| Name | Known for | Relationship to Harvard |
A |
| Charles Francis Adams (1866) (1866-1954) | United States Secretary of the Navy | College 1888; Law School 1892 |
| Charles Francis Adams, Jr. (1835-1915) | president of Union Pacific Railroad | College 1856 |
| Henry Adams (1838-1918) | historian; novelist | College 1858; professor |
| John Adams (1735-1826) | President of the United States | College 1755 |
| John Coolidge Adams (1947-) | composer | College 1971 |
| John Quincy D. Adams (1767-1848) | President of the United States | College 1787 |
| Samuel Adams (1722-1803) | organizer of Boston Tea Party | College 1740; M.A. 1743 |
| Mahidol Adulyadej (1832-1899) | Prince of Thailand, father of present king Bhumibol Adulyadej | Medical School |
| Esko Aho (1954-) | Prime Minister of Finland (1991-1995) | "Sabbatical leave" of one year to lecture at Harvard University in 2000 |
| Horatio Alger, Jr. (1832-1899) | novelist | College 1852 |
| Leroy Anderson (1908-1975) | composer | College; M.A. 1930 |
| Darren Aronofsky (1969-) | film director and screenwriter | College 1987 |
| Kenneth Arrow (1921-) | economist; Nobel Prize winner | professor (1968-??) |
| John Ashbery (1927-) | poet | College 1949 |
| Margaret Atwood (1929-) | novelist | Radcliffe M.A. 1962; Ph.D. 1967 |
B |
| Bernard Bailyn (1922-) | historian | Ph.D. 1953; professor (1961-) |
| Steve Ballmer (1953-) | president and CEO of Microsoft | College 1977; gave mother's maiden name to Maxwell Dworkin Hall |
| Alfred Barr (1902-1981) | art historian; founding director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City | Ph.D. 1946 |
| Judith Baumel (1956-) | Poet; Weight of Numbers, Now | 1977 |
| Robert Benchley (1889-1945) | comedian | College 1912 |
| Bernard Berenson (1865-1959) | art historian | College 1887 |
| Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) | composer | College 1939 |
| Benazir Bhutto (1953-) | prime minister of Pakistan | College 1973 |
| Harry Blackmun (1908-1999) | Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | Law School 1932 |
| Robert Bly (1926-) | poet | College 1950 |
| John Boswell (1947-1994) | historian of homosexual history | Ph.D. 1975 |
| Stephen Breyer (1938-) | Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | Law School 1964 |
| Dan Bricklin (??-) | creator of VisiCalc | Business School |
| Harold Brodkey (1930-1996) | novelist | College 1952 |
| Charles Bulfinch (1763-1844) | architect | College 1781 |
| Thomas Bulfinch (1796-1867) | mythologist | College 1814 |
| William S. Burroughs (1914-1997) | writer | College 1936 |
| George W. Bush (1946-) | President of the United States | Business School 1975 |
C |
| Elliot Carter (1908-) | composer | College 1932 |
| Stockard Channing (1944-) | actress | Radcliffe 1965 |
| William Ellery Channing (1780-1842) | Unitarian leader | College 1798 |
| Jacques Chirac (1932-) | President of France | attended Summer School in 1953 |
| William Christie (1944-) | conductor | College 1966 |
| Richard Clarke (1951-) | diplomat; counterterrorism expert | faculty |
| Stephen Cook (??-) | computer scientist | M.A. 1962; Ph.D. 1966 |
| Don Coppersmith (??-) | computer scientist | M.S. 1975; Ph.D. 1977 |
| Elias J. Corey (1928-) | chemist; Nobel Prize winner | professor |
| Michael Crichton (1942-) | novelist | College 1964; Medical School 1969 |
| Hardy Cross | civil engineer | MCE 1911 |
| E. E. Cummings (1894-1962) | poet | College 1915 |
| Rivers Cuomo (1970-) | singer of band Weezer | Currently completing college (originally dropped out) |
D |
| Matt Damon (1970-) | actor | attended College, did not graduate |
| Donald Davidson (1917-2003) | philosopher | Ph.D. |
| Paul de Man (1919-1983) | literary critic | Ph.D. 1960 |
| Alan Dershowitz (1938-) | law scholar, pro-Israel activist | professor (1964-) |
| Elizabeth Dole (1936-) | United States Senator | M.A. 1960; Law School 1965 |
| John dos Passos (1896-1970) | novelist | College 1916 |
| George Downing (c. 1624-1684) | English soldier-diplomat | College 1640s |
