List of Wesleyan University alumni and fictional characters

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
• 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
• Colin G. Campbell, president 1970–1988; president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund 1987–2000
• 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 Gelb, faculty 1964–1967, department of history; Pulitzer Prize; director of project that produced the Pentagon Papers
• Dana Gioia, Visiting writer 1986–1989, American Book Award; Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts (2003–2009).
• 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
• Debra Hamel, visiting Professor of History and Classics (1998–2001)
• 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
• David McClelland, 1938 (Wesleyan B.S.), Professor of Psychology in the early 1950s
• 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
• 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 1915–1944
• Richard Slotkin, MAAE (Wesleyan graduate), current faculty, Professor of American Studies
• 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
• 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; later President, Princeton University; 28th President of the United States; Nobel Peace Prize
• John Wrench, former Professor of Mathematics, pioneer in using computers for mathematical calculations
• 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 Diaz, Millet Writing Fellow 2009; 2008 Pulitzer Prize, National Book Critics Circle Award
• Annie Dillard, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, English faculty as of 2006
• Eiko & Koma, MacArthur Fellows Program "genius grant"; Japanese performance duo; Eiko is current faculty
• T.S. Eliot, Nobel Prize for Literature, 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
• 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
• Paul LaFarge, former faculty, taught writing
• 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; writer in residence, adjunct professor, Emeritus Professor of History; Death of a President, American Caesar
• Lisa Moore (musician), current faculty, international classical and jazz pianist
• V. S. Naipaul, former visiting professor; Nobel Prize for Literature in fiction (2001); Booker Prize (1971);
• Palghat Kollengode Viswanatha Narayanaswamy, artist in residence, renowned Carnatic vocalist
• 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, poet, Emeritus Professor
• Jonathan Schell, journalist, author, visiting professor in writing 2000–2002
• Dani Shapiro, current faculty, professor of creative writing
• Dr. Joseph Siry, current faculty, leading architectural historian, Professor of Art and Art History
• Dr. Mark Slobin, current faculty, professor of music
• Mark Strand, former visiting professor; United States Poet Laureate, 1990; MacArthur Fellows Program "genius grant"
• 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, Pushcart Prize; 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; sixth United States Poet Laureate; (twice winner of) Pulitzer Prize
• Dr. Elizabeth Willis, current faculty, poet, teaches creative writing and literature
• Michiyo Yagi, visiting professor in late 1980s, a Japanese musician, koto virtuoso
• Goro Yamaguchi, artist in residence, Japanese shakuhachi (vertical bamboo flute) virtuoso

Alumni

Academia, presidents or founders of universities

• David Allison (college president) – President, Mount Allison College, Canada (1869–78); President, Mount Allison University (1891–1911)
• John W. Beach 1845 – 7th President, Wesleyan
• Joseph Beech 1899 – Co-founder, 1st President, West China Union University in Chengtu, China
• Douglas J. Bennet 1959 – 15th President, Wesleyan (1995–2007)
• Anthony S. Caprio 1967 – 5th President, Western New England College (1996–)
• Joseph Cummings 1840 – 5th President, Wesleyan (1857–1875); 5th President, Northwestern University (1881–1890); President, predecessor of Syracuse University (Genesee College)
• W. H. Daniels, Interim President, Pentecostal Collegiate Institute (Rhode Island), antecedent of Eastern Nazarene College; prolific author; missionary; professor
• Joseph Denison 1840 – Co-founder, 1st President, Kansas State University (1863–1873); President, Baker University (1874–1879)
• Paul Douglass – 6th President, American University (1941–1952)
• Peter Dybwad 1961 – President, The Wright Institute, a clinical psychology graduate school in Berkeley (incumbent as of 2010)
• Gordon P. Eaton 1951 – 12th President, Iowa State University (1986–1990)
• Cyrus David Foss 1854 – 6th President, Wesleyan (1875–1880)
• E.K. Fretwell 1944 – President, the University of Buffalo (1967–1978); 2nd Chancellor, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (1967–1978); Interim President, the University of Massachusetts (1991–1992); Interim President, the University of Florida (1998)
• Bishop John W. Gowdy 1897 – President, the Anglo-Chinese College in Fuzhou, China (1904–1923); President, Fukien Christian University, Fujian Province, China (1923–1927)
• A. LeRoy Greason 1944 – 12th President, Bowdoin College (1981–1990)
• William R. Greiner 1955 – 13th President, the University of Buffalo (1991–2003); also professor of law
• Burton Crosby Hallowell – 9th President, Tufts University
• Abram W. Harris – 8th President, Northwestern University (1906–1916); helped develop the School of Commerce (now the Kellogg School of Management)
• Bishop Erastus Otis Haven 1842 – 2nd Pres., University of Michigan (1863–69); Pres., Northwestern University (1869–74); Chancellor, Syracuse University (1874–80); Overseer, Harvard
• Clark T. Hinman – 1st President, Northwestern University (1853–1854 (death)); President, Albion College (1846–1853)
• Francis S. Hoyt 1844 – 1st President, Willamette University (1853–1860)
• Oliver Marcy 1846 – twice Acting President, Northwestern University (1876–1881, 1890); established Northwestern University Museum of Natural History and served as its curator
• Anthony Marx (attended) – 18th President, Amherst College (2007–)
• Bishop Samuel Sobieski Nelles 1846 – 1st Chancellor, President, Victoria University, Ontario Canada (1884–87); President, Victoria College (1850–84)
• John W. North – Co-Founder, the University of Minnesota; founding member of its board of regents (1851–1860); wrote the 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
• John A. Randall 1881 – 4th President, the Rochester Institute of Technology (1922–1936)
• David Rhodes 1968 – 2nd President, the School of Visual Arts (incumbent as of 2010)
• William North Rice 1865 – twice Acting President, Wesleyan (1907–1909; 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
• 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–)
• Beverly Daniel Tatum 1975 – 9th President, Spelman College (2002–); Acting Pres., Mount Holyoke College
• Joseph R. Urgo M.A. – President, St. Mary's College of Maryland (Maryland's public Honors College) (2010–); former Chief Academic Officer, Hamilton College
• John Monroe Van Vleck 1850 – twice Acting President of Wesleyan (1872–1873, 1887–1889); astronomer, mathematician
• Francis Voigt 1962 – Co-Founder, President. New England Culinary Institute (incumbent as of 2010)
• Henry White Warren 1853 – Co-Founder, the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado
• William Fairfield Warren 1853 – Co-Founder, Wellesley College in 1870; 1st Pres., Boston University (1873–1903); Acting Pres., the Boston University School of Theology (1866–1873)
• Robert Weisbuch 1968 – 11th President, Drew University (2005–); former President, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
• Bishop Erastus Wentworth B.A. 1837 – 7th President, McKendree College (1846–1850)
• George Whitaker (Oregon educator) 1861 – President, Wiley College (HBCU); 7th President, Willamette University; President, Portland University
• Elizabeth C. Wright 1897 – principal Co-Founder and 1st bursar of Connecticut College
• Henry Merritt Wriston 1911 (B.A., M.A.) – 11th President, Brown University (1937–1955); 8th President, Lawrence University (1925–1937); father of Walter B. Wriston (see below)

