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Famous Amherst College Alumni

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Updated July 22, 2019 25.1k views 573 items

List Rules People on this list must have gone to Amherst College and be of some renown.

List of famous alumni from Amherst College, with photos when available. Prominent graduates from Amherst College include celebrities, politicians, business people, athletes and more. This list of distinguished Amherst College alumni is loosely ordered by relevance, so the most recognizable celebrities who attended Amherst College are at the top of the list. This directory is not just composed of graduates of this school, as some of the famous people on this list didn't necessarily earn a degree from Amherst College.

List features graduates like Calvin Coolidge and David O. Russell.

This list answers the questions “Which famous people went to Amherst College?” and “Which celebrities are Amherst College alumni?”
1
Teller is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Teller Painter, Comedian, Television producer

Age: 71

Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Teller (born Raymond Joseph Teller on February 14, 1948) is an American magician, illusionist, writer, actor, painter, and film director. He is half of the comedy magic duo Penn & Teller, ...more

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2
Larry Miller is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Podcaster, Journalist, Comedian

Age: 65

Birthplace: USA, New York, Valley Stream

Lawrence John Miller (born October 15, 1953) is an American comedian, actor, podcaster and columnist.

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3
Joseph Stiglitz is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Professor, Scientist, Author

Age: 76

Birthplace: Gary, Indiana, United States of America

Joseph Eugene Stiglitz (; born February 9, 1943) is an American economist, public policy analyst, and a professor at Columbia University. He is a recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in ...more

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4
Calvin Coolidge is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Politician, Lawyer

Age: Dec. at 61 (1872-1933)

Birthplace: Plymouth Notch, Vermont, Vermont, United States of America

Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872 – January 5, 1933) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. A ...more

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5
Drew Pinsky is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Television producer, Radio personality, Physician

Age: 60

Birthplace: Pasadena, California, United States of America

David Drew Pinsky (born September 4, 1958), commonly known as Dr. Drew, is an American celebrity doctor who is an internist, addiction medicine specialist, and media personality. He hosted the ...more

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6
Charles R. Drew is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Researcher, Physician, Surgeon

Age: Dec. at 46 (1904-1950)

Birthplace: Washington, D.C.

Charles Richard Drew (June 3, 1904 – April 1, 1950) was an American surgeon and medical researcher. He researched in the field of blood transfusions, developing improved techniques for blood ...more
7
Charles Hamilton Houston... is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Lawyer

Age: Dec. at 55 (1895-1950)

Birthplace: Washington, D.C.

Charles Hamilton Houston (September 3, 1895 – April 22, 1950) was a prominent African-American lawyer, Dean of Howard University Law School, and NAACP first special counsel, or Litigation ...more
8
Harlan F. Stone is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Lawyer

Age: Dec. at 74 (1872-1946)

Birthplace: Chesterfield, New Hampshire, United States of America

Harlan Fiske Stone (October 11, 1872 – April 22, 1946) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1925 to 1941 and then as the Chief ...more
9
Clarence Birdseye is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Inventor, Scientist, Engineer

Age: Dec. at 70 (1886-1956)

Birthplace: New York City, New York

Clarence Frank Birdseye II (December 9, 1886 – October 7, 1956) was an American inventor, entrepreneur, and naturalist, and is considered to be the founder of the modern frozen food industry.
10
Preston Bassett is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Inventor, Aerospace Engineer, Engineer

Age: Dec. at 100 (1892-1992)

Preston Rogers Bassett (March 20, 1892 – April 30, 1992) was an inventor, engineer, and pioneer in instruments for aviation.
11
Emily Dickinson is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Poet, Writer

Age: Dec. at 56 (1830-1886)

Birthplace: Amherst, Massachusetts

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, into a prominent family with strong ties to its community. After ...more

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12
L. Hamilton McCormick is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Inventor, Scientist, Writer

Age: Dec. at 75 (1859-1934)

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois

Leander Hamilton McCormick (May 27, 1859 – February 2, 1934) was an American author, inventor, art collector and sculptor.
13
Steve Baer is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Mathematician, Inventor, Architect

Age: 81

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California

Steve Baer is an American inventor and solar and residential designer. Baer has served on the board of directors of the U.S. Section of the International Solar Energy Society, and on the board ...more
14
Jared French is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni

Age: Dec. at 83 (1905-1988)

Birthplace: Ossining, New York

Jared French (February 4, 1905 – January 8, 1988) was an American painter who specialized in the medium of egg tempera. He was one of the artists attributed to the style of art known as magic ...more
15
Burgess Meredith is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Soldier, Film Producer, Screenwriter

Age: Dec. at 90 (1907-1997)

Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America

Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor, director, producer, and writer. Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a ...more

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16
Robert Lansing is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Politician, Lawyer

Age: Dec. at 64 (1864-1928)

Birthplace: Watertown, New York, United States of America

Robert Lansing (; October 17, 1864 – October 30, 1928) was an American lawyer and high government official who served as Counselor to the State Department at the outbreak of World War I, and ...more
17
Stephen Collins is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Musician, Actor, Writer

Age: 71

Birthplace: Des Moines, Iowa, United States of America

Stephen Weaver Collins (born October 1, 1947) is an American actor and writer. He is known for playing Eric Camden on the long-running television series 7th Heaven from 1996 to 2007. Since then, ...more

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18
William H. Hastie is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Judge, Lawyer

Age: Dec. at 72 (1904-1976)

Birthplace: Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America

William Henry Hastie Jr. (November 17, 1904 – April 14, 1976) was an American lawyer, judge, educator, public official, and advocate for the civil rights of African Americans. He was the first ...more
19
David Suzuki is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Geneticist, Television Show Host, Environmentalist

Age: 82

Birthplace: Vancouver, Canada

David Takayoshi Suzuki (born March 24, 1936) is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and ...more
20
Scott Turow is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Novelist, Author, Writer

Age: 69

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States of America

Scott Frederick Turow (born April 12, 1949) is an American author and lawyer. Turow has written 11 fiction and three nonfiction books, which have been translated into more than 40 languages and ...more

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21
Thomas Eagleton is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Politician, Negotiator, Soldier

Age: Dec. at 78 (1929-2007)

Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America

Thomas Francis Eagleton (September 4, 1929 – March 4, 2007) was a United States senator from Missouri, serving from 1968 to 1987. He is best remembered for briefly being the Democratic vice ...more
22
Albert II, Prince of Mon... is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni

Age: 60

Birthplace: Prince's Palace of Monaco, Monaco

Albert II (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi; born 14 March 1958) is the reigning monarch of the Principality of Monaco and head of the princely house of Grimaldi. He is the son of Prince ...more

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23
Patrick Fitzgerald is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Lawyer

Age: 58

Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America

Patrick J. Fitzgerald (born December 22, 1960) is an American lawyer and partner at the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom since October 2012.For more than a decade, until June ...more
24
David O. Russell is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Television producer, Film Producer, Screenwriter

Age: 60

Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America

David Owen Russell (born August 20, 1958) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His early directing career includes the comedy films Spanking the Monkey (1994), Flirting with ...more

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25
David Eisenhower is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list Famous Amherst College Alumni
Soldier, Historian, Author

Age: 70

Birthplace: West Point, New York

Dwight David Eisenhower II (born March 31, 1948), better known as David Eisenhower is an American author, public policy fellow, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and eponym of the ...more