List of Columbia University alumni
Politics, military and law
See also: Notable alumni of Columbia Law School (Government, Legal academia), Columbia College of Columbia University (Political and diplomatic figures, Legal and judicial figures, Military leaders), School of International and Public Affairs. This partial list does not include all of the numerous Columbia alumni who have served as the heads of foreign governments, in the U.S. Presidential Cabinet, the U.S. Executive branch of government, the Federal Courts, or as U.S. Senators, U.S. Congresspersons, Governors, diplomats, mayors (or other notable local officials), or as prominent members of the legal profession or the military.
Governors
- Willie Blount - Governor of Tennessee (1809–1815)
- Doyle E. Carlton (L.L.B. 1912) - Governor of Florida
- DeWitt Clinton (1786) - Governor of New York, Senator, mayor of New York City, main proponent of the Erie Canal
- Lawrence William Cramer (M.A.) - second civilian Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (1935–1940)
- Arthur G. Crane (Ph.D. 1920) - acting Governor of Wyoming (1949–1951)
- Colgate Darden—Governor of Virginia, president of the University of Virginia, chancellor of the College of William and Mary, Democratic Congressman from Virginia, namesake of Darden Graduate School of Business Administration
- Gray Davis (Law) - Governor of California (1999–2003), Lieutenant Governor of California (1995–1999), California State Controller (1987–1995)
- Howard Dean (GS, Pre-med) - Governor of Vermont (1991–2003); chairman of the Democratic National Committee (2005–2009)
- Thomas E. Dewey (Law 1925) - Governor of New York (1943–1955); New York prosecutor and District Attorney of New York; Republican candidate for President of the United States in 1944 (against Roosevelt) and in 1948 (against Truman)
- Hamilton Fish (1827) - Governor of New York, U.S. Senator
- Judd Gregg (B.A. 1969) - Governor of New Hampshire; U.S. Representative; U.S. Senator
- Wilford Bacon Hoggatt - governor of the District of Alaska
- Charles Evans Hughes (Law 1884) Governor of New York
- John Jay - Governor of New York; Chief Justice of the United States
- Thomas Kean—Governor of New Jersey (1982–1990), President of Drew University, Chairman of 9/11 Commission
- Stephen W. Kearny - military governor of California
- John W. King - Governor of New Hampshire (1963–1969); justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court
- Madeleine M. Kunin - Governor of Vermont; Deputy Secretary of Education during the Clinton administration; Ambassador to Switzerland; Ambassador to Liechtenstein
- Ruby Laffoon - Governor of Kentucky
- William Langer - U.S. Senator, 17th and 21st Governor of North Dakota, Attorney General of North Dakota
- William Beach Lawrence—Acting Governor of Rhode Island, Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island
- Oren E. Long—tenth Territorial Governor of Hawaii (1951-1053)
- James L. McConaughy—Governor of Connecticut, President of Wesleyan University, Knox College
- James McGreevey—(B.A. 1978) Governor of New Jersey (2002–2004).[1]
- Robert B. Meyner—Governor of New Jersey
- Wayne Mixson—(attended) 39th Governor of Florida, 12th Lieutenant Governor of Florida
- George Pataki—(Law 1970) Governor of New York (1995–2006)
- David Paterson—(B.A. 1977) first African American Governor of New York
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt—Governor of New York
- Theodore Roosevelt—Governor of New York
- Charles Wilbert Snow—(M.A. 1910) Governor of Connecticut (1946–1947)
- William Sulzer - Governor of New York, U.S. Congressman (1895–1912)
- Guy J. Swope (SIPA) - acting Governor of Puerto Rico
- Daniel D. Tompkins (1795) - Vice President of the United States, Governor of New York
- Peter Vroom (1808) - Governor of New Jersey (1829–1832, 1833–1836)
- George P. Wetmore (L.L.B. 1869) - Governor of Rhode Island
- Horace White - Governor of New York; Lieutenant Governor of New York; trustee of Cornell University
Cabinet members and presidential advisors
- Madeleine Albright—(Ph.D. 1976, LLD[hons.] 1995) 64th United States Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton (1997–2001), the first female Secretary of State
- Reuben Baetz—Canadian politician, four time cabinet Minister in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller
- William Pelham Barr—(B.A. 1971, M.A. 1973) 77th United States Attorney General (1991–1993)
- Jared Bernstein—(Ph.D. 1994) Chief Economist and Economic Policy Advisor to Vice President Joseph Biden in the administration of President Barack Obama; member of the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry (2009-); executive director of the White House Task Force on the Middle Class (2009-)
- Hans Blix—Minister of Foreign Affairs (Sweden) (1976–1978)
- Erskine Bowles—(MBA) White House Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton, former head of the Small Business Administration, President of University of North Carolina system
- Harold Brown—United States Secretary of Defense in the Carter administration; Secretary of the Air Force; former president of Caltech
- Karin Maria Bruzelius (LL.M. 1969) - Swedish Under Secretary of State (1989–1997) (first women to hold such a position), Swedish Deputy Under Secretary of State (1979–1983)
- Pat Buchanan (Journalism) - senior advisor to Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan; conservative commentator, speechwriter
- Arthur Frank Burns (B.A. 1925, M.A. 1925, Ph.D. 1934) - Austrian-born U.S. economist, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers (1953–1956), Chairman of the Federal Reserve System (1970–1978), Ambassador to West Germany (1981–1985)
- Elaine Chao—United States Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush (2001–2009); former Director of the Peace Corps; President and CEO, United Way of America
- Jerome Choquette—(CBS) Canadian Minister of Justice (1970–1975), Minister of Education (1975), Minister of Financial Institutions (1970)
- Reuben Clark—Under Secretary of State (2nd ranking official in the U.S. Department of State from 1919 to 1972) in the administration of President Calvin Coolidge, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico (1930–1933)
- Bainbridge Colby—(1891) United States Secretary of State, founder of 1912 Progressive Party
- William Colby—Director of Central Intelligence for the United States Central Intelligence Agency under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford
- John Collier (reformer)—United States Commissioner of Indian Affairs (1933–1945), implemented reform of federal Indian policy
- Jacob M. Dickinson—(Law, attended) 44th United States Secretary of War (1909–1911)
- William Joseph Donovan—(Law 1908) Founder and first director of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) (formed during World War II), the predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), known as Father of the CIA
- Ingrid Eide—(1957–1960) Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs (1979–1981) (replacing Knut Frydenlund), United Nations official, sociologist
- Joseph F. Finnegan (1904–1964), fourth Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, from 1955 to 1961.[2]
- Hamilton Fish—(1827) United States Secretary of State (1869–1877)
- Tom Frieden—(M.D., MPH) Director, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the administration of President Barack Obama (2009-) (appears below)
- Stephen Friedman (PFIAB)—former director of the United States National Economic Council under George H. W. Bush; Chairman of the United States President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (2005–2009) (replacing Brent Scowcroft)
- William Dudley Foulke—(Law 1871) United States Civil Service Commission
- James Rudolph Garfield—(1888) United States Secretary of the Interior (1907–09), United States Civil Service Commission (1902–1903)
- Ashraf Ghani—(M.A., Ph.D.) Afghanistan's Finance Minister (2002–2004)
- George Graham (soldier)—( B.A. 1790) United States Secretary of War ad interim (1816–1817) under Presidents James Madison and James Monroe
- John Graham (cabinet)—(B.A. 1790) Acting United States Secretary of War (1817)
- Ulysses S. Grant, Jr.—(Law) personal secretary to President Ulysses S. Grant
- Alan Greenspan—former Chairman of Federal Reserve System (1987–2006), studied for a Ph.D. in economics
- Joseph Rudolph Grimes—(M.A.) second Foreign Minister (Secretary of State) of Liberia (1960–1971) (longest serving in history of Liberia), Acting Secretary of State of Liberia
- Philip Gunawardena—(post-graduate work) Cabinet Minister in government of Sri Lanka
- Alexander Haig—(CBS, 1954 & 1955) United States Secretary of State in Ronald Reagan's administration, twice White House Chief of Staff under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, NATO Supreme Commander
- John D. Hawke, Jr.—Comptroller of the Currency (1998–2004), Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance
- Alexander Hamilton—the first United States Secretary of Treasury (1789–1795)
- Eric Holder—(1976) 82nd United States Attorney General (2009-); first African-American Attorney General; former Acting United States Attorney General in Clinton Administration; United States Deputy Attorney General
- Johan Jørgen Holst—(B.A. 1960) Norwegian Foreign Minister (Secretary of State), the Oslo Accord of 1994 between Israel and the Palestinians
- Charles Evans Hughes—United States Secretary of State (1921–1925), Associate and Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
- Radu Irimescu—(1920) Romanian Minister of War, Minister of the Air Forces
- John Jay—Second United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs (1763–1789)
- Robert Joseph—(1978 Ph.D.) Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security (2005–2007)
- Georgina Kessel—(Ph.D.) Mexican economist, Secretary of Energy in cabinet of Felipe Calderón (2006-)
- Leon Keyserling—(A.B. 1928) Head (1950–1953) and Acting Head (1949) of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Harry S. Truman; helped draft major New Deal legislation, including National Industrial Recovery Act, Social Security Act, and the National Labor Relations Act
- Madeleine Kunin—(M.A.) Deputy United States Secretary of Education (1993–1997)
- Irving Lewis "Scooter" Libby—(J.D. 1975) former Chief of Staff for Vice President Dick Cheney
- Robert R. Livingston—First United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs (1781–1783)
- Gunnar Lund—(M.A. 1972) Minister in the Swedish cabinet (2002–2004)
- Harry McPherson—(1949–1950) White House Counsel under President Lyndon Johnson (1963–69)
- Franklin MacVeagh—(1864) United States Secretary of the Treasury (1909–13)
- Carlos Tello Macias—(M.A.) former Mexican Secretary of Budget and Planning in the cabinet of Jose Lopez Portillo, economist, academician
- F. David Mathews—(Ph.D.) Secretary of the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare under Gerald Ford (1975–1977), President of University of Alabama
- Raymond Moley—(Ph.D. 1918) senior adviser to Franklin D. Roosevelt; a leading New Dealer; leading member of first Brain Trust; recruited its members from Columbia faculty; became sharp critic of New Deal; senior adviser to President Richard Nixon; Presidential Medal of Freedom (1970)