Academia, professors and scholars

• 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)
• 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 at the MIT Sloan School of Management
• Kenneth Bruffee – professor of English, Emeritus, wrote first peer tutoring handbook
• John Bissell Carroll 1937 – psychologist known for his contributions to psychology, educational linguistics, and psychometrics
• 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
• Norman Daniels 1964 – philosopher, ethicist, and bioethicist at Harvard
• Ram Dass M.A. – born Richard Alpert, former professor of psychology at Harvard
• Marc Davis (academic) 1989 – founding director of Yahoo! Research Berkeley
• 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 at Columbia
• Raymond D. Fogelson – anthropologist; a founder of the subdiscipline of ethnohistory; professor, University of Chicago
• Daniel Z. Freedman – physicist, professor of physics and applied mathematics at MIT, co-discovered supergravity
• David Garrow 1975 – Pulitzer Prize for Biography; Fellow, Homerton College at Cambridge University
• William H. Gass – three-time winner, National Book Critics Circle Award; professor, philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis
• Charles Coulston Gillispie 1940 – Balzan Prize; George Sarton Medal; professor, history of science, Emeritus, Princeton University
• Adolf Grünbaum 1943 – philosopher of science and critic of psychoanalysis and Karl Popper
• Saidiya Hartman – professor of African American literature and history, Columbia University (as of 2010)
• Gerald Holton 1941 – professor of physics and professor of the History of Physics Emeritus, Harvard University
• Ole Holsti MAT 1956 – political scientist at Duke University, Emeritus (1974–1998)
• Eric Howard (B.A.) – Fulbright Scholar, Founder and Executive Director of the Fulbright Academy of Science and Technology
• Shelly Kagan – Clark Professor of Philosophy at Yale University and the former Henry R. Luce Professor of Social Thought and Ethics at Yale
• Edwin W. Kemmerer – economist; economic adviser to foreign governments worldwide; professor at Princeton University
• Chan Ka Keung – Dean of Business and Management and professor of finance at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Seth Lerer 1976 – professor of English and comparative literature at Stanford University
• Peter Lipton 1976 – Hans Rausing Professor and head of the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University
• Silas Laurence Loomis 1844 – professor of chemistry, physiology, and toxicology at 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 at Harvard
• 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 at 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 at Boston College; professor, economics (for 17 years) at Harvard
• Neil Asher Silberman – archaeologist and historian
• Richard Slotkin MAEE – professor of American studies (appears above), published by Wesleyan University Press
• H. Eugene Stanley 1962 – recipient in 2004 of Boltzmann Medal; professor of physics at Boston University
• 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 at Columbia
• 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 at Vassar College
• Edward Burr Van Vleck 1884 – mathematician, professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
• Clarence Abiathar Waldo 1878 – mathematician, famous for role in the Indiana Pi Bill
• Christian K. Wedemeyer, 1991 – history of religions faculty at University of Chicago Divinity School
• 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 at MIT; the Lecturer at the 2007 John Locke Lectures at Oxford University

Art

• Steven Badanes 1967 – professor, Architecture, University of Washington
• I Made Bandem Ph.D. (ethnomusicology) – Balinese dancer, artist, author, professor of dance
• Meredith Bergmann 1976 – sculptor, Women's Memorial (Boston)
• Lisa Brown (artist) 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
• Vincent Fecteau 1992 – artist
• Renee Green – artist, sculptor, writer, filmmaker
• Rachel Harrison 1989 – contemporary sculptor; multimedia artist
• Jonathan Horowitz 1987 – multimedia artist; sculptor, sound installations
• Wayne Howard 1971 – graphic artist
• Bruce Eric Kaplan – graphic artist
• 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
• Nava Lubelski 1990 – contemporary artist
• Thomas McKnight – artist, work in permanent collection, New York's 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
• Ben Weiner 2003 – contemporary artist; oil painting, video
• Chris Wink – co-founder, Blue Man Group

Business

• Richard Barth 1948 – president, chairman, CEO, Ciba-Geigy (1986–1996)
• Andrea Barthwell – CEO, EMGlobal, LLC
• Douglas J. Bennet – former CEO, National Public Radio
• William Bissell – managing director, Fabindia (1993–)
• Joshua Boger 1973 – founder, CEO (1992-09), board of directors (as of 2009), Vertex Pharmaceuticals
• Jonathan S. Bush – co-founder, president, CEO, Athenahealth, Inc.
• Marc N. Casper 1990 – president, CEO, Thermo Fisher Scientific (as of October 15, 2009)
• David Charnay – Onetime president, CEO, Four Star Television productions, died 2002
• Gilbert Clee 1935 – former managing partner, McKinsey & Company
• Robert Crispin 1968 – president and CEO, ING Group Investment Management Americas (as of 2006)
• D. Ronald Daniel 1952 – former director, managing partner (1976–1988), McKinsey & Company; developed concept, Critical success factors
• David S. Daniel – CEO, Spencer Stuart; former president, Louis Vuitton (N.A.) and Evian Waters of France (U.S.)
• Charles W. Denny III 1958 – president, CEO (1992–2003), chairman of board of directors (2001–2003), Square D
• Edwin Deacon Etherington 1948 – former president, CEO, American Stock Exchange; 12th President of Wesleyan;
• Charles Exley, Jr. 1951 – president (1976), chairman (1984), CEO (1983–1991), NCR Corporation
• Mansfield Freeman – one of original founders of AIG; scholar of Chinese Philosophy
• Michael Fries 1985 – president, CEO, Liberty Global
• Jordan Goldman 2004 – founder, Unigo; creator, publisher, bestselling college guidebook, The Students' Guide to Colleges
• Christopher Graves 1981 – president, CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Public Relations Worldwide; one of founders, Wall Street Journal Television
• James F. Haddon – the managing director, PFM Group, nation's leading provider, independent investment advisory services to state governments
• John Hagel III 1972 – co-chairman, Deloitte Center for Edge Innovation (as of 2010)
• Henry I. Harriman – corporate executive, American public utilities; co-founder, New England Power Company
• Charles James 1976 – vice president, general counsel, ChevronTexaco Corp.
• Herb Kelleher 1953 – founder, chairman, former president, CEO, Southwest Airlines; Board of Governors, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
• Edward Kennedy, Jr. 1983 – attorney (disability law); co-founder, president, Marwood Group, wall street investment firm
• Chan Ka Keung – chairman, Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation; former Director, Hong Kong Futures Exchange
• Mallory Factor – chairman, Free Enterprise Fund; member, Council on Foreign Relations
• George M. La Monte 1884 – chairman of board of directors, Prudential Insurance Company
• Gary Loveman 1982 – chairman, president, CEO, Harrah's Entertainment; former professor, Harvard School of Business
• John Macy – president, Corporation for Public Broadcasting (1969–1972); ran the Council, Better Business Bureaus (1972–1979)
• Gregg Ribatt – president, CEO Stride Rite
• John Rice 1974 – president, Unilever
• Tom Rogers (President and CEO of TiVo Inc.) 1976 – former chairman, CEO, Primedia; president, NBC; founded CNBC
• Jonathan I. Schwartz 1987 – founder, CEO, Lighthouse Design, Ltd.; former president, CEO, Sun Microsystems
• Frank V. Sica 1973 – vice-chairman, Jetblue Airways; president, Soros Fund Management (2000–2003); managing partner, Tailwind Capital (as of 2009);
• Jonathan Soros 1992 – president, co-deputy chairman, Soros Fund Management (as of 2009); Council on Foreign Relations
• Gerald Tsai attended – founded Primerica, pioneered use of performance funds
• Jeffrey Weitzen 1978 – former president, CEO, Gateway 2000
• John F. Woodhouse 1953 – former president, CEO (1982–1995), chairman of board of directors (1985–1999), senior chairman (1999–?), Sysco
• Walter B. Wriston 1941 – commercial banker; former chairman and CEO, Citibank and Citicorp; Presidential Medal of Freedom
• Straus Zelnick 1979 – president and COO (1989–1993), 20th Century Fox; CEO, BMG Entertainment (1998–2000); founder, Zelnick Media (2001–)

Film, television, acting

• David Abram 1980 – performance artist, cultural ecologist, philosopher
• Phil Abraham – film and television cinematographer, director
• Michael Arias (attended from age 16–18) – film director, producer, visual effects artist
• Miguel Arteta 1989 – film director (Star Maps, Chuck & Buck, The Good Girl)
• Edoardo Ballerini – actor, writer, director
• Andrew Bancroft – comedian
• Michael Bay 1986 – film director (The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen)
• Carter Bays 1997 – creator, writer, executive producer, How I Met Your Mother
• Jordan Belfi 2000 – actor
• Amy Bloom 1975 – creator, State of Mind (TV series)
• Mark Bomback – screenwriter
• Eric Byler 1994 – film director (Charlotte Sometimes, My Life Disoriented, Americanese, TRE)
• Peter Cambor 2001 – film and television actor
• Hunter Carson 1998 – actor, screenwriter, producer, director
• Lynn Chen 1998 – actress, Saving Face
• William Christopher 1954 – Father John Patrick Francis Mulcahy on M*A*S*H (TV series)
• Jennifer Crittenden 1992 – writer and/or producer, The Simpsons, Seinfeld, The Drew Carey Show, Everybody Loves Raymond, The New Adventures of Old Christine
• Jem Cohen 1984 – video artist
• Ed Decter 1979 – screenwriter: There's Something About Mary, The Santa Clause 2, The Santa Clause 3, among others
• Dana Delany 1978 – two-time Emmy Award-winning actress; television shows China Beach, Presidio Med, Desperate Housewives; films Tombstone, Fly Away Home
• Toby Emmerich – screenwriter, film executive, head of New Line Cinema (as of 2008)
• Halley Feiffer 2007 – actress, playwright
• Danny Forster 1999 – host, Discovery Channel shows Extreme Engineering and Build It Bigger
• Bobbito García 1988 – hip hop DJ, writer
• William "Willie" Garson – actor, most known for his portrayal of Stanford on Sex and the City
• Max Goldblatt 2005 – actor, writer, director
• Akiva Goldsman 1983 – Oscar winning screenwriter, A Beautiful Mind (Best Adapted Screenplay );The Client, A Time to Kill, The Da Vinci code, Cinderella Man, I Am Legend
• Matthew Greenfield – producer, independent films
• Adam Hann-Byrd 2004 – actor, Little Man Tate, The Ice Storm
• Elisabeth Harnois 2001 – actress, Adventures in Wonderland, Pretty Persuasion
• Willy Holtzman – screenwriter, playwright; Humanitas Prize, Writers Guild Award, Peabody Award, two Pulitzer Prize nominations
• Jack Johnson 2009 – best known for performance in Lost in Space
• Evan Katz – writer, executive producer of tevision 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
• Alex Kurtzman – film, television screenwriter, producer; film: Star Trek (film), The Legend of Zorro, Mission Impossible III, Transformers (film); television: Fringe (TV series)
• Jeffrey Lane – 5 Emmy Awards, Tony Award, two Peabody Awards, Golden Globe; television scriptwriter, film producer, actor
• Jieho Lee 1995 – filmmaker
• Alan Levin (filmmaker) 1946 – three-time Emmy Award-winning maker of documentaries
• Marc Levin 1973 – Emmy award-winning filmmaker
• Tembi Locke – actress, has appeared on more than 30 television shows
• Monica Louwerens 1995 – beauty queen from Canada
• Barton MacLane – actor, playwright, screenwriter; appeared in many classic films from the 1930s through the 1960s
• Laurence Mark 1971 – Oscar-nominated producer; Jerry Maguire, As Good as It Gets, Finding Forrester, Dreamgirls (film)
• Brett Matthews 1999 – writer, TV shows and comics
• Daisy von Scherler Mayer 1988 – film director (Party Girl, Madeline, The Guru, Woo)
• Benjamin Meyer – film writer, editor
• Nick Meyer – president, Paramount Vantage until December 2008; former president, Lionsgate International
• Lin-Manuel Miranda – actor, two Tony Awards (2008), a Grammy Award (2009), a Drama Desk Award (2008)
• William R. Moses attended – actor
• Gail O'Neill – fashion model
• Julius Onah – filmaker of Nigerian descent
• Amanda Palmer 1998 – director Hotel Blanc; playwright and actress, The Onion Cellar
• Benjamin Parrillo 1992 – actor with numerous film and television credits including Cold Case, 24, NCIS, Boston Legal
• Zak Penn 1990 – screenwriter (Fantastic Four, X-Men, The Last Stand, PCU, The Incredible Hulk (film)); director (Incident at Loch Ness, The Grand)
• Owen Renfroe – television soap opera director, former film editor
• Jeffrey Richards 1969 – four-time Tony Award winning producer; August: Osage County (5 Tony Awards in 2008); 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
• Matthew Senreich 1996 – screenwriter, director; producer, Robot Chicken
• Lawrence Sher 1992 – cinematographer, The Dukes of Hazzard, Garden State.
• Marc Shmuger 1980 – head, Universal Pictures (as of 2006)
• Wendy Spero – actress, comedian, writer
• Anuradha Sriram M.A. – Indian carnatic and playback singer, more than 35 Tamil and Hindi films
• Kim Stolz 2005 – America's Next Top Model Cycle 5 finalist
• Stephen Talbot 1970 – twice winner of Peabody Award; TV child actor (Leave It to Beaver); TV reporter, writer, producer
• Craig Thomas (screenwriter) 1997 – creator, writer, executive producer How I Met Your Mother
• Ray Tintori 2006 – director, film and music videos
• Jon Turteltaub 1985 – film director (Cool Runnings, Phenomenon, While You Were Sleeping, National Treasure, 3 Ninjas)
• Kim Wayans – actress; member, Wayans family
• Matthew Weiner – 6-time Emmy Award-winner; 1 Golden Globe, best television series; creator, executive producer, writer, Mad Men; screenwriter, supervising producer, The Sopranos
• Paul Weitz 1988 – director (with brother Chris Weitz, American Pie, About a Boy), Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
• Joss Whedon 1987 – Oscar-nominated screenwriter; creator, producer, director, writer, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse; Serenity; screenwriter, Speed, Toy Story
• Zack Whedon 2002 – screenwriter
• Mike White 1992 – screenwriter for Chuck & Buck, Orange County, and The Good Girl
• Bradley Whitford 1981 – Emmy Award-winning actor in television drama The West Wing
• 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)

