This is a partially sorted list of notable persons who have had ties to Columbia University. For further listing of notable Columbians see: Notable alumni at Columbia College of Columbia University; Columbia Law School; Columbia Business School; Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism; Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation; Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons; Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science; Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; Columbia University School of the Arts; and the School of International and Public Affairs. The following lists are incomplete.

Nobel laureates

As of October 2009, 79 Nobel laureates are affiliated with Columbia University. 40 Nobel laureates are the alumni of Columbia University. 17 of these alumni have also served on the faculty or staff of the University. There are 38 non-alumni Nobel laureates who have been in service—as faculty, research scientists, research or postdoctoral fellows—to the University. Columbia University does not count a Visiting Professor as one of its own. Only those Nobel laureates who have spent a year or more at the University are counted. If Nobel laureates who have spent less than a year at the University were counted, the number of Nobel laureates affiliated with Columbia would be 92, more than any other academic institution. In addition, Columbia ranks third in the number of Nobel Laureates it has graduated compared to other institutions in the world, surpassed only by the University of Cambridge and Harvard University. See List of Nobel Laureates by university affiliation.

Alumni

Chemistry

1932	Irving Langmuir	(B.S., 1903; M.A., 1906)
1946	John H.	Northrop	(B.S., 1912; M.A., 1913; Ph.D., 1915)
1972	William H.	Stein	(Ph.D., 1938)
1981	Roald Hoffmann	(B.A., 1958)
1985	Herbert A.	Hauptman	(M.A., 1939)
1989	Sidney Altman	(graduate student, teaching assistant, 1960 to 1962)
2001	William S.	Knowles	(Ph.D., 1942)
2005	Robert H.	Grubbs	(Ph.D., 1968)

Economic science

1971	Simon S.	Kuznets	(B.S., 1923; M.A., 1924; Ph.D., 1926)
1972	Kenneth J.	Arrow	(M.A., 1941; Ph.D., 1951)
1976	Milton Friedman	(Researcher, 1943 to 1945; Ph.D., 1946; faculty member, 1937 to 1940 and 1964 to 1965)
1993	Robert W.	Fogel	(M.A., 1960)
1996	William S.	Vickrey	(M.A., 1937; Ph.D., 1948; faculty member, 1946 to 1996)
1997	Robert C.	Merton	(B.S., 1966)

Peace

1945)  

1906	Theodore Roosevelt	(Law student, 1880 to 1882)
1931	Nicholas Murray Butler	(B.A., 1882; M.A., 1883; Ph.D., 1884, president of Columbia, 1902 to
2009	Barack Obama	(B.A., 1983)

Physics

1923	Robert A.	Millikan	(Ph.D., 1895)
1944	I.I.	Rabi	(Ph.D., 1927; faculty member, 1929 to 1988)
1965	Julian S.	Schwinger	(B.A., 1936; Ph.D., 1939)
1972	Leon N.	Cooper	(B.A., 1951; M.A., 1953; Ph.D., 1954)
1975	James Rainwater	(M.A., 1941; Ph.D., 1946; faculty member, 1939 to 1986)
1978	Arno A.	Penzias	(M.A., 1958; Ph.D., 1962)
1980	Val L.	Fitch	(Ph.D., 1954; faculty member, 1953 to 1954)
1988	Leon M.	Lederman	(M.A., 1948; Ph.D., 1951; faculty member, 1951 to 1989)
1988	Melvin Schwartz	(B.A., 1953; Ph.D., 1958; faculty member, 1958 to 1966, 1991 to 2006)
1989	Norman F.	Ramsey	(B.A., 1935; Ph.D., 1940; faculty member, 1941 to 1947)
1995	Martin L.	Perl	(Ph.D., 1955)

