This page serves as a central navigational point for lists of more than 2,350members of theUniversity of Oxford , divided into relevant groupings for ease of use. The vast majority were students at the university, although they did not necessarily take adegree ; others have heldfellowships at one of the university'scolleges ; many fall into both categories. This page does not include people whose only connection with the university consists of the award of an honorary degree or anhonorary fellowship .
The list has been divided into categories indicating the field of activity in which people have become well known. Many of the university'salumni/ae , orold members , as they are more traditionally known, have attained a level of distinction in more than one field. These appear only in the category with which it is felt they are most often associated, or in which they have been more recently involved. HenceJeffrey Archer (Brasenose ), a novelist, is listed as alife peer ;Imran Khan (Keble ), a formercaptain of thePakistani cricket team , is listed as aPakistani politician . Some academic disciplines are more difficult to define than others. In particular, manytheologians , lawyers, andsociologists work in areas that might be thought to be encompassed by philosophy.
Oxonians (a term for members, students or alumni of the university derived from its Latin name,Academia Oxoniensis ) have included twoBritish kings and at least fifteen monarchs of eleven othersovereign states (including five reigning monarchs), twenty-eightBritish prime ministers , and thirty-fivepresidents and prime ministers of nineteen other countries. As of July 2019[update] there are seven Oxonians in theCabinet of the United Kingdom and two in theShadow Cabinet . The university lays claim to thirteensaints , tenblesseds , anantipope , nineteencardinals , and eighty-ninearchbishops (including thirty-two ofCanterbury and twenty-two ofYork ). The university claims forty-sevenNobel Laureates and threeFields Medallists . The university's oldest student wasGertrud Seidmann , who was awarded a Certificate of Graduate Attainment aged 91.[ 1]
This list also includes twenty-fiveprinces and princesses (among them theheirs apparent ofBelgium andBrunei ), thirty-fourdukes , nineteenmarquesses , eighty-twoearls and countesses , forty-sixviscounts and viscountesses , and 188barons and baronesses ; 246 bishops (Anglican and Catholic); 291Members of Parliament (excluding MPs who were subsequently peers), elevenMembers of the European Parliament (excluding MEPs also serving at Westminster), twelveLord Chancellors , nineLord Chief Justices and twenty-twolaw lords ; tenUS Senators , tenUS Representatives (including aSpeaker of the House ), threestate governors , and fourassociate justices of theUS Supreme Court ; as well as sixpuisne justices of theSupreme Court of Canada and a chief justice of the now defunctFederal Court of Canada .
Heads of state and heads of government [ edit ] British Prime Ministers [ edit ] His Majesty's Government[ edit ] House of Lords and House of Commons [ edit ] Members of the European Parliament [ edit ] British local politicians [ edit ] British civil servants [ edit ] Members of the British Royal Household [ edit ] British military, security, and police personnel[ edit ] Foreign politicians, civil servants, diplomats, and military personnel[ edit ] Non-government people in British public life [ edit ] Non-government people in public life overseas [ edit ] Lord Chancellors and Lord Chief Justices [ edit ] Lords of Appeal in Ordinary (Law Lords)[ edit ] Other judges and lawyers: United Kingdom [ edit ] Judges and lawyers: other countries [ edit ] Saints
Blessed
Pope
Cardinals
Archbishops of Canterbury
Archbishops of York
Other Archbishops, Presiding Bishops, and Metropolitans
Other Bishops
Clergy and other ministers
Theologians
Poets Laureate
Novelists and story writers [ edit ] Scholars, critics, diarists, publishers, librarians[ edit ] Joseph Addison (The Queen's and Magdalen)Jean Aitchison (Worcester)Peter Bayley (University)John Bayley (St Catherine's)Max Beerbohm (Merton)Stephen Bernard (Christ Church, Brasenose, and Univ)Homi K. Bhabha James H. Billington (Balliol)Andrew Cecil Bradley (Balliol)Melvyn Bragg (Wadham)Jacky Bratton (St Anne's)Katharine Mary Briggs (Lady Margaret Hall)Vera Brittain (Somerville)Cleanth Brooks (Exeter)Robert Burchfield (Magdalen and Christ Church)Sir Raymond Carr (Christ Church, New College, All Souls and St Antony's)Alasdair Clayre (All Souls)Peter Conrad (Christ Church and All Souls)Janet E. Courtney (Lady Margaret Hall)Jonathan Culler Christopher de Hamel Thomas de Quincey (Brasenose)Susie Dent Terry Eagleton (Wadham, Linacre, and St Catherine's)Richard Ellmann (New College)Paul Engle Geoffrey Faber (Christ Church)James Fenton (Magdalen)Henry Watson Fowler (Balliol)Adam Fox (Magdalen)Leela Gandhi William Gifford (Exeter)Victor Gollancz (New College)George Stuart Gordon (Oriel and Magdalen)John Haffenden (St John's and Magdalen)Ian Hamilton (Keble)Richard Hakluyt (Christ Church)Hugh Haughton George Birkbeck Norman Hill (Pembroke)Christopher Hitchens (Balliol)Thomas James (New College)Samuel Johnson (Pembroke)Antony Kamm (Worcester)Andrew Lang (Balliol)Gerard Langbaine (University)Monica Jones (St Hugh's)John Lahr (Worcester)Andrew George Lehmann C.S. Lewis (University and Magdalen)Alain LeRoy Locke (Hertford)Edward Lucie-Smith (Merton)Fiona MacCarthy Peter McDonald (University and Christ Church)Robert Macfarlane (Magdalen)Norris McWhirter (Trinity) co-founder,Guinness Book of Records (1955)Ross McWhirter (Trinity) co-founder,Guinness Book of Records (1955)Chris Maslanka (St Catherine's) Ved Mehta (Balliol)Kate Millett (St Hilda's) author ofSexual Politics (1970), founder of Women's Art Colony Farm (1971)Peter Milward (Campion Hall) Emeritus Professor of English Literature Sophia UniversityToril Moi (Lady Margaret Hall and Pembroke)Jan Morris (St Edmund Hall and Christ Church)Brian Morris, Baron Morris of Castle Morris (Worcester)Raymond Mortimer (Balliol)Douglas Murray (Magdalen)Beverley Nichols (Balliol)Harold Nicolson (Balliol)David Norbrook (Balliol, Magdalen, and Merton)Michael O'Neill (Exeter)Francis Turner Palgrave (Balliol and Exeter)Walter Pater (The Queen's)William Paton Ker (Balliol and All Souls)Reynolds Price (Merton)Arthur Quiller-Couch (Trinity)Walter Alexander Raleigh (Merton)Nick Rees-Roberts (Keble)C. Allen Thorndike Rice publisher of theNorth American Review Christopher Ricks (Balliol and Worcester)Neil Leon Rudenstine (New College) President of Harvard University 1991–2001John Campbell Shairp (Balliol)Susan Sontag (St Anne's)Richard Steele (Merton)Percy Stephensen (The Queen's)J. I. M. Stewart (Oriel and Christ Church)Jonathan Swift (Hertford)Ann Thwaite (St Hilda's)J. R. R. Tolkien (Exeter and Pembroke)Jenny Uglow (St Anne's)Guðbrandur Vigfússon Elizabeth Wade White Fredric Warburg (Christ Church)Marina Warner (Lady Margaret Hall)Joseph Warton (Oriel)Raymond Williams Simon Winchester (St Catherine's)George Woodcock Ghil'ad Zuckermann (St Hugh's)Travel and non-fiction writers [ edit ] Many journalists work in both print and broadcast media. The following are listed under the medium for which they are best known. Those who are known solely as sports commentators will be found atList of University of Oxford people in sport, exploration, and adventuring .
Paul Anderson (Balliol)Tribune 1991–93, Deputy New Statesman 1993–96Perry Anderson (Worcester)New Left Review 1962–82 & 2000–03Lionel Barber (St. Edmund)The Financial Times 2005–Paul Barker (Brasenose)New Society 1968–86Peter Beinart (University)The New Republic 1999–2006, Editor-at-large 2006–Tina Brown (St Anne's)Tatler 1979–83,Vanity Fair 1984–92,The New Yorker 1992–98George Earle Buckle (New College and All Souls)The Times 1884–1912Alastair Burnet (Worcester)The Economist 1965–74,The Daily Express 1974–76Charles C. W. Cooke (LMH)National Review Online 2016–William Percival Crozier (Trinity)The Manchester Guardian 1932–44Matthew d'Ancona (Magdalen and All Souls)The Spectator 2006–Geoffrey Dawson (Magdalen and All Souls)The Times 1912–19 & 1923–41John Thadeus Delane (Magdalen Hall)The Times 1841–77Bill Emmott (Magdalen)The Economist 1993–2006James Fallows (The Queen's)U.S. News & World Report 1996–98Kim Fletcher (Hertford)The Independent on Sunday 1998–99, Ed Dir Telegraph New Media 2000–03, Ed Dir Telegraph Group 2003–05Paul Foot (University)Socialist Worker 1972–78John Gross (Wadham)Times Literary Supplement 1974–81,New York Times Book Review (Dep. Editor) 1985–1989John Lawrence Hammond (St John's)The Speaker 1899–1906Max Hastings The Daily Telegraph 1986–95,The Evening Standard 1996–2001Alastair Hetherington (Corpus Christi)The Guardian 1956–75Ian Hislop (Magdalen)Private Eye 1986–Anthony Howard (Christ Church)New Statesman 1972–78, DeputyThe Observer 1981–88Brian Inglis (Magdalen)The Spectator 1959–62Richard Ingrams (University) co-founderPrivate Eye 1961, Editor 1963–86, founderThe Oldie 1992Aboubakr Jamaï (University) co-founderLe Journal Hebdomadaire 1997, co-founderAssahifa al-Ousbouiya 1998Simon Jenkins (St John's)Evening Standard 1976–78,The Times 1990–92Paul Johnson (Magdalen)New Statesman 1965–70Mehreen Khan Financial Times 2016–22,The Times 2022–Michael Kinsley (Magdalen)The New Republic 1979–81 & 1985–89,Slate 1996–2002, sometime ofHarper's Magazine Andrew Knight (Balliol)The Economist 1974–86Richard Lambert (Balliol)Financial Times 1991–2001, Director General Confederation of British Industry 2006–Dominic Lawson (Christ Church)The Spectator 1990–95,The Sunday Telegraph 1995–2005John Micklethwait (Magdalen)The Economist 2006–Ferdinand Mount (Christ Church)Times Literary Supplement 1991–2003Rowan Pelling (St Hugh's)Erotic Review 1997–Peter Preston (St John's)The Guardian 1975–95William Rees-Mogg (Balliol)The Times 1967–81, Chairman Arts Council 1982–89C. P. Scott (Corpus Christi)The Manchester Guardian 1872–1929Edward Taylor Scott The Manchester Guardian 1929–32Paul Spike (St Catherine's)Punch 1997Richard Stengel (Christ Church) Managing EditorTime 2006–Peter Stothard (Trinity)The Times 1992–2002,Times Literary Supplement 2002–Andrew Sullivan (Magdalen)The New Republic 1991–96Hilary Wainwright Red Pepper John Walter (Trinity)The Times 1803–09Norman Webster (St John's) sometime editor-in-chiefThe Globe and Mail ,Montreal Gazette Jacob Weisberg (New College) sometime ofSlate Andreas Whittam Smith (Keble)The Independent 1986–93, President of the British Board of Film Classification 1997–2002, First Church Estates Commissioner 2002–Peregrine Worsthorne (Magdalen)The Sunday Telegraph 1986–89David Aaronovitch (Balliol)Tariq Ali (Exeter)Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (Linacre)Lynn Barber Katharine Lee Bates Nora Beloff (Lady Margaret Hall)Catherine Bennett (Hertford)Stephen Bernard (Christ Church, Brasenose College, University College)Adrian Berry, 4th Viscount Camrose (Christ Church)Michael Billington (St Catherine's)[ 2] Grace Blakeley (St Peter's and St Antony's)Anna Blundy Emma Brockes (St Edmund Hall)James Buchan (Magdalen)David Caute (Wadham, St Antony's, and All Souls) Literary EditorNew Statesman 1979–80Hugh Chisholm (Christ Church) Editor ofEncyclopædia Britannica (11th & 12th edns)Alexander Cockburn (Keble)Andrew Cockburn (Worcester)Claud Cockburn Patrick Cockburn (Trinity)Peter Conradi (Brasenose)Robert Crampton George Dangerfield (Hertford) Literary EditorVanity Fair 1933–35Nick Denton (University)E. J. Dionne Cordelia Fine Jonathan Freedland (Wadham)Thomas Friedman – American journalist, author and a three-time winner of thePulitzer Prize Barton Gellman Alan Gibson (Queen's)Maurizio Giuliano (University)Richard Gott Tom Gross (Wadham)John Harris (The Queen's)Julia Hartley-Brewer (Magdalen)Mehdi Hasan (Christ Church)Christopher Hitchens (Balliol)Anthony Holden Austen Ivereigh (St Antony's) Director of Public Affairs Archbishop of Westminster 2004–06Rachel Johnson (New College)Owen Jones (University)[ 3] Tobias Jones (Jesus)John F. Jungclaussen (St Cross College)Oliver Kamm (New College)John Keay (Magdalen)Robert Kee (Magdalen)Lucy Kellaway (Lady Margaret Hall)Ludovic Kennedy (Christ Church)Martin Kettle (Balliol)Miles Kington (Trinity)Charles Krauthammer Nicholas D. Kristof (Magdalen)Christina Lamb (University)Osbert Lancaster (Lincoln)Nathaniel Lande Creative Director ofTime , Director of Time World News Service & Time-LifePaul Levy (Nuffield)James McDonald (University)Derek Malcolm (Merton)[ 4] Peter Millar (Magdalen)Seumas Milne (Balliol)[ 5] Baisali Mohanty (Wolfson)Sheridan Morley (Merton)Harry Mount Eustace Clare Grenville Murray (Hertford) diplomat 1851–68, founder Queen's Messenger 1869, co-founder World 1874James Owen (University)Melanie Phillips (St Anne's)Adam Raphael (Oriel)Kate Rew W. Andrew Robinson (University) Literary EditorTimes Higher Education Supplement Miranda Sawyer (Pembroke)William Shawcross (University)Sonia Sodha (St Hilda's)Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer (Magdalen)Guy Spier (Brasenose)George Steer (Christ Church)Jonny Steinberg Heather Stewart (Magdalen)Frances Stonor Saunders (St Anne's)David Stubbs Matthew Sweet Polly Toynbee (St Anne's)Kenneth Tynan (Magdalen)Sharon Waxman (St Antony's)Michael Wharton (Lincoln)[ 6] Geoffrey Wheatcroft (New College)[ 7] Christine Whelan (Worcester) author ofWhy Smart Men Marry Smart Women George Will (Magdalen)Tom Wintringham (Balliol) founderDaily Worker (1930) andLeft Review (1934)John Woodcock (Trinity)Adrian Wooldridge (Balliol and All Souls)Hugo Young (Balliol)Toby Young (Brasenose)Jana Bennett Head of Science BBC 1994–2002, Director of Television 2002–06, Director of Vision 2006–Seymour Berry, 2nd Viscount Camrose (Christ Church) MP 1941–45, Dep Chmn Telegraph 1939–87, Vice Chmn Amalgamated Press 1942–59Michael Berry, Baron Hartwell (disclaimed 3rd Viscount Camrose) (Christ Church) Chairman and Editor-in-ChiefThe Daily Telegraph andThe Sunday Telegraph until 1986John Birt, Baron Birt (St Catherine's) BBC Director-General 1992–2000Michael Checkland (Wadham) BBC Director-General 1987–1992Calvin Cheng (Hertford) founder Looque International (2004)Arthur fforde (Trinity) Headmaster of Rugby 1948–57, Chairman of the BBC 1957–64Maurice Gorham (Balliol) Controller BBC Television Service 1946–47, Director Radio Éireann 1953–59Hugh Greene (Merton) BBC Director-General 1960–1969Tony Hall (Keble) BBC Director-General 2013–2020George Howard, Baron Howard of Henderskelfe (Balliol) Chairman of the BBC 1980–83Jeremy Isaacs (Merton) Channel 4 Chief Executive 1981–87Walter Isaacson (Pembroke) Chairman & CEO of CNN 2001–3, President & CEO of Aspen Institute 2003–Roly Keating (Balliol) Controller of BBC Four 2002–04, Controller of BBC Two 2004–Alasdair Milne (New College) BBC Director-General 1982–1987Rupert Murdoch (Worcester) founder, Chairman, and CEO News Corporation 1980–Frederick Ogilvie (Jesus) BBC Director-General 1938–1942Cathy Rogers Creative Director RDF Media (Los Angeles) 2001–Howard Stringer (Merton) Chairman and CEO Sony Corporation 2005–Mark Thompson (Merton) BBC Director-General 2004–2012Stage and television [ edit ] Composers
Conductors
Organists
Pianists
Singers
Musicologists
Administration
Didgeridoo
Jazz
Country
Folk
Rock and pop
Museum and gallery directors [ edit ] Robert Anderson (St John's) Director British Museum 1992–2002Thomas P. Campbell Director Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 2009–Kenneth Clark, Baron Clark of Saltwood (Trinity) Director National Gallery 1933–46, Surveyor King's Pictures 1934–44, Chairman Arts Council 1953–60Henry Ellis (St John's) Principal Librarian British Museum 1827–56T. D. Kendrick (Oriel) Director and Principal Librarian British Museum 1950–59Frederic G. Kenyon (Magdalen) Director and Principal Librarian British Museum 1909–31Michael Levey (Exeter) Director National Gallery 1973–86Neil MacGregor (New College) Director National Gallery 1987–2002, Director British Museum 2002–, Chairman World Collections 2008–Edward Maunde Thompson (University) Principal Librarian British Museum 1888–98, Director and Principal Librarian 1898–1909Nicholas Penny (Balliol) Director National Gallery 2008–John Pope-Hennessy (Balliol) Director Victoria and Albert Museum 1967–73, Director and Principal Librarian British Museum 1974–76, Director 1976–79John Wolfenden, Baron Wolfenden (Magdalen) V-C Reading Univ 1950–63, Chmn Wolfenden Cttee 1954–57, Chmn Univ Grants Cttee 1963–68, Dir & Prin Lib Brit Mus 1969–74Art and history of art [ edit ] Academic disciplines [ edit ] This includes:
Law Theology and the Study of Religions Historians Classicists, Byzantinists, Archaeologists Modern Languages Philosophers Economists Geography Anthropology and ethnography Sociology Politics, political philosophy, and international relations Asian studies Mathematicians and statisticians ScientistsNaturalists, botanists, and zoologists Medicine Psychologists, psychiatrists, and physiologists of the brain Chemists Physicists and astronomersAstronomers Royal Other physicists and astronomers Computers, electronics, and robotics Engineering and agriculture Geology Meteorology Sports people, explorers and adventurers[ edit ] Chefs and wine experts [ edit ] ^ "Gertrud Seidmann awarded a Certificate of Graduate Attainment" .School of Archaeology . University of Oxford. 28 March 2011. Archived fromthe original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved15 July 2018 .^ "St Catherine's, Oxford v Peterhouse, Cambridge" .BBC Online . Retrieved18 April 2021 .^ Cooper-Beglin, Charlotte (6 January 2014)."Interview: Owen Jones" .Cherwell . Retrieved6 May 2021 . ^ Levens, R.G.C., ed. (1964).Merton College Register 1900-1964 . Oxford: Basil Blackwell. p. 416. ^ "How Seumas Milne quietly became Labour's power player" .The New European . 3 May 2019. Retrieved8 May 2021 .^ Purser, Philip (25 January 2006)."Michael Wharton" .The Guardian . Retrieved11 May 2021 . ^ Howard, Anthony (7 December 1989)."Murder in the Cathedral" .London Review of Books . Retrieved18 August 2021 . ^ "Obituary: Frank Bough" . BBC News. 25 October 2020. Retrieved2 May 2021 .^ "Gyles Brandreth (New College, 1967)" .alumni.ox.ac.uk . 19 January 2017. Retrieved3 May 2021 .^ "Jo Coburn" .BBC Online . Retrieved8 May 2021 .^ "Michael Crick, BA" .University of Manchester . Retrieved6 May 2021 .^ "Chris Hollins" .Talent4 Media . Retrieved4 May 2021 .^ "Tributes to Magnus Magnusson, KBE, 1929-2007" .BBC Online . 8 January 2007. Retrieved3 May 2021 .^ Iqbal, Nosheen (19 March 2018)."Cathy Newman: 'The internet is being written by men with an agenda' " .The Guardian . Retrieved6 May 2021 . ^ "40 Years of Women: Katie Razzall" .Pembroke College, Oxford . 31 October 2019. Retrieved6 May 2021 .^ Billen, Andrew."Sophy Ridge, the woman changing on-screen politics" .Royal Television Society . Retrieved1 May 2021 . ^ Katbamna, Mira (17 August 2011)."My first year at university" .The Guardian . Retrieved6 May 2021 . ^ Morris, Sophie (22 October 2011)."Dan Snow: History boy" .The Independent . London. Retrieved8 May 2021 . ^ Dainty, Sophie (7 June 2023)."Hollyoaks star Niamh Blackshaw explains exit from Juliet role" .Digital Spy . (Hearst Communications ). Retrieved7 June 2023 . ^ "Sophie Hunter Biography" .Sophie Hunter Central .^ Hayward, Anthony (7 October 2010)."Louis Marks obituary" .The Guardian . Retrieved19 April 2021 . ^ Durrant, Sabine (23 October 2011)."INTERVIEW / Plowman's half-hour: Jon Plowman is the straight man behind the funny women played by French and Saunders. Life's a gag, the TV producer tells Sabine Durrant" .The Independent . London. Retrieved3 May 2021 .