Law

Supreme Court of the United States

• David Josiah Brewer 1851–1854 – Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (1890–1910); a major contributor to the doctrine of substantive due process; author of the then landmark decisions in Muller v. Oregon (1908) (upholding legislative protection of exploited workers and supporting a law restricting working hours for women) and In re Debs (1895) (upholding federal injunctions to suppress labor strikes as proper regulation of interstate commerce under the commerce clause of the United States Constitution)

Federal courts

• 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
• Hon. Edward G. Biester, Jr. 1952 – Judge, United States Court of Military Commission Review; Attorney General for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1979–1980)
• Hon. David Josiah Brewer – Judge, 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 (1870–84)
• Hon. Alonzo J. Edgerton 1850 – Judge, United States District Court for the District of South Dakota (1889–1896); Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Dakota Territory
• 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. Terry J. Hatter 1954 – Judge, United States District Court for the Central District of California, Los Angeles; Chief Judge 1998; senior status 2005
• 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 (1986–1991)
• Hon. Martin A. Knapp 1868 – Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (1916–1923); Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (1910–1916); Judge, United States Commerce Court (1910–1913)
• Hon. Mark R. Kravitz 1972 – Judge, United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
• Hon. Arthur MacArthur Sr. - Judge, predecessor, United States District Court for the District of Columbia (1870-1887)
• Hon. James Rogers Miller Jr. 1953 – Judge, United States District Court for the District of Maryland (1970–1986)
• 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 (1994–2001); United States Attorney for the District of Maryland
• 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 (1984–1987)
• Hon. Dominic J. Squatrito 1961 – Judge, United States District Court for the District of Connecticut (1994–)
• Hon. Stephen S. Trott 1962 – Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; Judge, United States Attorney for the Central District of California
• 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

State courts

• Hon. Raymond E. Baldwin – Associate Justice (1949–1959), Chief Justice (1959–1963), Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors (now the Connecticut Supreme Court)
• Hon. K C Chan 1979 – Hong Kong Justice of the Peace (also former professor)
• Hon. Charles Douglas III 1960–1962 – Associate Justice, New Hampshire Supreme Court (1977–1985)
• Hon. Miles T. Granger 1842 - Associate Justice, Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors (now the Connecticut Supreme Court)
• Hon. Fred C. Norton 1950 – Associate Judge, Minnesota Court of Appeals
• Hon. Arthur T. Vanderbilt – Chief Justice, New Jersey Supreme Court; Dean, New York University School of Law; twice declined possible 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 – Attorney General of Virginia (1982–1985)
• Michael Bennet – Counsel, Deputy Attorney General in the Clinton Administration
• Gabriel J. Chin 1985 – Professor, University of Arizona; "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 in the administration of President Barack Obama (2009–)
• Shad Saleem Faruqi B.A. at the age of 19 – Professor of Law, Universiti Teknologi MARA and International Islamic University Malaysia; constitutional consultant to several countries
• John C.P. Goldberg 1983 – Professor, Harvard Law School (as of 2010); expert in tort law and theory, preemption, privacy; author of leading tort law treatises and casebooks
• Theodore E. Hancock 1871 – New York State Attorney General (1894–1898)
• Rusty Hardin – attorney, 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 (attorney) – United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana (1994–2001), District Attorney of Orleans Parish (2003–2007)
• Naomi Mezey 1987 – Professor, Georgetown University Law Center (as of 2010)
• Theodore Shaw 1976 – Professor, Columbia Law School (as of 2010); former Director-Counsel and fifth President, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
• Abner W. Sibal 1943 – General Counsel, United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) (1975–1978)
• Cameron C. Staples 1980 – long-time Visiting Lecturer in Law, Yale Law School (as of 2010); Legislative Advocacy Clinic; also state legislator and practicing attorney
• Charles Alan Wright – long-time Professor, University of Texas School of Law, was the nation's foremost authority on U.S. constitutional law as it relates to federal courts and procedure

