Notable Alumni of Ohio State University-Main Campus

JD Vance 1984–

50th Vice President of the United States

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 2009

Also attended: Yale University

Spouse: Usha Vance (Yale University)

John Kasich 1952–

69th Governor of Ohio

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1974

Sherrod Brown 1952–

Former US Senator from Ohio

Master in Public Administration, Master of Arts · Public administration, Education · Class of 1981

Also attended: Yale University

Curtis LeMay 1906–1990

US Air Force general and Chief of Staff

Bachelor's degree · Civil engineering

Rodrigo Chaves 1961–

49th president of Costa Rica

Jayaprakash Narayan 1902–1979

Indian independence activist and political leader

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley, University of Iowa, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Marcia Fudge 1952–

Former US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Bachelor of Science · Class of 1975

Also attended: Cleveland State University

Tom Carper 1947–

Former U.S. Senator and Governor of Delaware

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1968

Also attended: University of Delaware

George Voinovich 1936–2016

Former Ohio governor and U.S. senator

Juris Doctor · Class of 1961

Also attended: Ohio University-Main Campus

Brian Sandoval 1963–

29th Governor of Nevada

Juris Doctor · Class of 1989

Also attended: University of Nevada-Reno

Jim Jordan 1964–

U.S. Representative from Ohio

Master of Arts · Class of 1991

Also attended: Capital University, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Joseph Wu 1954–

Former foreign minister of Taiwan

Also attended: University of Missouri--St. Louis

John W. Bricker 1893–1986

54th governor of Ohio and US senator

Juris Doctor · Class of 1920

Abd al-Hamid Ibrahimi 1936–2021

Former Prime Minister of Algeria

Alma Adams 1946–

US Representative from North Carolina

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1981

Also attended: North Carolina A&T State University

William B. Saxbe 1916–2010

Ohio U.S. Senator

Mike Oxley 1944–2016

Republican US representative from Ohio

Juris Doctor · Class of 1969

Also attended: Miami University-Oxford

Robert L. Eichelberger 1886–1961

US general commanding the Eighth Army in World War II

Attended until 1905

Also attended: The United States Military Academy at West Point

Amy Acton 1966–

Governor-elect of Ohio and physician

Master of Public Health

Also attended: Northeast Ohio Medical University, Youngstown State University

Pilar del Castillo 1952–

Spanish MEP and former education minister

Bob Gibbs 1954–

Former US representative for Ohio's 7th district

Also attended: Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute

Anthony Gonzalez 1984–

Former football player and US congressman

Bachelor of Arts · Philosophy · Class of 2006

Also attended: Stanford University

Alan Lowenthal 1941–

Former U.S. Representative from California

Master of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1967

Also attended: Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Spouse: Bonnie Lowenthal (California State University--Long Beach, University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Thomas Lee 1955–

Taiwanese economist and politician

Fang Yunhe 1898–1988

China's first Minister of Textile Industry, chemical engineer

Hsieh Shou-shing 1950–

Former head of Taiwan's Atomic Energy Council

Chen Shih-meng 1948–

Taiwanese economist and politician

Paul Chiu 1942–2025

Economist and former vice premier in Taiwan

Wu Ming-ming

Taiwanese economist and former legislator

Josh Mandel 1977–

Former Ohio state treasurer

Also attended: Case Western Reserve University

Larry Sanger 1968–

Co-founder of Wikipedia

Also attended: Reed College

Charles F. Kettering 1876–1958

Inventor, Delco founder and GM research head

Bachelor of Science · Electrical engineering · Class of 1904

Les Wexner 1937–

Billionaire co-founder of Bath & Body Works

Yang Huiyan 1981–

Chairwoman of Country Garden Holdings

George Steinbrenner 1930–2010

Principal owner of the New York Yankees

Also attended: Williams College

Child: Hank Steinbrenner (Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

William Alfred Fowler 1911–1995

Astrophysicist, 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics

Also attended: Arizona State University-Tempe, California Institute of Technology, University of Chicago

Paul Flory 1910–1985

Chemist, 1974 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate

Also attended: Manchester University

Gene Sharp 1928–2018

Political scientist, founder of Albert Einstein Institution

Master of Arts, Bachelor of Arts · Sociology · Class of 1951

Roy J. Plunkett 1910–1994

Chemist who discovered Teflon

Also attended: Manchester University

Nancy J. Currie-Gregg 1958–

US Army colonel and NASA astronaut

Also attended: University of Southern California, University of Houston

Donald Kagan 1932–2021

Yale historian and classicist of ancient Greece

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1958

Also attended: CUNY Brooklyn College, Brown University

Child: Frederick Kagan (Yale University)

Child: Robert Kagan (Yale University, American University)

Walter Mischel 1930–2018

Personality psychologist and Columbia University professor

Also attended: New York University

Judah Folkman 1933–2008

Pioneer of tumor angiogenesis research and pediatric surgeon

Also attended: Harvard University

Charles Bassett 1931–1966

US Air Force test pilot and astronaut

Also attended: University of Southern California, Texas Tech University

David A. Huffman 1925–1999

Computer scientist who developed Huffman coding

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Theodore Levitt 1925–2006

Harvard Business School professor and HBR editor

Also attended: Antioch University-Los Angeles, Antioch College

Richard M. Linnehan 1957–

Former NASA astronaut and veterinarian

Also attended: Harvard University, University of New Hampshire-Main Campus

Hendrik Wade Bode 1905–1982

Engineer and inventor, control theory pioneer

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Wallace Clement Sabine 1868–1919

Founder of architectural acoustics

Also attended: Harvard University

Edwin Foster Coddington 1870–1950

Astronomer who discovered a galaxy and asteroids

Emma P. Carr 1880–1972

Spectroscopist and chemical educator

Also attended: University of Chicago, Mount Holyoke College

Charles F. Hockett 1916–2000

Linguist in American structuralist linguistics

Also attended: Yale University

Robert Henry Lawrence 1935–1967

First African-American selected as an astronaut

Also attended: Bradley University

Ronald M. Sega 1952–

Former astronaut and Under Secretary of the Air Force

Master of Science · Physics

Also attended: University of Colorado Boulder, United States Air Force Academy

Spouse: Bonnie J. Dunbar (University of Houston, University of Washington-Seattle Campus)

Fred Singer 1924–2020

Atmospheric physicist, University of Virginia professor emeritus

Also attended: Princeton University, Ohio University-Main Campus

Georgia Benkart 1947–2022

Mathematician known for Lie algebra research

Also attended: Yale University

Sidney van den Bergh 1929–

Dutch-Canadian astronomer

Also attended: Princeton University

Arthur H. Robinson 1915–2004

Geographer and cartographer at University of Wisconsin–Madison

Also attended: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Bertha Lamme 1864–1943

Engineer, first woman with an engineering degree from Ohio State

Attended until 1893

Sibling: Benjamin Garver Lamme (Ohio State University-Main Campus)

Mignon Talbot 1869–1950

Paleontologist who named Podokesaurus holyokensis

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1892

Also attended: Yale University

Kenneth Hsu 1929–

Paleoclimatologist and oceanographer born in Nanjing

Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles

Raphael Tsu 1931–

Electrical engineer and professor emeritus

Doctor of Philosophy

Jun Wen 1963–

Botanist and curator at Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History

Doctor of Philosophy

Min Enze 1924–2016

Chemist and petrochemical catalysis expert

Ho Yih Liu 1956–

Taiwanese botanist

Ying-Hui Fu 1958–

Taiwanese-American geneticist studying sleep and neurological disorders

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan 1952–

Structural biologist, 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Also attended: University of California-San Diego, Ohio University-Main Campus

Sibling: Lalita Ramakrishnan (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Tufts University)

J. K. Simmons 1955–

Actor with over 200 screen and stage credits

Also attended: The University of Montana

Roy Lichtenstein 1923–1997

Leading Pop Art painter

Also attended: Ohio University-Main Campus

Child: Mitchell Lichtenstein (Yale University, Bennington College)