Physiology or medicine

1946	Hermann J.	Muller	(B.A., 1910; M.A., 1911; Ph.D., 1916; faculty member, 1918 to 1920)
1950	Edward C.	Kendall	(B.S., 1908; M.A., 1909; Ph.D., 1910)
1956	Dickinson W.	Richards	(M.A., 1922; M.D., 1923; faculty member, 1925 to 1973)
1958	Joshua Lederberg	(B.A., 1944; medical student, 1944–1946; faculty member, 1990 to 1999)
1964	Konrad E.	Bloch	(Ph.D., 1938; faculty member, 1938 to 1946, 1966)
1967	George Wald	(M.A., 1928)
1973	Konrad Lorenz	(Columbia College, 1922 to 1923)
1976	Baruch S.	Blumberg	(Grad student in Mathematics, 1946 to 1947; M.D., 1951; resident, 1951–1953; fellow 1953–1955)
1980	Baruj Benacerraf	(B.S., 1942; research scientist, 1948 to 1950)
1989	Harold E.	Varmus	(M.D., 1966; Presbyterian Hospital staff, 1966 to 1968, University Trustee, 2002 to 2005)
1998	Louis J.	Ignarro	(B.S., 1962)
2004	Richard Axel	(A.B., 1967; resident, fellow and research scientist, 1971 to 1978; faculty member, 1978 to present)

Faculty, research fellows and others

Chemistry

1934	Harold C.	Urey	(faculty member, 1929 to 1945)
1960	Willard Libby	(research scientist, 1941 to 1944)
2008	Martin Chalfie	(William R Kenan Jr. Professor, current Chair of Biological Sciences)

Economic science

1982	George J.	Stigler	(research scientist, 1942 to 1945; faculty member, 1947 to 1958)
1987	Robert Solow	(fellowship year, 1949 to 1950)
1992	Gary S.	Becker	(faculty member, 1957 to 1970)
1999	Robert Mundell	(faculty member, 1974 to present)
2000	James J.	Heckman	(faculty member, 1970 to 1974)
2001	Joseph Stiglitz	(faculty member, 2001 to present)
2006	Edmund Phelps	(faculty member, 1971 to present)

Literature

1983	Colette Inez	(faculty member, 1983 to present)
1987	Joseph Brodsky	(faculty member, 1978 to 1985)
1991	Nadine Gordimer	(faculty member, 1971 to 1972, 1976 to 1978, 1983)
1992	Derek Walcott	(faculty member, 1979, 1981 to 1983, 1984)
2006	Orhan Pamuk	(visiting scholar, 1985 to 1988; fellow, 2006 to present)

Peace

Physics

1938	Enrico Fermi	(faculty member, 1939 to 1945)
1949	Hideki Yukawa	(faculty member, 1949 to 1954)
1955	Polykarp Kusch	(faculty member, 1937 to 1972)
1955	Willis E.	Lamb	(faculty member, 1938 to 1952, 1960 to 1961)
1957	Tsung Dao Lee	(faculty member, 1953 to present)
1963	Maria Goeppert Mayer	(faculty member, 1940 to 1946)
1964	Charles H.	Townes	(faculty member, 1948 to 1961)
1975	Aage Bohr	(faculty member, 1949 to 1950)
1976	Samuel C.C.	Ting	(faculty member, 1964 to 1967)
1979	Steven Weinberg	(faculty member, 1957 to 1959)
1981	Arthur L.	Schawlow	(faculty member, 1949 to 1951, 1960)
1984	Carlo Rubbia	(postdoc at Nevis Laboratories, 1958 to 1960)
1988	Jack Steinberger	(faculty member, 1950 to 1970, 1985 to 1986, 1988 to 1998)
1998	Horst L.	Stormer	(faculty member, 1998 to present)
2006	John C.	Mather	(postdoc in Goddard Institute for Space Studies, 1974 to 1976)