Literature

• William Allen (artist) – poet and visual artist
• Steve Almond – writer
• Stephen Alter – author of non-fiction and fiction
• Andy Behrman 1984 – author of Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania
• Suzanne Berne – novelist, winner of Great Britain's prestigious Orange Prize; professor of English
• Peter Blauner – novelist; Edgar Award, New York Times Bestseller, among others
• Amy Bloom 1975 – author of Away (New York Times Best Seller list, 2007) Come to Me; National Magazine Award, Best American Short Stories, O. Henry Award
• 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 of The Planets, The Constellations, the memoir She's Not There
• Alexander Chee – writer, 2003 Whiting Writers' Award
• James Wm. Chichetto – poet, novelist, critic, lecturer, Catholic priest
• Mei Chin – fiction writer and food critic
• Kate Colby 1996 – poet, editor, Norma Farber First Book Award
• Dr. Robin Cook 1962 – Medical mystery writer, many books have appeared on New York Times Best Seller list, including Coma, Critical, Outbreak, and 24 other bestsellers
• Paul Dickson 1961 – writer
• Melvin Dixon 1971 – author, poet, translator
• 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
• 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)
• Elizabeth Graver 1986 – writer of fiction and non-fiction; 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)
• Albert Harrison Hoyt 1850 – writer
• Christianne Meneses Jacobs – writer, editor, and teacher
• Kaylie Jones – novelist
• Sebastian Junger 1984 – author of The Perfect Storm, Fire, and A Death in Belmont; National Magazine Award; grand jury prize, 2010 Sundance Film Festival
• James Kaplan – novelist and journalist
• Pagan Kennedy 1984 – author, her novel Spinsters (1995)
• Brad Kessler 1986 – novelist, Whiting Writers' Award (fiction, 2007), Dayton Literary Peace Prize
• Alisa Kwitney – novelist, Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold
• Seth Lerer 1976 – National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism (2008), professor of English and Comparative Literature at Stanford University
• Ariel Levy – author of Female Chauvinist Pigs, anthologized in The Best American Essays of 2008 and New York Stories
• Robert Ludlum 1951 – The Bourne Identity, The Osterman Weekend, The Holcroft Covenant, The Matarese Circle, and 21 others; more than 290 million copies of his books in print
• Joanie Mackowski – poet, 2007 Best American Poetry, 2003 Kate Tufts Discovery Award
• Lew McCreary – editor, author, Senior Editor of the Harvard Business Review
• 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
• 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
• Dr. Michael Palmer 1964 – Medical mystery writer,Side Effects, Flashback, Extreme Measures, Natural Causes; all of his 14 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
• Peter Pezzelli – author of "Home to Italy" , "Every Sunday" , "Francesca's Kitchen" , "Italian Lessons"
• Daniel Pinchbeck – author of Breaking Open the Head: A Psychedelic Journey into the Heart of Contemporary Shamanism and 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl
• Kevin Prufer – poet, essayist, editor; winner of three Pushcart Prizes, Best American Poetry 2003
• Spencer Reece – writer and poet, recipient of Whiting Writers' Award in 2005 for poetry
• Jean Rikhoff – writer and editor
• Mary Roach – author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
• Carlo Rotella 1986 – writer, Whiting Writers' Award (nonfiction, 2007), L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award
• Ruth L. Schwartz – poet
• Sadia Shepard – author (and documentary filmmaker), Fulbright Scholar (2001)
• 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 – writer of short stories and fiction, Pushcart Prize, The Paris Review Discover Prize, Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned (2009)
• 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 and The Klamath Knot, John Burroughs Medal (1984)
• 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 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

• Dr. Andrea Barthwell – named one of "Best Doctors in America" in 1997; Betty Ford Award in 2003; former United States Deputy Drug Czar
• Dr. Herbert Benson 1957 – Cardiologist; founding president, Mind-Body Medical Institute; professor, Harvard Medical School
• Charles Brenner 1983 – professor, head of Biochemistry, University of Iowa; leader, fields of tumor suppressor gene function and metabolism
• Thomas Broker 1966 – expert on human papilloma viruses; faculty member, University of Alabama at Birmingham; played central role in discovery of RNA splicing
• Dr. Joseph Fins 1982 – Chief, Division of Medical Ethics, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College
• Michael Fossel B.A., M.A. – professor, Clinical Medicine, known for his views on telomerase therapy
• Dr. Laman Gray, Jr. 1963 – leader, fields of cardiovascular surgery, development of artificial hearts; implanted world's first self-contained artificial heart
• Dr. Allan Hobson 1955 – Psychiatrist, dream researcher; professor, psychiatry, Emeritus, Harvard Medical School
• Dr. Laurence H. Kedes 1959 – Professor, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology; a leader in efforts to clone animal cell genes
• Dr. Jay A. Levy 1960 – seminal research in AIDS; professor, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco; Editor-in-Chief, the journal AIDS
• Emilie Marcus 1982 – Editor-in-Chief, the scientific journal Cell ; also Editor-in-Chief, Cell Press
• Dr. Ralph Pomeroy – gynecologist, famous for creation of "Pomeroy" tubal ligation; co-founder, the Williamsburg Hospital in Brooklyn, New York
• Dr. Theodore Shapiro – psychiatrist
• Dr. David J. Sencer 1946 – Director, United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (1966–1977); New York City Health Commissioner (1981–1985)

Military

• Brigadier General Allen Fraser Clark, Jr. – United States Army (in the 1960s)
• Admiral Thomas H. Collins – Retired 22nd Commandant, United States Coast Guard (2002–08) (guided Coast Guard after terrorist attacks of 9/11)
• Brevet Brigadier General Alonzo J. Edgerton 1850 – Union Army, the Civil War
• Admiral James Loy – Retired 21st Commandant, United States Coast Guard (1998–2002); Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2005)
• Brigadier General Mitchell Jenkins 1919 – Pennsylvania National Guard; Colonel, United States Army, World War II
• Rear Admiral (Ret.) Dr. Richard W. Schneider 1973 – United States Coast Guard; significant role in the transformation of the Coast Guard
• Tuskegee Airman Chuck Stone 1948 – Congressional Gold Medal (March 29, 2007)

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, professor of music, band leader
• Kit Clayton – musician and programmer
• Bill Cole Ph.D. (ethnomusicologist) – musician; professor of music, Amherst College (1972–74), Dartmouth College (1974-90s); author
• Nicolas Collins B.A., M.A. – composer, mostly electronic music; former student, Alvin Lucier; Watson Fellow
• 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 Ph.D. – multi-instrumntalist; musicologist; performer, consultant for soundtrack of film Cold Mountain
• Kevin Fox – founding director, music director, Grammy Award winning Pacific Boychoir (incumbent as of 2010)
• MC Frontalot (Damien Hess) 1996 – rapper; innovator of phrase nerdcore
• William Galison – multi-instrumentalist, most famous as harmonica player, singer, composer
• Ben Goldwasser – Grammy Award nominated founding member of music group MGMT
• Adam Goren 1996 – best known as the 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 of Carnatic music, professor of music, Wesleyan (1978–1984), 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-creater, software language Formula
• Robert R. Labaree Ph.D. – chairman, Music History and Musicology, New England Conservatory of Music
• David Leisner – classical guitarist, composer; teacher, Manhattan School of Music
• Jorge Arevalo Mateus Ph.D. (ethnomusicologist) – 2008 Grammy Award, Best Historical Recording
• Lin-Manuel Miranda 2002 – creator, composer, lyricist, actor: In the Heights (two Tony Awards, 2008, including Best Musical; Grammy Award, 2009)
• Dennis Murphy (musician) 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 of The Dresden Dolls
• Hewitt Pantaleoni Ph.D. – 20th century ethnomusicologist, best known for work in African music; professor of music
• Brandon Patton – songwriter
• Chris Pureka – singer/songwriter
• Steve Roslonek – children's musician 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, free improvisation
• Sumarsam 1976 M.A. – current faculty at Wesleyan; Javanese musician, virtuoso and scholar of the 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 – Grammy Award winning composer, lyricist for the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch; composer for film & theater
• Stephen S. Trott 1962 – early member, The Highwaymen (folk band), which originated at Wesleyan; #1 single ("Michael" 1961)
• Andrew VanWyngarden – Grammy Award nominated founding member of 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
• Allie Wrubel – Academy Award winning composer, songwriter; known for writing Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah (Oscar winner, 1947); Songwriters Hall of Fame (1970)
• 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, 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
• David Brancaccio 1982 – host, NOW on PBS
• Ethan Bronner 1976 – Pulitzer Prize (explanatory journalism, 2001)
• Dominique Browning 1977 – former Editor-in-chief, House & Garden (magazine)
• Marysol Castro – weather anchor, contributing writer, ABC Good Morning America Weekend Edition
• Lisa Chedekel 1982 – 1999 Pulitzer Prize (breaking news (team)); nominated, Pulitzer Prize (2007), series "Mentally Unfit, Forced to Fight"
• Jonathan Dube – pioneer, online journalism; print journalist
• Jane Eisner 1977 – editor, The Forward, paper's first female editor; former editor, reporter, columnist, The Philadelphia Enquirer
• Smokey Fontaine – Editor-in Chief, writer, music critic, Giant (magazine)
• Steven Greenhouse 1973 – reporter, The New York Times; one of few remaining full-time labor reporters in the nation
• 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
• Brooks Kraft 1987 – nationally recognized photojournalist; pictures of White House and President George H. W. Bush have appeared in Time magazine
• Alex Kotlowitz 1977 – George Polk Award; George Foster 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
• Alan Miller 1976 – Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter
• Kyrie O'Connor 1976 – journalist, writer, editor
• Gail O'Neill – television journalist
• Randall Pinkston 1972 – three time Emmy Award-winning television journalist
• Charles Bennett Ray – journalist; owner, editor, The Colored American, first black student at Wesleyan in 1832
• Jake Silverstein – editor (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); journalist who warned of the threat from Nazi Germany
• Vin Suprynowicz 1972 – libertarian columnist
• Stephen Talbot 1970 – Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker
• Laura Walker 1979 – president, CEO, WNYC public radio station, largest public radio station in nation
• Ulrich Wickert – spent 1962 at Wesleyan as a Fulbright Scholar; well-known broadcast journalist in Germany
• Robert F. Worth – journalist, The New York Times (2001–)
• Michael Yamashita 1971 – award-winning photographer, photojournalist, National Geographic
• John Yang (journalist) 1980 – Peabody Award-winning journalist; as of 2007, NBC News White House correspondent

Politics and government

Cabinet and subcabinet members, presidential advisers

• Robert M. Ball 1935, M.A. 1936 – United States Commissioner of Social Security (1962–1973); served under 3 Presidents
• Andrea Barthwell – former Deputy United States Drug Czar under President George W. Bush
• Ian Bassin 1998 – Deputy Associate Counsel. Office of Counsel to the President (2009–)
• Douglas J. Bennet 1959 – former Head, United States Agency for International Development (USAID); Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
• Ron Bloom 1977 – U.S. Manufacturing Czar (2009–), U.S. Car Czar (2009–)
• Lael Brainard – nominee, U.S. Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs (2009–); Deputy Director, United States National Economic Council (98-00)
• K C Chan 1979 – Hong Kong Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (2007–); member, Executive Council of Hong Kong (2007–)
• Thomas H. Collins – Commandant, United States Coast Guard, guided the Coast Guard after 9/11 (2002–2008) (appears above)
• Jim Esquera – Assistant Secretary for Legislation, United States Department of Health and Human Services (2009–)
• Diana Farrell 1987 – Deputy Director, United States National Economic Council (2009–); member, Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry (2009–);
• Robert E. Hunter 1962 – President, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (2003–2008); United States Ambassador to NATO in the Clinton Administration (1993–98)
• Charles James (attorney) 1976 – former Assistant Attorney General of the United States in charge of the Antitrust Division
• Martin A. Knapp 1868 – chairman (1898–1910), member (1897–1910), United States Interstate Commerce Commission
• James Loy – Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2005); Deputy United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2003–05)
• Nobutaka Machimura – Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan (stepping stone to becoming Prime Minister of Japan) (2007–2008); twice Head, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• John Macy 1938 – Director, United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (1979–81); twice Executive Director, United States Civil Service Commission
• Justin Oberman – Senior Executive, United States Transportation Security Administration, participated in several critical aspects of the agency's start-up
• John A. Randall 1881 – United States Under Secretary of War (1918)
• Horst Siebert – member, German Council of Economic Experts from 1990–2003; recipient, Bundesverdienstkreuz
• Stephen S. Trott – United States Associate Attorney General (3rd ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice) (1986–88); Assistant Attorney General of the United States
• Charles Alan Wright – represented President Richard Nixon as lead lawyer on issues growing out of Watergate investigations, though he did not argue the case in the Supreme Court
• Henry Merritt Wriston B.A. 1911, M.A. – personal adviser to President Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Walter B. Wriston 1941 – Chairman of 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 refused; Presidential Medal of Freedom