| W. E. B. Du Bois (1868-1963) | civil rights leader; African American studies scholar | College 1890, Ph.D. 1894 |
E |
| Edward Eager (1911-1964) | writer of children's literature | College c. 1932 |
| T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) | poet | College 1909; Ph.D. 1914 |
| Noam Elkies (1966-) | mathematician | M.A. 1986; Ph.D. 1987; professor (1990-) |
| Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | writer | College 1821; gave name to Emerson Hall |
| Edward Everett (1794-1865) | United States Secretary of State | College 1811 |
F |
| John K. Fairbank (1907-1991) | East Asian scholar | College 1929 |
| Denise Faustman | Medical doctor and pioneer in diabetes research | Assoc. Professor of Medicine |
| Martin Feldstein (1939-) | economist | College 1961; professor |
| Al Franken (1955-) | comedian | College 1973 |
| Felix Frankfurter (1882-1965) | Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | Law School |
| Bill Frist (1952-) | United States Senator, Majority Leader | Medical School 1978 |
| Robert Frost (1874-1963) | poet | attended College (1897-1899), did not graduate; awarded an honorary degree in 1937 |
G |
| William Gaddis (1922-1998) | novelist | attended College, did not graduate |
| Bill Gates (1955-) | co-founder of Microsoft; as of 2003, wealthiest person in the world | attended College, did not graduate; gave mother's maiden name to Maxwell Dworkin Hall |
| Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (1950-) | African American studies scholar | professor |
| Walter Gilbert (1932-) | molecular biologist; Nobel Prize winner | College; professor |
| Nelson Goodman (??-) | philosopher | |
| Al Gore (1948-) | Vice President of the United States | College 1969 |
| Edward Gorey (1925-2000) | illustrator | College 1950 |
| Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002) | biologist | professor |
| Fred Grandy (1948-) | actor, politician | College 1970 |
| Walter Gropius (1883-1969) | architect | professor; dean of Harvard Graduate School of Design |
| Fred Gwynne (1926-1993) | actor | College 1951 |
H |
| John Hagelin (1954-) | third-party presidential candidate | Ph.D. 1981 |
| G. Stanley Hall (1844-1924) | First president of APA and Clark University | Ph.D. 1878 |
| John Hancock (1737-1793) | President of the Continental Congress | College 1754 |
| John Harbison (1938-) | composer | College 1960 |
| Trip Hawkins (1953-) | founder of Electronic Arts and the 3DO Company | College |
| Rutherford Hayes (1822-1893) | President of the United States | Law School 1845 |
| William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951) | newspaper magnate | attended College, did not graduate |
| H. John Heinz (1938-1991) | United States Senator | Business School 1963 |
| Mark Helprin (1947-) | writer | College, Graduate School |
| Dudley R. Herschbach (1932-) | chemist; Nobel Prize winner | professor |
| Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809-1894) | poet | College; Ph.D. 1836; professor |
| Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841-1935) | Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | College 1861 |
| Charles Hamilton Houston (1895-1950) | jurist | Law School 1922 and 1923 |
| Samuel P. Huntington (1927-) | political scientist | Ph.D. 1951; professor |
I |
J |
| William James (1842-1910) | philosopher; psychologist | Medical School; gave name to William James Hall |
| Philip Johnson (1906-) | architect | College 1930 |
| Tommy Lee Jones (1946-) | actor | College 1969 |
K |
| Ted Kaczynski (1942-) | Unabomber terrorist | College 1962 |
| Anthony Kennedy (1936-) | Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | Law School 1961 |
| Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg (1957-) | writer; daughter of John F. Kennedy | Radcliffe 1979 |
| Edward Kennedy (1932-) | United States Senator | College 1956 |
| John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) | President of the United States | College 1940; gave name to Kennedy School of Government |
| Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968) | United States Senator | College 1948 |
| Alan Keyes (1950-) | U.S. presidential candidate and Senatorial candidate | College 1972; Ph.D. 1979 |
| Karim Aga Khan IV (1936-) | spiritual leader of Shia Ismaili branch of Islam | College 1959 |
| Henry Kissinger (1923-) | United States Secretary of State | College 1950; M.A. 1952; Ph.D. 1954 |
| Saul Kripke (1940-) | philosopher | College; Society of Fellows |
| Thomas Samuel Kuhn (1922-1996) | philosopher and historian of science | College 1943; M.A. 1946; Ph.D. 1949 |
L |
| Edwin Land (1909-1991) | inventor | attended College, did not graduate |
| George Martin Lane (1823-1897) | classicist | professor (1869-1894) |
| Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-) | novelist | Radcliffe 1951 |
| Tom Lehrer (1928-) | satirist; mathematician; singer | College 1947 |
| Jack Lemmon (1925-2001) | actor | College 1947 |
| David Lewis (??-) | philosopher | Ph.D. |
| John Lithgow (1945-) | actor | College 1967 |
| Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) | poet | professor (1834-1954) |
| John Loeb (1902-1996) | financier | College 1924 |
| Alan Lomax (1915-2002) | musicologist | attended College (1932-1933), did not graduate |
| John Lomax (1867-1948) | musicologist | visiting student (1907) |
| James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) | poet, abolitionist | College 1838 |
| Robert Lowell (1917-1977) | poet | attended College, did not graduate |
| Alison Lurie (1926-) | novelist | Radcliffe 1947 |
M |
| Yo-Yo Ma (1955-) | cellist | College 1976 |
| Norman Mailer (1923-) | novelist | College 1943 |
| N. Gregory Mankiw (1958-) | economist | professor |
| Scott McNealy (1954-) | co-founder of Sun Microsystems | College |
| Robert Merton (1944-) | economist; Nobel Prize winner | professor, Harvard Business School |
| Marvin Minsky (1927-) | computer scientist | College 1950 |
| Tom Morello (1964-) | lead guitarist of the band Audioslave | College 1986 |
| David Mumford (1937-) | mathematician; Fields Medal winner | College 1957; Ph.D. 1961 |
N |
| Ralph Nader (1934-) | public advocate | Law School 1958 |
| Ogden Nash (1902-1971) | poet | attended College (1920-21), did not graduate |
| Robert Nozick (1938-2002) | libertarian philosopher | professor |
O |
| Conan O'Brien (1963-) | talk show host | College 1985 |
| Frank O'Hara (1926-1966) | poet | College 1950 |
| Bill O'Reilly (1949-) | journalist and commentator | KSG 1995 |
| Tim O'Reilly (??-) | founder of O'Reilly Media | College 1975 |
| J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967) | physicist, "father of the atomic bomb" | College 1922 |
| Masako Owada (1963-) | Crown Princess of Japan | College 1985 |
P |
| Theodore Parker (1810-1860) | Unitarian leader | Divinity School |
| Francis Parkman (1823-1898) | historian | Law School |
| George Parkman (1790-1849) | physician | Medical School |
| Milman Parry (??-1935) | scholar of the classics and folklore | professor |
| Benjamin Peirce (1809-1880) | mathematician | College 1829; professor |
| Charles Peirce (1839-1914) | philosopher; mathematician | College 1859 |
| Steven Pinker (1954-) | psychologist | Ph.D. 1979; professor (2003-) |
| George Plimpton (1927-2003) | journalist; actor | College 1948 |
| Natalie Portman (1981-) | actress | College 2003 |
| Robert Putnam (1941-) | political scientist | professor |
Q |
| Daniel Quillen (1940-) | mathematician; Fields Medal winner | College 1961; Ph.D. 1964 |
| W. V. Quine (1908-2000) | philosopher; logician | Ph.D. 1932; professor (1956-2000) |
R |
| Norman Ramsey (1915-) | physicist; Nobel Prize winner | professor |
| John Rawls (1921-2002) | philosopher; political scientist | professor |
| Edwin O. Reischauer (1910-1990) | East Asian scholar | Ph.D. 1939; professor; gave name to Reischauer Institute |
| William Rehnquist (1924-) | Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | M.A. 1950 |
| Adrienne Rich (1929-) | poet | Radcliffe 1951 |
| Tom Ridge (1946-) | United States Secretary of Homeland Security | College 1967 |
| Eden Riegel (1981-) | actress | College (1998-2000; dropped out but plans to return) |
| Jay Rockefeller (1937-) | United States Senator | College 1961 |
| David Rockefeller (1916-) | banker; philanthropist; chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank | College 1936 |
| Mitt Romney (1947-) | Governor of Massachusetts | Business School and Law School 1975 |
| Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945) | President of the United States | College 1904 |
| Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) | President of the United States | College 1880 |
| Josiah Royce (1855-1916) | philosopher | professor (1892-1914) |
| Frederic Rzewski (1938-) | composer, pianist | College 1958 |
S |
| Edward Said (1935-2003) | coined term Orientalism; Palestinian activist | M.A. ??; Ph.D. 1964 |
| Carlos Salinas de Gortari (1948-) | president of Mexico, (1988-94) | M.P.A. 1973; Ph.D. 1978 |
| Leverett Saltonstall (1892-1979) | United States Senator | College 1914; Law School 1917 |
| Michael Sandel (??-) | political scientist | professor |
| George Santayana (1863-1952) | philosopher | College 1886; Ph.D. 1889; professor |
| Antonin Scalia (1936-) | Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | Law School |
| Arthur M. Schlesinger (1888-1965) | historian | professor; gave name to Schlesinger Library |
| Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. (1917-) | historian, advisor to John F. Kennedy | College 1938; professor |
| Julian Schwinger (1918-1994) | physicist; Nobel Prize winner (1965) | professor |
| Pete Seeger (1919-) | songwriter, singer, activist | attended College, did not graduate |
| Peter Sellars (??-) | theater director | |
| Amartya Sen (1933-) | economist; Nobel Prize winner (1998) | professor |
| Robert Gould Shaw (1837-1863) | abolitionist, Union Army colonel | attended College (1856-1859), did not graduate. |
| Elisabeth Shue (1963-) | actress | College 2000 |
| Jonathan Siegel (1962-) | Professor of Law, George Washington University | College 1984 |
| Jeffrey Skilling (1948-) | CEO of Enron | Business School |
| Cordwainer Smith (1913-1966) | East Asian scholar; science fiction writer | faculty |
| Robert M. Solow (1924-) | economist; Nobel Prize winner (1987) | College 1947, Ph.D. 1951 |
| Mira Sorvino (1967-) | actress | College 1990 |
| David Souter (1939-) | Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | College 1961; Law School 1966 |
| Jared Sparks (1789-1866) | historian | College 1819; professor (1838-1849) |
| Richard Stallman (1953-) | founder of the Free Software Foundation | College 1974 |
| Gertrude Stein (1874-1946) | poet, novelist | Radcliffe 1897 |
| Wallace Stevens (1879-1955) | poet | Special student (1897-1900), did not graduate |
| Surakiart Sathirathai (1958-) | Foreign Minister of Thailand | Law School; LL.M.; S.J.D. |
| Lawrence Summers (1954-) | economist; United States Secretary of the Treasury; Chief Economist for the World Bank | Ph.D. 1982; President (2001-) |
T |
| Jonathan Taylor Thomas (1981-) | actor | College 2004 |
| Grant Thompson (??-) | runner-up on second season of Dream Job, actor | College 1998 |
| Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) | journalist, philosopher, writer | College 1837 |
| James Toback (1944-) | film director and screenwriter | College 1966 |
| James Tobin (1918-2002) | economist; Nobel Prize winner (1981) | College 1939 |
| Sergio Troncoso (1961-) | novelist and writer of short stories | College 1983 |
| Barbara Tuchman (1912-1989) | historian | Radcliffe 1933; faculty |
U |
| Alvaro Uribe (1952-) | Colombia's President | Business School 1993 |
|
| John Updike (1932-) | writer | College 1954 |
V |
W |
| Alexander Watson | ambassador, diplomat | College 1961 |
| James D. Watson (1928-) | molecular biologist; Nobel Prize winner | professor |
| Cornel West (1953-) | African American studies scholar | professor (1993-2002) |
| William Lindsay White | journalist | College 1924 |
| George Whitesides (1939-) | chemist | professor (1982-) |
| Richard Wilbur (1921-) | poet | M.A. 1947; professor |
| Edward Osborne Wilson (1929-) | biologist | Ph.D.; professor |
| Ken |
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