Amherst College Notable Alumni

Discover the notable alumni of Amherst College. The list includes people like Calvin Coolidge, David Foster Wallace, Albert II, Prince of Monaco, Emily Dickinson & Charles R. Drew. This list of notable alumni is loosely sorted by popularity and has people from different domains of life, such as intellectuals & academics, writers, scientists, leaders and physicians etc.

Vote for Your Favourite Amherst College Notable Alumni

Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

Birthdate: February 21, 1962

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Ithaca, New York, United States

Died: September 12, 2008

David Foster Wallace was an American author who is regarded as one of the most innovative and influential writers of the past 20 years. His best-known work, Infinite Jest, was named one of the best English-language novels between 1923 and 2005 by Time magazine. Wallace continues to serve as an inspiration to writers like Darin Strauss and George Saunders.

Birthdate: June 22, 1964

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Exeter, New Hampshire, United States

Dan Brown is an American author best known for writing a series of Robert Langdon novels; three such novels, namely The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and Inferno, have been made into films, with Tom Hanks portraying Robert Langdon in all three movies. Also known for his charity work, Dan Brown donates money to several charitable causes.

Birthdate: July 4, 1872

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Plymouth, Vermont, United States

Died: January 5, 1933

The 30th president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge started his career as a lawyer before becoming an influential American politician. A man of few words with a dry sense of humor, Calvin Coolidge represented the middle class, which worked in his favor. Despite being a reclusive politician, Coolidge gave 520 press conferences, making himself available to reporters quite often.

Recommended Lists:

Birthdate: March 14, 1958

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Monaco

Albert II, Prince of Monaco, one of the world’s richest royals, is the son of Rainier III and famed actor Grace Kelly. Albert is a former Olympic bobsleigh finalist and an avid environmentalist who works for ocean conservation. He is also associated with many philanthropic organizations, such as Orphans International.

Recommended Lists:

 5 

Teller

(Magician and Illusionist Best Known as One-Half of the Comedy Magic Duo ‘Penn & Teller’)

Birthdate: February 14, 1948

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

American magician and illusionist Teller is most noted for his performance with Penn Jillette as half of the famous comedy magic duo Penn & Teller. Works of Teller also includes featuring in the series Penn & Teller: Bullshit! with Jillette; co-directing and incorporating stage magic techniques in the plays Macbeth and The Tempest; and directing the documentary film Tim's Vermeer. 

Birthdate: December 7, 1965

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States

Jeffrey Wright is a popular American actor. A self-made man, Jeffrey Wright overcame many childhood problems, including the demise of his father, to become an award-winning actor. Jeffrey Wright serves as an inspiration to many black Americans. In 2011, he established a gold exploration company called Taia Lion Resources, which provided employment to several Americans.

Recommended Lists:

 7 

John Michael Higgins

(Actor)

Birthdate: February 12, 1963

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Height: 5'11" (180 cm)

 8 

David O. Russell

(Director)

Birthdate: August 20, 1958

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Height: 5'11" (180 cm)

Recommended Lists:

 9 

Hamish Linklater

(Best Known for His Role as ‘Matthew Kimble’ in the TV Series ‘The New Adventures of Old Christine’)

Birthdate: July 7, 1976

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Great Barrington, Massachusetts, United States

Hamish Linklater is an American actor known for playing important roles in popular TV series, such as The New Adventures of Old Christine, The Crazy Ones, and Legion. The son of Kristin Linklater, Hamish Linklater followed in the footsteps of his mother to establish himself in the entertainment industry.

Birthdate: October 26, 1961

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Nairobi

The incumbent Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta is the leader of the Jubilee Party of Kenya. Son of Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta, he was dragged into a controversy after sweeping the 2017 re-elections by winning 98% of the total votes. However, a Supreme Court ruling dismissed all charges against him.

Recommended Lists:

 11 

Drew Pinsky

(Radio personality, Addiction medicine specialist)

Birthdate: September 4, 1958

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Pasadena, California, United States

Height: 6'0" (183 cm)

 12 

Stephen Collins

(Actor)

Birthdate: October 1, 1947

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Des Moines, Iowa, USA

Height: 6'0" (183 cm)

Recommended Lists:

 13 

Rob Cohen

(Director)

Birthdate: March 12, 1949

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Cornwall, New York, USA

Birthdate: March 28, 1944

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: El Centro, California, United States

Died: March 23, 2016

Height: 6'7" (201 cm)

Recommended Lists:

 15 

Clarence Birdseye

(Inventor, Engineer)

Birthdate: December 9, 1886

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States

Died: October 7, 1956

Birthdate: October 15, 1953

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States

Height: 5'11" (180 cm)

Recommended Lists:

Birthdate: February 9, 1943

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Gary

Nobel laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz is best known for his work on the theory of markets with asymmetric information. The MIT alumnus has taught at prestigious institutes such as Harvard and Stanford and currently teaches at Columbia University, He has been an economic advisor to the U.S. government, too.

 18 

David Eisenhower

(Writer and Grandson of Former American President Dwight D. Eisenhower)

Birthdate: March 31, 1948

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: West Point, New York, United States

Author, academic, and public policy fellow David Eisenhower teaches at the University of Pennsylvania. Best known for his Pulitzer Prize-shortlisted book Eisenhower at War: 1943-1945, he is the grandson of former U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower and the son of John Eisenhower. He is also the son-in-law of Richard Nixon.

Recommended Lists:

 19 

Jim Steinman

(Composer)

Birthdate: November 1, 1947

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA

Height: 6'0" (183 cm)

 20 

Harlan Coben

(Writer)

Birthdate: January 4, 1962

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, USA

Recommended Lists:

 21 

Daniel Goleman

(Writer)

Birthdate: March 7, 1946

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Stockton, California, U.S.

 22 

John S. Middleton

(American Businessperson)

Birthplace: United States

Recommended Lists:

 23 

Julie Powell

(Writer)

Birthdate: April 20, 1973

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Austin, Texas, United States

 24 

Eric Schneiderman

(Lawyer)

Birthdate: December 31, 1954

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: New York City, New York, U.S.

Recommended Lists:

 25 

Harlan F. Stone

(Lawyer)

Birthdate: October 11, 1872

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Chesterfield, New Hampshire, United States

Died: April 22, 1946

 26 

William Hedgcock Webster

(Judge)

Birthdate: March 6, 1924

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.

Recommended Lists:

 27 

Thomas Francis Eagleton

(Politician)

Birthdate: September 4, 1929

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Saint Louis, Missouri, US

Died: March 4, 2007

 28 

Rob Brown

(Actor)

Birthdate: March 11, 1984

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Harlem, New York, U.S.

Height: 6'1" (185 cm)

Recommended Lists:

 29 

John Bates Clark

(Economist)

Birthdate: January 26, 1847

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Providence, Rhode Island, United States

Died: March 21, 1938

 30 

Aatish Taseer

(Writer, Journalist)

Birthdate: November 27, 1980

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: London, England

Recommended Lists:

 31 

Chris Coons

(Politician)

Birthdate: September 9, 1963

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich, Connecticut, United States U.S.

 32 

James Merrill

(American Poet)

Birthdate: March 3, 1926

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

Died: February 6, 1995

Recommended Lists:

Birthdate: May 23, 1951

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Athens

Former Greek prime minister Antonis Samaras was born into an affluent family and had even won the Greek Teen Tennis Championship at 17. He boasts of a Harvard MBA and, as a New Democracy party member, has held several ministerial positions. He had founded the short-lived political party Political Spring.

 34 

Harold E. Varmus

(American Scientist Who Won Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of the Cellular Origin of Retroviral Oncogenes)

Birthdate: December 18, 1939

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Oceanside, New York, United States

Harold E. Varmus is an American scientist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with J. Michael Bishop for their discovery of the retroviral oncogenes' cellular origin. From 1993 to 1999, he served as the director of the National Institutes of Health. From 2010 to 2015, he served as the director of the National Cancer Institute.

Recommended Lists:

 35 

John M. Deutch

(United States Deputy Secretary of Defense from 1994 to 1995)

Birthdate: July 27, 1938

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium

John M. Deutch is an American civil servant and physical chemist. He is best known for his service as the Director of Central Intelligence from 10 May 1995 to 15 December 1996. John M. Deutch also served as the Deputy Secretary of Defense from 1994 to 1995.

 36 

John J. McCloy

(Diplomat)

Birthdate: March 31, 1895

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Died: March 11, 1989

Recommended Lists:

 37 

P. D. Eastman

(Writer, Illustrator)

Birthdate: November 25, 1909

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Amherst, Massachusetts, United States

Died: January 7, 1986

 38 

Matt Besser

(Actor)

Birthdate: September 22, 1967

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

Recommended Lists:

 39 

Charles E. Merrill

(Philanthropist)

Birthdate: October 19, 1885

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Green Cove Springs, Florida, United States

Died: October 6, 1956

 40 

Stephen Cole Kleene

(Mathematician, Computer scientist, Philosopher, University teacher)

Birthdate: January 5, 1909

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Hartford

Died: January 25, 1994

Recommended Lists:

 41 

Richard Wilbur

(Poet)

Birthdate: March 1, 1921

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States

Died: October 14, 2017

 42 

George Papandreou

(Former Prime Minister of Greece (2009 - 2011))

Birthdate: June 16, 1952

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States

George Papandreou is a Greek politician who is currently serving as the President of the Socialist International (SI). From 2009 to 2011, he served as the Prime Minister of Greece. He has also served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs on two occasions.

Recommended Lists:

 43 

Robert Lansing

(United States Secretary of State)

Birthdate: October 17, 1864

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Watertown, New York, United States

Died: October 30, 1928

 44 

Kingman Brewster, Jr.

(Educator)

Birthdate: June 17, 1919

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Longmeadow, Massachusetts, United States

Died: November 8, 1988

Recommended Lists:

 45 

Robert S. Woodworth

(Psychologist)

Birthdate: October 17, 1869

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Belchertown, Massachusetts, United States

Died: July 4, 1962

 46 

William S. Clark

(Professor)

Birthdate: July 31, 1826

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Ashfield, Massachusetts, United States

Died: March 9, 1886

Recommended Lists:

Birthdate: August 5, 1886

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Robbins, Tennessee

Died: July 5, 1967

 48 

Charles E. Mitchell

(Banker)

Birthdate: October 6, 1877

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Chelsea, Massachusetts, United States

Died: December 14, 1955

Recommended Lists:

 49 

Dwight Morrow

(Businessman)

Birthdate: January 11, 1873

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Huntington, West Virginia, United States

Died: October 5, 1931

 50 

Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor

(Photojournalist)

Birthdate: October 28, 1875

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Istanbul, Turkey

Died: February 4, 1966

Recommended Lists:

The famous Amherst College, situated in the state of Massachusetts, is one of the best places to study liberal arts in the whole of United States. This college, which started way back in 1821, was a men’s only institution, but became co-educational quite recently, in 1975 to be precise. An online source says that more than 8000 students had applied for an admission in this notable institution, but just over a thousand students were finally accepted by the college. Such is the demand for an admission in this college. The American media company ‘U.S News & World Report’ had mentioned ‘Amherst College’ as the best institution in the United States on ten occasions. The college has also made waves over the years for its notable alumni, some of whom are famous worldwide for their outstanding accomplishments. The most notable of these was the legendary political leader Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States. His journey from being a small time politician to the first man of the United States is simply remarkable. A few other eminent personalities who were once students at Amherst College are acclaimed writer Dan Brown, former American politician Harlan F Stone, Monarch Albert II, the Prince of Monaco and actor Rob Brown. Dan Brown is considered a gem of modern literature and has penned several bestsellers such as ‘Da Vinci Code’ and ‘Angels & Demons’. Both these books were adapted for celluloid and went on to become blockbusters. We have enlisted a few notable alumni who have made Amherst College proud with their remarkable achievements.