Senators and Representatives

• John E. Andrus 1862 – Republican Congressman, Westchester, New York
• John H. Baker 1879 – Congressman, Indiana (1875–1881)
• Raymond Baldwin 1916 – Republican Senator, Connecticut
• Edward G. Biester, Jr. 1952 – Former Republican Congressman, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
• Michael Bennet 1987 – U.S. Senator, Colorado (2009–); former Counsel to Deputy Attorney General in Clinton Administration; superintendent, Denver Public Schools
• 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; former co-chair, American Bar Association
• Frederick 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
• 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 Hunt – former U.S. Senator, Wyoming
• Mitchell Jenkins 1919 – Republican Congressman, Pennsylvania
• Rufus H. King – Former U.S. Congressman, New York
• Nobutaka Machimura – current member, House of Representatives of Japan; member and Acting Secretary General, Liberal Democratic Party, Japan
• Edwin May 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
• Watson Squire 1859 – Republican Senator, Washington
• Julius Strong – Former U.S. 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
• Gerald Baliles 1963 – Former Democratic Governor of Virginia
• Benjamin T. Biggs – Former Governor of Delaware
• Walter Eli Clark 1895 – Republican, last Governor of the District of Alaska (1909–1912), and first Governor of Alaska Territory (1912–1913)
• Oran Faville – first Lieutenant Governor of Iowa (1858–1860); former president, Ohio Wesleyan Female College
• Lester Hunt – former Governor of Wyoming, Secretary of State of Wyoming
• Arthur MacArthur, Sr. attended – fourth Governor of Wisconsin, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
• Frederick Walker Pitkin – 2nd Governor of Colorado (served two terms)
• Carlton Skinner attended – first Civilian Governor of Guam; wrote Constitution for Guam; prominent advocate for integration of U.S. Armed Forces
• Watson Squire 1859 – Governor of Territory of Washington (1884–1887)

Ambassadors and other government figures

• Raymond Bateman 1950 – President of the New Jersey Senate (1970–1972), Chairman, New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (resigned in 2001)
• Douglas J. Bennet 1959 – former Head, United States Agency for International Development
• L. Dean Brown 1942 – United States Ambassador to Jordan, Gambia, Senegal
• Wilbur Fisk Burns 1860 – Wesleyan's first black graduate; Comptroller, Liberia, Africa; died before the age of 30
• Walter L. Cutler 1953 – United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (1984–1989), Congo-Kinshasa (1975–1979), Tunisia (1982–1984)
• Joseph Denison 1840 – co-founder, abolitionist town of Manhattan, Kansas (1855) (see Bleeding Kansas)
• Art Feltman B.A. 1980 – Connecticut House of Representatives (1997–2009)
• Brian E. Frosh – Democratic member, Maryland State Senate (1995–)
• William C. Gilbreath – North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor (1905–1914)
• Eliot Glassheim – North Dakota House of Representatives since 1993 (and previously in 1975)
• Robert E. Hunter 1962 – former United States Ambassador to NATO; President, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (2003–2008)
• Matt Lesser (Class of 2010) – Member, Connecticut House of Representatives (2009–); full time student, Wesleyan while conducting campaign for Legislature
• John Lipsky 1968 – First deputy managing director, International Monetary Fund
• Nobutaka Machimura – twice Head, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2004–2005; 2007)
• Benjamin Franklin Mudge 1840 – State Geologist for Kansas; Director, first Kansas Geological Survey
• John W. North – American statesman; founder, Northfield, Minnesota, Riverside, California; member, Minnesota House of Representatives; co-founder, Republican Party of Minnesota
• Fred C. Norton 1950 – 47th (1980–1981) and 50th (1987) Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives
• Robert Carter Pitman 1845 – state representative (1858), state senator (1864–1965; 1868–1869), President of the Senate of Massachusetts (1868–1869)
• Peter Shumlin 1979 – current member and President Pro Tempore, Vermont Senate; co-founder, Landmark College (designed exclusively for students with learning disabilities)
• Benjamin Franklin Tefft 1835 – U.S. Consul, Stockholm, U.S. Civil War; President, Genesee College (predecessor, Syracuse University)
• Henry Merritt Wriston B.A. 1911, M.A. – member, United States Department of State's Advisory Committee on United States Foreign Service (under President Dwight Eisenhower)
• Stephen M. Young (diplomat) 1973 – Consulate General of the United States in Hong Kong (2010–); former United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan

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
• William Henry Eustis 1873 – Mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota; philanthropist; founder of Eustis Hospital
• Robert J. Harris – Mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Rhodes Scholar
• John Hickenlooper 1974 – Mayor of Denver, Colorado (incumbent as of 2009)
• Yoriko Kishimoto 1977 – Mayor of Palo Alto, California; author (incumbent as of 2009)
• 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, Cazenovia, New York ; later Bishop, Methodist Episcopal Church.
• Osman Cleander Baker (1812–1871) – Bishop, Methodist Episcopal Church; biblical scholar; Baker University, Kansas named in his honor.
• John C. Cavadini – Chair, Theology Department, University of Notre Dame; Catholic philosopher, theologian. (See List of Catholic Philosophers and Theologians)
• 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, Methodist Episcopal Church.
• Shira Koch Epstein – 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 Civil War.
• Gilbert Haven (1846) – 2nd President, Freedman's Aid Society; early proponent of equality of the sexes; Bishop, Methodist Episcopal Church.
• Robert T. Hoshibata (1973) – Hawaiian Bishop, United Methodist Church.
• Jesse Lyman Hurlbut (1864) – clergyman, author.
• John Christian Keener (1835) – Bishop, Methodist Episcopal Church.
• Daniel Parish Kidder (1836) – Theologian, missionary to Brazil.
• Delmar R. Lowell (1873) – Minister, Civil War veteran, historian, genealogist.
• Willard Francis Mallalieu – Bishop, Methodist Episcopal Church.
• 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).
• B. T. Roberts (University Honors) – Co-founder, Free Methodist Church of North America.
• A. James Rudin, Rabbi.

