This is an incomplete list of University of Adelaide people including notable alumni and staff associated with the former University of Adelaide (1874–2026) in Australia.
On 31 March 2026, the university was formally dissolved and (via a bilateral merger) transitioned into Adelaide University, also known as Tirkangkaku.
Alumni
Business
Shaun Bonett – founder of the Precision Group John Langdon Bonython – founding chairman of Santos Bruce Carter – chairman of ASC Pty Ltd Cheong Choong Kong – former chief executive officer of Singapore Airlines, chairman of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Tim Cooper – managing director of Coopers Brewery Simon Hackett – founder of Internode (ISP) Tim Harcourt – economist Edward Holden – managing director of General Motors-Holden Wayne Jackson – former chief executive officer of the Australian Football League (AFL) Lim Siong Guan – group president of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation Gillon McLachlan – chief executive officer of the AFL Thorburn Brailsford Robertson – pioneered insulin manufacture in Australia Bo Songvisava – chef and restaurateur John Spalvins – managing director of the Adelaide Steamship Company Raymond Spencer – chair of the South Australian Economic Development Board Neil Weste – microelectronics engineer and entrepreneur Philip Wollen – former vice president of Citibank; general manager at Citicorp, Philanthropist Danielle Wood – economist and incoming chair of the Productivity Commission Wan Zulkiflee – chairman of Malaysia Airlines, former president and chief executive officer of Petronas
Government
Heads of state
Frances Adamson – governor 2021–present Roma Mitchell – Australia's first female judge; its first female governor 1991–1996 Eric Neal – business leader, governor 1996–2001 Mark Oliphant – physicist; governor 1971–1976 Keith Seaman – Uniting Church minister; governor 1977–1982 Hieu Van Le – lieutenant governor of South Australia 2007–2014; governor 2014–2021
Politicians
National leaders Australia Julia Gillard – 27th Prime Minister of Australia (2009–2012) (attended 1979 to 1982, transferred to the University of Melbourne)
All other countries Peter Ong Boon Kwee – head of the Civil Service, Singapore since 2010, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Singapore since 2009, and Permanent Secretary with Special Duties in the Prime Minister's Office, Singapore Ong Teng Cheong – 5th president of Singapore (1993–1999) Istana Singapore – former Presidents – Mr Ong Teng Cheong Joseph Pairin Kitingan – 7th chief minister of Sabah, Malaysia (1985–1994) Adenan Satem – 5th chief minister of Sarawak, Malaysia (2014–2017) Abdul Taib – 4th chief minister of Sarawak, Malaysia (1981–2014); governor of Sarawak (2014–) Tony Tan Keng Yam – 7th president of Singapore (2011–2017); deputy prime minister of Singapore (1995–2005 National University of Singapore : Past Presidents and Vice Chancellors — Dr Tony TAN Keng Yam)
South Australian premiers
Lynn Arnold – premier of South Australia 1992–1993 John Bannon – premier of South Australia 1982–1992 Henry Barwell – premier of South Australia 1920–1924 Dean Brown – premier of South Australia 1993–1996 Don Dunstan – premier of South Australia 1967–1968, and 1970–1979 Rob Kerin – premier of South Australia 2001–2002 Peter Malinauskas – premier of South Australia 2022– David Tonkin – premier of South Australia 1979–1982 Jay Weatherill – premier of South Australia 2011–2018
Other Federal politicians
Benjamin Benny – senator for South Australia (1920–1926) Gordon Bilney – member for Kingston (1983–1996), former minister Simon Birmingham – senator for South Australia (2007–), former minister Julie Bishop – member for Curtin (1998–), former minister Mark Bishop – senator for Western Australia (1996–2014) Nick Bolkus – senator for South Australia (1981–2005), former minister Mark Butler – member for Hindmarsh (2007–), current minister Peter Duncan – member for Makin (1984–1996), former minister Don Farrell – senator for South Australia (2008–2014, 2016–), current minister Janine Haines – senator for South Australia (1977–1978, 1981–1990) Sarah Hanson-Young – senator for South Australia (2008–) Robert Hill – senator for South Australia (1981–2006), former minister, and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations Annette Hurley – senator for South Australia (2005–2011) Linda Kirk – senator for South Australia (2002–2008) Keith Laught – senator for South Australia (1951–1969) Alexander McLachlan – senator for South Australia (1926–1944), postmaster-general Andrew Nikolic – member for Bass (2013–2016) Christopher Pyne – member for Sturt (1993–2019), former minister Margaret Reid – senator for the Australian Capital Territory (1981–2003) Andrew Southcott – member for Boothby (1996–2016) Natasha Stott Despoja – senator for South Australia (1995–2008), Leader of the Australian Democrats (2001–2002) Amanda Vanstone – senator for South Australia (1984–2007), former minister, ambassador to Italy (2007–2010) David Vigor – senator for South Australia (1984–1987) Keith Wilson – senator for South Australia (1938–1944), member for Sturt (1949–1954, 1955–1966) Penny Wong – senator for South Australia (2002–), current minister Nick Xenophon – senator for South Australia (2008–2018)
Other state and territory politicians
Adair Blain – member for the Northern Territory (1934–1949) Lia Finocchiaro – chief minister of the Northern Territory (2024–present) Pru Goward – member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, current minister Shane Stone – chief minister of the Northern Territory (1995–1999) Ian Wilson – member for Sturt (1966–1969, 1972–1993), former minister
Other politician figures
David Combe – former Secretary of the Australian Labor Party Lynton Crosby – campaign strategist and co-founder of the Crosby Textor Group Lim Soo Hoon – first female Permanent Secretary of Singapore Raymond Lim – member of Parliament of Singapore (2001–2015), Minister for Transport G. Parameshwara – deputy chief minister of Karnataka Lockwood Smith – member of the New Zealand Parliament (1984–2013), speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, high commissioner of New Zealand to the United Kingdom
Public servants
Finlay Crisp – public servant, academic and political scientist John Menadue – Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Martin Parkinson – Secretary of the Department of the Treasury John E. Scanlon – Secretary General of CITES
Diplomats
Richard Broinowski – Australian ambassador to Mexico (1994–1997) Walter Crocker – diplomat and writer Maurice de Rohan – South Australian agent general in London (1998–2006) Tim George – Australian diplomat
Military Brigadier Arthur Seaforth Blackburn – soldier and lawyer; awarded the Victoria Cross in 1916. Blackburn also attended Pulteney Grammar School.
Humanities
Arts
Robyn Archer – performer and director Julian Cochran – composer Ruby Davy – pianist and composer John Dowie – painter and sculptor Francis Greenslade – comedian Robert Hannaford – realist artist Mark Holden – singer, actor, television personality and barrister Graham Jenkin – poet, composer and historian Graeme Koehne – composer Dichen Lachman – actress Anthony "Lehmo" Lehmann – comedian Lionel Logue – speech and language therapist and stage actor who successfully treated King George VI Gary McCaffrie – comedy writer and producer Shaun Micallef – comedian and writer Keith Michell – film and television actor Steve J. Spears – playwright and director Stephen Whittington – composer, pianist and writer on music
History Geoffrey Dutton – author and historian Anne Philomena O'Brien – author and historian Russel Ward – historian and author of The Australian Legend Graham Zanker – professor
Journalism and media
Keith Conlon – television and radio presenter Annabel Crabb – political writer and commentator Zoe Daniel – ABC foreign correspondent Chris Dore – editor in chief of The Australian Fran Kelly – journalist and political correspondent Christian Kerr – political commentator and journalist Samantha Maiden – national political editor of News Corporation Sunday papers Hamish McLachlan – television sports commentator for the Seven Network David Penberthy – editor-in-chief of The Daily Telegraph Angela Pippos – ABC sports journalist Michael Stutchbury – editor-in-chief of The Australian Financial Review Anne Summers – feminist writer and commentator
Literature, writing and poetry
Georgia Blain – author James Bradley – author John Jefferson Bray – poet and jurist Nancy Cato – author Garry Disher – author Brian Elliott – academic Anna Goldsworthy – writer and classical pianist Kerryn Goldsworthy – writer and critic Peter Goldsworthy – author Max Harris – Angry Penguins poet and publisher Rex Ingamells – poet and founder of the Jindyworobak Movement Joe Penhall – playwright Colin Thiele – writer Sean Williams – science fiction author
Philosophy and theology David Chalmers – philosopher and Federation Fellow Margaret Somerville – ethicist
Judiciary and the law
Amanda Banton – lawyer John Basten – justice of the New South Wales Court of Appeal Richard Blackburn – former chief justice of the Australian Capital Territory Catherine Branson – former president of the Australian Human Rights Commission and justice of the Federal Court of Australia John Bray – chief justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia, poet and classicist James Crawford – legal academic; judge of the International Court of Justice (2014) Claudia Cream – first Asian woman to graduate in law in South Australia Bill Denny – Attorney-General of South Australia John Doyle – chief justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia John Finnis – legal scholar and philosopher Regina Graycar – emeritus professor of Law School, University of Sydney Hermann Homburg – attorney-general of South Australia Elliott Johnston – Communist activist and justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia Len King – South Australian attorney-general; chief justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia Robert Lawson – Attorney-General of South Australia Chris Kourakis – chief justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia Bruce Lander – South Australia's first Independent Commissioner Against Corruption G. C. Ligertwood – judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia Brian Martin – chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory Robin Millhouse – lawyer, politician, justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia; chief justice of Kiribati and Nauru Roma Mitchell – lawyer, first female Queen's Counsel in Australia (1962); justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia; first female superior court judge in the British Commonwealth (1965) George Murray – chief justice of South Australia Mellis Napier – chief justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia Rosemary Owens – dean of Law at the University of Adelaide Law School Angas Parsons – former judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia and former attorney-general of South Australia Geoffrey Reed – judge in the Supreme Court of South Australia; the first director-general of ASIO Len Roberts-Smith – former justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia Paul Rofe – former South Australian director of Public Prosecutions Colin Rowe – attorney-general of South Australia Reginald Rudall – attorney-general of South Australia Chris Sumner – attorney-general of South Australia Margaret White – first female judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland
Medicine and science
Nobel laureates William Lawrence Bragg – physicist, Nobel laureate with his father (William Henry Bragg) "for their services in the analysis of crystal structure by means of X-rays"