20 Famous Columbia Alumni Who Changed the World

The University of Columbia currently ranks as the 17th best university in the world, known for its academic values and world leading research. The most popular major at Columbia is Political Science and Government, and as such, the university has produced some of the most influential politicians and world leaders in the world, which you can read more about below. Subjects in Psychology, Performing Arts and English are also popular at Columbia. As the 5th oldest university in America, Columbia has produced many other highly influential individuals, 20 of which will be discussed in this page ranging from actors to scientists to musicians.

World Leaders and Politicians

Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton was one of the seven founding fathers of America and the government’s first secretary of the treasury. Hamilton attended Columbia College, then known as King’s College from 1773 to 1774 but was unable to graduate due to the British occupation of New York City in the Revolutionary War. During the war, Hamilton led a troop of artillary soldiers in many battles including the Battle of Princeton and achieved notoriety for his service. Following this, Hamilton commenced many political roles including Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation from New York to Secretary of the Treasury for President Washington’s first cabinet.

Barak Obama

Barak Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America studied political science and English literature at Columbia University, graduating in 1983. Following this, Obama obtained his J.D. degree in law from Harvard Law School. Barak Obama had a career in practicing and teaching civil rights/constitutional law before beginning his political career as a member of the Senate in 1997. In 2008, Obama ran for presidency as a member of the democratic party and after defeating John McCain, sat as the President of the United States for two terms until 2017. In office, his biggest achievements include the Affordable Care Act, reforming Wall Street regulation and his efforts to address climate change.

Franklin Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882 – 1945) was the 32nd President of the United States. Roosevelt entered Columbia Law School in 1904 but dropped out after three years when he passed the New York Bar Exam. He then pursued a career at a prestigious law firm but did not feel passionately about it so moved into politics in 1910 where he became a member of the New York Senate. As World War I broke out, Roosevelt was appointed assistant secretary of the Navy and later served as the governor of New York despite recent paralysis of his legs. In 1932, Roosevelt had a landslide victory in the presidential elections and held this role until his death in 1945. Throughout his presidency he ended prohibition, oversaw the great depression and led the country into World War II.

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt (1858 – 1919) was America’s 26th President as well as a notable soldier and conservationist. Roosevelt attended Columbia Law School for one year in 1880 before deciding to enroll in the U.S. Navy. During this time he wrote his book ‘The Naval War of 1812’ which was very successful. Roosevelt achieved his ambition in entering politics in 1882 when he became a member of the New York State Assemby and subsequently rose through the political ranks to become Vice President of the U.S. in 1901. Later in the year, Roosevelt became the youngest ever President of America at age 42 and served a full eight years in office. His presidency focused on conservation, establishing many national parks and monuments and his efforts to end the Russo-Japanese War won him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1904.

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

Bhimrao Ambedkar (1891 – 1956) was an Indian politicial and economist who achieved a PhD degree in economics from Columbia University in 1927. Ambdebkar quickly became known for his writings and activism for the social freedom of India’s ‘untouchables’. He then engaged in a 15 year long career in Indian politics where he crafted India’s Constitution. Ambedkar converted to Buddhism in 1956 but died later that year. Posthumously, he was awarded India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna in 1990.

Dwight Eisenhower

Dwight ‘Ike’ Eisenhower (1890 – 1969) was America’s 34th President, prestigious military officer and institution leader. Eisenhower graduated from the military academy ‘West Point’ in 1915 before serving in both World Wars. Following his military career, Eisenhower became Presdent of Columbia University from 1948 to 1953 where he had great financial success. After briefly becoming NATO’s Supreme Commander, Dwight Eisenhower ran for presidency in 1952 where he was successful and sat in office for eight years. During his term, he focused on limiting the spread of communism, reducing federal deficits and obtaining a truce in Korea. 

Pioneers

Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart (1897 – 1939) was an American aviation pioneer who became the first female pilot to fly solo across the atlantic. Earhart enrolled in medical studies at Columbia University in 1919 but left after a year to be with her parents in California. Amelia Earhart had a passion for aviation and, as well as achieving a world first for female pilots, was an ardent supporter of women’s rights and a member of the National Woman’s Party. During an attempt to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world in 1937, Earhart and her navigator disappeared in the central Pacific Ocean and neither them nor their plane’s remains were ever found. Earhart was declared dead in 1939 but her true fate remains a mystery.

Scientists

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist, science communicator and author. Tyson had a highly influential experience with astrophysicist Carl Sagan when he was 17 which motivated him to pursue a career in science. In 1989, Neil obtained his Master’s degree and in 1991 was awarded his PhD from Columbia University. While researching at Princeton University, he worked for Hayden Planetarium and later became its director, overseeing its reconstruction. After writing several successful scientific columns, deGrasse Tyson entered the television industry on PBS and hosted a series ‘Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey’, a tribute to Sagan’s 1980’s series. Neil deGrasse Tyson is still highly active in the media as a science communicator.

Baruj Benacerraf

Baruj Benacerraf (1920 – 2011) was an American immunologist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his role in the discovery of the major histocompatibility complex. Benacerraf began his academic career at Columbia University where he earned his Bachelor’s in 1942. He then served as a medic in the US Army from 1945 to 1948 before becoming a researcher at Columbia University. This culmuniated in receiving the nobel prize with his two colleagues in 1980 for his work in immunology which later led to developments inthe understanding of autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Sportsmen

Lou Gehrig

Lou Gehrig (1903 – 1941) was an American professional baseball player who played 17 seasons for the New York Yankees. Gerhig attended Columbia University where he studied engineering before leaving to pursue a career in baseball. Lou Gehrig was signed with the Yankees in 1923 and went on to set many major records in his baseball career. However, in 1939 he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which had been interfering with his ability to play baseball. Very little was known about ALS in wider society but Gerhig’s diagnosis raised much awareness. Following his death in 1041, ALS became commonly known as ‘Lou Gerhig’s Disease’.

Entrepreneurs

Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett is an American bussinessman and philanthropist who is currently chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett earned a Masters in economics from Columbia University before emerging into the world of business. After many successes, Warren obtained the textile manufacturing firm ‘Birkshire Hathaway’ and used its name to create a holding company. Since 1970, he has sat as the company’s chairman and accumulated a fortune from its business and investment successes Today, Buffett has a net worth of $135 billion, making him the tenth richest person in the world but he has pledged to give away 99% of his wealth to the Bill % Melinda Gates Foundation.

Singers

Art Garfunkel

Art Garfunkel is an American singer and poet known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the music group ‘Simon & Garfunkel’. Garfunkel was awarded a Masters in mathematics education from Columbia university in 1967 and despite also working towards a doctorate at Columbia, dropped out when his music success peaked. Simon & Garfunkel are best known for their songs ‘The Sound of Silence’ and ‘Mrs. Robinson’ and were awarded with four Grammy awards and a Brit award. Garfunkel has since had success in a solo career in music and in 2008 was ranked 86th in the greatest singers of all time by the Rolling Stone.

Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys is an American, highly accomplished singer-songwriter, having sold over 90 million records worldwide. Though Keys had been working on her music since the age of 12, she was highly successful academically and was accepted into Columbia University at age 16, however decided to leave after a month to pursue music further. Alicia Key’s first album ‘Songs to A Minor’ was met with critical acclaim and wernt on to win five Grammy Awards. Since then, Keys has released eight more albums and has a total 16 Grammy awards and nine Billboard Music awards, to count a few! Alicia Keys leaves a legacy as the ‘Queen of R&B’ and as a philanthropist campaigning for children and adults affected by HIV/AIDs.

Writers and Editors

Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov (1920 – 1992) was an American writer and Biochemistry professor. Asimov achieved his Bachelor’s, Masters and PhD degree in chemistry all from Columbia University from 1936 to 1948 despite challenges in his admission due to discrimination against jewish students. After brief service in the military during WWII, Asimov was offered an associate professor position in biochemistry at the Boston University of Medicine. After nearly 10 years in this role in which Asimov also pursued novel writing, he left and focused on his writing. Asimov is considered one of the best ever science fiction writers, most notably the ‘Foundation’ series which won the Hugo Award for ‘Best All-Time Series’ in 1966.

Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter S. Thompson (1937 – 2005) was a renound American author and journalist. After a short career in the military, Hunter Thompson audited several courses at Columbia University while pursuing his writing ambitions. Thompson’s first major success was with the book ‘Hells Angels’ in 1967 and subsequently his profile was further raised through his countercultural journalism publications. His most famous novel which was published in 1972 was ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vagas’ which has been adapted to film twice. After his death, his widow established a  scholarship fund for U.S. military veterans at the Columbia University School of General Studies.

Actors

Jake Gyllenhaal

Jake Gyllenhaal is an internationally renowned American actor who started his career as a child with several successful films. Gyllenhaal studied Eastern religions and philosophy at Columbia University but dropped out after two years to focus on his acting career in 1999. Gyllenhaal’s career began to bloom after this and now he is known for roles such as ‘Donnie Darko’, ‘Nightcrawler’ and ‘Nocturnal Animals’. Throughout his career, he has won several awards including a BAFTA and two MTV awards for his acting accomplishments.

Timothee Chalamet

Timothee Chalamet is a French-American actor who began his career as a teenager and has risen to be one of today’s best actors. Chalamet attended Columbia University at age 17 for one year, studying cultural anthropology before transferring to New York University to pursue acting further. Chalamet had his first highly successful role as a lead character in ‘Call Me By Your Name’ in 2017 and later featured in films such as ‘Lady Bird’ and ‘Little Women’. More recently, Timothee Chalamet is known for his acting as the lead role in the sci-fi trilogy, ‘Dune’.

James Franco

James Franco is an American actor and filmmaker who graduated Columbia University School of the Arts with a Masters in writing in 2010. Franco subsequently starred in many successful films including ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’, ‘Pineapple Express’ and ‘This is the End’. He has also written and directed many other productions. For his accomplishments, Franco has won two Golden Globe Awards and a Critics Choice Award, among others.

Sara Ali Khan

Sara Ali Khan is an Indian actress who is very well known for her bollywood filmography. Khan studied history and political science at Columbia University where she graduated a year and a half early in 2016. Khan started professionally acting in 2018 and has quickly risen to fame with the Indian dramas ‘Kedarnath’ and ‘Simmba’. 

Economists

Milton Friedman

Milton Friedman (1912 – 2006) was an American economist and statistician who studied statistics at Columbia University from 1933 to 1934. Friedman is known for his work on theory of consumption smoothing and his monetary theory which went on to heavily influence government policy in response to the global financial crisis of 2008. In 1976 Milton Friedman received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Studies for his research in consumption analysis and the complexity of stabilisation policy,

Spend your Summer in Columbia with Summer Boarding Courses

To kickstart your journey as a Columbia University student, you can take part in one of their many summer programmes which take place on campus, in New York City, or online. Taking part in these programmes can give you good insight into what studying at Columbia is like and help fuel the personal and academic growth to become a world changer yourself one day.

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