Physiology or medicine

1933	Thomas Hunt Morgan	(faculty member, 1904 to 1928)
1956	Andre F.	Cournand	(faculty member, 1935 to 1988)
1969	Salvador E.	Luria	(faculty member, 1940 to 1942)
1976	D.	Carleton Gajdusek	(postgraduate training, 1946 to 1947)
1978	Daniel Nathans	(intern and medical resident, 1954 to 1959)
1982	Sune Bergström	(research fellowship, 1940 to 1941)
1990	E.	Donnall Thomas	(faculty member, 1955 to 1963)
2000	Eric Kandel	(faculty member, 1972 to present)
2004	Linda Buck	(postdoctoral fellow, 1980 to 1984; research scientist, 1984 to 1991)

Fields Medalists

• Jesse Douglas—(attended Columbia College from 1920–1924) winner of the Fields Medal in 1936
• Stephen Smale—Professor of Mathematics, winner of the Fields Medal in 1966 and the Wolf Prize in Mathematics in 2006/7, one of only eight Fields Medallists to win both prizes

Crafoord Prize

• Wallace Smith Broecker—(alumnus and faculty) Crafoord Prize in Geoscience (2006), Balzan Prize, Wollaston Medal, National Medal of Science, among other awards

Founding Fathers of the United States

Founding Fathers of the United States are the political leaders who signed the Declaration of Independence or the United States Constitution, or otherwise participated in the American Revolution as leaders of the Patriots.

• Alexander Hamilton—Founding father, American Revolutionary War officer and aide de camp to George Washington, co-author of The Federalist Papers, the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, economist, one of the first U.S. constitutional lawyers (picture appears on U.S. ten dollar bill)
• John Jay—Founding Father, President of the Continental Congress, co-author of The Federalist Papers, second U.S. Secretary of Foreign Affairs, first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, diplomat, architect of Jay's Treaty with Great Britain
• Robert Livingston—Founding Father, drafter of the Declaration of Independence, first U.S. Secretary of Foreign Affairs, U.S. Minister to France, negotiator of the Louisiana Purchase
• Gouverneur Morris—Founding father, author of large sections of the Constitution of the United States, U.S. Minister Plenipotentiary to France, United States Senator from New York, creator of the Manhattan street grid system, a builder of the Erie canal
• Egbert Benson—Founding father, member of the Continental Congresses; with Alexander Hamilton, delegate from New York to the Annapolis Convention; ratifier of the United States Constitution; served in the First and Second United States Congresses

Presidents of the United States

• Theodore Roosevelt—(Law) 26th President of the United States (1901-1909); Nobel Peace Prize recipient; Governor of New York; Assistant Secretary of the Navy; professional historian, explorer, author, and soldier
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt—(Law) 32nd President of the United States (1935-1945); consistently been ranked as one of the three greatest U.S. presidents in scholarly surveys; Governor of New York; Assistant Secretary of the Navy
• Dwight Eisenhower—Supreme Commander; Allied Expeditionary Force; President of Columbia University; 34th President of the United States (1953-1961)
• Barack Obama—(B.A. 1983) Democratic Senator from Illinois (2005-2008); first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review; 44th President of the United States (2009-)

Vice-Presidents of the United States

• Daniel D Tompkins—6th Vice-President of the United States, 4th Governor of New York, declined appointment as United States Secretary of State by President James Madison
• Theodore Roosevelt—(Law) 25th Vice-President of the United States, organized and helped command the Rough Riders in the Spanish American War, Medal of Honor

Presidents and Prime Ministers (international)