Royalty

• Carlos, Prince of Piacenza (political science) – Heir apparent to the headship of the House of Bourbon-Parma, Duke of Madrid

Science, technology, inventors, engineers

• David P. Anderson – research scientist, Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley
• Taft Armandroff 1982 – 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; founder, first agricultural experiment stations in the U.S.
• Oliver L. Austin – ornithologist
• Susan Barry – neurobiologist; seminal work, Stereoblindness; author
• Albert Francis Blakeslee 1896 – botanist, known for research on jimsonweed and fungi
• Bryon Alden Brooks – inventor, also author of Earth Revisited
• Henry Smith Carhart 1869 – physicist, university professor
• Kenneth G. Carpenter 1976, MA 1977 – Project Scientist, NASA, Hubble Space Telescope Operations
• David Carroll (physicist) Ph.D. 1993 – Director, Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials, Wake Forest University
• Jennifer Tour Chayes Physics, Bio. 1979 – mathematical physicist; Head, Theory Group, Microsoft Research
• John M. Coffin 1966 – molecular biologist; National Academy of Sciences; Director, HIV Program, National Cancer Institute
• Richard Dansky – designer, computer games; author
• Russell Doolittle 1951 – Biochemist, National Academy of Sciences; co-recipient, Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize
• Clay Dreslough 1983 – creator, Baseball Mogul, Football Mogul computer sports games
• Gordon P. Eaton 1951 – geologist, 12th Director, United States Geological Service
• John Wells Foster 1834 – geologist, paleontologist
• Daniel Z. Freedman – physicist, MIT; co-discovered supergravity; Dirac Prize
• George Brown Goode – ichthyologist
• Michael E. Greenberg 1976 – neuroscientist; National Academy of Sciences; Chairman, neurobiology, Harvard Medical School
• Henry I. Harriman BA 1898 – patents for many automatic looms; builder, hydroelectric dams
• Gerald Holton 1941 – physicist, Harvard; physics of matter at high pressure; Abraham Pais Prize
• Eric Howard – geologist, known for his work in environmental policy as well as geology
• Orange Judd 1847 – agricultural chemist
• George Kellogg 1837 – inventor, patent expert
• Oscar Lanford B.S. – professor, mathematics at ETH Zurich; mathematical physics; Dobrushin-Lanford-Ruelle equations
• Albert L. Lehninger BA 1939 – pioneering research in bioenergetics
• Silas Laurence Loomis 1844 – inventor; astronomer, United States Coast Survey
• Benjamin Franklin Mudge 1840 – geologist, paleontologist, discovered at least 80 new species of extinct plants and animals
• Frank W. Putnam BA 1939, MA 1940 – biochemist, National Academy of Sciences
• Edward Bennett Rosa 1886 – physicist, National Academy of Sciences (1913); specializing in measurement science
• H. Eugene Stanley 1962 – physicist; National Academy of Sciences; 2004 Boltzmann Medal; seminal contributions, statistical physics
• 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
• Michael Tibbetts Ph.D. – biologist; 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; noted for early pioneering work in development of robotic telescopes
• George Tucker (Ph.D.) – Puerto Rican physicist and former Olympic luge
• Nichlas J. Turro 1960 – professor, Chemistry, Columbia University; National Academy of Sciences; Willard Gibbs Award (2000)
• Jesse Vincent 1998 – developed Request Tracker while a student at Wesleyan
• John Monroe Van Vleck 1850 – astronomer, mathematician; namesake of Van Vleck crater on the Moon
• Christopher Weaver dual M.A.s – engineer, software developer, entrepreneur; founder, Bethesda Softworks

Activists

• Dan Ackman – civil rights lawyer, journalist
• 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–)
• John Perry Barlow 1969 – founding member, Electronic Frontier Foundation; cyberlibertarian
• Andrew Bridge 1984 – advocate for foster children; New York Times best selling author; Fulbright Scholar
• Eric Byler 1994 – political activist
• Jon Grepstad – Norwegian peace activist, photographer, journalist
• Marc Kasky – consumer activist; co-director, Green Center Institute
• Matt Kelley 2002 – founder, Mavin Foundation
• 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 – Leontief Prize (Wassily Leontief) by the Global Development and Environment Institute
• Larry Selzer 1982 – president and CEO, The Conservation Fund
• Ted Smith (environmentalist) 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; winner, 2001, 2003, and 2004 Super Bowls (loss in Super Bowl XLII); NFL Coach of the Year twice (2003 and 2007)
• Ambrose Burfoot 1968 – First collegian to win the Boston Marathon; won Manchester Road Race nine times; executive editor, Runner's World Magazine
• Mike Carlson – NFL and NFL Europe pundit (currently working for channel five in the UK)
• Wink Davenport – former volleyball Olympic player, coach, and official; father, tennis champion Lindsay Davenport
• Jeff Galloway 1967 – former American Olympian, celebrated runner, author of Galloway's Book on Running
• Jed Hoyer 1996 – General Manager, San Diego Padres; former Assistant General Manager (2003–2009), interim Co-Manager (2005–2006), Boston Red Sox
• Kathy Keeler – Olympic Gold Medalist, rowing (member of the women's 8) in the 1984 Olympics; Olympics coach in 1996
• 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 and Wesleyan's all-time leader in hits
• Eric Mangini 1994 – Head Coach, Cleveland Browns; former Head Coach, New York Jets; former defensive coordinator, New England Patriots
• Vince Pazzetti – elected to College Football Hall of Fame
• Bill Rodgers 1970 – winner, 4 New York Marathons, 4 Boston Marathons, 1 Fukuoka Marathon; only runner ever 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 in 1954
• Harry Van Surdam – elected to College Football Hall of Fame
• James Wendell 1913 – Olympic Silver Medalist, 110-meter hurdles in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm