This is a list of notable individuals affiliated with Tulane University, including alumni of non-matriculating and graduates, faculty, former faculty and major benefactors. Some especially notable individuals also are listed in the main university article.
Individuals are sorted by category and alphabetized within each category. For alumni, the degree and year of graduation are noted when available.
Alumni
Academia Donald Boesch, biologist/environmental scientist Ian Bremmer, political scientist Cleanth Brooks, literary critic Winston Chang, president of Soochow University John R. Conniff, New Orleans and Baton Rouge educator; president of Louisiana Tech University 1926–1928Henry E. Chambers, A History of Louisiana, Vol. 2 (Chicago and New York City: American Historical Society, 1925), pp. 53-54 Light Townsend Cummins, Bryan Professor of History at Austin College in Sherman, Texas and former official State Historian of Texas James H. Dillard, professor and early advocate for education of African-Americans Edward F. Fischer, M.A. and Ph.D, professor of Anthropology at Vanderbilt University Mary Lynne Gasaway Hill, poet, writer, professor at St. Mary's University, Texas and fellow of the Royal Society of Arts James (Mac) Hyman, applied mathematician at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the United States T.R. Kidder, archaeologist Sang-don Lee, South Korean legal scholar Sarah Miller, health economist and winner of the 2022 ASHEcon medal John Mosier, historian Bradley Peterson, neuroscientist Blake Simmons, chemical engineer Frank Vandiver, Civil War scholar, acting president of Rice University 1969–1970, president of Texas A&M University 1981–1988 Linda Wilson, 1957, former president of Radcliffe College
Arts and letters Architecture Robert Ivy, CEO AIA Richard Koch, first graduate of the Tulane School of Architecture, architectural preservationist Albert C. Ledner, designer of National Maritime Buildings in New York City and many other commercial and residential projects Edward F. Neild, architect of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum and many buildings in his native Shreveport and Louisiana Henry Hobson Richardson, inventor of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture Leonard Spangenberg, architect and apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright A. Hays Town, architect
Film and television Marion Abramson, founder of WYES-TV Bryan Batt, BA 1985, actor Les Blank, BA 1958, MFA 1960, documentary filmmaker Marshall Colt, Class of 1970, psychologist and former actor Doug Ellin, A&S 1990, television writer/director, creator of HBO's series Entourage Evan Farmer, actor Paul Michael Glaser, BA 1966, actor, TV's Starsky and Hutch Carlin Glynn, NG-N ’61, actress, Tony Award winner Lawrence Gordon, 1958, producer of popular films such as Predator and Die Hard Karen Grassle, actress Robert Harling, movie screenwriter, producer and directorJulia Reed, The Interview: Robert Harling, Garden & Gun, December 2012-January 2013 Courtney Hazlett, A&S '99, columnist and celebrity correspondent for MSNBC Jonathan Hensleigh, Law, writer of Die Hard: With a Vengeance, Jumanji, Armageddon Rick Hurst, actor; A&S '68 Lauren Hutton, 1964, actress; model Anthony Jeselnik, comedian Dave Jeser, A&S 2001, co-creator of Comedy Central's Drawn Together Anthony Laciura, G '79, actor Christian LeBlanc, 1980, actor Shannon Lee, daughter of martial arts legend Bruce Lee Elyse Luray, NC ’89, star of PBS' History Detectives Olga Merediz, NC '78, actress Linda Taylor Miller, 1976, actress Alicia Morton, actress Enrique Murciano, TC ’95, actor, TV's Without a Trace Ed Nelson, A&S ’53, UC ’00, actor, Peyton Place Matt Ogens, Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning director, Audible, MADU Bruce Paltrow, 1965, television and film producer Meryl Poster, Academy Award-winning and Emmy-nominated producer Michael Price, Emmy award-winning writer and producer best known for his work on The Simpsons Al Shea, actor and theatre critic Jerry Springer, B.A., 1965, talk show host and former mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio Harold Sylvester, actor, director Ian Terry, winner of the fourteenth season of Big Brother Ronald A. Weinberg, American-born Canadian children's television producer (Cinar)
Literature and poetry John Gregory Brown, novelist, 1982 Amy Carter, G ’96, children's book author; daughter of former President Jimmy Carter Rich Cohen, writer, 1990 Nicole Cooley, poet; Walt Whitman Award recipient Peter Cooley, poet Alcée Fortier, folklorist and recorder of the story of Br'er Rabbit Whitney Gaskell, Law 1997, novelist Shirley Ann Grau, 1950, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Grotz, poet N. K. Jemisin, science fiction and fantasy writer, three time Hugo Award recipient John Reed, author, Snowball's Chance Leigh Richmond (1911–1995), writer John Kennedy Toole, BA 1958, author, Pulitzer Prize winner for A Confederacy of Dunces Dede Wilson, poet and author
Music Les Crane, pioneer in interactive broadcasting, co-creator of pop music "Top 40" Paul Crawford, jazz musician, music historian, and music arranger who served as associate curator of the Hogan Jazz Archive Odaline de la Martinez, composer and conductor; first woman to conduct a BBC Proms concert John Doheny, jazz saxophonist, band-leader, and historian Scott Greenstein, A&S '81, president of Sirius XM Radio Stella Lefty, singer-songwriter Zachary Richard, A&S '72, Cajun singer/songwriter and poet Emily Saliers (attended), singer Theo Hilton, indie folk musician of Nana Grizol and Defiance, Ohio Janice Torre, lyricist of the song "Paper Roses" Michael White, jazz historian and musician
Non-fiction writing and journalism Andrew Breitbart, '91, publisher and author Hodding Carter, journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner Christopher Drew, journalist and book author Bessie Alexander Ficklen (1861–1945), writer, poet, artist Robert Lane Greene, magazine journalist Ira B. Harkey Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nate Lee, B.A. 1978, writer, senior editor for Chicago's Newcity Margaret Burr Leonard, civil rights activist and journalist Bill Monroe, A&S '42, broadcast journalist, former host of Meet the Press Mike Sacks, editor, writer, 1990 Thomas Sancton, editor, writer, civil rights journalist, teacher, 1935 Howard K. Smith, television journalist Ali Vitali, author and television journalist Lawrence Wright, author, Pulitzer Prize winner, and journalist
Visual arts Lynda Benglis, N '64, sculptor Jacqueline Bishop, MFA, 1982, visual artist Deborah Czeresko, M.A., 1992, glass blower, won first season of Blown Away Jane Davis Doggett, 1952, graphic artist and pioneer designer of wayfinding and graphics systems for airports Mignon Faget, Newcomb 1955, artist, jewelry designer Mary Garrard, 1958, art historian Bryan Nash Gill, 1984, artist Gary Russell Libby, art historian, curator, museum director Sergio Rossetti Morosini, artist, conservator Frank Relle, photographer Wendi Schneider, Newcomb 1977, artist, photographer Hunt Slonem, B.A., 1973, artist Meredith Stern, B.F.A. 1998, artist Cora Kelley Ward, painter
Other Alice K. Bache (1903–1977), philanthropist and art collector Afowiri Fondzenyuy, philanthropist and long-distance marathon runner Joan Halifax, Zen Buddhist teacher and author of several books on Buddhism and spirituality May Hyman Lesser, medical illustrator Howard Scott Warshaw, video game programmer/designer and documentary filmmaker
Business and economics Matt Battiata, CEO, real estate economics expert Geoffrey Beene, fashion designer Peter Brack, entrepreneur, founder, business leader and investor Andrew Friedman, president of operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers Neil Bush, B.A., M.B.A., 1979, presidential brother, ex-savings and loan executive Philip J. Carroll, M.S., 1961, former CEO, Shell Oil Company and Fluor Corporation James H. Clark, founder of Silicon Graphics, Netscape, and WebMD Robert M. Devlin, B.A., 1964, CEO of American General Charles E. Fenner, founder of Fenner & Beane, a forerunner of Merrill Lynch David Filo, B.S. 1988, co-founder of Yahoo! Alfred Ford, great-grandson of Henry Ford Talia Goldstein, B.A. 2002, entrepreneur, company founder C. Jackson Grayson, professor at Harvard, Stanford and Tulane; member of the Nixon Cabinet Thomas M. Humphrey, PhD. 1970, economist Samuel Israel III, fraudulent hedge fund manager Judith Kent, B.A., business executive and philanthropist Jeff Klein - hotelier and real estate developer Dean Lombardi, J.D., president and GM of the Los Angeles Kings Peter McNamara, B.S. CEO, McNamara Enterprises Underground Casino & Book Broker Ricardo Salinas Pliego, M.B.A., 1979, one of Forbes "World's Richest People" Muhamed Sacirbey, Bosnian-American businessperson Peter Schloss, chief executive officer, Broadwebasia; director, Giant Interactive (NYSE: GA) Aaron Selber Jr. B.B.A., 1950, businessman and philanthropist in Shreveport Fred L. Smith, president and founder of Competitive Enterprise Institute Paul Tulane, benefactor, philanthropist Sam Zemurray, benefactor
Government and politics Heads of state Luis Guillermo Solis, M.A. 1981, president of Costa Rica José Raúl Mulino, LL.M, 1983, president of Panama
U.S. senators and congressmen William L. Armstrong, B 1958, former U.S. representative and U.S. senator from Colorado; president of Colorado Christian University (R) Howard Henry Baker Jr., 1945, U.S. Senate majority leader, White House chief of staff, U.S. ambassador to Japan (R) Hale Boggs, Law, 1937, U.S. representative, 1941–1943, 1946–1972; house majority leader (D) Lindy Boggs, Newcomb 1935, U.S. representative, 1973–1991, Tulane benefactor, U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, 1997–2001 (D) Edwin S. Broussard, U.S. senator from Louisiana (D) Donelson Caffery, Law, U.S. senator, 1892–1900 (D) James "Jimmy" Domengeaux, Law, Lafayette congressman and Cajun cultural spokesman (D) Allen J. Ellender, Law 1913, U.S. senator, agriculture committee chair; appropriations committee chair; President Pro Tempore 1971–72 (D) Newt Gingrich, U.S. representative, 1979–1998 and Speaker of the House, 1995–1998 (R) Tim Griffin, L '94, U.S. representatives from Arkansas (R) Felix Edward Hébert, U.S. representative, 1940–1977 (D); chair, House Armed Services Committee Bob Livingston, former U.S. representative, 1977–1999; chair, House Appropriations Committee, 1995–98 (R) Wiley Nickel, former U.S. representative, 2023–2025 (D) John H. Overton, Law, 1897, former U.S. senator from Louisiana (D) Cedric Richmond, L '98, U.S. representative from Louisiana's 2nd congressional district (D); former senior adviser to President Joe Biden Jared Y. Sanders Jr., U.S. representative (D), later States Rights Party Luther Strange, B.A. 1975, Law 1978, U.S. senator from Alabama, 2017–2018 (R) Suhas Subramanyam, U.S. representative, 2025–present (D) Gene Taylor, U.S. representative, 1989–2011 (D-turned-R) Dave Treen, U.S. representative, 1973–1980 (R) David Vitter, Law, former U.S. senator from Louisiana, 2005–2017; former U.S. representative, 1999–2005 (R)
U.S. governors Newton C. Blanchard, former governor of Louisiana (D) Murphy J. Foster Sr., governor of Louisiana (D) Michael Hahn, governor of Louisiana (D) Luther E. Hall, governor of Louisiana (D) Alvin Olin King, former governor of Louisiana (D) Richard W. Leche, former governor of Louisiana (D) Huey Long, Law, former governor of Louisiana (D, 1928–32) John McEnery, former governor of Louisiana (D) Francis T. Nicholls, governor of Louisiana (D) Pedro Pierluisi, B.A., 1980, governor of Puerto Rico, New Party for Progress Jared Y. Sanders Sr., former governor of Louisiana (D) Oramel H. Simpson, former governor of Louisiana (D) David C. Treen (1928–2009), former governor of Louisiana (R, 1980–84) Bob Wise, Law, 1975, former governor of West Virginia (D)
U.S. cabinet secretaries and other prominent federal officials