• Muhammad Fadhel al-Jamali—twice Prime Minister of Iraq, six times Foreign Minister, member of both houses of Iraqi Parliament
• Giuliano Amato—(M.A., Law 1963) twice Prime Minister of Italy, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Hafizullah Amin—(Ph.D. 1962) Prime Minister and President of Afghanistan
• Nahas Angula—(M.A., M.Ed.) Prime Minister of the Republic of Namibia (incumbent as of 2009); member of the National Assembly since 1990
• Laurens Jan Brinkhorst—(M.A.) Dutch Deputy Prime Minister (2005-2006), Minister of Economic Affairs (2003-2006), member of European Parliament (1994-1999)
• Toomas Hendrik Ilves—President of Estonia
• Jose Ramos Horta—President of East Timor (2007-), former Prime Minister, Nobel Laureate
• Marek Belka—Prime Minister of Poland, twice Minister of Finance
• Wellington Koo—twice Premier of China (1924; 1926-27); President (1926-27); China's Amb. to the U.S. (1946-56), participant in founding of League of Nations and United Nations
• Michael O'Leary —Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland, Minister of Labour, Minister of Energy
• Hans-Gert Pottering—(graduate studies) President of European Parliament (2007-)
• Mikhail Saakashvili—(Law 1994) President of the Georgia (2004–present), launched failed attempt to subdue South Ossetia (2008)
• Salim Ahmed Salim—Prime Minister of Tanzania, Secretary General of the Organization of African Unity, President of the United Nations General Assembly, Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Tang Shaoyi—Prime Minister of the Republic of China, University President
• Nur Mohammed Taraki—President and Prime Minister of Afghanistan (1978-1979)
• Alexander Nikolaevich Yakovlev—(Number 2 in Mikhail Gorbachev Administration)
• Abdul Zahir—(M.D.) Prime Minister of Afghanistan, President of Parliament, Ambassador to Italy, Ambassador to Pakistan
• Zhou Ziqi—former Premier and President of the Republic of China

Notable alumni and attendees

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, U.S. 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) Chairman Democratic National Committee, Governor of Vermont
• 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) Republican Senator from New Hampshire (2005), former Governor of New Hampshire, U.S. Congressman
• Wilford Bacon Hoggatt—Governor of Alaska (Territorial)
• Charles Evans Hughes—(Law 1884) Governor of New York
• John Jay—Governor of New York
• Thomas Kean—Governor of New Jersey (1982–1990), President of Drew University, Chairman of 9/11 Commission
• Stephen W. Kearney—military Governor of California (Territorial)
• John W. King—Governor of Rhode Island and jurist
• Madeleine M. Kunin—Governor of Vermont, Deputy Secretary of Education in Clinton administration, U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland, U.S. 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).
• 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) 6th Vice President of the United States, Governor of New York
• Peter Vroom—(1808) Governor of New Jersey (1829-32; 1833-36)
• 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-)
• Anthony "Tony" Blinkers—(J.D. 1988) National Security Advisor to Vice President Joseph Biden (2009-)
• Hans Blix—Minister of Foreign Affairs (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 three U.S. presidents, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Regan; 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 Bonn (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 —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.
• 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 —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 —( B.A. 1790) United States Secretary of War ad interim (1816-1817) under Presidents James Madison and James Monroe
• John Graham —(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 Calderon (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 —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 —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. 1987) senior advisor to President Bill Clinton
• Harlan Fiske Stone—United States Attorney General (1924-1925), Associate and Chief Justice of U.S. Supreme Court
• Oscar S. Straus—(1873), United States Secretary of Commerce and Labor (1906-09), the first Jewish Presidential Cabinet Secretary
• George Tenet—(M.I.A.) Director of Central Intelligence for the United States Central Intelligence Agency (1997-2004)
• Daniel D. Tompkins—6th 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) Second Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (1973-77), chairman of newly formed President's Council on Environmental Quality (1970-73), Under Secretary of the United States Department 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 administration of President Barack Obama (2009-), Nobel Laureate
• Murray Weidenbaum—(M.A.) Chairman of President Ronald Reagan's first Council of Economic Advisors
• Harry Dexter White—senior Treasury official for Franklin D. Roosevelt, helped found World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), alleged in Venona list to be Soviet spy

Solicitors general

• Lloyd Wheaton Bowers—United States Solicitor General (1909-1910)
• Charles Fried—United States Solicitor General (1985-1989)
• Daniel M. Friedman—Acting United States Solicitor General (1977)
• Stanley Foreman Reed—United States Solicitor General (1935-1938)
• R. Kent Greenawalt—Deputy United States Attorney General (1971-1972)

Supreme Court Justices

• Samuel Blatchford—United States Supreme Court Justice
• Benjamin Cardozo—U.S. Supreme Court Justice
• William O. Douglas—U.S. Supreme Court Justice; Chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); professor of law at Columbia and Yale law schools
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg—Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge of the D.C. Circuit Court, former professor at Columbia Law School
• Charles Evans Hughes—Associate and Chief Justice of U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Secretary of State; Governor of New York; Republican candidate for President of the United States in 1916 (against Wilson and Roosevelt)
• John Jay—first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; Governor of New York
• Joseph McKenna—(studied at the Columbia Law) Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1892-1897)
• Stanley Forman Reed—U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Solicitor General of the United States
• Harlan Fiske Stone—Associate and Chief Justice of U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Attorney General; Professor and Dean, Columbia Law School

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 '65 federal judge positions and 12 state supreme court justices (total more than 75' federal and 20 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 —(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 —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)

• 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)
• Francois Blanchet —(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 from 1902 to 1903.; 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 —(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 —(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.) 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 —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

Soldiers

• Samuel Auchmuty —loyalist during the American Revolutionary War, Commander-in-Chief, Ireland (1882) and member of the Privy Council of Ireland
• 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
• Jim Nicholson —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

• Seth Low—University president, Mayor of New York City, Mayor of Brooklyn
• Jerome Choquette—(CBS) Mayor of Outremont, Montreal (Canada)
• Kenny Bowen—(M.A.) three term Mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana (1972-1980, 1992-1996)
• DeWitt Clinton—Mayor of New York City
• Abram Stevens Hewitt—(1842) Mayor of New York City
• Frank S. Katzenbach—former Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey
• Edward J. Stack—(M.A.) City Commissioner-Mayor Pompano Beach, Florida
• Raymond Tucker—(B.A.) Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri

Commentators

• 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 M. 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

• Nicholas Murray Butler—(B.A., M.A., Ph.D.) vice-presidential candidate with President William Howard Taft in 1912 election (against former President Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson)
• D. Leigh Colvin—(Law) Prohibition Party vice-presidential candidate (1920) (lost)
• Thomas Dewey—(Law 1925) presidential candidate in 1944 election (against Franklin D. Roosevelt) and in 1948 (against President Harry S. Truman) in famous "Dewey Beats Truman" election
• Miguel Estrada—(B.A. 1983) controversial nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
• Matt Gonzalez—(B.A. 1987) Ralph Nader 2008 vice-presidential running mate, former president San Francisco Board of Supervisors
• Judd Gregg—(B.A. 1969) Republican Senator from New Hampshire (1993-); nominee for United States Secretary of Commerce in the Democratic administration of President Barack Obama; the senator withdrew his name from nomination on February 12, 2009 (because of widening ideological differences with the administration)
• William B. Hornblower—(B.A. 1875) unsuccessfully nominated to the United States Supreme Court by President Grover Cleveland in 1893
• Charles Evans Hughes—(Law 1884) presidential candidate in 1916 election (against President Woodrow Wilson)
• Franklin Roosevelt—(Law) vice-presidential candidate with James M. Cox in 1920 election (against Warren Harding)
• Theodore Roosevelt—(Law) presidential candidate in 1912 election (against President William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson); formed Progressive Party, known as the Bull Moose Party
• Wayne Allan Root—(B.A. 1983—same class as President Barack Obama) journalist, 2008 vice-presidential candidate for United States Libertarian Party

Spies (or alleged)

• Whittaker Chambers—Admitted Soviet spy in the Ware Group, famously testified against Alger Hiss
• Morris Cohen—Soviet spy, subject of Hugh Whitemore's drama for stage and TV "Pack of Lies"; instrumental in relaying atomic bomb secrets to the Kremlin in the 1940s, eventually settling in Moscow where for decades he helped train Soviet agents against the West
• Victor Perlo—Soviet spy involved in Harold Ware spy ring and Perlo group as shown in Venona list of suspected subversives
• Bernard Redmont—(M.S. 1939) Soviet spy
• William Remington—(M.A. 1940) convicted Soviet spy killed in prison
• Harry Dexter White—Soviet spy helped establish World Bank and the International Monetary Fund; later revealed to have been involved with the Silvermaster and Ware groups of communist spies while he was a senior U.S. Treasury department official in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration

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
• Bela Gold—Economist on Venona list of suspected Soviet subversives who operated in the U.S.
• 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
• Karenna Gore Schiff—(J.D. 2000) author, journalist, and attorney
• 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 —(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
• 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

• Reuben Clark—(J.D.) prominent leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Herbert S. Goldstein—(B.A., M.A.) prominent American rabbi and Jewish leader
• Thomas Merton—(B.A. 1938, studied for M.A.) 20th century Catholic writer, student of comparative religions, trappist monk, poet, author of "The Seven Story Mountain", see Thomas Merton Award and Thomas Merton Center
• Jim Mitulski, LGBT activist and elder in the Metropolitan Community Church
• Frederick Buckley Newell—(M.A., 1916) Bishop of The Methodist Church
• Hazen Graff Werner—Bishop of The Methodist Church
• Paula Reimers—(M.A. 1971) Rabbi
• Dov S. Zakheim—(B.A. 1970) Rabbi

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
• Jim Carroll—writer (The Basketball Diaries), poet, punk rocker
• 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 Sates 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)
• 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
• 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
• 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
• Sarah Atereth—Dance music recording artist, songwriter, and professional dancer (both modern and ballet)
• 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) Director, Strange Days
• 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—Academy Award-winning Actor, White Heat and Yankee Doodle Dandy, Presidential Medal of Freedom (attended first semester)
• 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—Actor
• Brian Dennehy—(B.A. 1960)—Actor
• Brian De Palma—(B.A. 1962) Movie director, Carrie 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-winning Actor, Lost, Party of Five
• Dan Futterman—(B.A. 1989) Actor, The Birdcage, Judging Amy
• James Franco— Actor,Spiderman, Pineapple Express, Milk
• 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-nominated Actress, Secretary, star in 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 15 Academy Awards, 35 Tony Awards, and two Pulitzer Prizes
• Ed Harris— Golden Globe-winning and Academy Award-nominated Actor (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
• Jim Jarmusch—(B.A. 1975) filmmaker
• 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
• 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—five-time Academy Award-winning film director
• 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 15 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• Joseph Lelyveld—(M.A., Journalism) Executive editor, New York Times
• 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
• 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 - 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
• 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 - 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
• John Cummings - Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Journalism
• 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
• 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 - 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 - 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
• 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
• Mirta Ojito - Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting
• Dele Olojede - Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, first African-born winner of the Pulitzer prize
• Tim Page - Pulitzer prize-winning music critic
• Michael Pupin - Pulitzer prize-winning physicist
• 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
• 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 - Pulitzer Prize for History
• Charles Warren - 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

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.
• 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
• 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
• Alfred Sturtevant—(Ph.D.) geneticist, National Medal of Science
• John Stevens —(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)

Astronauts and aviators

• Kenneth D. Bowersox—(M.S. 1979)
• Kevin P. Chilton—(M.S. 1977)
• Amelia Earhart—(attended one semester, 1920)
• William G. Gregory—(M.S. 1980)
• Gregory H. Johnson—(M.S. 1985)
• Michael J. Massimino—(B.S. 1984)
• Story Musgrave—(M.D. 1964)
• Eugene H. Trinh—(B.S. 1972)

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
• Jacques Barzun—Historian
• Ruth Benedict—cultural anthropologist, author of The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, a World War II-era study of Japanese culture
• 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 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 (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 —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
• 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.
• 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")
• Edward P. Hurt, Morgan's legendary football, basketball and track coach.
• Erison Hurtault, CC '07, runner
• 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
• 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

• Julius 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.

Notable faculty

See also above at Nobel Laureates ("Alumni" and "Faculty") for separate listing of 41 notable faculty

• Alfred Aho—Computer Science professor, the "A" in the programming language AWK.
• Hattie Alexander— Professor of Pediatrics, microbiologist
• Samuel J. Danishefsky—Professor of Chemistry, winner of the Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 1995/96
• Karen Barkey—Professor of Sociology
• Charles Beard—Historian and co-author of The Development of Modern Europe
• Peter Bearman—Professor of Sociology
• Daniel Bell—Professor of Sociology
• J. Bowyer Bell—Adjunct Professor at the School of International and Public Affairs, and Research Associate at the Institute of War and Peace Studies
• Jagdish Bhagwati—Economics professor, author of In Defense of Globalization
• Franz Boas—Father of American Anthropology
• Lee Bollinger—University President/law professor, First Amendment scholar, Affirmative Action advocate
• Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen—Professor of Germanic languages
• Ronald Breslow—University Professor of chemistry, biology, pharmacology, and engineering.
• Alan Brinkley—Professor of American history and University Provost; son of legendary newscaster David Brinkley
• Zbigniew Brzezinski—National Security Advisor under the Carter Administration, taught Foreign Affairs
• Richard Bulliet—History professor and Middle East scholar, author of Kicked to Death by a Camel
• John Burgess—Founder of modern political science
• Partha Chatterjee—Anthropologist and scholar of postcolonial nationalism
• Hamid Dabashi—Cultural and literary critic
• Arthur Danto—Johnsonian Professor of Philosophy emeritus, renowned art critic
• William Theodore de Bary—Famous scholar and translator of East Asian texts, particularly the classical Chinese canon
• Donald Dewey—Former Economics professor
• John Dewey—Former Philosophy professor
• Nicholas Dirks—Historian and anthropologist of South Asia
• Theodosius Dobzhansky—Researcher in population genetics
• Andrew Dolkart—architectural historian
• John R. Dunning—physicist and part of the Manhattan Project
• Samuel Eilenberg—winner of the Wolf Prize in Mathematics in 1986
• Arnold Eisen—Chancellor-elect, Jewish Theological Seminary
• Jon Elster—Robert Merton Professor of Social Science, leading theorist of rational choice theory, Marxism, and social theory
• William Maurice Ewing—Earth scientist and pioneer
• Enrico Fermi—Manhattan Project member, founder of Fermilab, Nobel laureate
• Miloš Forman—Film director, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus, The People vs. Larry Flynt, two Academy Awards
• Eric Foner—Noted historian, authority on Reconstruction
• David Freedberg—Art historian
• Erich Fromm—Noted psychologist
• Fred W. Friendly—Pioneering CBS News producer and distinguished media scholar
• Herbert J. Gans—Professor of Sociology; author of Popular Culture and High Culture
• Frank Gehry—Pritzker Prize-winning architect
• Benjamin Graham—Father of value investing, mentor of Warren Buffett
• Brian Greene—Mathematics and Physics professor, researcher and popular author in String Theory
• Ross Hassig—anthropologist and Mesoamerica scholar
• Richard Hofstadter—Noted historian
• Ralph Holloway—Physical Anthropologist
• Carl Hovde (1926-2009), professor and Dean during the Columbia University protests of 1968.
• Andreas Huyssen—Villard Professor of German and Comparative Literature
• David Ignatow—Poet, Bollingen Prize-winner
• Kenneth T. Jackson—Preeminent historian of New York City
• Eric Kandel—Neuroscientist, 2000 Nobel laureate
• Donald Keene—Japanese studies expert
• James Kent—first professor of law at Columbia College (1793-98), legal scholar and jurist, author of seminal "Commentaries on American Law", highly respected in England and America; the "Commentaries" treated state, federal, and international law, and the law of personal rights and property
• Rashid Khalidi—Middle East historian
• Grayson L. Kirk—former president and instrumental in the founding of the United Nations Security Council
• Kenneth Koch—Poet
• Tsung Dao Lee—Physics professor, Nobel laureate
• Konrad Lorenz—Psychology professor, Nobel laureate (Physiology or Medicine, 1973)
• Walther Ludwig—Classical Studies professor
• John Anthony McGuckin—Professor of Byzantine Christian Studies
• Margaret Mead—Professor of Anthropology
• Don Melnick—Professor of Environmental Biology and advisor to the UN on environmental issues
• Edward Mendelson—Lionel Trilling Professor in the Humanities
• Robert K. Merton—Professor of Sociology
• Jacob Millman—Professor of Electrical Engineering
• C. Wright Mills—Professor of Sociology
• Eben Moglen—Law and the Internet Society, General Counsel of FSF
• Sidney Morgenbesser—John Dewey Professor of Philosophy
• Robert Mundell—Economics professor, 1999 Nobel laureate in Economics
• Tristan Murail—Professor of Music Composition, French composer
• Mira Nair—Director of Monsoon Wedding, film studies professor
• Franz Leopold Neumann—Political science professor, Communist spy in Redhead group
• John Ordronaux—Civil War army surgeon, a professor of medical jurisprudence, pioneering mental health commissioner
• Victor Perlo—Economics professor, Soviet spymaster involved in Harold Ware spy ring and Perlo group as shown in Venona list of suspected subversives in the U.S.
• Edmund Phelps—economist and Nobel laureate
• Lorenzo da Ponte—first professor of Italian language and literature at Columbia; librettist to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
• Charles Lane Poor—Astronomer
• Mary Robinson—7th President of Ireland, Professor of Practice in International Affairs
• Jeffrey Sachs—Head of the United Nations Millennium Project to end poverty, author of The End of Poverty.
• Edward Said—University Professor, professor of English and Comparative Literature, Palestinian activist, author of Orientalism, widely considered founder of Postcolonial studies
• Andrew Sarris—Film Studies professor and famous auteur theorist
• Simon Schama—History Professor
• James Schamus—Film Studies professor, co-president of Focus Features, three time Academy Award nominated and BAFTA Award-winning film screenwriter and producer
• Judge Sonia Sotomayor—Lecturer-in-Law, Columbia Law School (1999-); nominated by President Barack Obama, on May 26, 2009, to be a Justice of the United States Supreme Court
• Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak—English professor
• Julian Steward—Anthropologist, authority of Cultural ecology
• Joseph Stiglitz—Economics professor, 2001 Nobel laureate in Economics
• Gilbert Stork—winner of the Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 1995/6
• Mark Strand—Poet, former U.S. Poet Laureate, Bollingen and Pulitzer Prize-winner
• Robert Thurman—Je Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies, first American Tibetan Buddhist monk, father of actress Uma Thurman
• Charles Tilly—Professor of Sociology
• Lionel Trilling—Literary scholar
• Charles Van Doren—English professor whose national disgrace was the subject of the Oscar-nominated film Quiz Show
• Mark Van Doren—Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
• Kenneth Waltz—Political Science professor and noted neorealism scribe
• Duncan Watts—Professor of Sociology and author of "Six Degrees" and "Small Worlds"
• Nancy Wexler—Higgins Professor of Neuropsychology
• Harrison White—Professor of Sociology
• Enos Wicher—Professor and Soviet spy named in Venona list of suspected subversives in the U.S., stepfather of State Department Soviet spy Flora Wovschin
• Peter Woit—Mathematics professor, skeptic of string theory
• Chien-Shiung Wu—Physics professor, first woman to head the American Physical Society and the winner of the Wolf Prize in Physics in 1978

References

External links

• Nobel Prize Winners associated with Columbia University
• Nobel Prize Winners in Physics associated with Columbia University
• Columbians Ahead of Their Time—list of notable Columbians created by Columbia University for their 250th anniversary.
• After Columbia "Notable Alumni & Former Students" published by the Columbia University Office of Admissions