List of Columbia University people in politics, military and law

This is a list of notable persons who have had ties to Columbia University. This partial list does not include all of the numerous Columbia alumni and faculty 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.

Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower (president of Columbia University 1948–1953) – 34th president of the United States (1953–1961) Barack Obama (B.A. 1983) – 44th president of the United States (2009–2017), U.S. senator from Illinois (2005–2008) Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Law 1904–1907; posthumous J.D., class of 1907) – 32nd president of the United States (1933–1945) Theodore Roosevelt (Law 1880–1881; posthumous J.D., class of 1882) – 26th president of the United States (1901–1909), 25th vice president of the United States (1901)

Cabinet secretaries Madeleine Albright (Ph.D. 1976, LL.D. [hons.] 1995) Presidential Medal of Freedom (2012); 64th United States secretary of state under President Bill Clinton (1997–2001), first female secretary of stateMedal of Freedom: Georgetown's Second Goes to Madeleine Albright , Georgetown University. April 26, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2012. Michael Armacost (Ph.D.) acting United States secretary of state (1989); U.S. ambassador to Japan (1989–1993); U.S. ambassador to the Philippines (1982–1984) Antony Blinken (J.D. 1988)United States Deputy National Security advisor (2013–2015); 71st United States secretary of state (2021–2025) Harold Brown (B.A. 1945, M.A. 1946, Ph.D. 1949) 14th United States secretary of defense (1977–81) Elaine Chao (graduate study) 24th United States secretary of labor (2001–2009); deputy secretary of labor; former director, Peace Corps Bainbridge Colby (J.D. 1891) 43rd United States secretary of state; founder, 1912 Progressive Party Jacob M. Dickinson (Law, attended) 44th United States secretary of war (1909–1911) Hamilton Fish (B.A. 1827) 26th United States secretary of state (1869–1877) Charles Forbesfirst director (secretary) of the U.S. Veterans' Bureau (predecessor of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs) (1921–1923) James Rudolph Garfield (J.D. 1888) 23rd United States secretary of the interior (1907–09), United States Civil Service Commission (1902–1903) 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 state (1817) Alexander Haig (CBS 1955) 59th United States secretary of state in Ronald Reagan's administration Alexander Hamilton (1774 matriculated, studies interrupted by Revolutionary War) first United States secretary of the treasury (1789–1795); co-author of The Federalist Papers James Alexander Hamilton (B.A.) acting United States secretary of state to President Andrew Jackson Charles Evans Hughes (J.D. 1884) 44th United States secretary of state (1921–1925), associate and chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court John Jay (B.A. 1764)acting United States secretary of state (1789–90); sixth president of the Continental Congress (1778–1779); second United States secretary of foreign affairs (1784–89); acting United States secretary of foreign affairs (1789); co-author of The Federalist Papers Jeh Johnson (J.D.) secretary of Homeland Security (2013–2017) Robert R. Livingston (B.A. 1765)first United States secretary of foreign affairs (1781–1783) Franklin MacVeagh (J.D. 1864) 45th United States Secretary of the Treasury (1909–13) F. David Mathews (Ph.D. 1975) 11th secretary of United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare under Gerald Ford (1975–1977); president, University of Alabama Rogers Morton (VP&S, attended) special counselor to President Gerald Ford (with cabinet rank); 39th United States secretary of the interior (1971–1975); 22nd United States secretary of commerce (1975–1976); chairman of the Republican National Committee Jim Nicholson (M.A.) 5th United States secretary of Veterans Affairs (2005–2007) under George W. Bush David Pekoske (M.I.A.)acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2021) Frances Perkins (M.A. 1910) 4th United States secretary of labor (1933–1945), first female cabinet member; United States Civil Service Commission (1946–1953) Frank Polk (LL.B. 1897)acting United States secretary of state (1920); Under Secretary of State (1919–1920); headed American Commission to Negotiate Peace (1919) Maurice H. Stans (1928–30) 19th United States secretary of commerce (1969–72); director, Office of Management and Budget (cabinet rank) (1958–1961) Walter Stoessel (graduate study) acting United States secretary of state; 7th United States Deputy Secretary of State (February 11, 1982 – September 22, 1982) Oscar S. Straus (B.A. 1871, J.D.1873) 3rd United States Secretary of Commerce and Labor (1906–09), the first Jewish presidential cabinet secretary William H. Woodin (B.A. 1890) 51st United States secretary of the treasury under Franklin Roosevelt; directed administration's declaration and enforcement of a "Bank Holiday" and taking U.S. off international gold standard

Attorneys general

William Pelham Barr (B.A. 1971, M.A. 1973) 77th and 85th United States attorney general; (1991–1993; 2019–2020); 24th United States deputy attorney general (1990–1991) Eric Holder (B.A. 1973, J.D. 1976) 82nd United States attorney general (2009–2015); first African-American attorney general; former acting U.S. attorney general in Clinton Administration (2001); 28th U.S. deputy attorney general (1997–2001); first AG held in criminal and civil contempt of Congress regarding Operation Fast and Furious investigation (2012) Joseph McKenna (before taking seat on U.S. Supreme Court, studied at Columbia Law while AG) 42nd attorney general of the United States (1897–1898) Michael Mukasey (B.A. 1963) 81st United States attorney general (2007–2009), former U.S. district judge and chief judge Harlan Fiske Stone (LL.B. 1898)52nd United States attorney general (1924–1925); Associate and chief justice of U.S. Supreme Court Harold R. Tyler Jr. (J.D. 1949) 14th United States deputy attorney general (2nd ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice) (1975–1977) Lawrence Edward Walsh (A.B. 1932, LL.B. 1935) 4th United States deputy attorney general (1957–1960)

Cabinet-level officers

Madeleine Albright (certificate in Russian language, M.A., Ph.D.) United States ambassador to the United Nations (cabinet rank) (1997–2001); Presidential Medal of Freedom Jared Bernstein (Ph.D. 1994) – chairman (2023–), member (2021–), Council of Economic Advisers Erskine Bowles (M.B.A.) former White House Chief of Staff (cabinet rank); administrator of the Small Business Administration (cabinet rank); co-chair, President Barack Obama's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform with Alan K. Simpson Arthur Frank Burns (B.A. 1925, M.A. 1925, Ph.D. 1934) Austrian-born U.S. economist; chairman, Council of Economic Advisers (cabinet rank) (1953–56) Alan Greenspan (studied for a Ph.D. in economics)chairman, Council of Economic Advisers (1974–1977); Presidential Medal of Freedom Alexander Haig (M.B.A. 1955) twice White House chief of staff (cabinet rank) under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford Avril Haines 7th director of National Intelligence, research scholar and deputy director for the Columbia World Projects Fred Hochberg (M.B.A.) administrator of the Small Business Administration (cabinet rank) (2009–) Leon Keyserling (A.B. 1928) chairman (1950–1953), acting chairman (1949), 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 Jeane Kirkpatrick (Ph.D. 1968, political science) United States ambassador to the United Nations under Reagan (1981–1985); Presidential Medal of Freedom James F. Leonard (1963–64) United States ambassador to the United Nations (1977–1979) Arthur M. Okun (B.A., Ph.D.) chairman (1968–69), member (1964–69), Council of Economic Advisers William K. Reilly (M.S. 1971) 7th administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (cabinet rank) (1989–93) Raymond J. Saulnier (Ph.D. 1938) chairman (1956–1961), member (1955–1956), Council of Economic Advisers Daniel D. Tompkins (B.A. 1795) 6th vice president of the United States Russell E. Train (J.D. 1948) 2nd administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (1973–77); chairman, newly formed President's Council on Environmental Quality (1970–73); under secretary, United States Department of the Interior (1967–1970); Presidential Medal of Freedom Murray Weidenbaum (M.A.) chairman, Council of Economic Advisers (1981–1982)

Directors of Central Intelligence

William Colby (LL.B. 1947) 10th director of Central Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency (1973–76) William J. Donovan (B.A. 1905, J.D. 1908) known as "father of the Central Intelligence Agency"; founder and first director of the Office of Strategic Services, the predecessor of the CIA George Tenet (M.I.A.) 18th director of Central Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency (1997–2004)

White House counsel

Lanny A. Breuer (B.A. 1980, J.D. 1985)special White House counsel (1997–99); head, Criminal Division, Department of Justice (2009–) Robert Delahunty (B.A.)deputy general counsel, White House Office of Homeland Security (2002–03) Joel Klein (B.A.)deputy White House counsel under President Bill Clinton Harry McPherson (1949–1950)White House counsel and special counsel under President Lyndon Johnson (1963–69) Bernard Nussbaum (B.A.)White House counsel under President Bill Clinton David B. Rivkin (J.D.)legal advisor to White House counsel of then President Reagan; deputy director, White House Office of Policy Development (OPD) Samuel Rosenman (J.D. 1919)first White House counsel (1943–46) Charles F.C. Ruff (J.D. 1963)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) Bernard M. Shanley (B.A.)special counsel, White House (1953–55); White House deputy chief of staff (1955–57) Donald B. Verrilli Jr. (J.D.)deputy White House counsel under President Barack Obama

Members of the Federal Reserve System

Arthur F. Burns (B.A. 1925, M.A. 1925, Ph.D. 1934) 10th chair of the Federal Reserve (1970–1978) Richard Clarida (professor of Economics and International Affairs) 21st vice chair of the Federal Reserve (2018–2022) Alan Greenspan (studied for a Ph.D. in economics) 13th chair of the Federal Reserve (1987–2006) William McChesney Martin (grad. study in economics 1931–37) 9th chair of the Federal Reserve (1951–1970) Randal Quarles (B.A. 1981) 1st vice chair of the Federal Reserve for Supervision (2017–2021)

Other presidential advisors

Kenneth J. Arrow (M.A., Ph.D.)Richard Nixon's Council of Economic Advisers Mark Barnes (LL.M. 1991)member, National Health Care Reform Task Force under President Bill Clinton Jared Bernstein (M.A., Ph.D. 1994)member, Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry; executive director, White House Middle Class Working Families Task Force; chief economist and economic policy advisor to Vice President Joseph Biden in the administration of President Barack Obama (2009–11) Zbigniew Brzezinski 10th National Security Advisor, professor at Columbia University (196072) Pat Buchanan (M.A. Journalism)White House communications director (19851987); coined the phrase "silent majority"; speechwriter for President Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew; senior advisor, three U.S. presidents, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan