This is a list of notable alumni of Harvard Law School.
Government
United States government
Executive branch
U.S. presidents
Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th president of the United States Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States
U.S. attorneys general
Francis Biddle Charles Joseph Bonaparte, also United States secretary of the Navy and founder of the precursor to the FBI William M. Evarts, also secretary of state and senator from New York Merrick Garland, also former chief judge, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Alberto Gonzales Ebenezer R. Hoar Richard Kleindienst Loretta Lynch Richard Olney, later also secretary of state Janet Reno Elliot Richardson William French Smith
Other cabinet and cabinet-level officials Spencer Abraham, secretary of energy, senator from Michigan Elliott Abrams, deputy National Security advisor Dean Acheson, secretary of state; instrumental in the creation of Lend-Lease, the Marshall Plan, NATO, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, together with the precursors of the European Union and the World Trade Organization, and influential in the decision to enter the Korean War Alexander Acosta, secretary of labor Brock Adams, secretary of transportation, senator and representative from Washington Charles Francis Adams III, secretary of the Navy Bruce Babbitt, secretary of the interior, governor of Arizona William Bennett, secretary of education, and director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Sandy Berger, National Security advisor Charles Joseph Bonaparte, secretary of the Navy, United States attorney general, founded the precursor to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Joseph Califano, secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare John Chafee, secretary of the Navy, governor of Rhode Island, senator from Rhode Island Michael Chertoff, secretary of Homeland Security William Thaddeus Coleman Jr., secretary of transportation John Thomas Connor, secretary of commerce Elizabeth Dole, secretary of labor, secretary of transportation, senator from North Carolina James Freis, global fraud expert and former director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Ron Klain, White House chief of staff (2021–); chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden (2008–11) Robert Todd Lincoln, secretary of war, ambassador to the United Kingdom Ray Mabus, secretary of the Navy Ogden L. Mills, United States secretary of the treasury Mike Pompeo, secretary of state (2018–2021), director of the Central Intelligence Agency (2017–2018) Samantha Power, U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations William Ruckelshaus, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (1970–73; 1983–85) Henry L. Stimson, secretary of state, secretary of war, governor general of the Philippines Caspar Weinberger, secretary of defense (1981–1987) W. Willard Wirtz, secretary of labor (1962–1969) Robert Zoellick, deputy secretary of state, United States trade representative, president of the World Bank
Legislative branch (U.S. Congress)
Senators
Spencer Abraham, senator from Michigan (1995–2001), United States secretary of energy (2001–05) Brock Adams, senator (1987–1993) and representative (1965–1977) from Washington, United States secretary of transportation (1977–79) Ralph Owen Brewster, senator from Maine (1941–1952), governor of Maine (1925–1929) John Chafee, senator from Rhode Island (1976–1999), governor of Rhode Island (1963–69), Secretary of the Navy (1969–72) Tom Cotton, Arkansas senator (2015–present) and representative (2013–2015) Mike Crapo, senator (1999–present) and representative (1993–1999) from Idaho Ted Cruz, senator (2013–present) from Texas Elizabeth Dole, senator from North Carolina (2003–2009), secretary of labor (1989–1990), secretary of transportation (1983–1987) Thomas Eagleton, senator from Missouri (1968–1987), Democratic vice presidential nominee (1972) Sam Ervin, senator from North Carolina (1954–1974) Russ Feingold, senator from Wisconsin (1993–2011) George G. Fogg, senator from New Hampshire (1866–1867) Hiram Leong Fong, senator from Hawaii (1959–1977) David H. Gambrell, senator from Georgia (1971–1972) Frederick H. Gillett, U.S. senator (1925–1931) and U.S. representative (1893–1925) from Massachusetts, speaker of the House (1919–1925) Bob Graham, senator from Florida (1987–2005), governor of Florida (1979–87) George Frisbie Hoar, senator from Massachusetts (1877–1904) Jim Jeffords, senator from Vermont (1989–2007) Tim Kaine, senator from Virginia (2013–present), governor of Virginia (2006–2010), Democratic vice presidential nominee (2016) Kenneth Keating, senator (1959–1965) and representative (1953–1959) from New York Carl Levin, senator from Michigan (1979–2015) Henry Cabot Lodge, senator (1893–1924) and representative (1887–1893) from Massachusetts Spark Matsunaga, senator (1977–1990) and representative (1971–1977) from Hawaii Claude Pepper, senator (1936–1951) and representative (1963–1989) from Florida Larry Pressler, senator from South Dakota (1979–1997) Jack Reed, senator from Rhode Island (1997–present) Mitt Romney, senator from Utah (2019–present), governor of Massachusetts (2003-2007) William Roth, senator (1971–2001) and representative (1967–1970) from Delaware Leverett Saltonstall, senator from Massachusetts (1945–1967), governor of Massachusetts (1939–45) Paul Sarbanes, senator (1977–2007) and representative (1971–1977) from Maryland Chuck Schumer, senator (1999–present) and representative (1981–99) from New York Ted Stevens, senator from Alaska (1968–2009) Adlai Stevenson III, senator from Illinois (1970–1981) Charles Sumner, senator from Massachusetts (1851–1874) Robert Taft Jr. (L.L.B. 1942), senator (1971–1976) and representative (1967–71) from Ohio Robert A. Taft, senator from Ohio (1939–1953) Mark Warner, U.S. senator from Virginia (2009–present), governor of Virginia (2002–2006)
