 1960–1962 – Associate Justice, New Hampshire Supreme Court (1977–1985)
• Hon. Miles T. Granger 1842 - Associate Justice, Connecticut Supreme Court
• Hon. Ernest A. Inglis 1908 - Chief Justice (1853–1857), Associate Justice (1850–1853), Connecticut Supreme Court (1950–1957)
• Hon. Fred C. Norton 1950 – Associate Judge, Minnesota Court of Appeals
• Hon. David M. Shea 1944 – Associate Justice, Connecticut Supreme Court (1981–1992)
• Hon. James McMillan Shafter - Judge, California Superior Court and state legislator in California, Vermont, and Wisconsin
• Hon. Oscar L. Shafter 1834 - Associate Justice, Supreme Court of California (1864–1867)
• Hon. Arthur T. Vanderbilt – Chief Justice, New Jersey Supreme Court; Dean, New York University School of Law; twice declined nomination, United States Supreme Court
• Hon. Josiah O. Wolcott – Chancellor, Delaware Court of Chancery; Attorney General of Delaware

Government and other lawyers, legal academia

• Gerald L. Baliles 1963 – Attorney General of Virginia (1982–1985)
• Gabriel J. Chin 1985 – UC Davis School of Law (2011–); "Most Cited Law Professors by Specialty, 2000–2007", "50 Most Cited Law Professors Who entered Teaching Since 1992"
• Tristram Coffin 1985 – United States Attorney for the District of Vermont under President Barack Obama (2009–)
• George C.Conway 1923 – Connecticut Attorney General (1951–1953)
• Edmund Pearson Dole 1874 – first Attorney General of Hawaii, Territory of Hawaii (1900–1903)
• Shad Saleem Faruqi B.A., age 19 – Professor of Law, Universiti Teknologi MARA (as of 2011); constitutional consultant to Maldives, Fiji, Timor Leste, Afghanistan, Iraq
• Stephen C. Ferruolo CSS 1971 – Dean, University of San Diego School of Law (2011–); Rhodes Scholar; former faculty, Stanford University
• John C.P. Goldberg CSS 1983 – Professor, Harvard Law School (2008–); expert in tort law, privacy, legal history; author, leading tort law treatises, casebooks
• Theodore E. Hancock 1871 – New York State Attorney General (1894–1898)
• Rusty Hardin 1965 – trial attorney (as of 2011), efforts resulted in U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturning Arthur Andersen's conviction of obstruction of justice
• Robert J. Harris – attorney and Professor, University of Michigan Law School (1959–1974); Rhodes Scholar
• Eddie Jordan 1974 – United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana (1994–2001); District Attorney of Orleans Parish (2003–2007)
• Edward Kewen 1843 – first Attorney General of California; also Los Angeles County District Attorney
• Theodore I. Koskoff (1913–1989) – trial lawyer; also led several legal professional associations
• John Gage Marvin (1815–1855) – lawyer, known as a legal bibliographer and figure of the history of California
• Naomi Mezey 1987 – Professor, Georgetown University Law Center (as of 2011)
• Charles Phelps B.A. 1875, M.A. – first Connecticut Attorney General (1899–1903); Secretary of the State of Connecticut (1897–1899)
• Michele A. Roberts 1977 – "one of the top trial lawyers in the country"; named "one of Washington's 100 Most Powerful Women"; partner, Skadden, Arps (2011–)
• William Callyhan Robinson 1850-1852 – academician, jurist; Professor, Yale Law School (1869–95); Dean, Columbus School of Law (1898–1911)
• Theodore Shaw 1976 – Professor, Columbia Law School (2011–); 5th President and Director-Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
• Abner W. Sibal 1943 – General Counsel, United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) (1975–1978)
• Raymond L. Solomon – Dean, Rutgers Law School-Camden (1998–); Professor, University of Chicago Law School, Northwestern University Law School
• Charles Alan Wright 1947 – long-time Professor, University of Texas School of Law; was foremost authority in U.S. on constitutional law and federal procedure

Literature

• William Allen – poet and visual artist
• Steve Almond 1988 – writer, The Best American Short Stories 2010
• Stephen Alter – author
• Andy Behrman 1984 – author of Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania
• Suzanne Berne – novelist, winner of Great Britain's prestigious Orange Prize; professor of English
• Kate Bernheimer - author, scholar, editor
• Peter Blauner – novelist; Edgar Award, The New York Times Bestseller, among other awards
• Amy Bloom 1975 – author, Away (The New York Times Best Seller list, 2007); National Magazine Award, The Best American Short Stories, O. Henry Prize Stories
• John Briggs 1968 - author, scholar, editor
• Ethan Bronner – his novel Battle for Justice selected by New York Public Library as one of "The Best Books of 1989"
• Jennifer Finney Boylan 1980 – author
• Alexander Chee – writer, 2003 Whiting Writers' Award; former Visiting Writer at Amherst College
• James Wm. Chichetto – poet, novelist, critic, lecturer, Catholic priest
• Mei Chin – fiction writer, food critic
• Kate Colby 1996 – poet, editor, Norma Farber First Book Award
• Robin Cook, M.D. 1962 – Medical mystery writer, many books have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list, including Coma, Critical, Outbreak, and 24 other bestsellers
• Paul Dickson 1961 – writer, American English language and popular culture
• Melvin Dixon 1971 – author, poet, translator
• Beverly Donofrio 1978 - author, Riding in Cars with Boys, among other works
• Steve Englehart 1969 – comic book writer
• Ted Fiske 1959 – educational writer; creator of The Fiske Guide to Colleges; former education editor for The New York Times
• Laura Jane Fraser 1982 – journalist, essayist, memoirist, and travel writer
• David Garrow 1975 – Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Bearing the Cross; Fellow at Cambridge University
• William H. Gass – novelist, short story writer, essayist, critic; three-time winner of National Book Critics Circle Award; American Book Award; Mark Twain Award; five Pushcart Prizes; five Best American Short Stories; Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism (2007)
• Glen David Gold 1966 – author of Carter Beats the Devil, Sunnyside
• Elizabeth Graver 1986 – writer; Drue Heinz Literature Prize, O. Henry Award, Pushcart Prize (2001)
• Daniel Handler 1992 – author (under the pseudonym Lemony Snicket) of A Series of Unfortunate Events (children's book series)
• Lawrence Rust Hills B.A. 1948, M.A. 1949 – author and fiction editor
• Adina Hoffman B.A. 1989 – essayist, critic, and literary biographer; 2010 Wingate Prize
• Albert Harrison Hoyt 1850 – writer
• Christianne Meneses Jacobs – writer, editor, and teacher
• Kaylie Jones – novelist
• Sebastian Junger 1984 – author of The Perfect Storm, War; DuPont-Columbia Award; Time Magazine Top Ten Non-fiction Books of 2010; National Magazine Award
• James Kaplan – novelist, biographer, and journalist; The New York Times Notable Book of the Year; Best American Short Stories
• Pagan Kennedy 1984 – author, short listed for Orange Prize; pioneer of the 1990s Zine Movement
• Brad Kessler 1986 – novelist, Whiting Writers' Award (fiction, 2007), Dayton Literary Peace Prize
• Christopher Krovatin 2007 - author, musician
• Alisa Kwitney – novelist, Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold
• Seth Lerer 1976–2009 National Book Critics Circle Award (for criticism); 2010 Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism
• Ariel Levy – author of Female Chauvinist Pigs, anthologized in The Best American Essays of 2008 and New York Stories
• Kenneth Lonergan – playwright, screenwriter; winner, Sundance Grand Jury Prize, Drama, 2000; nominated Pulitzer Prize (2001) and Academy Award (2002, Gangs of New York)
• James Lord - author of biographies of Alberto Giacometti and Pablo Picasso
• Robert Ludlum 1951 – The Bourne Identity, The Osterman Weekend, The Holcroft Covenant, 24 others; 9 of his books have made The New York Times Best Seller list; 290–500 million copies of his books in print
• Joanie Mackowski – 2009, 2007 Best American Poetry, 2008 Writer Magazine/Emily Dickinson Award, 2003 Kate Tufts Discovery Award
• Lew McCreary – editor, author, Senior Editor of the Harvard Business Review
• Jack McDevitt - science fiction author; 2006 Nebula Award for Best Novel (fourteen-time nominee), 2004 Campbell Award
• Leslie McGrath (MA) – poet
• John P. McKay 1961 – author, Herbert Baxter Adams Prize, professor of history
• John Buffalo Mailer – author, playwright, and journalist
• William J. Mann M.A. – novelist, biographer; Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn, named one of the 100 Notable Books of 2006 by The New York Times
• Scott Mebus – novelist, playwright, composer
• Melody Moezzi 2001 – author of War on Error: Real Stories of American Muslims
• Gorham Munson 1917 – literary critic
• Blake Nelson (attended) – author
• Charles Olson 1932 – modernist poet, crucial link between such poets as Ezra Pound and the New American poets, one of thinkers who coined the term postmodernism
• Michael Palmer, M.D. 1964 – Medical mystery writer, Side Effects, Extreme Measures; all of his 16 books have made the New York Times Best Seller list
• Carolyn Parkhurst 1992 – Author of The Dogs of Babel (a New York Times Notable Book) and Lost and Found (both on NYTs Best Sellers list)
• Peter Pezzelli – author of "Home to Italy", "Every Sunday", "Francesca's Kitchen", "Italian Lessons"
• Daniel Pinchbeck – author
• Jason Pinter - author
• Craig Pospisil - playwright
• Kevin Prufer 1992 – poet, essayist, editor; winner of three Pushcart Prizes, Best American Poetry 2003, 2010
• Spencer Reece – writer and poet, 2009 Pushcart Prize, 2005 Whiting Writers' Award for poetry
• Jean Rikhoff – writer and editor
• Mary Roach – author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, among other works
• Carlo Rotella 1986 – writer, Whiting Writers' Award (nonfiction, 2007), L. L. Winship/PEN New England Award
• Ruth L. Schwartz – poet
• Sadia Shepard – author, Fulbright Scholar (2001)
• Joyce Sidman B.A. German – children's writer; 2011 Newbery Honor Award
• Maya Sonenberg 1982 – short story writer, 1989 Drue Heinz Literature Prize
• Delphine Red Shirt (MALS) – Oglala Lakota writer, adjunct professor at Yale University and Connecticut College
• Tristan Taormino 1993 – author and sex educator
• Jonathan Thirkield – poet, 2008 Walt Whitman Award
• Wells Tower 1996 – writer, two Pushcart Prizes, Best American Short Stories 2010
• Ayelet Waldman 1986 – author of Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, Daughter's Keeper, and the Mommy-Track Mysteries
• David Rains Wallace – author of The Monkey's Bridge (a 1997 New York Times Notable Book) and The Klamath Knot (1984 John Burroughs Medal)
• Austin Warren 1929 – literary critic, author, and professor of English
• D.B. Weiss – author (and screenwriter)
• Michael Wolfe – author, poet
• Paul Yoon 2002 – writer; 2009 John C. Zacharis First Book Award; O. Henry Award; Best American Short Stories 2006

MacArthur Fellowship Winners

• Ruth Behar 1977–1988 MacArthur Foundation "genius grant"; professor, anthropology, University of Michigan; poet, writer
• Majora Carter 1984–2005 MacArthur Foundation "genius grant"; environmental justice advocate
• James Longley 1994–2009 MacArthur Foundation "genius grant"; documentaries Gaza Strip, Oscar-nominated Iraq in Fragments (2007), Oscar-nominated Sari's Mother (2008)

Medicine

• Malcolm Bagshaw, MD, B.A. 1946 – "one of the world's foremost experts in radiation therapy", 1996 Kettering Prize
• Andrea Barthwell, MD, B.A. – named one of "Best Doctors in America" in 1997; Betty Ford Award in 2003
• Herbert Benson, MD, 1957 – cardiologist; founding president, Mind-Body Medical Institute; professor, Harvard Medical School (as of 2011)
• John Benson, Jr., MD, B.A. – fellow, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences (1991); IOM named Fellowship in his honor (2010); Abraham Flexner Award (2010)
• Dr. Charles Brenner B.A. 1983 – professor, head of biochemistry, University of Iowa (as of 2011); leader, fields of tumor suppressor gene function and metabolism
• Dr. Thomas Broker B.A. 1966 – expert, human papilloma viruses; professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham (as of 2011); played central role, discovery of RNA splicing
• William H. Dietz, MD, B.A. 1996 – Director, Division of CDC (1997–); fellow, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences
• Joseph Fins, MD, B.A. 1982 – chief, Division of Medical Ethics, Weill Cornell Medical College (as of 2011); fellow, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences
• Michael Fossel, MD, B.A., M.A. – professor, clinical medicine (as of 2011), known for his views on telomerase therapy
• Laman Gray, Jr., MD, 1963 – cardiologist; leader, field of cardiovascular surgery (as of 2011); redesigned, implanted world's 1st self-contained artificial heart
• Michael E. Greenberg B.A. 1976 – neuroscientist; National Academy of Sciences, Academy of Arts and Sciences; chairman, neurobiology, Harvard Medical School (as of 2011)
• Allan Hobson, MD, B.A. 1955 – psychiatrist, dream researcher; professor, psychiatry, Emeritus, Harvard Medical School (as of 2011)
• Jay A. Levy, MD, B.A. 1960 – co-discoverer, AIDS virus; professor, Department of Medicine, UCSF (as of 2011); Editor-in-Chief, the journal AIDS
• Dr. Joseph L. Melnick B.A. – epidemiologist, known as "a founder of modern virology"; breakthrough research on the spread of polio
• Ralph Pomeroy, MD, B.A. – gynecologist, famous for creation of "Pomeroy" tubal ligation; co-founder, the Williamsburg Hospital in Brooklyn, New York
• David J. Sencer, MD, B.A. 1946 – Director of United States Center for Disease Control (1966–77); Head of New York City Department of Health (1981–85)
• Theodore Shapiro, MD, B.A. 1936 – psychiatrist
• Harry Tiebout, MD, B.A. 1917 – psychiatrist, promoted Alcoholics Anonymous approach to patients, fellow professionals, and the public

Military

• Brigadier General Allen Fraser Clark, Jr. (1910–1990) B.A. – United States Army (in the 1960s)
• Admiral Thomas H. Collins (four-star rank) M.A. – Retired 22nd Commandant, United States Coast Guard (2002–08) (guided Coast Guard after terrorist attacks of 9/11)
• Major General Myron C. Cramer (two-star rank) B.A. 1904 – 20th Judge Advocate General of the United States Army (1941–45); 1 of 2 American judges, 11-nation war crimes tribunal, Tokyo, Japan, The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (1946–49)
• Rear Admiral Marshall E. Cusic Jr. M.D. (two-star rank) B.A. 1965 – Medical Corps United States Naval Reserve
• Brigadier General Alonzo Jay Edgerton B.A. 1850 – American Civil War, Union Army, 67th Regiment Infantry U.S. Colored Troops (Bvt. 3/13/1865, confirmed 4/10/1866)
• Lieutenant General William H. Ginn Jr. (three-star rank) (1946–48) – United States Air Force; Commander, U.S. Forces Japan and U.S. Fifth Air Force
• Brigadier General John E. Hutton M.D. B.A. 1953 – U.S. Army; Director, White House Medical Unit; Physician to President Ronald Reagan (1984–89)
• Admiral James Loy (four-star rank) M.A. – Retired 21st Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard (1998–2002); Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2005)
• Brigadier General Robert Shuter Macrum B.A. 1927 – U.S. Air Force
• Brigadier General Samuel Mather Mansfield (1858–60, B.A. 1911) – U.S. Army; engineer
• Rear Admiral (Ret.) Dr. Richard W. Schneider (two-star rank) M.A. 1973 – U.S. Coast Guard; significant role in the transformation of the Coast Guard
• Lieutenant General Adolph Glaser Schwenk (three-star rank) B.A. 1963 – United States Marine Corps; Commanding General, U.S.FMF (Atlantic) and U.S. FMF (Europe)
• Rear Admiral (Ret.) R. Dennis Sirois (two-star rank) M.A. physics – U.S. Coast Guard; Assistant Commander for Operations
• Rear Admiral (Ret.) Patrick M. Stillman (two-star rank) M.A. – U.S. Coast Guard, founding father of the Integrated Deepwater System Program
• Tuskegee Airman Chuck Stone B.A. 1948 – Congressional Gold Medal (March 29, 2007); United States Army Air Forces

Music

• Adolovni Acosta – graduate student, World Music Program; Philippine-born classical and concert pianist
• Bill Anschell 1982 – pianist, composer; recorded with Lionel Hampton, Tierney Sutton, Ron Carter
• John Perry Barlow 1969 – lyricist for Grateful Dead
• Paul Berliner Ph.D. – professor of music, Duke University
• Marion Brown M.A. (ethnomusicologist) – alto saxophonist, composer
• Darius Brubeck 1969 – pianist, composer, band leader, professor of music
• Kit Clayton – musician and programmer
• Bill Cole Ph.D. (ethnomusicologist) – musician; professor of music, Dartmouth College, Amherst College
• Nicolas Collins B.A., M.A. – composer, mostly electronic music; former student, Alvin Lucier; Watson Fellow
• Bill Cunliffe 1978 - jazz pianist, composer, arranger; 2009 Grammy Award
• Douglas J. Cuomo attended - prolific composer
• Nathan Davis Ph.D. – musician; professor of music, University of Pittsburgh
• Stanton Davis M.A. – trumpeter, educator
• Santi Debriano M.A. – double bassist, bandleader
• Frank Denyer Ph.D. – composer; professor of composition, Dartington College of Arts, Devon, South West England
• Judy Dunaway M.A. – avant-garde composer; creator, sound installations
• S. A. K. Durga Ph.D. musicologist, ethnomusicologist, professor of music
• Tim Eriksen M.A. 1993, Ph.D. – multi-instrumentalist; musicologist; performer, consultant for soundtrack of film Cold Mountain
• James Fei M.A. 1999 - composer and performer, contemporary classical music, electronic music
• Dave Fisher 1962 - lead singer, arranger, The Highwaymen; composer of more than 1,000 songs
• Kevin Fox – founding director, music director, Grammy Award winning Pacific Boychoir (incumbent as of 2010)
• MC Frontalot (Damian Hess) 1996 – rapper; innovator of phrase nerdcore
• William Galison – multi-instrumentalist, most famous as harmonica player, singer, composer
• Kiff Gallagher 1991 - musician, songwriter, helped create AmeriCorps
• Ben Goldwasser – founding member of Grammy Award nominated music group MGMT
• Adam Goren 1996 – best known as sole member of synth-punk band Atom and His Package
• Mary Halvorson 2002 – guitarist
• Jon B. Higgins (B.A., M.A., Ph.D.) – musician; scholar, Carnatic music, former professor of music, Wesleyan; Fulbright Scholar
• Jay Hoggard 1976 – current faculty, Wesleyan; vibraphonist; recorded often as a leader
• Ashenafi Kebede 1969 M.A., 1971 Ph.D. – Ethiopian ethnomusicologist, historical musicologist, musician, professor of music
• Ron Kuivila 1977 – current faculty, Wesleyan; sound artist; studied under Alvin Lucier; co-creator, software language Formula
• David Leisner – classical guitarist, composer; teacher, Manhattan School of Music
• Charlie Looker 2003 - musician
• Jorge Arevalo Mateus Ph.D. – 2008 Grammy Award (Best Historical Recording); Curator/Archivist, Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives (1996-)
• Mladen Milicevic M.A. 1988 – composer of experimental music, sound installations, and film music
• Lin-Manuel Miranda 2002 – creator, composer, lyricist, actor: In the Heights (two Tony Awards, 2008, including Best Musical; Grammy Award, 2009)
• Dennis Murphy Ph.D. (ethnomusicologist) – composer, one of the fathers of the American gamelan
• Hankus Netsky Ph.D.- Klezmer musician, composer; member, director, Klezmer Conservatory Band
• Amanda Palmer 1998 – composer/singer/pianist, The Dresden Dolls
• Hewitt Pantaleoni Ph.D. – 20th century ethnomusicologist, best known for work in African music
• Brandon Patton 1995 – songwriter, bassplayer
• Chris Pureka – singer/songwriter
• John Rapson Ph.D. – jazz trombonist and music educator
• Gregory Rogove 2002 – songwriter, indie music drummer
• Steve Roslonek – children's music performer and composer
• Santigold (Santi White) – electropop/hip-hop artist
• L. Shankar Ph.D. – Tamil Indian virtuoso violinist; vocalist, composer; professor of music
• Bill Sherman 2002 – composer, orchestrator, arranger; 2008 Tony Award, Best Orchestration (In the Heights), 2009 Grammy Award
• Wadada Leo Smith – trumpeter, composer; avant-garde jazz
• Sarah Kirkland Snider – composer of instrumental music and art songs
• Tyshawn Sorey – musician and composer
• Anuradha Sriram M.A. – Indian virtuoso carnatic singer; also, as playback singer, more than 35 Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi films
• Sumarsam 1976 M.A. – current faculty, Wesleyan; Javanese musician; virtuoso and scholar, Gamelan
• Tierney Sutton 1986 – thrice Grammy Award nominated; jazz singer; winner, JazzWeek's Vocalist of the Year Award
• Laxmi Ganesh Tewari Ph.D. – Hindustani virtuoso vocalist, exponent of Gwalior gharana vocal music, professor of music
• Stephen Trask 1989 – composer (stage and screen); Obie Award; music & lyrics for the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch
• Stephen S. Trott 1962 – early member, The Highwaymen, which originated at Wesleyan; #1 single ("Michael" 1961)
• Andrew VanWyngarden – founding member of Grammy Award nominated music group MGMT
• T. Viswanathan 1975 Ph.D. – Carnatic flute virtuoso, professor of music
• Dar Williams 1989 – folksinger
• Daniel James Wolf M.A., Ph.D. – composer of modern classical music; music scholar
• Peter Zummo 1970, B.A.; 1975, M.A., Ph.D. – composer, musician (postminimalist)

News

• Dan Ackman – journalist
• Robert Allbritton 1992 – publisher, The Politico; chairman, CEO, Allbritton Communications
• Eric Asimov 1979 – restaurant columnist, editor, The New York Times (nephew of Isaac Asimov)
• Doug Berman 1984 – Peabody Award-winning producer, launched NPR’s Car Talk; creator, other news radio shows
• Robert A. Bertsche – two-time winner, National Magazine Award; journalist, editor, media lawyer;
• William Blakemore 1965 – correspondent, ABC News, DuPont-Columbia Award
• David Brancaccio 1982 – Emmy Award-winning newscaster and host, NOW on PBS; DuPont-Columbia Award; Peabody Award
• Ethan Bronner 1976 – Pulitzer Prize (explanatory journalism, 2001); Battle for Justice (The New York Public Library, one of the 25 best books of 1989)
• Dominique Browning 1977 – former Editor-in-Chief, House & Garden
• Marysol Castro 1996 – weather forecaster, CBS The Early Show (Jan. 2011-); weather anchor, contributing writer, ABC Good Morning America Weekend Edition (2004-10)
• Lisa Chedekel 1982 – Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting (1999); finalist, Pulitzer (2007), series "Mentally Unfit, Forced to Fight"; George Polk Award
• E.V. Durling – nationally syndicated newspaper columnist and one of the first Hollywood reporters
• Jonathan Dube – pioneer, online journalism; print journalist
• Jane Eisner 1977 – editor, The Forward, paper's first female editor; former editor, reporter, columnist, The Philadelphia Inquirer
• Seth Faison 1981 - journalist, Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting (1994); former Bureau Chief, New York Times (1995-00); author
• Smokey Fontaine 1993 – Editor-in-Chief, writer, music critic, Giant (2006-); Chief Content Officer, Interactive One (2007-)
• Sue Fox B.A. high honors 1993? - Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting (2004)
• Steven Greenhouse 1973 – reporter, The New York Times; 2009 Hillman Prize, among others
• Ferris Greenslet 1897 – editor, writer; associate editor, Atlantic Monthly; director, literary adviser, Houghton Mifflin Co.
• Vanessa Grigoriadis 1995 – National Magazine Award; writer
• Peter Gutmann (journalist) 1971 – journalist, attorney
• William Henry Huntington – journalist
• Alberto Ibargüen 1966 – CEO, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; former publisher, The Miami Herald
• David Karp - pomologist, culinary journalist
• Alex Kotlowitz 1977 – George Polk Award; Peabody Award, There Are No Children Here (The New York Public Library:"one of...most important books of the century")
• Dave Lindorff 1972 – Project Censored Award (2004); investigative reporter, columnist
• Caroline Little 1981 – CEO, Guardian News and Media (N.A.); former CEO, publisher, Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive
• Stephen Metcalf – critic-at-large and columnist, Slate magazine
• Alan C.Miller 1976 – Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting (2003), Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting (1996), George Polk Award (1996)
• Kyrie O'Connor 1976 – journalist, writer, editor
• Gail O'Neill – television journalist; former elite African American fashion model
• Randall Pinkston 1972 – three-time Emmy Award-winning television journalist; RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award
• Charles Bennett Ray – journalist; owner, editor, The Colored American, first black student at Wesleyan in 1832
• Lucille Renwick 1987 - two Pulitzers; Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting (1998); Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting (1995)
• Stephen Schiff 1972 - journalist, finalist for Pulitzer Prize in Criticism (1983); screenwriter (Lolita, True Crime)
• Jake Silverstein – 4th Editor-in-Chief (2008–), Texas Monthly, ten-time winner, National Magazine Award; 2007 Pen/Journalism Award; Fulbright Scholar;
• Chuck Stone 1948 – journalist; professor of journalism, University of North Carolina; former editor, Philadelphia Daily News
• Leland Stowe 1921 – Pulitzer Prize (1930); runner-up for second Pulitzer (1940)
• Vin Suprynowicz 1972 – libertarian columnist
• Stephen Talbot 1970 – Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker
• Laura Walker 1979 – Peabody Award; president, CEO, WNYC Public Radio Station, largest public radio station in nation
• Ulrich Wickert (Fulbright Scholar at Wesleyan in 1962) - well-known broadcast journalist in Germany
• Michael Yamashita 1971 – award-winning photographer, photojournalist, National Geographic
• John Yang (journalist) 1980 – Peabody Award-winning journalist; two-time winner, DuPont-Columbia Award; as of 2011, NBC News correspondent, commentator

Politics and government

Cabinet, subcabinet heads & members, and prominent non-U.S. government figures

• K C Chan 1979 – Hong Kong Secretary for the Treasury (2007–); member, Executive Council of Hong Kong (2007–)
• Delyan Dobrev B.A. – Deputy Minister of Economy, Energy, Republic of Bulgaria (2011–); member, National Assembly of Bulgaria, GERB party; MP, Haskovo
• Jean François-Poncet 1947 – French Minister of Foreign Affairs (Secretary of State) (1978–1981); current member, French Senate (1983–)
• G. E. King B.A. 1859 – 2nd, 4th Premier of New Brunswick, Canadian Confederation (1870–71, 72–78); twice Cabinet Minister; twice member, Executive Council (1869–70 & 71)
• John Lipsky 1968 – Acting Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF) (2011); First Deputy Managing Director (second-in-command), IMF (2006–11)
• David Lipton 1975 – First Deputy Managing Director (second-in-command), IMF (2011–); United States National Economic Council (2009–11); United States National Security Council (2009–11); former Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs
• James Loy M.A. – Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2005); 2nd Head, TSA (02–03); Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security (second-in-command) (2003–05)
• Nobutaka Machimura – Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan (2007–08); twice Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs; thrice Minister of Education, Science and Technology of Japan
• John Mott-Smith – twice Minister of Finance (1869–72; 1891); Minister of Interior (1876–78); Minister to the United States (1891–93); member, Privy Council, Kingdom of Hawaii
• Horst Siebert – member, German Council of Economic Experts (1990–2003); official economic adviser to two EU Presidents (2002–04, 2005–07)
• Andrea Barthwell B.A. – former Deputy United States Drug Czar (former cabinet level) under President George W. Bush
• Ron Bloom 1977–2010 Time 100 Most Influential People in the World; member, Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry (2009–11); U.S. Car Czar (2009–11); U.S. Manufacturing Czar (2009–11)
• Lael Brainard B.A. – Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs (2010–), highest-ranking female Treasury official in U.S. history; Deputy Director, United States National Economic Council and Deputy Assistant to the President on International Economics (1998–00)
• Paul F. Douglass B.A. – personal adviser, President Syngman Rhee (1st President of South Korea, 1948–1960) from 1952 to 1956
• Diana Farrell 1987 – member, Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry (2009–11); Deputy Director, United States National Economic Council (2009–11)
• Robert E. Hunter 1962 – twice United States National Security Council Director (1977–79, 1979–81); White House staff, administration, Lyndon B. Johnson (1964–65)
• Daphne Kwok 1984 – Chair, President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (2010–); U.S. Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board (2000–2005)
• John A. Randall 1881 – United States Under Secretary of War (1918); helped develop the Army Alpha Intelligence Test
• Charles Alan Wright B.A. – represented President Richard Nixon as lead lawyer on issues growing out of Watergate investigations, though he did not argue case in Supreme Court
• Henry Merritt Wriston B.A. 1911, M.A. – personal adviser, President Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Walter B. Wriston 1941 – Chairman, Ronald Reagan's Economic Policy Advisory Board (1980–89); twice offered U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (by Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford), twice declined; Presidential Medal of Freedom
• Robert M. Ball B.A. 1935, M.A. 1936 – Head, United States Social Security Administration (1962–1973); served under 3 Presidents
• Douglas J. Bennet 1959 – Head, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) (1979–81); served twice as United States Assistant Secretary of State
• Thomas H. Collins M.A. – Commandant, United States Coast Guard, guided the Coast Guard after 9/11 (2002–2008)
• Martin A. Knapp 1868 – Chairman (1898–1910), member (1897–1910), United States Interstate Commerce Commission
• John Macy 1938 – Head, United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (1979–81); twice Head, United States Civil Service Commission
• Jessica Rosenworcel B.A. – nominee, Commissioner, United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) (2011–)
• Ian Bassin 1998 – Associate White House Counsel to the President (2009–)
• Charles James (attorney) 1976 – former Assistant Attorney General of the United States in charge of the Antitrust Division
• James Lynch B.A. – Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics, United States Department of Justice (2010–)
• Justin Oberman B.A. – Assistant Administrator, United States Transportation Security Administration, participated in several critical aspects of the agency's start-up
• Eric Postel (math-econ) 1977 – Assistant Administrator, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) (2011–)
• Kenko Sone 1990 – Director, OECD Division, Economic Affairs Bureau, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2008–)
• Stephen S. Trott B.A. – United States Associate Attorney General (3rd ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice) (1986–88); Assistant Attorney General of the United States

Senators and Representatives

• John E. Andrus 1862 – Republican Congressman, Westchester, New York
• John Harris Baker 1879 – Republican Congressman, Indiana (1875–1881)
• Raymond Baldwin 1916 – Republican Senator, Connecticut
• Michael F. Bennet 1987 – Democratic Senator, Colorado (appointed, 2009–10; elected, 2011–); former superintendent, Denver Public Schools
• Edward G. Biester, Jr. 1952 – Former Republican Congressman, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
• Benjamin T. Biggs – Former Democratic Congressman, Delaware
• John R. Buck – Former Republican Congressman, Connecticut
• William Citron 1918 – Republican Congressman, Connecticut
• Cornelius Cole 1847 – Republican Senator and Congressman, California; at 102 the oldest Senator in American History
• Norris Cotton 1923 – Republican Senator and Congressman, New Hampshire
• Clarence D. Coughlin – Republican Congressman, Pennsylvania
• Emilio Daddario 1939 – Former Democratic Congressman, Connecticut; Legion of Merit
• Frederick M. Davenport 1889 – Republican Congressman, New York; Progressive Party candidate, Governor, 1914
• Stanley W. Davenport 1884 – Democratic Congressman, Pennsylvania
• Charles Douglas III – Former Republican Congressman, New Hampshire
• Alonzo J. Edgerton 1850 – Republican Senator, Minnesota; Brigadier General, American Civil War
• Miles Granger 1842 – Democratic Congressman, Connecticut
• Clarence E. Hancock 1906 – Republican Congressman, Syracuse, New York
• Chester Hubbard 1840 – Republican Congressman, West Virginia; Unconditional Unionist, 39th Congress; Republican, 40th Congress
• William Pallister Hubbard 1863 – Republican Congressman, West Virginia
• Lester C. Hunt – former Democratic Senator, Wyoming
• Mitchell Jenkins 1919 – Republican Congressman, Pennsylvania
• Rufus H. King – Former Congressman, New York; President Lincoln requested Pope Pius IX accept King as 1st U.S. representative to Vatican
• Nobutaka Machimura – Current member, House of Representatives of Japan (1983–); member and Acting Secretary General, Liberal Democratic Party, Japan
• Edwin H. May, Jr. 1948 – Former Republican Congressman, Connecticut
• James Pike (politician) 1837–1839, theology – Congressman, New Hampshire; American Party, 34th Congress; Republican Party, 35th Congress
• George Washington Shonk 1873 – Republican Congressman, Pennsylvania
• Abner Sibal 1943 – Former Republican Congressman, Connecticut
• David Skaggs 1964 – Former Democratic Congressman, Colorado; Chair, Office of Congressional Ethics (2009–); 1st chair, OCE (2008–09)
• Watson Squire 1859 – Republican Senator, Washington
• Julius Strong – Former Republican Congressman, Connecticut
• William Copeland Wallace 1876 – Republican Congressman, New York
• Josiah O. Wolcott 1901 – Former Democratic Senator, Delaware

Governors

• Raymond Baldwin 1916 – 72nd and 74th Governor of Connecticut (1939–41, 1943–46)
• Gerald Baliles 1963 – 65th Democratic Governor of Virginia (1986–90)
• Benjamin T. Biggs – 46th Governor of Delaware (1887–91)
• Walter Eli Clark 1895 – Republican, 7th Governor, District of Alaska (1909–12), and 1st Governor of Alaska Territory (1912–13)
• Oran Faville – 1st Lieutenant Governor of Iowa (1858–60); former president, Ohio Wesleyan Female College
• John Hickenlooper B.A. 1974, M.A. 1980 – 42nd Governor of Colorado (2011–); Mayor, Denver, Colorado (2003–11)
• Lester C. Hunt – 19th Governor of Wyoming (two terms, 1943–49); Secretary of State of Wyoming (two terms, 1935–43)
• Arthur MacArthur, Sr. attended – 4th Governor of Wisconsin (1956), Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin (1956–58)
• Frederick Walker Pitkin – 2nd Governor of Colorado (served two terms, 1879–83)
• Carlton Skinner attended – 1st Civilian Governor of Guam (1949–53); wrote Constitution, Guam; founded, University of Guam; prominent advocate, integration of U.S. Armed Forces
• Watson Squire 1859 – 12th Governor, Territory of Washington (1884–87)
• Peter Shumlin 1979 – 81st Governor of Vermont (2011–); President Pro Tempore, Vermont Senate (1994–02, 2006–11); co-founder, Landmark College

Diplomats and other government figures

• L. Dean Brown 1942 – United States Ambassador to Jordan, Gambia, Senegal; Special Envoy to Lebanon
• Walter L. Cutler 1953 – United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (1984–89), Congo-Kinshasa (1975–79), Tunisia (1982–84)
• Robert E. Hunter 1962 – United States Ambassador to NATO (1993–98)
• David Killion - United States Permanent Representative to UNESCO (rank of Ambassador) (2009-)
• Stephen H. Rhinesmith 1965 – Special United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union under President Reagan
• Julius Augustus Skilton MD A.M. 1853 - U.S. Consul General, Chief of Mission, Republic of Mexico (1872–78); U.S. Consul, Mexico City (1869–72)
• Benjamin Franklin Tefft 1835 – Acting U.S. Minister to Sweden, U.S. Civil War; U.S. Consul in Stockholm; President, predecessor of Syracuse University (Genesee College)
• Francis T. Underhill, Jr. 1942 - former United States Ambassador to Poland, Malaysia, the Philippines, and South Korea
• Jacob Walles - nominee, U.S. Ambassador to the Tunisian Republic (2011–); U.S. Consul General, Chief of Mission, Jerusalem (2005–09)
• John Quinby Wood 1890 - U.S. Consul General, Chief of Mission, Addis Ababa (1913–14); U.S. Consul, Chemnitz (1914–17); Marseille (1917)
• Henry Merritt Wriston B.A. 1911, M.A. – Member, United States Department of State's Advisory Committee on United States Foreign Service (under President Eisenhower)
• Stephen M. Young (diplomat) 1973 – U.S. Ambassador, Consulate General of the United States in Hong Kong (2010–); former United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan
• Raymond Bateman 1950 – President of the New Jersey Senate (1970–72), Chairman, New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (resigned in 2001)
• Wilbur Fisk Burns 1860 – Wesleyan's first black graduate; Comptroller, Liberia, Africa; died before the age of 30
• Kathleen Clyde 2001 - Member, Ohio House of Representatives (2011-)
• Joseph Denison 1840 – co-founder, abolitionist town of Manhattan, Kansas (1855) (see Bleeding Kansas)
• Art Feltman B.A. 1980 – Member, Connecticut House of Representatives (1997–09)
• Brian E. Frosh 1968 – Member, Maryland State Senate (1995–)
• William C. Gilbreath – North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor (1905–14)
• Eliot Glassheim – Member, North Dakota House of Representatives (1993–present; and previously in 1975)
• Mary Ann Handley - Member, Connecticut State Senate (1997–10), Chief Deputy Majority Leader
• Matt Lesser 2010 – Member, Connecticut House of Representatives (2009–)
• Fred C. Norton 1950 – 47th (1980–81) and 50th (1987) Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives
• Robert Carter Pitman 1845 – state representative (1858), state senator (1864–65; 1868–69), President of the Massachusetts Senate (1868–69)
• Laura Ruderman 1992 – former representative, Washington House of Representatives, Washington State Legislature (1999–2005)
• Steven Walsh 1995 – Member, Massachusetts House of Representatives (2005–); practicing attorney and adjunct faculty member
• Henry Gordon Wells 1902 - President of the Massachusetts Senate in 1916 succeeding Calvin Coolidge (1916–17)

Mayors

• John Emory Andrus 1857 – Mayor of Yonkers, New York
• Emilio Q. Daddario 1939 – Mayor of Middletown, Connecticut; Legion of Merit
• Stanley W. Davenport 1884 – Mayor of Middletown, Connecticut
• Sid Espinosa 1994 - 1st Latino Mayor (2011-), Vice Mayor (2010–11), City Council member (2008-), Palo Alto, California
• William Henry Eustis 1873 – Mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota; philanthropist; founder of Eustis Hospital
• Robert J. Harris – Mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Rhodes Scholar; professor, University of Michigan Law School (1959–74)
• Yoriko Kishimoto 1977 – 1st Asian American Mayor (2007–09), Vice Mayor (2006–07), Palo Alto, California; author
• Alex Knopp 1969 - Mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut (2001–2005); Clinical Lecturer at Yale Law School (2006 to present)
• Stephen May 1953 – Mayor of Rochester, New York, historian and writer
• Benjamin Franklin Mudge 1840 – Mayor of Lynn, Massachusetts

Religion

• Edward Gayer Andrews (B.A. 1847) – President, Cazenovia Seminary; later Bishop, Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC).
• Osman Cleander Baker (1830–33) – Bishop, MEC; biblical scholar; Baker University, Kansas named in his honor.
• Lawrence Aloysius Burke (M.A.L.S. 1970) – 4th Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kingston in Jamaica; former 1st Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nassau.
• John C. Cavadini (B.A. 1975, M.A. 1979) – Chair, Theology Department, University of Notre Dame; Catholic philosopher.
• James Wm. Chichetto – Catholic priest, Congregation of Holy Cross, poet, critic.
• Davis Wasgatt Clark (1836) – 1st President, Freedman's Aid Society; predecessor, Clark Atlanta University named in his honor; Bishop, MEC.
• Shira Koch Epstein (1998) – Rabbi, Congregation Beth Elohim (Brooklyn, New York).
• James Midwinter Freeman – clergyman, writer.
• William Henry Gilder (clergyman) – founder of a seminary and a college; chaplain during the American Civil War.
• Gilbert Haven (1846) – 2nd President, Freedman's Aid Society; early proponent of equality of the sexes; Bishop, MEC.
• Debra W. Haffner (1985) – Unitarian Universalist minister; Director, The Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing.
• Robert T. Hoshibata (1973) – Hawaiian Bishop, United Methodist Church.
• Jesse Lyman Hurlbut (1864) – clergyman, author.
• John Christian Keener (1835) – Bishop, MEC.
• Daniel Parish Kidder (1836) – Theologian, missionary to Brazil.
• Isaac J. Lansing (1872) - minster of Park Street Church, author
• Delmar R. Lowell (1873) – Minister, Civil War veteran, historian, genealogist.
• Willard Francis Mallalieu – Bishop, MEC.
• James Mudge (1865) – clergyman, author, missionary to India.
• Thomas H. Mudge (1840) – clergyman.
• Zachariah Atwell Mudge (1813–88) – pastor, author.
• Frederick Buckley Newell (A.B. 1913) – Bishop, The Methodist Church (elected 1952).
• Matthew Richey (M.A. 1836, D.D. 1847) – Canadian minister, educator, and leader in Novia Scotia, Canada
• B. T. Roberts (University Honors) – Co-founder, Free Methodist Church of North America.
• A. James Rudin (1957) – Rabbi.
• James Strong (theologian) (A.B. 1844, D.D. 1856, LL.D 1881) – creator of Strong's Concordance; Acting President Troy University (New York), mayor.
• Moses Clark White (1845) – pioneering missionary in China and physician; first linguistic study of Fuzhou dialect.

Royalty

• Prince Carlos, Prince of Piacenza, Duke of Parma (B.A. government) – Head of Royal and Ducal House of Bourbon-Parma; member, Dutch Royal Family
• Noor Pahlavi, Princess of Iran - first daughter of former crown prince Reza Pahlavi, Head of House of Pahlavi, and Yasmine Pahlavi

Science, technology, engineering, mathematics

• David P. Anderson 1977 – mathematician, computer scientist (as of 2011); Space Sciences Laboratory; Presidential Young Investigator Award
• Taft Armandroff 1982 – astronomer; director, W. M. Keck Observatory, Mauna Kea (July 1, 2006–)
• Harold DeForest Arnold Ph.B. 1906, M.S. 1907 – physicist; research led to development of transcontinental telephony
• Wilbur Olin Atwater 1865 – chemist, agricultural chemistry; known for his studies of human nutrition and metabolism
• Oliver L. Austin – ornithologist; wrote the definitive study Birds of the World
• Susan R. Barry 1976 – neurobiologist, specializing in neuronal plasticity (as of 2011)
• Albert Francis Blakeslee 1896 – botanist; leading figure in the genetics; known for research on jimsonweed and fungi
• Bryon Alden Brooks – inventor; also author of Earth Revisited
• Samuel Botsford Buckley 1836 – botanist, geologist, naturalist
• Henry Smith Carhart 1869 – physicist, specializing in electricity; devised voltaic cell, Carhart-Clark cell, among other inventions
• Kenneth G. Carpenter 1976, M.A. 1977 – astrophysicist (as of 2011); Project Scientist and Principal Investigator, NASA, Hubble Space Telescope Operations
• David Carroll Ph.D. 1993 – physicist, nanotechnologist (as of 2011); Director, Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials, Wake Forest University
• Jennifer Tour Chayes 1979 – mathematician, mathematical physicist (as of 2011); Head, Microsoft Research New England; National Academy of Sciences
• John M. Coffin 1966 – virologist, geneticist, molecular microbiologist (as of 2011); National Academy of Sciences; Director, HIV Program, National Cancer Institute
• Richard Dansky – software developer of computer games and designer of role-playing games (as of 2011)
• Russell Doolittle 1951 – biochemist (as of 2011); Hydropathy index; National Academy of Sciences; 2006 John J. Carty Award; 1989 Paul Ehrlich Prize
• Clay Dreslough 1993 – software developer (as of 2011); creator, Baseball Mogul, Football Mogul computer sports games; co-founder, president, Sports Mogul
• Gordon P. Eaton 1951 – geologist (as of 2011); 12th Director, United States Geological Service; Director, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University (1990–94)
• Charles Alton Ellis – mathematician, structural engineer; chiefly responsible for the design of the Golden Gate Bridge
• John Wells Foster 1834 – geologist, paleontologist
• Daniel Z. Freedman – physicist, MIT (as of 2011); co-discovered supergravity; 2006 Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics; 1993 Dirac Prize
• George Brown Goode – ichthyologist; National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• Leslie Greengard B.A. 1979 – physician, mathematician, computer scientist; co-inventor of the fast multipole method, one of the top ten algorithms of the 20th century; Steele Prize; Presidential Young Investigator Award; Director, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences; National Academy of Sciences; National Academy of Engineering
• Frederick Grover 1901 – physicist, National Bureau of Standards, precision measurements; also electrical engineer
• Henry I. Harriman B.A. 1898 – inventor, patents for many automatic looms; builder, hydroelectric dams
• Gerald Holton 1941 – physicist, Harvard (as of 2011); 10th Jefferson Lecture; George Sarton Medal; Abraham Pais Prize; Gemant Award
• Orange Judd 1847 – agricultural chemist
• George Kellogg 1837 – inventor, patent expert; improved Surgical instruments, among other work
• Jim Kurose - computer scientist (as of 2011); 2001 Taylor L. Booth Education Award of the IEEE
• Oscar Lanford B.S. – mathematician, mathematical physicist, dynamical systems theory (as of 2011); Dobrushin-Lanford-Ruelle equations
• Albert L. Lehninger B.A. 1939 – pioneering research in bioenergetics; National Academy of Sciences
• Silas Laurence Loomis, M.D., 1844 – mathematician, physiologist, inventor; astronomer, United States Coast Survey (1857); Dean, Howard University (HBCU)
• Emilie Marcus 1982 – Editor-in-Chief, the scientific journal Cell; Editor-in-Chief, Cell Press; Editor, Neuron (each as of 2011)
• Jerry M. Melillo B.A. 1965, M.A.T. 1968 – biogeochemist; Co-Director, Senior Scientist, Marine Biological Laboratory; Chair, U.S. National Climate Assessment Development and Advisory Committee, administration of Barack Obama (2011–); Assoc. Dir., U.S. Office of Science & Technology Policy (1996–2000)
• George Perkins Merrill (post-grad study and research) – geologist; National Academy of Sciences (1922)
• Benjamin Franklin Mudge 1840 – geologist, paleontologist; discovered at least 80 new species of extinct plants and animals
• Frank W. Putnam B.A. 1939, M.A. 1940 – biochemist; National Academy of Sciences, Academy of Arts and Sciences
• Fremont Rider M.A. 1937 – inventor, librarian, genealogist; named one of the 100 Most Important Leaders of Library Science and the Library Profession in the twentieth century
• William Robinson B.A. 1865, M.A. 1868 – inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer; invented first track circuit used in railway signaling
• Edward Bennett Rosa 1886 – physicist; specialising in measurement science; National Academy of Sciences (1913); Elliott Cresson Medal
• H. Eugene Stanley 1962 – physicist, statistical physics (as of 2011); National Academy of Sciences; 2008 Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize; 2004 Boltzmann Medal
• Carl Leo Stearns B.A. 1917 – astronomer; namesake of asteroid (2035) Stearns and crater Stearns (far side of the Moon)
• John Stephenson (coachbuilder) – invented, patented the first street car to run on rails; remembered as the creator of the tramway
• Charles Wardell Stiles (attended) – parasitologist; groundbreaking work, trichinosis, hookworm; 1921 Public Welfare Medal by National Academy of Sciences
• Lewis B. Stillwell (1882–1884) – electrical engineer; credited with seminal inventions, electrical engineering; 1935 IEEE Edison Medal
• Michael Tibbetts Ph.D. – biologist (as of 2011); research in cell and molecular biology, genetics
• Alfred Charles True 1873 – agriculturalist; director, Office of Agricultural Experiment Station, U. S. Department of Agriculture
• Mark Trueblood candidate for Ph.D. (in physics) – engineer and astronomer (as of 2011); noted for early pioneering work in development of robotic telescopes; 15522 Trueblood
• George Tucker (Ph.D.) – Puerto Rican physicist (as of 2011); former Olympic luger
• Nicholas Turro 1960 – chemist, Columbia (as of 2011); National Academy of Sciences, Academy of Arts and Sciences; 2011 Arthur C. Cope Award; Willard Gibbs Award
• Jesse Vincent 1998 – software developer (as of 2011); developed Request Tracker while a student at Wesleyan; also author, RTIR
• John Monroe Van Vleck 1850 – astronomer, mathematician; namesake of Van Vleck crater on the Moon
• Christopher Weaver dual MAs – software developer (as of 2011); founder, Bethesda Softworks; spearheaded creation, John Madden Football physics engine; visiting scholar, MIT
• Henry Seely White 1882 – mathematician; National Academy of Sciences; geometry of curves and surfaces, algebraic twisted curves

Activists

• Cliff Arnebeck – Chair, Legal Affairs Committee, Common Cause Ohio; National Co-Chair, attorney, The Alliance for Democracy
• Dan Ackman – civil rights lawyer, journalist
• Mansoor Alam – humanitarian
• John Emory Andrus 1862 – founder, SURDNA Foundation (1917)
• Gerald L. Baliles 1987 – director, Miller Center of Public Affairs (2005–)
• Jeannie Baliles (M.A.T.) – founder, chair, Virginia Literacy Foundation (1987–); First Lady of Virginia (1986–90)
• John Perry Barlow 1969 – co-founder, Electronic Frontier Foundation; Fellow, Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society (1998–)
• Andrew Bridge 1984 – advocate for foster children; New York Times best selling author; Fulbright Scholar
• Ted Brown (attended) – libertarian politician, speaker
• Eric Byler 1994 – political activist; co-founder, Coffee Party USA
• Jaclyn Friedman 1993 – feminist writer, activist
• Jon Grepstad – Norwegian peace activist, photographer, journalist
• Marc Kasky – consumer activist; co-director, Green Center Institute
• Matt Kelley 2002 – founder, Mavin Foundation
• Harry W. Laidler 1907 – socialist, writer, politician
• Melody Moezzi 2001 – founder, Hooping for Peace, a human rights organization
• Robert Carter Pitman 1845 – prominent temperance advocate
• Charles Bennett Ray – first black student, Wesleyan in 1832; abolitionist; promoter, Underground Railway
• Richard S. Rust 1841 – abolitionist; co-founder, Freedman's Aid Society
• Juliet Schor – 2005 Leontief Prize (Wassily Leontief) by the Global Development and Environment Institute
• Larry Selzer 1982 – president, CEO, The Conservation Fund
• Ted Smith 1967 – environmental activist; founder, former executive director, Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition
• Chuck Stone – strongly associated with Civil Rights, Black Power movements; first president, National Association of Black Journalists
• Vin Suprynowicz 1972 – libertarian activist, 2000 U.S. vice presidential candidate, Libertarian Party in Arizona
• Arthur T. Vanderbilt – proponent of U.S. court modernization and reform

Sports

• Everett Bacon 1913 – football quarterback, pioneer of the forward pass, College Football Hall of Fame
• Bill Belichick 1975 – Head coach, New England Patriots; three time winner of the Super Bowl, 2001, '03, '04 (loss in Super Bowl XLII (2007)); NFL Coach of the Year three times (2003, '07, '10)
• Ambrose Burfoot 1968 – First collegian to win the Boston Marathon; won Manchester Road Race nine times; executive editor, Runner's World Magazine
• Mike Carlson 1972 – NFL and NFL Europe pundit (currently working for Channel 4 in the UK)
• Logan Cunningham (1907–09) – football player and coach
• Wink Davenport 1964 – former volleyball Olympic player, coach, and official; father, tennis champion Lindsay Davenport
• Richard E. Eustis 1914 – football player and coach
• Jeff Galloway 1967 – former American Olympian, celebrated runner, author of Galloway's Book on Running
• Frank Hauser 1979 – football coach
• Jed Hoyer 1996 – Executive Vice President & General Manager, Chicago Cubs; former General Manager (2009–11), San Diego Padres; former Assistant General Manager (2003–09), interim Co-Manager (2005–06), Boston Red Sox
• Kathy Keeler 1978 – Olympic Gold Medalist, rowing (member of the women's 8) in the 1984 Olympics; Olympics coach in 1996
• Dan Kenan 1915 – football player and coach
• Amos Magee 1993 – Professional soccer player, coach; former head coach, Minnesota Thunder, and is Thunder's all-time scoring leader, United Soccer Leagues Hall of Fame
• Jeffrey Maier 2006 – College baseball player; famous for an instance of fan interference at age twelve; Wesleyan's all-time leader in hits
• Eric Mangini 1994 – former Head Coach, Cleveland Browns; former Head Coach, New York Jets
• Vince Pazzetti (1908–1910) – elected to College Football Hall of Fame
• Bill Rodgers 1970 – winner, 4 New York Marathons, 4 Boston Marathons, 1 Fukuoka Marathon; only runner to hold the championship of all three major marathons at the same time
• Henri Salaun 1949 – won, United States Squash Racquets Association (USSR) National Championships four times (1955, '57, '58, and '61); won, inaugrual U.S. Open (1954)
• Harry Van Surdam 1905 – elected to College Football Hall of Fame
• Mike Whalen 1983 – athlete and coach
• James Wendell 1913 – Olympic Silver Medalist, 110-meter hurdles, 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm; one of teammates, General George S. Patton
• Jeff Wilner 1994 – NFL player
• Bert Wilson 1897 – football player and coach