Over its long history Univ has produced many former students, Fellows, and Masters, who have excelled in a great variety of fields. Detailed below are a number of our better-known “Univites”, broadly categorised by the area in which they excelled or for which they are best known.
Some 鈥 though far from all 鈥 of these Univites are commemorated in our Hall, find out more听on the听 page.
Arts

Amanda Brookfield
Edward Herbert, Baron Herbert of Cherbury (1582?鈥1648), diplomat and philosopher (matriculated 1596)
John Wood (1728鈥81), architect of the Royal Crescent and New Assembly Rooms, Bath (matriculated 1747)
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792鈥1822), poet (matriculated 1810)
C S Lewis (1898鈥1963), theologian and writer of the听Narnia听books (matriculated 1917)
Sir Stephen Spender (1909鈥95), poet (matriculated 1927)
A D Hope (1907-2000), poet (matriculated 1928)
Sir Philip Dowson (1924鈥2014), architect, and President of Royal Academy of Arts, 1993鈥9 (matriculated 1943)
Warren Mitchell (1926鈥2015), actor, best known for the role of Alf Garnett in听Till Death Us Do Part听(matriculated1944 )
“The more we study the more we discover our ignorance.” 鈥 Percy Bysshe Shelley
Ronald Eyre (1929鈥92), theatre and television director (matriculated 1949)
Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad, (Sir Vidia), Naipaul (1932鈥2018), winner of Nobel Prize in Literature 2001 (matriculated 1950)

Andrew Motion
Patrick Dromgoole (1930鈥), theatre, film and television director (matriculated 1951)
Shivadhar Srinivasa [Shiva] Naipaul (1945鈥85), writer (matriculated 1964)
Sir Andrew Motion (1952鈥), Poet Laureate, 1999鈥2009 (matriculated 1971)
Sandy Nairne (1953鈥), Director of the National Portrait Gallery 2002鈥15 (matriculated 1971)
Amanda Brookfield (1960鈥), novelist (matriculated 1979)
Caroline Campbell (1973-), Director of the National Gallery in Ireland, 2022- (matriculated 1991)
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Humanities

Helen Cooper
Sir William Jones (1746鈥94), orientalist and judge (matriculated 1764; Fellow 1766-83)
Francis Herbert Bradley (1846鈥1924), philosopher and holder of Order of Merit (matriculated 1865)
Robin Collingwood (1889鈥1943), philosopher and historian (matriculated 1908)
Sir Peter Strawson (1919鈥2006), philosopher (Fellow 1948-68)
Ernst Badian (1925鈥2011) ancient historian (matriculated 1948)
Herbert Hart (1907鈥92), legal philosopher (Fellow 1952-73)
Martin West (1937鈥2015),classicist (Fellow 1963-74)
“A man ceases to be a beginner in any given science and becomes a master in that science when he has learned that he is going to be a beginner all his life.” 鈥 Robin Collingwood
John Finnis (1940鈥), legal philosopher (matriculated 1962; Fellow 1966-2010)
Ronald Dworkin (1931鈥2013), legal philosopher (Fellow 1969-98)
Helen Cooper (1947鈥), Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English, University of Cambridge 2004鈥14 (Fellow 1978-2004 鈥 Univ鈥檚 first woman Fellow)
Nicola Lacey (1958鈥), Senior Research Fellow, All Souls College 2010-13; Professor of Law, Gender and Social Policy, LSE (matriculated 1979)
Katharine Ellis (1963鈥), 1684 Professor of Music, University of Cambridge 2016鈥 (matriculated 1982)
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Media

Nick Robinson
Richard Ingrams (1937鈥), Editor of听Private Eye补苍诲听The Oldie听(matriculated 1958)
Paul Foot (1937鈥2004), journalist and political campaigner (matriculated 1958)
Michael York (1942鈥), actor, whose films include听Cabaret听补苍诲听Logan鈥檚 Run听(matriculated 1961)
Sir Max Hastings (1945鈥), editor of the听Daily Telegraph听and the听Evening Standard听(matriculated 1964)
“No one loves a country as much as someone who has chosen to live in it.” 鈥 Paul Gambaccini
Charles Sturridge (1951鈥), director of 1981 TV adaptation of听Brideshead Revisited] (matriculated 1969)

Christina Lamb
Paul Gambaccini (1949鈥), broadcaster and author (matriculated 1970)
Armando Iannucci (1963鈥), creator of Alan Partridge 补苍诲听The Thick of It听(matriculated 1982)
Nick Robinson (1963鈥), Political Editor of the BBC 2005鈥15; Presenter on the听Today听programme 2015鈥 (matriculated 1983)
Christina Lamb (1966鈥), Foreign Correspondent for the听Sunday Times, author, and winner of several awards for her journalism (matriculated 1983)
Emma Tucker (1966-), Editor of the Wall听Street Journal, 2023- 补苍诲听听formerly Editor of the Sunday Times, 2020-23. (matriculated 1986)
Tom Hooper (1972鈥), director of听The King鈥檚 Speech听and winner of the Oscar for Best Director, 2011 (matriculated 1991)
Andy Zaltzman (1974-), Presenter of The News Quiz and cricket statistician (matriculated 1993
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Law

Sir Alan Moses
William Scott, Baron Stowell (1745鈥1836), judge and politician (Fellow 1765-82)
John Scott, first Earl of Eldon (1751鈥1838), Lord Chancellor 1801鈥6 and 1807鈥28 (matriculated 1766; Fellow 1767-73)
Gordon Hewart (1870鈥1943), Lord Chief Justice of England 1922鈥40 (matriculated 1887)
“You must never assume you are going to get away by concealing the really difficult point; you must be prepared to face it and sometimes it鈥檚 best to face it by coming out with it straight away.” 鈥 Jonathan Mance
Kenneth Diplock (1907鈥85) judge (matriculated 1925)
Sir David Edward (1934鈥), Judge of the Court of Justice of the European Communities, 1992鈥2004 (matriculated 1953)
Johan Steyn, Lord Steyn (1932鈥), Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, 1995鈥2005 (matriculated 1955)
Leonard Hoffmann, Lord Hoffmann (1934鈥), Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1995鈥2009 (Fellow 1961-73)
Jonathan Mance, Lord Mance (1943鈥), Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, 2005鈥9, and Justice of the Supreme Court of the UK (matriculated 1961)
Sir Alan Moses (1945鈥), a Lord Justice of Appeal, 2005鈥14; Chairman, Independent Press Standards Organisation, 2014鈥 (matriculated 1964)
Geoffrey Robertson (1946鈥), barrister, author and human rights campaigner. (matriculated 1970)
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Politics

Festus Mogae
Charles Jenkinson, first Earl of Liverpool (1729鈥1808), politician (matriculated 1746)
William Windham (1750鈥1810), politician (matriculated 1767)
Lord Robert Cecil (1864鈥1958), Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, 1937 (matriculated 1882)
Clement Attlee (1883鈥1967), Prime Minister of Great Britain 1945鈥51 (matriculated 1901)
Sir Edgar Whitehead (1905鈥71), Prime Minister of Rhodesia 1958鈥62 (matriculated 1923)
Kofi Busia (1913鈥78), Prime Minister of Ghana 1966鈥72 (matriculated 1939)
“Character is a journey, not a destination.” 鈥 Bill Clinton
Harold Wilson (1916鈥95), Prime Minister of Great Britain 1964鈥70 and 1974鈥6 (Fellow 1938-45)
Bob Hawke (1929鈥2019), Prime Minister of Australia, 1983鈥91 (matriculated 1953)
Festus Mogae (1939鈥), President of Botswana 1998鈥2008 (matriculated 1965)
Sir Jeremy Beecham (1944鈥), Leader of Newcastle upon Tyne City Council 1977鈥94, Chairman of Labour鈥檚 NEC 2005/6 (matriculated 1962)
Bill Clinton (1946鈥), President of the USA 1993鈥2001 (matriculated 1968)
Philip Hammond (1955鈥), UK Transport Secretary 2010鈥11; Defence Secretary 2011鈥14; Foreign Secretary 2014鈥16; Chancellor of the Exchequer 2016鈥19 (matriculated 1974)
Jonathan Powell (1956鈥), Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, 1997鈥2007 (matriculated 1974)
Julia Drown (1962鈥), Univ鈥檚 first woman MP (matriculated 1981)
Stewart Wood, Lord Wood of Anfield (1968鈥), Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, 2007鈥10; Adviser to the Leader of the Opposition, 2010鈥15 (matriculated 1986)
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Public Service

Robin Butler
John Maud, Lord Redcliffe-Maud (1906鈥82), civil servant and redrawer of British county boundaries (Fellow 1929-39; Master 1963-76)
Bernard Rogers (1921鈥2008), General, US Army; Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, 1979鈥87 (matriculated 1947)
Robin Butler, Lord Butler of Brockwell (1938鈥), Cabinet Secretary 1988鈥98 (matriculated 1957; Master 1998-2008)
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Religion

George Abbot
Edmund Lacy (c.1370鈥1455), Bishop of Exeter (Fellow c. 1391-7; Master c. 1398-1401)
Blessed Richard Fetherston (d. 1540), Roman Catholic ecclesiastic and martyr (Fellow c. 1513-15)
William James (1542鈥1617), Bishop of Durham (Master 1572-84)
George Abbot, (1562鈥1633), Archbishop of Canterbury 1611鈥33 and one of the translators of the King James Bible (Master 1597-1610)
Obadiah Walker (1616鈥99), college head and author, and Catholic convert (matriculated 1633; Fellow 1635-48 & 1660-76; Master 1676-89)
“The buried talent is the sunken rock on which most lives strike and founder.” 鈥 Frederick Faber
Israel Tonge (1621鈥80), informer and Church of England clergyman (matriculated 1638; Fellow 1648-c. 1652)
John Potter (1673/4鈥1747), Archbishop of Canterbury 1737鈥47 (matriculated 1688)
Frederick Faber (1814鈥63), Church of England clergyman and Roman Catholic priest (elected Scholar at Univ 1834; Fellow 1837-44)
Arthur Penrhyn Stanley (1815鈥81), Dean of Westminster 1864鈥81 (Fellow 1838-51)
Chauncy Maples (1852鈥95), Bishop of Likoma in Nyasal补苍诲听(matriculated 1871)
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Sciences

Patricia Greenhalgh
John Radcliffe, (1650鈥1714), physician and philanthropist (matriculated 1666)
Ernst Chain (1906-79), winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine, 1945 (incorporated member of Univ 1943)
Rudolph Marcus (1923鈥), winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1992 (Visiting Fellow 1975/6)
Sir David King (1939鈥), Chief Scientific Advisor to the Government, 2000鈥7, and Director, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford, 2008鈥12 (Fellow 2008-12)
“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” 鈥 Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking (1942鈥2018), Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, Cambridge University, 1979鈥2009 (matriculated 1959)
Patricia Greenhalgh (1959鈥), Professor of Primary Health Care Sciences, University of Oxford, 2015鈥 (matriculated 1980)
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Social Sciences

William Beveridge
William Beveridge, Lord Beveridge (1879鈥1963), social reformer and economist (Fellow 1902-9; Master 1937-45)
G D H Cole (1889鈥1959), university teacher and political theorist (Fellow 1925-44)
Hugh Seton-Watson (1916鈥84), historian and political scientist (Fellow 1946-51)
“Scratch a pessimist and you find often a defender of privilege.” 鈥 William Beveridge
Thomas Wilson (1916鈥2001), former Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy, University of Glasgow (Fellow 1946-58)
Mancur Olson (1932鈥98), former Professor of Economics, University of Maryland (matriculated1954)
Sir Laurence Hunter (1934鈥), former Professor of Applied Economics, University of Glasgow (matriculated1956)
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Other Notables

Roz Savage
Christian Cole (1851/2-1885), first Black African graduate of Oxford (admitted member of Univ. 1877)
Prince Felix Yusupov (1887鈥1967), assassin of Grigori Rasputin (matriculated 1909)
Cyril Tolley (1895鈥1978), golfer (matriculated 1920)
Abdul Hafeez Kardar (1925-96), first captain of Pakistan鈥檚 cricket team (matriculated 1946)
Roz Savage (1967鈥), the first woman to row across all three oceans solo (matriculated 1986)
“If I ever stop challenging myself, then I am getting lazy and comfortable and I am no longer growing.” 鈥 Roz Savage
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Winners of the Nobel Prize

Sir V S Naipaul
Lord Robert Cecil of Chelwood, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, 1937. (matriculated 1882)
Rudolph Marcus, winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1992 鈥渇or his contributions to the theory of electron transfer reactions in chemical systems鈥. (Visiting Fellow 1975/6)
“My life is short. I can’t listen to banality.” 鈥 V.S. Naipaul
Sir V S Naipaul, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2001 鈥渇or having united perceptive narrative and incorruptible scrutiny in works that compel us to see the presence of suppressed histories鈥. (matriculated 1950)
Ernst Chain (1906-79), winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine, 1945, 鈥渇or the discovery of penicillin and its curative effect in various infectious diseases鈥 (incorporated member of Univ 1943).
Citations from听
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Knights and Ladies of the Garter

Harold Wilson
John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester; appointed c.1461. (studied at Univ c. 1440-4)
Francis Rawdon, first Marquess of Hastings: appointed 1812. (matriculated 1771)
William, second Earl of Selborne: appointed 1909. (matriculated 1878)
“He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.” 鈥 Harold Wilson
James, fourth Marquess of Salisbury: appointed 1917. (matriculated 1880)
HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: appointed 1947 (Honorary Fellow 1953)
Clement Attlee: appointed 1956. (matriculated 1901)
Harold Wilson: appointed 1976. (Fellow 1938-45)
Robin Butler, Lord Butler of Brockwell: appointed 2003. (matriculated 1957; Master 1998-2008)
Valerie, Baroness Amos: appointed 2022 (Master since 2020)
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Olympic Medallists

Acer Nethercott
Colin Moynihan: silver medal (UK; coxed eights), Moscow 1980. (matriculated 1974)
Mark Evans and his twin brother Michael: gold medals (Canada; coxed eights), Los Angeles 1984. (both听matriculated 1982)
Mark Precious: bronze medal (UK; hockey), Los Angeles 1984. (matriculated 1974)
“The first thing my gran said to me when I got in to Oxford was: ‘so am I going to see you in the Boat Race?'” – Acer Nethercott
Emily de Riel: silver medal (USA; modern pentathlon), Sydney 2000. (matriculated 1996)
Acer Nethercott: silver medal (UK; coxed eights), Beijing 2008.(matriculated 1996)
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Holders of the Order of Merit

Clement Attlee
Francis Herbert Bradley, appointed 1924. (matriculated 1865)
Clement Attlee, appointed 1951. (matriculated 1901)
Martin West, appointed 2014. (Fellow 1963-74)
I believe that the foundation of democratic liberty is a willingness to believe that other people may perhaps be wiser than oneself. 鈥 Clement Attlee
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