Representatives Richard S. Aldrich, Rhode Island (1923–1933) Tom Allen, Maine (1997–2009) John Anderson, Illinois (1961–1981) and independent candidate in the 1980 presidential election John Barrow, Georgia (2005–2015) Anthony Brown, Maryland (2017–present) and lieutenant governor of Maryland (2009–2016) Anson Burlingame, Massachusetts (1855–1861) Tom Campbell, California (1989–1993, 1995–2001) and dean of the Haas School of Business Joaquin Castro, Texas (2013–present) Patrick A. Collins, Massachusetts (1883–1889), mayor of Boston, Massachusetts (1902–1905) Jim Cooper, Tennessee (1983–present) Christopher Cox, California (1989–2005), chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (2005–2009) William C. Cramer, Florida (1955–1971) Artur Davis, Alabama (2003–2011) William Thomas Ellis, Kentucky (1889–1895) George Eustis, Louisiana (1855–1859) Daniel J. Flood, Pennsylvania (1945–1947, 1949–1953, 1955–1980) Barney Frank, Massachusetts (1981–2012) Josh Gottheimer, New Jersey (2017–present) Alan Grayson, Florida (2009–2017) Jane Harman, California (1993–1999; 2001–2011) Bill Jefferson, Louisiana (1991–2009) Joseph P. Kennedy III, Massachusetts (2013–2021) Sander Levin, Michigan (1983–2019) Walter I. McCoy, New Jersey (1911–1914) Tom Petri, Wisconsin (1979–2015) John Sarbanes, Maryland (2007–present) Adam Schiff, California (2001–present) Pat Schroeder, Colorado (1973–1997); first woman elected to position Terri Sewell, Alabama (2011–present) Brad Sherman, California (1997–present) William H. Sowden, Pennsylvania (1885–1889) Sylvester Turner, Texas (2025), mayor of Houston (2016–2024), member of the Texas House of Representatives (1989–2016). Juan Vargas, California (2013–present) Laurence Hawley Watres, Pennsylvania (1923–1931)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court justices
Harry Blackmun Louis Brandeis William Brennan Stephen Breyer Harold Hitz Burton Benjamin Curtis Felix Frankfurter Neil Gorsuch (sitting) Horace Gray Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Ketanji Brown Jackson (sitting)[ The Justices of the Supreme Court] Elena Kagan (sitting) Anthony Kennedy Lewis Powell John Roberts (chief justice, sitting) Edward T. Sanford Antonin Scalia David Souter
Federal court judges
R. Lanier Anderson III, circuit judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Christine Arguello (1980), district judge, United States District Court for the District of Colorado Morris S. Arnold, senior circuit judge, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals based in Little Rock Richard S. Arnold, circuit judge, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals; federal courthouse in Little Rock bears his name David J. Barron (J.D. 1994), circuit judge, United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit John R. Bartels, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York Deborah Batts, former district judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York Cathy Bissoon (J.D. 1993), district judge, United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania Victor Allen Bolden (J.D. 1989), district judge, United States District Court for the District of Connecticut Michael Boudin (LL.B. 1964), senior judge, United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit Andrew L. Brasher (J.D. 2006), circuit judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Vernon S. Broderick (J.D. 1988), district judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York Patrick J. Bumatay (J.D. 2006), circuit judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit John K. Bush (J.D. 1989), circuit judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Edward Earl Carnes (J.D. 1975), circuit judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Susan L. Carney (J.D. 1977), circuit judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Andrew L. Carter Jr. (J.D. 1994), district judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York Denise J. Casper (J.D. 1994), district judge, United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts Herbert Young Cho Choy (J.D. 1941), circuit judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Theodore D. Chuang (J.D. 1994), district judge, United States District Court for the District of Maryland Geoffrey W. Crawford (J.D. 1980), chief judge, United States District Court for the District of Vermont Tiffany P. Cunningham (J.D. 2001), circuit judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Paul A. Engelmayer (J.D. 1987), district judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York Katherine Polk Failla (J.D. 1993), district judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York Beth Labson Freeman (J.D. 1979), district judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of California Henry Friendly (LL.B. 1927), circuit judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 1959–1974; senior circuit judge, 1974–1976 John P. Fullam (LL.B. 1948), former district judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Marvin J. Garbis (J.D. 1961), district judge, United States District Court for the District of Maryland James Knoll Gardner (J.D. 1965), district judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Mark A. Goldsmith (J.D. 1977), district judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Andrew Patrick Gordon (J.D. 1987), district judge, United States District Court for the District of Nevada Myron L. Gordon, district judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Joseph A. Greenaway (J.D. 1981), circuit judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Learned Hand (LL.B. 1896), circuit judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit George C. Hanks Jr. (J.D. 1989), district judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas Harris Hartz (J.D. 1972), circuit judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit