Notable alumni
Politics and government
- William A. Barclay (1992), New York State Assemblyman
- Michael Botticelli, Acting Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy [1]
- Gregory W. Carman (1958), former United States Representative from New York, and U.S. Court of International Trade judge
- Katherine Clark (1985), current member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts
- Susan Collins (1975), current United States Senator of Maine
- John J. Delaney (1914), former member of the United States House of Representatives and Deputy Commissioner of Public Markets
- Domenick L. Gabrielli, New York Supreme Court and New York Court of Appeals
- Joseph Lekuton, elected to the Kenyan Parliament in 2006
- Judy Wakhungu, Kenyan ambassador to France
- George R. Malby, former United States Representative from New York
- Peter McDonough, member of the New Jersey Senate
- Luther F. McKinney (1870), former United States Representative from New Hampshire and United States Ambassador to Colombia
- Peter Michael Pitfield, Canadian politician; held several prominent positions in Canadian national government, including Senator and Clerk of the Privy Council of Canada
- David M. Potts (1932), former United States Representative from New York
- Albert D. Shaw, former United States Representative from New York
- Gerald B. H. Solomon, former United States Representative from New York
- Owen D. Young (1894), industrialist, businessman, lawyer; Democratic candidate for President in 1932; diplomat at the Second Reparations Conference in 1929
- Neil Chatterjee, current chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Academia
- F. King Alexander, former President of Murray State University and California State University, Long Beach current President and Chancellor of Louisiana State University [2]
- Mark Klett (1974), Regents' Professor of Photography at Arizona State University
- Lorrie Moore (1978), Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English at Vanderbilt University
- Joel Rosenbaum (1957), professor of cell biology at Yale University
- Peter Rutkoff (1964), professor of American Studies at Kenyon College
- George Stade (1955) literary critic, novelist, and professor of literature at Columbia University
- Michael P. Soroka, professor of Sociology at University of San Diego
Media and arts
- Irving Bacheller, pioneered the idea of newspaper syndication and wrote the first best-seller of the 20th century, Eben Holden
- Dan Buckley, publisher of Marvel Comics and the CEO of Marvel Entertainment's publishing division
- Tom Chiarella, magazine writer, fiction editor for Esquire Magazine
- Kirk Douglas, actor
- Pete Duel, actor known for his role in the television series Alias Smith and Jones
- David Dusek, senior writer at Golfweek and USA Today, formerly with Sports Illustrated, Golf Magazine and Tennis Magazine
- J.K. Gannon (1924), wrote "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and the school's alma mater
- Kate Hollanda (1996), associate director at NBC News, ABC News and others. Associate directed the 60th Grammy Awards
- Eliza Putnam Heaton (1860-1919), journalist, editor
- Elizabeth Inness-Brown novelist and professor at Saint Michael's College
- Maurice Kenny, Mohawk poet
- Martha MacCallum, anchor with Fox News Channel; hosts The Live Desk with Martha MacCallum
- Eleanor Mondale, radio personality, television host, and actor
- Lorrie Moore, short story writer and novelist, and member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters
- Viggo Mortensen (1980), award-winning actor who has appeared in many films, most notably The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
- Nick Penniman (1992), Executive Director of the Huffington Post Investigative Fund; founder and director of the American News Project
- Grace Potter, lead singer of the Hollywood Records recording group Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
- Jeremy Slate, actor
- Elinor Tatum (1993), publisher and Editor in Chief of the New York Amsterdam News
- Charles Henry Vail (1893), writer on socialism; Universalist clergyman
- Chester Watson, opera singer
Athletics
- Jamie Baker (1989), professional hockey player; radio color commentator for the San Jose Sharks
- Thomas Vonn, former processional skier.
- Mike Barnett, former NHL player agent
- Fritz Bedford, competitive swimmer
- Jim Berkman (1982), all-time winningest coach in NCAA men's lacrosse history; head coach at nine-time national champion Salisbury University
- Greg Boester, former Olympic ski jumper
- Geoff Boss (1988), professional racing driver in ChampCar, Indy Lights, and IMSA
- Brandon Bollig (2012), former professional ice hockey player for the Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames
- Mo Cassara, head coach of Hofstra University men's basketball
- Eric Collins (1992) play by play sports announcer for the Charlotte Hornets
- Gary Croteau (1968), NHL left wing
- Emmett Davis (1981), head men's basketball coach at Colgate University
- Mike Hurlbut, former NHL player; associate head men's hockey coach at St. Lawrence University
- Julia Gosling (2023), Canadian Women's Ice Hockey Olympian
- Dave Jennings (1974), former NFL player; former radio analyst for the New York Giants and New York Jets
- Mike Keenan, former NHL coach and general manager
- Gina Kingsbury (2004), Olympic gold medalist
- Gary Laskoski (1982), professional ice hockey player for the Los Angeles Kings
- Taylor Lum (2024), Chinese Women's Ice Hockey Olympian
- Jacques Martin, NHL coach
- Ron Mason (1962), coach and athletic director at Michigan State University
- Brian McFarlane (1955), Canadian television sportscaster and writer
- Mike McKenna, former NHL goaltender with multiple clubs; television analyst for the Vegas Golden Knights
- Hannah Miller (2018), Chinese Women's Ice Hockey Olympian
- Wayne Morgan (1973), Head basketball Coach Iowa State University, Long Beach State University
- Rich Peverley former NHL player with the Dallas Stars; won the Stanley Cup in 2011 while playing for the Boston Bruins. Now player development coordinator for the Dallas Stars
- Dan Rusanowsky (1983), radio play-by-play announcer with the NHL's San Jose Sharks (1991–present)
- Hal Schumacher (1933), signed as a pitcher with the New York Giants while still a student
- Anna Segedi (2023), Chinese Women's Ice Hockey Olympian
- Randy Sexton (1982), current Assistant General Manager for the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and GM of affiliate Rochester Americans
- Ray Shero (1984), current GM of the New Jersey Devils hockey team
- Greg Sutton (soccer) (1999), goalkeeper in Major League Soccer
- Bill Torrey (1957), member of Hockey Hall of Fame (1995). Four Stanley Cups as GM of the New York Islanders
- Susan Wakhungu-Githuku (1982), former top women's tennis player in Kenya
- John Zeiler, former professional ice hockey player for the Los Angeles Kings
Business
- A. Barton Hepburn (Honorary 1906), United States Comptroller of the Currency; President of Chase National Bank
- Greg Boester, former Olympic ski jumper and banker at JPMorgan Chase
- Geoff Molson, Canadian businessman and current president and chief executive officer and co-owner of the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens, Evenko, Bell Centre and L'Équipe Spectra. He is a member of the Molson family of Canada.
- James Marshall Reilly, entrepreneur; author of Shake The World: It's Not About Finding a Job, It's About Creating a Life and One Great Speech: Secrets, Stories, and Perks of the Paid Speaking Industry (And How You Can Break In)
- Owen D. Young (1894), headed General Electric; founded the Radio Corporation of America
- Philip Young (1931), son of Owen D. Young; Dean of Columbia Business School; United States Ambassador to the Netherlands
Religion and philosophy
- Olympia Brown (1863), first woman to graduate from a regularly established theological school
- Frederick F. Campbell (1965), current Roman Catholic Bishop of Columbus
- Robert W. Castle, Episcopal priest, activist and actor
- Mariana Thompson Folsom (1870), Universalist minister, woman suffragist [3]
- Lorenza Haynes (1874), minister, librarian, school founder
- Daniel W. Herzog (1971), former Bishop of Albany, New York
- Florence E. Kollock (1848-1925), Universalist minister and lecturer
- Clarence R. Skinner (1904), Universalist minister, teacher, and Dean of the Crane School of Theology at Tufts University
- Mary Traffarn Whitney (1872), minister, editor, social reformer, philanthropist, lecturer
Science and technology
- John Clogston, groundbreaking scholar in the area of news media images of people with disabilities
- Albert P. Crary, pioneer polar geophysicist and glaciologist; first person to set foot on both the North and South Poles
- Karen R. Hitchcock, biologist; former Principal of Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
- John O'Shea, Scientific Director at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
- Derrick Pitts, Chief Astronomer and Planetarium Director for the Franklin Institute
- Les Roberts (1983), epidemiologist
- Karen Wetterhahn (1970), chemist