- Claude Morin (PQ MNA)—Canadian Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs in cabinet of Rene Levesque
- Rogers Morton—(CUCP&S-attended) 39th United States Secretary of the Interior (1971–1975), 22nd United States Secretary of Commerce (1975–1976), special counsellor to President Gerald Ford (with Cabinet rank), chairman of the Republican National Committee
- Michael Mukasey—(B.A. 1963) United States Attorney General (2007–2009), former U.S. District Judge and Chief Judge
- Jim Nicholson (U.S. politician)—United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (2005–2007) under (George W. Bush)
- Bernard Nussbaum—White House Counsel under Bill Clinton
- Francis Perkins—United States Secretary of Labor (1933–1945), first female cabinet member, United States Civil Service Commission (1946–1953)
- Frank Polk—Acting United States Secretary of State (1920), Under Secretary of State (1919–1920), headed American Commission to Negotiate Peace (1919)
- Randal Quarles—(B.A.) Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance (2005–2006)
- Theodore Roosevelt—25th Vice-President of the United States (1901), United States Civil Service Commission (1888–1895)
- Samuel I. Rosenman—(1919) first White House Counsel (1943–46)
- William K. Reilly—(M.S. 1971) Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (1989–93)
- Carlos P. Romulo—(M.A. 1921) served eight Philippine presidents from President Manuel L. Quezon to President Ferdinand Marcos as a cabinet member or as the country's representative to the United States and to the United Nations
- James P. Rubin—(B.A. 1982, M.A. 1984) United States Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs (1997–2000), Chief Spokesperson for the State Department, considered Secretary Albright's right hand man in Clinton Administration
- Charles F.C. Ruff—White House Counsel under Bill Clinton; in Watergate scandal, Special Prosecutor who investigated President Richard Nixon; represented Anita Hill (vs. Clarence Thomas) and Bill Clinton (impeachment)
- Brent Scowcroft—(M.A., Ph.D.) twice United States National Security Advisor under Presidents Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush
- Joan E. Spero—(M.A.-Internatl. Aff., 1968; Ph.D. 1973) Under Secretary of State at several bureaus (1993–97), current President of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (1997-)
- Maurice H. Stans—(1928–30) United States Secretary of Commerce (1969–72); deputy director (1957–1958) and director (1958–1961) Office of Management and Budget; Deputy United States Postmaster General (1955–1957) (Cabinet rank until 1971), Accounting Hall of Fame
- George Stephanopoulos—(B.A. 1982) senior advisor to President Bill Clinton
- Harlan Fiske Stone - United States Attorney General (1924–1925); Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (1925–1941); Chief Justice of the United States (1941–1946)
- Oscar S. Straus (1873) - Secretary of Commerce and Labor (1906–09), the first Jewish Cabinet member
- George Tenet - (M.I.A.) Director of Central Intelligence (1997–2004)
- Daniel D. Tompkins - Vice President of the United States (1817–1825), declined appointment as United States Secretary of State by President James Madison
- Russell E. Train (J.D. 1948) - Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (1973–1977), chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality (1970–73), Under Secretary of the Interior (1967–1970)
- Harold E. Varmus - one of three co-chairs of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology in the Obama administration
- Murray Weidenbaum (M.A.) - chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers
- Harry Dexter White - senior Treasury official under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, helped found World Bank and International Monetary Fund, alleged in Venona papers to be a spy for the Soviets
Solicitors general
Supreme Court justices
Judges
See also: Notable alumni of Columbia Law School (Federal judges and State government) and Columbia College of Columbia University (Legal and judicial figures) for additional listing of more than 69 federal judge positions and 20 state supreme court justices (total more than 79 federal and 28 state judgeships)
- Willard Bartlett—(B.A.) Chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals (1914–1916)
- Egbert Benson—(1765) Chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; First Attorney General of the State of New York and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New York
- Samuel Blatchford—(1837) Chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
- José A. Cabranes—(1961) judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; first Puerto Rican appointed to serve on a U.S. District Court, United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
- Edgar M. Cullen—(B.A. 1860) Chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals (1904–1913)
- Paul S. Diamond—(B.A. 1974) judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- Joseph A. Greenaway, Jr.—(B.A. 1978) judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
- Murray Gurfein—federal judge in the Pentagon Papers case; United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
- Eric Holder—(1973) judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Deputy U.S. Attorney General, Acting U.S. Attorney General, U.S. Attorney General (2008-)
- Philip Jessup—(Ph.D.) judge, International Court of Justice (1961–1970), namesake of Philip C. Jessup Cup
- Shi Jiuyong—(LL.M.) President (2003-) and judge (1994–2003), International Court of Justice
- Samuel Jones (chancellor)—(1790) Fifth Chancellor of New York, ex officio member of the New York Court of Appeals
- Robert Katzmann—(A.B. 1973) judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- V.K. Wellington Koo—(Ph.D.) judge, International Court of Justice (1957–1967)
- Robert Livingston (1746-1813)—First Chancellor of New York, administered oath of office to President George Washington, negotiated the Louisiana Purchase, U.S. Minister to France
- Constance Baker Motley—(L.L.B. 1946) First African-American woman federal court judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York; New York State senator; Manhattan Borough President
- Michael Mukasey—(1963) Chief judge (2000–06) and judge (1987–2000) of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, U.S. Attorney General (2006–2009)
- Richard Roberts—(Law 1978) judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- Augustus B. Woodward—(B.A. 1793) first Chief Justice of the Michigan Territory; appointed by President Thomas Jefferson; with the governor and two associate justices possessed all the legislative power in the Territory from 1805 until 1824; co-founded the University of Michigan
Legislators
See also: Notable alumni of Columbia Law School (Legislative branch) and Columbia College of Columbia University (United States Political figures) for additional listing of more than 25 U.S. Senators and more than 65 U.S. Congresspersons (total of more than 40 senators and more than 95 congresspersons)
- Sam Arora—(B.A. 2003) Delegate, Maryland General Assembly (2011–present)
- Egbert Benson—(B.A. 1765) served in the First and Second United States Congresses
- Fred Biermann—(B.A. 1905) U.S. Congressman from Iowa (1933–1939)
- François Blanchet (physician)—(M.D. 1800?) member, Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
- Shirley Chisholm—(M.Ed. Teacher's College) First African American woman elected to congress; represented Brooklyn, New York in congress for seven terms; first African American and first woman to make a serious bid for the presidency of the United States
- DeWitt Clinton—U.S. Senator from New York
- Paul Douglas—(M.A. 1915; Ph.D. 1921) U.S. Senator from Illinois (1949–1967)
- Millicent Fenwick—(B.A.) four term U.S. Congresswoman from New Jersey (1975–1983)
- Hamilton Fish—U.S. Senator from New York
- De Witt C. Flanagan—(c. 1892) represented New Jersey's 4th congressional district from 1902 to 1903.;[3] built and operated Cape Cod Canal
- Slade Gorton—(J.D. 1953) member of 9/11 Commission, U.S. Senator From Washington (1981–1987), Attorney General of Washington
- Frank Porter Graham—(grad. degree ?, 1916) U.S. Senator from North Carolina (1949–51)
- Mike Gravel—(B.S. 1956) Democratic Senator from Alaska (1969–1981), candidate for the 2008 U.S. Presidential election
- Judd Gregg—(B.A. 1969) Republican Senator from New Hampshire (1993-)
- Ken Hechler—(M.A., Ph.D.) U.S. Congressman from West Virginia (1959–1977), West Virginia Secretary of State (1885–2001)
- Abram Stevens Hewitt—(1842) U.S. Congressman from New York (1875–1879, 1881–1887)
- Hal Holmes—(B.A. 1927) U.S. Congressman from Washington (1943–1959)
- Andy Ireland—(grad studies) U.S. Congressman from Florida (1981–1993)
- Jacob Javits—(School of General Studies) Republican Senator from New York (1957–1981); Member of the U.S. House of Representatives; New York State Attorney General; Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Daniel T. Jewett—(B.A. 1830) U.S. Senator from Missouri (1870–1871)
- Martin John Kennedy—(1909) U.S. Congressman from New York (1930–1945)
- William Langer—U.S. Senator from North Dakota, Attorney General of North Dakota
- James J. Lanzetta—(1917) U.S. Congressman from New York (1933–1935, 1937–1939)
- Frank Lautenberg—(B.Sc. 1949, economics) Democratic Senator from New Jersey (1982–2001; 2003-), Chairman and CEO of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP)
- Sander M. Levin—(M.A. 1954, international relations)—U.S. Congressman from Michigan (1983-)
- Joseph C. O'Mahoney—(B.A.) U.S. Senator from Wyoming (1934–53;1954–61)
- Thomas F. Magner—(B.A. 1882) U.S. Congressman from New York (1889–1895)
- Chester Earl Merrow—(TC 1937) U.S. Congressman from New Hampshire (1943–1963)
- Arthur W. Mitchell—(attended) African American U.S. Congressman from Illinois (1935–1943)
- E.A. Mitchell—U.S. Congressman from Indiana (1947–1949)
- Gouverneur Morris—(B.A. 1768, M.A. 1771) U.S. Senator from New York, author of large sections of the United States Constitution
- James W. Mott—(B.A. 1909) U.S. Congressman from Oregon (1933–1945)
- Karl Earl Mundt—(M.A. 1927) U.S. Senator (1948–1973) and Congressman (1939–1948) from South Dakota
- Barack Obama—(B.A. 1983) U.S. Senator from Illinois (2005–2008)
- David A. Ogden—(B.A.) U.S. Congressman from New York (1817–1819)
- Claiborne Pell—(M.A. 1946) U.S. Senator from Rhode Island (1961–1997), sponsor of the Pell Grant
- Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.—(M.A. 1932) U.S. Congressman from New York (1945–1971), one of 100 Greatest African Americans
- John Slidell—(B.A. 1810) U.S. Senator from Louisiana (1853–61)
- Edward J. Stack—(M.A. 1938) U.S. Congressman from Florida (1979–1981)
- Richard Stone (politician)—(J.D. 1954) U.S. Senator from Florida (1975–80), Ambassador at Large to Central America, Amb. to Denmark (1992–93), Secretary of State of Florida
- William Sulzer—U.S. Congressman from New York
- Daniel C. Verplanck—(B.A. 1788) U.S. Congressman from New York (1803–1809)
- Gulian Crommelin Verplanck—(B.A. 1801) U.S. Congressman from New York (1825–1833)
- Gulian Verplanck (speaker)—(B.A. 1768) Speaker of the New York State Assembly (1789–1790, 1796–1797)
- Peter Dumont Vroom—(B.A.) U.S. Congressman from New Jersey (1839–41), U.S. Envoy to Prussia (1853–57)
- William H. Wiley—(CCSM 1868) U.S. Congressman from New Jersey (1903–1907, 1909 1911)
- Stewart Lyndon Woodford—(B.A. 1854) U.S. Congressman from New York, Lieutenant Governor of New York (1867–1868)
Diplomats
See also: Notable alumni of Columbia Law School (Diplomats), Columbia College of Columbia University (United States Diplomatic figures), School of International and Public Affairs for separate listing of more than 40 diplomats
- Hans Blix—Swedish diplomat, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (1981–1997)
- Boutros Boutros-Ghali—(Fulbright Research Scholar, 1954–1955) Secretary-General of the United Nations (1992–1997)
- Arthur Frank Burns—(B.A., M.A., Ph.D.) United States Ambassador to West Germany (1981–1985)
- Reuben Clark—United States Ambassador to Mexico (1930–1933)
- William Joseph Donovan (Wild Bill)—United States Ambassador to Thailand (1953–1954)
- Millicent Fenwick—(B.A.) United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture (1983–1987)
- Dore Gold—(B.A. 1975, M.A. 1976, Ph.D. 1984) U.S.-born Israeli diplomat, Ambassador to the United Nations (1997–1999), President of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
- Radu Irimescu—(1920) Romanian Minister to the United States
- Jeane Kirkpatrick—(Ph.D. 1968, political science) United States Ambassador to the United Nations under Reagan (1981–1985)
- Madeleine M. Kunin—(CSJ) United States Ambassador to Switzerland (1996–1999), United States Ambassador to Liechtenstein (1996–1999)
- James F. Leonard—(1963–64) United States Ambassador to the United Nations (1977–1979)
- Gunnar Lund—(1972) Swedish Ambassador to the United States (2004–2007), Swedish Ambassador to France (2007-)
- Carlos Tello Macias—(M.A.) former Mexican Ambassador to Cuba, Portugal, and Russia
- Jim Nicholson (U.S. Politician)—United States Ambassador to the Holy See (2001–2005)
- Michael Oren—Israeli Ambassador to the United States
- Mario Laserna Pinzón—(B.A. 1948) Colombian statesman and educator; Columbian Ambassador to France (1976–1979) and Austria (1987–1990); founder, Universidad de los Andes
- Carlos P. Romulo—(M.A.) former United Nations General Assembly President
- Dov S. Zakheim—(B.A. 1970)
Soldiers
{Captain John R. Bierer (Gray Ghost), Airborne/Ranger, 173rd Abn Bde, (Silver Star, Bronze Star, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, PH); Battle of Dak To, Hill 875, Tet Offensive) Who's Who's in Education; Columbia Alumni.}
- William Joseph Donovan (Wild Bill)—World War I hero (Medal of Honor); wartime Head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) (predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency); known as father of the CIA
- Francis "Gabby" Gabreski—(B.A. 1949) top American fighter ace in Europe during World War II and a jet fighter ace in Korea, Distinguished Service Cross (U.S.A.), Distinguished Flying Cross (U.K.), Croix de guerre with Palm (France), Legion d'honneur (France), and 16 other military decorations
- Alexander Hamilton—Major General during American Revolutionary War; aide-de-camp and confidant to General George Washington; led three battalions at the Siege of Yorktown; Battle of White Plains, Battle of Trenton, Battle of Princeton, Battle of Monmouth
- David Kay—(M.S., Ph.D.) United Nations Chief Weapons Inspector, head of Iraq Survey Group
- Philip Kearny—(Law 1833) Civil War general
- Stephen W. Kearney—Conqueror of California in the Mexican American War, military Governor of California (Territory)
- Alfred Thayer Mahan—(1858), president, U.S. Naval War College, and author of The Influence of Sea Power Upon History
- Hyman G. Rickover—United States Navy Admiral, father of the U.S. nuclear submarine fleet, Enrico Fermi Award, Presidential Medal of Freedom, twice awarded Congressional Medal of Freedom
- John Watts de Peyster—(studied law at the law school, M.A.) Major General during the American Civil War; author on the art of war, one of the first military critics, noted for his histories of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars; also published drama, poetry, other military history, military biography, and military criticism
- Theodore Roosevelt—during the Spanish American War, TR organized the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, dubbed the Rough Riders by news reporters; Colonel Roosevelt was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor (in 2001) for gallantry shown during dual charges up Kettle Hill and San Juan Hill on July 1, 1898
- Henry Rutgers—(1766) American Revolutionary War hero and philanthropist; primary supporter of Rutgers College, his namesake (which, in 1924, became Rutgers University)
- Robert Troup—Lieutenant Colonel in American Revolutionary War, aide-de-camp to General Horatio Gates, participated in the surrender of General Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga
- Charles Wilkes—United States Navy Admiral, noted for his 1838–1842 Pacific expedition as well as for his role in the Trent Affair during the Civil War
Attorneys
See also: Notable alumni of Columbia Law School (Miscellaneous U.S. government; Non-U.S. government; State government; and Private legal practice) for separate listing of more than 120 attorneys in U.S. government service, non-U.S. government service, state government, and private practice
- William Joseph Donovan (Wild Bill)—United States Attorney for the Western District of New York, first head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), known as the father of the United States Central Intelligence Agency
- William O. Douglas—third chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, professor at Columbia Law and Yale Law School
- Julius Genachowski—chairman of the United States Federal Communication Commission (FCC) in the Obama Administration, former General Counsel of the FCC
- Harvey Goldschmid—commissioner, General Counsel, Special Adviser to the Chairman, United States Securities and Exchange Commission; Professor at Columbia Law School
- Jack Greenberg—(B.A. 1945, LL.B. 1948) litigator of Brown v. Board of Education, argued 40 civil rights cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, Professor at Columbia Law School
- William Kovacic—commissioner (2006) and chairman (2008-) of the United States Federal Trade Commission
- Annette Nazareth—commissioner of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission
- John Randolph Neal, Jr.—Scopes Trial attorney
- Jim Nicholson (U.S. Politician)—former Chairman of the Republican National Committee
- Robert Pitofsky—commissioner (1978–81) and chairman (1995–2001) of the United States Federal Trade Commission
- Lawrence E. Walsh—Independent Prosecutor for the Iran-Contra Affair
- Edward Baldwin Whitney—United States Assistant Attorney General
Mayors
See also: Notable alumni of Columbia College of Columbia University (United States Political figures) and Columbia Law School (City government) for additional listing of 15 mayors
- Amotz Asa-El—(M.A. History and Journalism) leading commentator on Israeli, Middle Eastern, and Jewish affairs
- Dan Abrams—(J.D. 1992) media legal commentator
- Paul Stuart Appelbaum—(B.A.) psychiatrist, commentator and expert on legal and ethical issues in medicine and psychiatry
- Joyce Brothers—(Ph.D.) known as Dr. Joyce Brothers, advice columnist, commentator, and first media psychologist
- Pat Buchanan—(CSJ 1962) conservative columnist, broadcast commentator
- Dalton Camp—(CSJ) Canadian journalist, political commentator and strategist, central figure in Red Toryism
- Leonard A. Cole—(M.A., Ph.D.) commentator and expert on bioterrorism and terror medicine
- Monica Crowley—(Ph.D.) radio and television political commentator
- Lennard J. Davis—(B.A., M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.) commentator on the intersection of culture, medicine, disability, and biotechnology
- Lawrence Fertig—(M.A.) libertarian journalist, economic commentator
- Mario Gabelli—(CBS) financial commentator
- Ralph Gleason—American jazz and popular music critic and commentator
- Keli Goff—political commentator and blogger
- Ellis Henican—(M.A.) commentator, columnist for Newsday
- Jim Hightower—political commentator
- Molly Ivins—(CSJ) political commentator, newspaper columnist, humorist, bestselling author
- Hilton Kramer—U.S. art critic and cultural commentator
- Steve Liesman—(CSJ) senior economic commentator on NBC
- Edward Luck—(MIA, M.A., M.Ph., Ph.D.) media commentator on arms control, defense, foreign policy, Russian and East Asian affairs, as well as United Nations reform and peacekeeping
- Kenneth McFarland—(M.A.) conservative commentator, public speaker, author, superintendent of Topeka, Kansas school system during Brown v. Board of Education
- John McLaughlin—(Ph.D.) political commentator, host of The McLaughlin Group on PBS
- Shireen Mazari—(Ph.D.) commentator on global strategic issues affecting peace and security; Pakistani political scientist
- Julie Menin—(B.A.) television news commentator on politics and the law
- Dick Morris—(B.A. 1967) political commentator and author
- Norman Podhoretz—(B.A.) editor of Commentary, a founder of Neoconservatism connected with the controversial Project for the New American Century, Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Alvin F. Poussaint—(B.S. 1956) commentator on race and American society; well known psychiatrist; author
- James Rubin—(B.A. 1982, MIA 1984) Sky News commentator and television journalist
- Ralph Schoenstein—(B.A.) former commentator on NPR's All Things Considered
- Laura Schlessinger—(Ph.D. 1974) nationally-syndicated radio show, The Dr. Laura Program; conservative commentator
- Thomas Sowell—(M.A.) economist, conservative social commentator, author
- Ben Stein—(B.A. 1966) conservative economic and political commentator, writer, actor, attorney
- George Stephanopoulos—(B.A. 1982) senior adviser to Bill Clinton, television anchor, media journalist, and political commentator
- Ilan Stavans—(Ph.D.) commentator on American, Hispanic, and Jewish cultures
- Samuel A. Tannenbaum—(CSJ) early commentator on Shakespeare and his contemporaries
Candidates
Spies (or alleged)
Other
- Prince Hussain Aga Khan—(2004) Elder son of Prince Karim Aga Khan IV
- B. R. Ambedkar—(M.A. 1915, Ph.D. 1928, LLD[hons.] 1952) A founding father of modern India and the architect of its constitution; honoured with the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, given for the highest degree of national service
- Chelsea Clinton—(Currently enrolled at the University's Mailman School of Public Health)
- Jonathan W. Daniels—(failed out of Columbia Law School) White House Press Secretary under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman
- Fred Glazer—(B.A. 1958, M.L.S. 1964) library promoter and former Executive Secretary of the West Virginia Library Commission
- Bela Gold—Economist on Venona list of suspected Soviet subversives who operated in the U.S.
- Ian Kagedan—Canadian known for his work on inter-religious and inter-ethnic relations
- Caroline Kennedy—(J.D. 1988) director of Commission on Presidential Debates; adviser to the Harvard Institute of Politics; one of three co-chairs of President-elect Barack Obama's Vice Presidential Search Committee; one of founders of Profiles in Courage Award; attorney, editor, and writer
- John H. Langbein—(B.A. 1964), legal scholar and professor at Yale Law School
- Robert Moses—leader of mid-century urban "renewal" that re-shaped New York
- Charles J. O'Byrne—(B.A. 1981, J.D. 1984) Secretary to the Governor of New York (2008)
- Patricia Robinson—(M.A. 1957), economist and First Lady of Trinidad and Tobago from 1997-2003[4]
- Karenna Gore Schiff—(J.D. 2000) author, journalist, and attorney
- Daniel P. Malito—(J.D. 2004) Author
- Thomas Sowell—African American economist and author
- Dov Zakheim—Rabbi, United States Defense Department comptroller (2001–2004), ex-V.P. of System Planning Corp., signatory to controversial manifesto Rebuilding America's Defenses (2000) of the Project for the New American Century
Business
See also: Notable alumni of Columbia Business School, Columbia Law School (Business and Philanthropy), Columbia College of Columbia University (Businesspeople) for separate listing of more than 100 businesspersons
- John Jacob Astor III—19th century real estate baron
- Frank Lusk Babbott—(LLB 1880) jute merchant and art patron
- Warren Buffett—(M.S., economics, 1951) Investor, president of Berkshire Hathaway
- Ursula Burns—(M.S., mechanical engineering, 1981) CEO of Xerox Corporation (July 1, 2009-)
- William Campbell (business executive)—(B.A.) Chairman of Board (incumbent as of 2009) and former CEO of Intuit, Inc.
- Bennett Cerf—(B.A. 1919, Litt.B. 1920) Founder of Random House
- Jason Epstein—Editorial director at Random House
- Stephen Friedman—Chairman of Goldman Sachs, National Economic Council director, chairman of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
- Mario Gabelli—investor
- Noam Gottesman, B.A., billionaire, GLG Partners
- Michael Gould—(B.A. 1966) CEO of Bloomingdale's
- Larry Grossman—former CEO of PBS and NBC
- Armand Hammer—President, Occidental Petroleum, noted internationalist, convicted for illegal campaign donations
- Herman Hollerith—(Engineer of Mines 1879, Ph.D. 1890)- founder of the Tabulating Machine Company, a predecessor to IBM
- John Kluge—Founder of Metromedia
- Alfred A. Knopf—(B.A. 1912) Founder of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Publishers
- Robert Kraft—(B.A. 1963) Owner of New England Patriots
- Henry Kravis—(MBA 1969) Investment banker who invented the leveraged buyout
- Randolph Lerner—(1984) CEO of MBNA Bank, and owner of Cleveland Browns
- Frank Lorenzo—(B.A. 1961) corporate raider
- John R. MacArthur—(B.A. 1917) President and publisher of Harper's, the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the country
- Eric Ober—Former President of CBS News division, and Food Network
- Timothy L. O'Brien—(MBA, 1992) Edits and oversees the Sunday Business section of The New York Times
- Vikram Pandit—(B.S.1976,M.S.1977,Ph.D1986,Trustee) CEO of Citigroup
- Wayne Allyn Root—(B.A. 1983) Founder & Chairman of Winning Edge International, inducted into Las Vegas Walk of Stars in 2006
- Edwin Schlossberg—(B.A. 1967, Ph.D. 1971) Founder of ESI Design (also its Principal Designer)
- David O. Selznick—Legendary movie producer
- Robert Shaye—(J.D. 1964) CEO of New Line Cinema
- Lawrence L. Shenfield— (B.A. 1915), Advertising executive and philatelist
- Richard L. Simon—(1920) Co-Founder of Simon & Schuster
- S. Robson Walton—(J.D. 1969) Chairman of the Board, Wal-Mart
- Martin D. Weiss— (Ph.D.) Financial market analyst, founder of Weiss Research, Inc.
Religion and ministry
See also: Notable alumni of Columbia College of Columbia University (Religious figures) for separate listing of 10 religious figures
Arts and literature
See also: Notable alumni of Columbia College of Columbia University (Artists and architects; and Writers) and Columbia Law School (Arts and Letters) for separate listing of more than 75 architects, artists, and writers
- Max Abramovitz—(M.S. 1931) architect for the Avery Fisher Hall of Lincoln Center.
- Aravind Adiga—(B.A. 1997) author of The White Tiger and winner of the 2008 Man Booker Prize.
- Mitch Albom—(M.A., M.B.A.) Author
- Jacob M. Appel—(M.A., M.Phil.) Author ("Creve Coeur") and playwright (Arborophilia, The Mistress of Wholesome)
- John Ashbery—(M.A. 1951) Poet
- Isaac Asimov—(B.S. 1939, Ph.D. 1948) Science fiction author, I, Robot
- Paul Auster—(B.A. 1969) Postmodern author, The New York Trilogy, Moon Palace (named after now-defunct Chinese restaurant near campus)
- Josh Bazell—(M.D.) novelist
- Béla Bartók—Composer, pianist, and early scholar in ethnomusicology
- James Blish—Science fiction author
- Helaine Blumenfeld - Sculptor
- Pat Boone, pop singer (General Studies)
- Jim Carroll—writer (The Basketball Diaries), poet, punk rocker [5]
- Jerome Charyn—(B.A. 1959) Novelist
- John Corigliano—(B.A. 1959) American composer
- Kiran Desai— (M.F.A. 1999) novelist, winner of 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and the Man Booker Prize, 1998 Betty Trask Award
- Alden B. Dow—(B.A. 1931) noted Architect
- Peter Eisenmann—(M.A.) Architect
- Walter Farley—(B.A. 1941) Author, The Black Stallion
- Amanda Filipacchi—(M.F.A) Author, Nude Men, Vapor, Love Creeps
- Richard Florida—(Ph.D. 1986) Author, "Rise of the Creative Class"
- Rolf G. Fjelde—playwright, educator and poet. Founding President of The Ibsen Society of America.
- Allen Forte—(B.A.) Music theorist, now Battell Professor of Music, Emeritus at Yale University
- Nicholas Gage—Author, "Eleni", "A Place For Us", "Greek Fire"
- Paul Gallico—(1919) Author, The Snow Goose, The Poseidon Adventure, The Silent Miaow
- Federico García Lorca—(1929–1930) poet & playwright
- Allen Ginsberg—(B.A. 1949) Beat Generation poet
- Louise Gluck—United States Poet Laureate (2003–2004), Pulitzer Prize, National Book Critics Circle Award, Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry, Bollingen Prize, William Carlos Williams Award, among other awards
- Philip Gourevitch—(M.F.A. 1992) recipient of the National Book Critics Circle Award, editor of The Paris Review
- Edwin Granberry—(1920) writer of the Buz Sawyer comic strip
- Gulgee—(1926–2007) Pakistani artist famous for his paintings and Islamic calligraphy, qualified engineer
- Anthony Hecht—(M.A.) Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, United States Poet Laureate (1982–1984), 1983 Bollingen Prize, 1988 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, 1997 Wallace Stevens Award, 1999/2000 Frost Medal
- Joseph Heller—(M.A. 1949) Author, Catch-22
- Henry Beaumont Herts—architect
- Daniel Hoffman—(B.A. 1947, M.A. 1949, Ph.D. 1956) poet, essayist, United States Poet Laureate (1973–1974)
- John Hollander—(B.A.) poet, MacArthur Fellowship "genius grant", Bollingen Prize (1983)
- Richard Howard—(B.A. 1951) poet, literary critic, essayist, translator; American Book Award, Pulitzer Prize, PEN Translation Prize, MacArthur Fellowship, Poet Laureate for the State of New York (1994–1997)
- Langston Hughes—African-American writer and poet
- Jack Kerouac—(College 1940–1942; dropped out) Founder of the Beat Generation movement; author, On the Road
- Ursula K. Le Guin—(M.A. 1951) Author primarily known for science fiction and fantasy novels
- Edward MacDowell—American composer, professor of music
- Patricia McCormick—(M.S. 1985) author for young adults
- Carson McCullers—Author, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
- Terrence McNally playwright
- John Matteson—(PhD.) Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer (2008)
- Kate Millett (Ph.D. 1970) Author of Sexual Politics, feminist and artist
- Fereydoun Motamed—(M.A. 1952) Linguist, Louis de Broglie award winner from the French Academy (1963)
- Isamu Noguchi—Sculptor
- Sharon Olds—(Ph.D.) National Book Critics Circle Award, T.S. Eliot Prize, Lamont Poetry Prize, Poet Laureate for the State of New York (1998–2000)
- Timothy L. O'Brien—(M.A., US History) Author and journalist. Edits and oversees the Sunday Business section of The New York Times
- Ron Padgett—Poet
- James Renwick, Jr.—(B.A. 1836, M.A. 1839) Gothic Revival architect who designed St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York and the Smithsonian Institution Building in Washington, D.C., among other commissions.
- J.D. Salinger—Author, The Catcher in the Rye
- Karenna Gore Schiff—(J.D. 2000) Author, journalist, and attorney
- Robert Silverberg—Science fiction author
- Upton Sinclair—Populist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, The Jungle; presidential candidate
- William Jay Smith—United States Poet Laureate (1968–1970), Rhodes Scholar
- Robert A. M. Stern—(B.A. 1960) Postmodern architect
- Conrad Tao—(Currently Enrolled, Class of 2015) Acclaimed composer, panist, and violinist
- Hunter S. Thompson—Author, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
- Melvin B. Tolson—(M.A.) Poet Laureate of Liberia, he is the central character (played by Denzel Washington) in the movie The Great Debaters (2007)
- Erica Simone Turnipseed—Writer
- Mark Van Doren—(Ph.D. 1920) Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
- Charles Van Doren—(M.A., Ph.D. 1955) Author, English professor whose national disgrace was the subject of the Oscar-nominated film Quiz Show
- Eric Van Lustbader—Author, The Ninja
- Kara Walker—Artist, Professor of Professional Practice
- Eudora Welty—(Business, 1930–31, hon. LHD 1982) Pulitzer Prize-winning author, The Optimist's Daughter
- Dick Wimmer—(M.A. 1974) novelist
- George Wyatt—(B.A. 1971) sculptor
- Herman Wouk—(B.A. 1934) Pulitzer Prize-winning author, War and Remembrance
- Mako Yoshikawa—(B.A. 1988) Author
- Roger Zelazny—(M.A. 1962) Science fiction author
Performing arts
See also: Notable alumni of Columbia College of Columbia University (Actors; Musicians, composers, lyricists; Playwrights, screenwriters, and directors), Columbia University School of the Arts
- Casey Affleck—(B.A. 1998)—Golden Globe-nominated and Oscar-nominated actor, Good Will Hunting, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Gone Baby Gone
- Edward Altshuler—(B.S. 1968)— musician, educator, inventor
- Emanuel Ax—(B.A. 1970)—Pianist, won Avery Fisher prize at age 30, won three Grammy Awards along with cellist Yo-Yo Ma; also awarded the John Jay Award by the University
- Ramin Bahrani—(B.A. 1996)— Director and writer Man Push Cart, Chop Suey, and Goodbye Solo
- Kathryn Bigelow—(M.F.A. 1981) Academy Award-winning director, Strange Days, Point Break, The Hurt Locker
- Albert Berger—(M.F.A ?)—Academy Award-nominated producer of Cold Mountain
- Jeremy Blackman—(B.A. 2009)—Actor, starred in Magnolia
- Sorrell Booke—(B.A. 1949)—Actor, best known as "Boss Hogg" on the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard
- Pat Boone—(B.S. 1957)—Singer and Actor
- Joshua Brand (M.A. 1974) - Emmy Award-winning creator of St. Elsewhere, I'll Fly Away, and Northern Exposure
- Sidney Buchman—(B.A. 1923)—screenwriter, won an Academy Award for writing for Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.
- Cara Buono—(B.A. 1993) Actress, Third Watch
- James Cagney—(dropped out)—Academy Award-winning Actor, White Heat and Yankee Doodle Dandy, Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Vanessa Carlton—Singer, songwriter
- Peter Cincotti—Pianist, singer, songwriter, actor, model
- Spencer Treat Clark—(B.A. 2010) Actor, Gladiator, Mystic River, and Unbreakable
- Bill Condon—(B.A. 1976) Academy Award-winning Writer, Gods and Monsters, Chicago, and Director, Kinsey and Dreamgirls
- Ben Cooper — Actor
- John Corigliano—(B.A. 1959) composer of classical music, Academy Award
- Joseph Cross— Actor, Milk
- Adam Davidson—(M.F.A 1990) Academy Award-winning director for Best Short Subject, The Lunch Date
- Ossie Davis—(GS 1948) Golden Globe-nominated actor and activist, Do the Right Thing
- Brian Dennehy—(B.A. 1960)—Actor, First Blood, Tommy Boy, Romeo + Juliet, Ratatouille
- Brian De Palma—(B.A. 1962) Movie director, Carrie, Scarface, and The Untouchables
- I.A.L. Diamond—(B.A. 1941) Co-winner of an Academy Award for writing for The Apartment
- R. Luke DuBois—(B.A. 1997, M.A. 1999, D.M.A. 2003)—Composer/artist, member of the Freight Elevator Quartet
- Fred Ebb—(M.A. 1957) lyricist who collaborated with John Kander on such Broadway musicals as Cabaret, Chicago, Woman of the Year and Kiss of the Spider Woman and the soundtracks of Funny Lady and New York, New York
- Peter Farrelly—(M.F.A. 1986) - Filmmaker, with his brother Bobby Farrelly, There's Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber
- Matthew Fox—(B.A. 1989) Golden Globe-nominated actor, Lost, Party of Five
- James Franco— (M.F.A.) Academy Award-nominated actor, Spiderman, Pineapple Express, Milk, 127 Hours
- Dan Futterman—(B.A. 1989) Actor, The Birdcage, Judging Amy
- Art Garfunkel—(B.A. 1965) Singer, songwriter of Simon and Garfunkel
- Greg Giraldo—(B.A. 1987) Comedian
- William Goldman—(M.A. 1956), novelist, playwright and two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt—Actor, 3rd Rock from the Sun (attended four years in GS but did not graduate)
- Lauren Graham — Actress, "Gilmore Girls" (Barnard College; B.A. 1988)
- James Gunn—(M.F.A.) Film Director (Slither), Screenwriter (Dawn of the Dead, Scooby-Doo), and Novelist (The Toy Collector)
- Jake Gyllenhaal—Academy Award-nominated Actor, Brokeback Mountain, star of Donnie Darko, Jarhead (attended first two years)
- Maggie Gyllenhaal—(B.A. 1999) Golden Globe and Academy Award-nominated Actress, Crazy Heart, Secretary, The Dark Knight
- Oscar Hammerstein II—(A.B. 1916) Lyricist and librettist of such musicals as the Pulitzer Prize-winning Oklahoma!, The King and I and The Sound of Music, collaborator with Richard Rodgers and winner of 2 Academy Awards, 35 Tony Awards, and two Pulitzer Prizes
- Ed Harris— Golden Globe-winning and Academy Award-nominated actor, The Truman Show, A Beautiful Mind (attended first two years)
- Lorenz Hart—Broadway lyricist, collaborator with both Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, wrote such songs as "Blue Moon", "The Lady Is a Tramp" and "My Funny Valentine"
- Utada Hikaru—Japanese pop singer (did not graduate)
- Lauryn Hill—Grammy Award winning R&B singer, one-time Fugees frontwoman (attended first year)
- Boyd Holbrook, Fashion model
- Katie Holmes—Actress (only attended a summer session)
- Famke Janssen—(B.A. 1992) Actress, Goldeneye, X-Men
- Jim Jarmusch—(B.A. 1975) Filmmaker, Dead Man, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Broken Flowers
- John Kander—(M.A.) lyricist who collaborated with Fred Ebb on such Broadway musicals as Cabaret, Chicago', Woman of the Year and Kiss of the Spider Woman and the soundtracks of Funny Lady and New York, New York
- Jean Kelly—(B.A. 1994) Actress
- Alicia Keys—Grammy Award winning singer, composer (attended first year)
- Joel Krosnick—(B.A. 1963) Cellist; member of the Juilliard String Quartet; chairman of Cello Department at Juilliard School
- Robert Kurka—(M.A. 1948) Composer; the opera and instrumental suite The Good Soldier Schweik
- Tony Kushner—(B.A. 1978) Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Angels in America
- Michael Lehmann—(B.A. 1978) director, Heathers, Hudson Hawk
- Sean Lennon— Singer and songwriter, son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono (attended first year)
- Al Lewis—(Ph.D. 1941)—Actor, The Munsters, basketball scout, New York gubernatorial candidate, restaurateur
- William Ludwig—(B.A. 1932) Screenwriter, co-winner of an Academy Award in 1955 for Interrupted Melody, founder of the Screen Writers Guild (known now as the Writers Guild of America)
- Sidney Lumet—Academy Award-winning film director (nominated five times)
- Yo-Yo Ma— Renowned cellist (transferred to Harvard University)
- James Mangold—(M.F.A. 1991) Filmmaker, Walk the Line
- Herman J. Mankiewicz—(B.A. 1917) Won an Academy Award for co-writing Citizen Kane; older brother of Joseph L. Mankiewicz
- Joseph L. Mankiewicz—(B.A. 1928) Won four Academy Awards, including Academy Award for Best Director and writing. Younger brother of Herman J. Mankiewicz
- Robert Maschio—(B.A. 1988) actor, Scrubs
- Terrence McNally—(B.A. 1960) Dramatist, winner of four Tony Awards, an Emmy, a Pulitzer Prize, and two Guggenheim Fellowships
- Max Minghella—(B.A. 2009)—Actor, starred in Syriana and Art School Confidential
- Greg Mottola—(M.F.A. 1991) film director, Superbad
- Rachel Nichols—Actress, model
- Anna Paquin—Academy Award-winning actress, The Piano and X-Men (attended first year)
- Lena Park - Popular Korean singer
- Amanda Peet—(B.A. 1995) Actress, The Whole Nine Yards
- Kimberly Peirce—(M.F.A. 1996) Filmmaker Boys Don't Cry
- Anthony Perkins, Actor, best known for his work as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho
- Richard Rodgers—Composer of musicals including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Oklahoma!, The King and I, and The Sound of Music, collaborator with Oscar Hammerstein II and winner of 1 Academy Awards, 35 Tony Awards and two Pulitzer Prizes
- Paul Robeson—(J.D. 1923) Basso cantante concert singer, multi-lingual actor
- Cameron Russell, Fashion model
- Maureen Ryan—(M.F.A. 1992) Co-produced Academy Award-winning documentary, Man on Wire
- Franklin Schaffner—Academy Award-winning film director
- George Segal—(B.A. 1955) Academy Award-nominated actor, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Just Shoot Me!
- David O. Selznick; (GS, 1923) Academy Award-winning producer of Gone with the Wind and King Kong
- Jenny Slate—(B.A. 2004) cast member, Saturday Night Live
- Scott Smith—(M.F.A. 1990) Author and Screenwriter, A Simple Plan
- Sarah Steele— Actress, Spanglish
- Julia Stiles—(B.A. 2005) Actress, Save the Last Dance, Mona Lisa Smile
- Stephen Strimpell—(B.A. ?, J.D. ?) Actor, star of the cult television classic Mister Terrific
- Rider Strong—(B.A. 2004) Actor, Boy Meets World
- Craig Timberlake—(M.A.) stage actor, opera singer, and later Columbia faculty member
- Mario Van Peebles—(B.A. 1978) Actor and director, New Jack City, BAADASSSSS!
- Alan Wagner—(B.A. 1951, M.A. 1952) first president of the Disney Channel, East Coast vice president of programming at CBS, radio personality, and highly respected opera historian and critic
- Allie Wrubel—composer and songwriter, Academy Award ("Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah")
- Charles Wuorinen—(B.A. 1961, M.A. 1963) American musician, pianist, and composer
Journalism
See also: Notable alumni of Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia College of Columbia University (Journalism and media figures; and Publishers), and Columbia Law School (Journalists) for separate listing of more than 175 journalists, media figures, and publishers
- William M. Abrams - (M.A.) senior executive and journalist for the New York Times, ABC News and The Wall Street Journal
- R.W. Apple—(B.S. 1961) Senior Correspondent, Associate Editor, former Washington Bureau chief, New York Times
- Douglas Black, president of Doubleday and Company, 1946–1963
- Marcus Brauchli, managing editor, The Wall Street Journal
- Steve Kroft—60 Minutes, three Peabody Awards, nine Emmy Awards
- Jamal Dajani—(B.A. Political Science) Director of Middle Eastern Programming, Link TV, Producer of Mosaic: World News from the Middle East winner of a Peabody Award
- Max Frankel—(B.A.) Executive editor, New York Times
- Melissa Fung—(M.A., journalism) Canadian CBC News journalist
- Nicholas Gage—Investigative reporter, Foreign Correspondent, The New York Times (1970–1980), Journalist, The Boston Herald Traveler, The Wall Street Journal
- Robert Giles—current curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard
- Caroline Glick—(B.A. 1991) American-Israeli Journalist, the deputy managing editor of The Jerusalem Post
- Ken Hechtman—Maverick journalist jailed by the Afghanistan's Taliban government as a suspected spy in 2001
- Jay Irving—reporter, cartoonist, father of Clifford Irving who is best known for perpetrating hoax biography of Howard Hughes
- Leonard Koppett—Acclaimed sports writer, columnist, author
- John Leland— (BA, 1981) New York Times reporter, author
- Joseph Lelyveld—(M.A., Journalism) Executive editor, New York Times
- Andy Levy — Ombudsman, Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld, Fox News Channel
- Thomas Lippman—journalist and author
- Robert Lipsyte—(B.A. 1957) winner of an Emmy Award in 1990, host of The Eleventh Hour on PBS, correspondent for The New York Times and ABC Nightly News
- John McWethy—five Emmy Awards, Overseas Press Club Award
- Andrés Martinez—(J.D.) Editorial page editor of the Los Angeles Times
- Gabriele Marcotti—(M.A., Journalism) Football writer for The Times, The Sunday Herald, La Stampa, Il Corriere dello Sport, Host of Five Live Sport on Fridays and The Game Podcast
- Ted Rall—(B.A. 1991) Editorial cartoonist, Pulitzer finalist, columnist, pundit, author of Revenge of the Latchkey Kids
- Timothy L. O'Brien (M.A., Journalism) Author and journalist. Edits and oversees the Sunday Business section of The New York Times
- John L. O'Sullivan—Editor of the Democratic Review during the 1840s, coined the phrase Manifest Destiny
- Neil Strauss—(B.A. 1991) journalist and author of The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists
- Wayne Allyn Root—Spike TV, Discovery Channel, CNBCCreator, Executive Producer, and Host of "Wayne Allyn Root's Winning Edge" and "King of Vegas" Anchorman & Host FNN- Financial News Network
- Claire Shipman—(B.A. 1986) Senior National Correspondent for ABC, winner of an Emmy Award for her CNN coverage of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989; her work also contributed to the CNN network winning a Peabody Award for its coverage of the Soviet coup attempt of 1991
- Howard Simons—former curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard
- Allan Sloan—seven time winner of Gerald Loeb Award
- Richard Smith—(M.I.A.) CEO of Newsweek
- Ron Suskind—(M.A. 1983)—journalist, author
- Tiziano Terzani—reporter and correspondent
- Liz Trotta—(CSJ) journalist, three Emmy Awards and two Overseas Press Club awards
- Richard Watts, Jr.—longtime theatre critic for the New York Post
- Gideon Yago—(B.A. 2000)—MTV News Correspondent
- Helen Dalley—Respected Australian journalist, currently an anchor with Sky News Australia
National Book Awards
- John Ashbery - National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award
- Karen Brazell - National Book Award
- Robert Caro - National Book Award, two National Book Critics Circle Awards
- Lennard J. Davis (B.A., M.A., M.Phil, Ph.D., 1976) - National Book Award
- Jason Epstein - National Book Award
- Peter Gay - National Book Award
- Allen Ginsberg - National Book Award
- Stephen Jay Gould - National Book Award, National Book Critics Award, MacArthur Fellow "genius grant"
- Ursula K. Le Guin - National Book Award
- Herbert Kohl (education) - National Book Award
- Jerzy Kosinski - National Book Award
- Salvador Luria - Nobel Laureate, National Book Award
- Bernard Malamud - National Book Award, O. Henry Award
- Robert Nozick - National Book Award
- Walker Percy - National Book Award
- Gregory Rabassa - National Book Award
- Robert V. Remini - National Book Award
- Francis Steegmuller - twice winner of National Book Award
- Gerald Stern - National Book Award, Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
- T.J. Stiles – National Book Award
- Tim Weiner - National Book Award (2007)
Pulitzer prizes
- Leroy F. Aarons - Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting (shared)
- Elie Abel - Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting (shared)
- Herbert Agar - Pulitzer Prize for History
- John Ashbery - Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award
- John Berryman - Pulitzer prize for poetry
- Katherine Boo - Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, MacArthur Fellowship "genius grant"
- Louis Bromfield - Pulitzer prize for Early Autumn
- Ethan Bronner - Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism
- Geraldine Brooks - Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
- Robert Neil Butler - Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction
- Edwin Burrows - Won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1999 for the book Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898
- Robert Campbell (journalist) - Pulitzer prize-winning architectural critic
- Robert Caro - twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography
- Hodding Carter - Pulitzer Prize for his editorials
- Holland Cotter (M.Phil) - Pulitzer Prize for Criticism (2009)
- Margaret Clapp - Pulitzer Prize for Biography
- Robert Coles (M.D.) - Pulitzer prize, MacArthur Fellowship "genius grant", Presidential Medal of Freedom
- John Corigliano - Pulitzer Prize for Music, Academy Award, Grammy Award
- Richard Ben Cramer - Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting
- Lawrence A. Cremin - Pulitzer Prize for History, Bancroft Prize
- Justin Davidson - Pulitzer Prize for Criticism
- Bob Drogin - Pulitzer prize
- Will Durant - Pulitzer Prize for Literature, Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Jim Dwyer - twice winner of the Pulitzer prize (for Commentary and for Spot News Reporting)
- Andrea Elliot - reporter, New York Times, 2007 Pulitzer prize-winner
- Eric Foner – 2011 Pulitzer Prize for History, Lincoln Prize, twice winner of Bancroft Prize
- Glenn Frankel - author, Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting
- Max Frankel - Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting
- Robert Giles - twice winner of the Pulitzer prize (under his editorship), current curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard
- Louise Gluck - 12th U.S. Poet Laureate, Pulitzer prize, National Book Critics Circle Award, Bollingen Prize
- Charles Gordone - Pulitzer Prize for Drama
- Juan Gonzalez (journalist) - Pulitzer prize, George Polk Award
- Oscar Hammerstein II - twice winner of the Pulitzer prize
- Anthony Hecht - U.S. Poet Laureate, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Bollingen Prize, Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, Frost Medal
- Marguerite Higgins - in 1951, first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting
- Jim Hoagland - twice winner of the Pulitzer prize (for International Reporting and for Commentary)
- Richard Hofstader - twice winner of the Pulitzer prize (for History and General Non-Fiction)
- Michael Holley - Pulitzer Prize for Meritorious Public Service (team)
- Tony Horwitz - Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting
- Richard Howard - Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, American Book Award, Pen Translation Prize, MacArthur Fellowship "genius grant"
- Nigel Jaquiss - Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting
- Margo Jefferson - Pulitzer Prize for Criticism
- Frederick Kempe - twice winner of Pulitzer prize (both team)
- Glenn Kessler (journalist) - twice winner of the Pulitzer prize (for Spot News Reporting)
- Carolyn Kizer - Pulitzer prize-winning poet, three-time winner of the Pushcart Prize, Frost Medal
- Edward Kleban - Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Tony Award, Drama Desk Award
- Tony Kushner - Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Tony Award
- Joseph Lelyveld - Pulitzer prize-winning journalist
- David Levering Lewis - twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography, Bancroft Prize, Francis Parkman Prize
- Steve Liesman - Pulitzer prize (team leader) for International Reporting
- Zhou Long – 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Music
- Terrence McNally - Pulitzer prize, 4 Tony Awards, 4 Drama Desk Awards, 2 Obie Awards
- Eileen McNamara - Pulitzer prize for Spot News Reporting, Yankee Quill Award
- Bernard Malamud - Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, O. Henry Award
- John Matteson - Pulitzer Prize for Biography
- Louis Menand - Pulitzer Prize for History, Francis Parkman Prize
- Steven Millhauser - novelist and winner of Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
- Paul Moravec - Pulitzer Prize for Music
- Tad Mosel - Pulitzer Prize for Drama
- Amy Ellis Nutt (M.A.) 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing[6]
- Mirta Ojito - Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting
- Dele Olojede - Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, first African-born winner of the Pulitzer prize
- Tim Page (music critic) - Pulitzer prize-winning music critic
- Michael Pupin - Pulitzer prize-winning physicist
- Matt D. Richtel (M.S. 1990) – 2010 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting[7]
- Richard Rodgers - twice winner of the Pulitzer prize
- Carlos P. Romulo - Pulitzer Prize in Correspondence
- Morrie Ryskind - Pulitzer Prize for Drama
- Carl Emil Schorske - Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction, MacArthur Fellowship "genius grant"
- William Schuman - Pulitzer Prize for Music, president of the Juilliard School of Music, president of Lincoln Center
- Louis Simpson - Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Prix de Rome
- Upton Sinclair - Pulitzer prize, wrote over 90 books in many genres, his novel Oil! was the basis of There Will Be Blood (2007)
- R. Jeffrey Smith - Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting
- T.J. Stiles – 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Biography; 2009 National Book Award
- Paul Starr - Pulitzer prize for General Non-Fiction, Bancroft Prize, Goldsmith Book Prize
- Ron Suskind - Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing
- William Taubman - Pulitzer Prize for Biography, National Book Critics Circle Award
- Edwin Way Teale - Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction
- Allan Temko - Pulitzer prize-winning architectural critic
- John Kennedy Toole - Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
- Anne Tyler - Pulitzer prize (Breathing Lessons), National Book Critics Circle Award (The Accidental Tourist)
- Irwin Unger - Pulitzer Prize for History
- Carl Clinton Van Doren - Pulitzer prize-winning biographer
- Mark Van Doren - Pulitzer prize-winning poet
- Mike Wallace (historian) - Pulitzer Prize for History
- Charles Warren (U.S. author) - Pulitzer Prize for History
- Tim Weiner - Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting
- Eudora Welty - Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters
- Diamond Winter (B.A.) - Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography (2009)
- Herman Wouk - Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
- Charles Wuorinen - Pulitzer Prize for Music, MacArthur Fellowship "genius grant", Guggenheim Fellowships, among many other awards
- Brian Yorkey – 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama; 2009 Tony Award for Best Score
Science and technology
See also: Notable alumni of Columbia College of Columbia University (Scientists and inventors) for additional listing of 15 scientists and inventors
- Roy Chapman Andrews—(M.A.)—Dinosaur bone hunter
- Virginia Apgar—(M.D. 1933) effectively founded field of Neonatology, created the Apgar score which is used to evaluate the health of newborn babies
- Edwin Armstrong—(B.S. 1913) Inventor of radio circuitry such as the regenerative circuit and FM radio, pioneer in feedback amplifiers, National Inventors Hall of Fame
- Oswald Avery—(M.D. 1904) discoverer of DNA's role in transmitting genetic information
- John Backus—(B.S. - mathematics, 1949) Inventor of Fortran programming language, ACM Turing Award, Draper Prize
- T. Romeyn Beck—(M.D.) forensic medicine pioneer
- Baruj Benacerraf—(B.S.) Venezuelan immunologist, National Medal of Science
- H. I. Biegeleisen—(B.S.) American physician and vein expert, pioneer of phlebology
- Ira Black (B.A. 1961), neuroscientist and stem cell researcher who served as the first director of the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey.[8]
- Wallace Smith Broecker—Crafoord Prize in Geoscience, National Medal of Science
- Mildred Cohn—(M.S. and Ph.D.) biochemist, National Medal of Science
- Marie Maynard Daly—(Ph.D. 1947), first African American woman to earn a doctorate in chemistry
- Charles Drew—(M.D. 1940) Inventor of blood plasma preservation system
- Helen Flanders Dunbar—(Ph.D. 1929) important early figure in U.S. psychosomatic medicine
- Joseph Engelberger—engineer and entrepreneur, often credited with being father of Robotics
- David Eppstein—(Ph.D. 1989) Computer Scientist
- Val Logsdon Fitch—(Ph.D.) nuclear physicist, National Medal of Science
- James C. Fletcher—physicist, 4th and 7th Administrator of NASA
- Tom Frieden—(M.D., MPH) Director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2009-); former New York City Health Commissioner (2002–2009)
- James Glimm—(Ph.D.) mathematical physicist, Priestley Medal, National Medal of Science
- Gordon Gould—(Ph.D., did not complete), inventor of the laser
- Stephen Jay Gould—(Ph.D. 1967) Paleontologist and author, MacArthur Fellowship "genius grant"
- Benjamin Graham—(B.A. 1914) Father of Modern Security Analysis and value investing, taught Warren Buffett
- William Stewart Halsted—(M.D.) thought by many to be the most innovative, influential and important surgeon the U.S. has ever produced
- Louis Plack Hammett—(Ph.D.) physical chemist, creator of Hammett equation, Curtin-Hammett principle bears his name, Priestley Medal, National Medal of Science
- Michael Heidelberger—immunologist, Lasker Award, National Medal of Science
- Jean Emily Henley—(M.D. 1940) Wrote the first German anesthesia textbook after World War II
- Roald Hoffman—chemist, National Medal of Science
- Robert Jastrow—(B.A, M.A. Ph.D.) Astronomer
- Arthur Jensen—(Ph.D. 1956) Educational psychologist who argued for heritability of intelligence
- Radovan Karadžić—(M.D. 1975) Serb politician, poet and psychiatrist
- Leon M. Lederman—(Ph.D.) experimental physicist, Wolf Prize in Physics, National Medal of Science, Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Kai-Fu Lee—(B.S. 1983) former professor at Carnegie Mellon University; former Vice President at Apple Computer; former President of Cosmo Software; established China division of Microsoft Research, establishing China research division for Google
- Robert Lefkowitz—(B.A., M.D.) physician, Shaw Prize, National Medal of Science
- Yves A. Lussier— (B. Engineer., M.D.) entrepreneur and physician-scientist, inducted Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics
- William Malisoff—(Ph.D.) Scientist accused of being a Soviet spy in the Venona project
- Raymond D. Mindlin—(B.A., B.S., C.E., Ph.D.) mechanician, National Medal of Science, Presidential Medal for Merit
- Robert Moog—Inventor of Moog synthesizer
- Joel Moses—(B.A., M.A.) MIT Provost and Institute Professor, author of Macsyma
- Edward Lawry Norton—(M.S. 1925) Electrical Engineer, discovered the Norton circuit equivalent
- William Barclay Parsons—(B.S. 1879) Civil Engineer
- William Perl—physicist imprisoned for five years for his involvement in the Rosenberg ring of atomic spies
- Frank Press—(M.A., Ph.D.) geophysicist, National Medal of Science
- Michael I. Pupin—(B.S. 1883)—Inventor of telephone transmission coils and scientist, Edison Medal, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his autobiography
- Julian Schwinger—(B.A., M.D.) theoretical physicist, National Medal of Science
- Benjamin Spock—(M.D. 1929)—Olympic rower, pediatrician, author of The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care
- Paul Stelzer—(M.D. 1972)—cardiothoracic surgeon and expert in the Ross procedure[9]
- Alfred Sturtevant—(Ph.D.) geneticist, National Medal of Science
- John Stevens (inventor)—(A.B. 1768)—Built first steam railroad, responsible for first patent law in the U.S.
- Joseph F. Traub—(Ph.D.) Computer Scientist, National Academy of Engineering
- Roy Vagelos—(M.D.) mastered three professions: medicine, science, business
- Harold Varmus—(M.D. 1941) Director of the National Institutes of Health, Nobel Laureate, National Medal of Science, president and CEO of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
- Allen Whipple—(M.D.) surgeon known for pancreatic surgery bearing his name (the Whipple procedure)
- Timothy J. Dowd M.D. (B.A. 1974) Anesthesiologist, Managing Partner of North American Partners in Anesthesia, who under his leadership became the largest and fastest growing private Anesthesia group in the country, revolutionizing the way operating rooms are run.
Astronauts and aviators
Academics and theorists
See also: above at Nobel Laureates (Alumni) for separate listing of 39 academics and theorists, Notable alumni at Columbia College of Columbia University (Academicians), Columbia Law School (Academia: University presidents and Legal Academia), and Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Economists-Natural Scientists, Social Scientists) for separate listing of more than 163 academics and theorists
- Mortimer Adler—Founder of the Great Books movement
- Claude Ake (Ph.D. 1966)—Nigerian political scientist
- Carmen Twillie Ambar (J.D.)—Ninth woman to lead Douglass College, 13th president of Cedar Crest College
- Kenneth Arrow (M.S., Ph.D.)—economist, John Bates Clark Medal, National Medal of Science
- Frederick A.P. Barnard—University president, namesake of Barnard College
- Matthew Connelly (B.A.)—Historian and Director, Hertog Global Strategy Initiative
- Jacques Barzun—Historian
- Ruth Benedict—cultural anthropologist, author of The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, a World War II-era study of Japanese culture
- Theos Casimir Bernard (Ph.D.)—an accomplished American practitioner of Yoga and Tibetan Buddhism, a scholar of religion and explorer.
- Walter Block (Ph.D.)—Austrian School free market economist
- Lee Bollinger (JD 1971)—First Amendment scholar; current president of Columbia, former president of the University of Michigan and former Provost of Dartmouth College; named defendant in two key affirmative action cases in the United States Supreme Court
- H. Keith H. Brodie (M.D.)—former chancellor (1982–1985) and president (1985–1993) of Duke University
- Harold Brown—physicist; former president of Caltech; former dean of the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University; former U.S. Secretary of Defense
- George F. Budd (M.A., Ph.D.)—past president of Pittsburg State University, former president of St. Cloud University
- Nicholas Murray Butler—Columbia University President, Nobel Laureate, president of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Colin G. Campbell—13th president of Wesleyan University
- Joseph Campbell—Noted professor of mythology
- John Maurice Clark—economist
- Wm. Theodore de Bary (B.A.)—East Asian studies expert
- James S. Coles—former president of Bowdoin College
- Michael Crow—president of Arizona State University
- John Dewey—Philosopher, developed theory of pragmatism
- Donna Robinson Divine—political scientist
- Norman Dorsen—(B.A. 1950) Professor of Law at NYU Law School (Constitutional Law, Civil Liberties, and Comparative Constitutional Law); Fellow of American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Irwin Edman—Philosopher and writer
- Noam Elkies—mathematician, three-time Putnam Fellow, co-creator of Schoof–Elkies–Atkin algorithm
- Richard Epstein—(B.A. 1964) considered one of the most influential legal thinkers of modern times
- Livingston Farrand (M.D.)—public health advocate; President of the University of Colorado and Cornell University
- Charles Ferster (M.A., Ph.D.)—behavioral psychologist
- Moses Finley—Historian famous for his work on the ancient economy
- Joshua Fishman (Ph.D.)—Distinguished linguist specializing in social linguistics, language and culture, and Yiddish
- James C. Fletcher— president of University of Utah and head of NASA
- Lether Frazar (Ph.D.)—president of University of Louisiana at Lafayette and McNeese State University, Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
- Gilberto Freyre (M.A. 1922)—Brazilian sociologist, cultural anthropologist and historian
- Milton Friedman (Ph.D.)—Free market economist, John Bates Clark Medal, National Medal of Science, Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Ellen V. Futter (J.D. 1974)—president of Barnard College (1980–93), president of the American Museum of Natural History
- Gordon Gee (J.D., Ed.D.)—Chancellor of Vanderbilt University and former president of Brown University, Ohio State University, the University of Colorado at Boulder and the West Virginia University
- Frank Goodnow—president of Johns Hopkins University
- Lynne Hanley—literary critic
- Edward Harris (archaeologist) (B.A. 1971)—inventor of the Harris matrix
- Jane Jacobs—Urban theorist
- Edward Kasner (Ph.D. 1899)—Mathematician who coined the term googol
- Marshall Kay—Noted geologist
- Thomas Kean—president of Drew University, head of 9/11 Commission
- Donald Keene—Japanese studies expert
- Grayson L. Kirk—University President
- Ruth Landes—author, City of Women (1947)
- George Latimer (Minnesota politician)—regent of the University of Minnesota
- Paul Lazarsfeld—Founder of the University's Bureau for Applied Social Research
- Joshua Lederberg—Nobel prize-winning biologist and former president of Rockefeller University, National Medal of Science, Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Harvey J. Levin (M.A. 1948, Ph.D. 1953)—communications economics pioneer
- Ronald D. Liebowitz (Ph.D. 1985)—president of Middlebury College
- John V. Lombardi (M.A. 1964, Ph.D. 1968)—president of the University of Florida (1990–1999); chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst (2002–2007); president of the Louisiana State University System (2007–present)
- Seth Low—president of Columbia University, chairman of Tuskegee Institute (1907–1916)
- Alfred Thayer Mahan—president of U.S. Naval War College, author of The Influence of Sea Power upon History
- James L. McConaughy—president of Wesleyan University and Knox College
- Anthony Marx—president of Amherst College
- Peter Likins—electrical engineer; president of the University of Arizona; former president of Lehigh University
- Seymour Martin Lipset—sociologist
- Paul Massing—Sociologist in the Redhead group of Soviet spies at the University's Institute of Social Research
- Margaret Mead—Noted anthropologist
- Martin Meyerson—president of State University of New York at Buffalo and the University of Pennsylvania, acting Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley
- J. Hillis Miller, Sr. (Ph.D. 1933)—Fourth President of the University of Florida (1947–1953)
- Robert A. Millikan (Ph.D. 1895)—Nobel prize-winning physicist; first to measure the charge of the electron; early president of Caltech (1921–1945)
- Robert Nozick—Philosopher
- Marvin Opler—Noted anthropologist and social psychiatrist
- Michael Oren—historian and author; Israeli ambassador to the United States
- Mario Laserna Pinzon—founded the Universidad de Los Andes
- Peter Pouncey—classicist and former president of Amherst College
- Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin (B.A., Ph.D.)—Serbian physicist and physical chemist, IEEE Medal of Honor, Edison Medal for his work in mathematical physics
- Jehuda Reinharz—president of Brandeis University
- Nicanor Reyes, Sr. (Ph.D.)—Founder and 1st President of the Far Eastern University in the City of Manila, Philippines
- Thomas Hedley Reynolds—Historian, president of Bates College.
- Judith Rodin (Ph.D.)—Psychologist; Chancellor and former president of the University of Pennsylvania; and former provost of Yale University
- James R. Russell—Ancient Near Eastern scholar; professor at Harvard University
- Edward Sapir (B.A. 1904, M.A. 1905, Ph.D. 1909)—Linguist and anthropologist, one of creators of Sapir–Whorf hypothesis
- William Schuman—president of the Juilliard School of Music, president of Lincoln Center
- Nathan A. Scott, Jr. (Ph.D.), literary scholar and founder of the theology and literature doctoral program at the University of Chicago
- Judith Shapiro (Ph.D.)—former president of Barnard College, anthropologist
- Anwar Shaikh (M.A., Ph.D. 1973)—Professor of Economics; Professor at The New School for Social Research of New York, economist
- Michael Sovern (B.A., Ph.D.)—president of Columbia University; Dean of Columbia Law School; professor at Columbia Law School
- Patrick Suppes (Ph.D.)—philosopher, National Medal of Science
- Lida Lee Tall - sixth president/principal of State Teachers College at Towson (now Towson University)
- Stephen Joel Trachtenberg—president of George Washington University and the University of Hartford
- Lionel Trilling—Literary critic
- David Truman—Political scientist and educator; former president of Mount Holyoke College
- Andrew Truxal (Ph.D. 1928)—president of Hood College and Anne Arundel Community College
- Immanuel Wallerstein (B.A., M.A., Ph.D.)—sociologist
- Sean Wilentz (B.A. 1972)—Chair of American Studies at Princeton University; winner of the Bancroft Prize in history
- Jay Winter (B.A. 1966)—World War I scholar at Yale University
- Aaron D. Wyner (Ph.D. 1963), information theorist noted for his contributions in coding theory.[10]
- Michael K. Young—president of the University of Utah; former dean of the George Washington University law school
- Howard Zinn (MA, PhD)—historian
Sports
- Roone Arledge—(B.A.) Pioneer of sports and news broadcasting with ABC, "Monday Night Football", "20/20", etc.; winner of 37 Emmy Awards
- Norman Armitage— 17-time national champion sabre fencer, and 6-time Olympian
- José Raúl Capablanca—World Chess Champion (1921–1927)
- Gary Cohen—(B.A.) New York Mets television play-by-play announcer
- Eddie Collins—(CC 1907) Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman
- Annie Duke—professional poker player
- Lou Gehrig—(1921–1923) Baseball player for the New York Yankees, enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, suffered from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (now commonly known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease")
- Vitas Gerulaitis--Professional tennis player
- Edward P. Hurt, Morgan's legendary football, basketball and track coach.
- Max Kellerman— (B.A. 1998) ESPN Radio host and HBO boxing analyst
- Dan Kellner— 4-time All-American, NCAA foil champion, national champion, 2-time Pan American gold medalist and 1-time silver medalist, 1-time Maccabiah silver medalist
- Sandy Koufax—Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher
- Howard Lederer — Professional poker player, brother of Annie Duke
- Sid Luckman—(B.A.) American football quarterback, enshrinee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- James M. "Jim" McMillian--NBA basketball player
- Cliff Montgomery—(B.A.) American football quarterback, enshrinee of the College Football Hall of Fame, captain and MVP of Rose Bowl winning squad, Silver Star recipient in U.S. Navy
- Mark Pope—(M.D. Class of 2010) Former NBA player
- Paul Robeson—American football All-American, attorney, musician, activist
- Bob Sheppard—(M.A. 1933) sports announcer, "Voice of the Yankees"
- William Milligan Sloane—Founder of the U.S. Olympic Committee
- Keeth Smart, Business School, silver medal, fencing, 2008 Olympics
- David Stern—(J.D.) NBA Commissioner
- Cristina Teuscher— (B.A. 2000) Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer
- Marcellus Wiley—(B.A. 1997) American football player, Pro-Bowl defensive end
- James L. Williams—(B.A.) World Class Fencer, Olympic silver-medal winner
Activists
See also: notable alumni of Columbia Law School (Activism) and Columbia College (Miscellaneous) for a separate listing of more than 50 activist
- Edythe Scott Bagley-(MFA) civil rights activist, educator
- Julius L. Chambers—(LL.M. 1964) civil rights leader, lawyer, and educator
- Eugene Lang—(M.S. 1940) philanthropist, Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Li Lu—(B.A., J.D., M.B.A., 1996) leader of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, one of the first students in the history of Columbia to receive three degrees simultaneously
- James Meredith—American civil rights movement figure
- Paul Robeson—(J.D. 1923) civil and human rights activist, international social justice activist, writer, Spingarn Medal
- Alex Safian—co-director of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America
- Leon Sullivan—(M.A. 1947) civil rights activist, anti-apartheid activist, long-time GM Board Member, and Baptist Minister
- Franklin A. Thomas—president of the Ford Foundation (1976–1991)
- Faye Wattleton—(M.S. 1967) president of the Center for the Advancement of Women, National Women's Hall of Fame
- Anna Baltzer—public speaker and Jewish-American pro-Palestinian activist.
References
- ^ Halbfinger, David M. "Man in the News; Flexibility in Victory; James Edward McGreevey", The New York Times, November 7, 2001. Accessed December 4, 2007. "He spent three semesters at Catholic University in Washington before transferring to Columbia University, where he majored in political science and graduated in 1978."
- ^ via Associated Press. "Joseph F. Finnegan, Ex-Director Of U.S. Mediation Service, Dies; Lawyer Held Federal Post From 1955 to 1961, Then Headed State Board", The New York Times, February 13, 1964. Accessed July 9, 2009.
- ^ De Witt Clinton Flanagan, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed September 5, 2007.
- ^ Lord, Richard (2009-09-11). "Patricia Robinson passes away". Trinidad and Tobago Guardian. http://guardian.co.tt/news/general/2009/09/11/patricia-robinson-passes-away. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
- ^ The Times obituary of Jim Carroll; 15 September 2009
- ^ http://www.pulitzer.org/biography/2011-Feature-Writing
- ^ http://www.pulitzer.org/biography/2010-National-Reporting
- ^ Pearce, Jeremy. "Dr. Ira B. Black, 64, Leader in New Jersey Stem Cell Effort, Dies", The New York Times, January 12, 2006. Accessed August 13, 2009.
- ^ Ross Registry
- ^ Burkhart, Ford. "Aaron D. Wyner, 58; Helped Speed Data Around the Globe", The New York Times, October 13, 1997. Accessed November 9, 2007.