Barbara W. Tuchman 1912–1989

Historian and author, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner

Also attended: Harvard University

Father: Maurice Wertheim (Harvard University)

Child: Jessica Mathews (California Institute of Technology, Harvard University)

R. L. Stine 1943–

Author of the Goosebumps series

Harlan Ellison 1934–2018

Writer of New Wave speculative fiction

Lois McMaster Bujold 1949–

Speculative fiction writer, four-time Hugo winner

Mary Oliver 1935–2019

Poet and Pulitzer Prize winner

Also attended: Vassar College

James Thurber 1894–1961

Cartoonist, humorist, writer and playwright

Attended until 1918

Richard Lewis 1947–2024

Stand-up comedian and actor

Bachelor of Science · Business administration · Class of 1969

Eileen Heckart 1919–2001

Stage and screen actress, Academy Award winner

Also attended: Ohio University-Main Campus

Berenice Abbott 1898–1991

Photographer known for New York City photographs

Attended until 1918

Phil Ochs 1940–1976

Protest singer-songwriter and political activist

George Bellows 1882–1925

Realist painter known for New York urban scenes

Tyler Joseph 1988–

Frontman of Twenty One Pilots

Wendie Malick 1950–

Film and television actress and former model

Also attended: Ohio Wesleyan University

Spouse: Mitch Glazer (Clark University, New York University)

Melina Kanakaredes 1967–

Actress known for CSI: NY and Providence

Also attended: Point Park University

Dwight Yoakam 1956–

Country singer-songwriter, actor and film director

Jean Peters 1926–2000

Film actress, second wife of Howard Hughes

Also attended: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Spouse: Howard Hughes (California Institute of Technology, Rice University)

David Graf 1950–2001

Actor known for Police Academy films

Also attended: Otterbein University

Chris Wedge 1957–

Animator, director, Blue Sky Studios co-founder

Master's degree · Computer graphics, Visual art education · Class of 1985

Also attended: University of New Hampshire-Main Campus, SUNY at Purchase College

Ross Butler 1990–

Singaporean-born actor in 13 Reasons Why

Kim Deal 1961–

Lead vocalist of the Breeders, former Pixies bassist

Alan Freed 1921–1965

Disc jockey who popularized the term rock and roll

Cynthia Ozick 1928–

Short story writer, novelist and essayist

Also attended: New York University

Kenneth Burke 1897–1993

Literary theorist and rhetorician

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Child: Eleanor Leacock (Harvard University, Barnard College)

Chester Himes 1909–1984

Writer known for the Harlem Detective novels

Sherri Saum 1974–

Actress, co-lead of The Fosters

Also attended: New York University

Budd Boetticher 1916–2001

Film director

John Jakes 1932–2023

Historical novelist, author of North and South trilogy

Also attended: DePauw University

Virginia Hamilton 1936–2002

Children's author and Newbery Medal winner

Also attended: Antioch University-Los Angeles, Antioch College

Howard Deutch 1950–

Film and television director of Pretty in Pink

Vince Edwards 1928–1996

Actor best known for a TV doctor role

Also attended: American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York

Judith Miller 1948–

Journalist, formerly of The New York Times

Also attended: Princeton University, Barnard College, Columbia University in the City of New York

Spouse: Jason Epstein (Columbia University in the City of New York)

Floriana Lima 1981–

Actress who played Maggie Sawyer on Supergirl

Elliott Nugent 1896–1980

Actor, playwright and film director

Christopher Moore 1957–

Writer of comic fantasy

W. R. Burnett 1899–1982

Crime novelist and screenwriter, author of Little Caesar

Dorothy Canfield Fisher 1879–1958

Author, educational reformer and social activist

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Father: James Hulme Canfield (Williams College)

Mother: Flavia Camp Canfield (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

John Grogan 1957–

Journalist and author of Marley & Me

Also attended: Central Michigan University

Hong Shen 1894–1955

Playwright and film director, founder of Chinese spoken drama

Also attended: Harvard University

Luo Nian Sheng 1904–1990

Translator of Ancient Greek literature into Chinese

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York, Cornell University

Jesse Owens 1913–1980

Track athlete who won four golds at the 1936 Olympics

Jack Nicklaus 1940–

Golfer nicknamed the Golden Bear

John Havlicek 1940–2019

Celtics player, eight-time NBA champion

Jerry Lucas 1940–

NBA player and 1960 Olympic gold medalist

Michael Redd 1979–

Former NBA player, mainly with the Bucks

Greg Oden 1988–

Former professional basketball player

D'Angelo Russell 1996–

Basketball player; second pick in 2015 NBA draft

Glenn Davis 1934–2009

Olympic hurdler with three gold medals

Mal Whitfield 1924–2015

Runner, Olympic 800 metres champion

Also attended: California State University-Los Angeles

Child: Fredricka Whitfield (Howard University)

Bob Bradley 1958–

Soccer coach who managed Chicago Fire

Also attended: Princeton University

Sibling: Scott Bradley (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Mike Conley Jr. 1987–

Professional NBA basketball player

Father: Mike Conley Sr. (University of Arkansas)

Roger Espinoza 1986–

Honduran former professional footballer

Evan Turner 1988–

Former NBA player and basketball coach

Kyle Snyder 1995–

American freestyle wrestler

Bachelor's degree · Sport management · Class of 2018

Butch Reynolds 1964–

Former sprinter in the 400 meters

Also attended: Butler Community College

Sibling: Jeff Reynolds (Kansas State University)

Spud Webb 1963–

Former pro basketball point guard

Also attended: North Carolina State University at Raleigh, Midland College

Paul Hamm 1982–

Gymnast, 2004 Olympic all-around champion

Jared Sullinger 1992–

Former NBA player, 21st pick in 2012 draft

Katie Smith 1974–

Basketball player and coach, former New York Liberty head coach

Kosta Koufos 1989–

Former NBA player, 23rd pick in 2008 draft

Nichelle Prince 1995–

Canadian women's soccer forward

Ford Konno 1933–

Two-time Olympic champion swimmer

Kevin Randleman 1971–2016

Mixed martial artist and former UFC Heavyweight Champion

Bob Knight 1940–2023

College basketball coach nicknamed "the General"

Child: Pat Knight (Indiana University-Bloomington)

Mark Coleman 1964–

Mixed martial artist and first UFC Heavyweight Champion

Also attended: Miami University-Oxford

Bill Smith 1924–2013

Swimmer and two-time Olympic champion

Hunter Armstrong 2001–

Swimmer, former 50m backstroke world record holder

Also attended: West Virginia University

Eleanor Harvey 1995–

Canadian foil fencer, 2024 Olympic bronze medalist

Lara Dickenmann 1985–

Former Swiss women's footballer

Political science

Dave Albritton 1913–1994

High jumper, coach and state legislator

Daequan Cook 1987–

Former NBA player, 21st pick in 2007 draft

Ryan Kesler 1984–

Former ice hockey center, played for Vancouver Canucks

Joe Burrow 1996–

Bengals quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner

Bachelor's degree · Class of 2018

Also attended: Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

Father: Jim Burrow (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

Diane Dixon 1964–

American 400 metres runner

Yoshi Oyakawa 1933–

Swimmer, 1952 Olympic backstroke champion

Ilse Paulis 1993–

Dutch rower and Olympic gold medallist

Bruce Harlan 1926–1959

Diver, 1948 Olympic springboard gold medalist

Othello Hunter 1986–

Former professional basketball center

Also attended: Hillsborough College

Bob Clotworthy 1931–2018

Diver, 1956 Olympic springboard gold medalist

Miller Anderson 1922–1965

Diver and 1942 national springboard champion

Jae'Sean Tate 1995–

Houston Rockets NBA player

Sibling: Jalen Tate (Northern Kentucky University)

Joe Greene 1967–

Track and field long jumper

George Simpson 1908–1961

Sprinter, 1932 Olympic silver medalist in 200 m

Jim Jackson 1970–

Former NBA player who played for 12 teams

Byron Mullens 1989–

Professional basketball player

Blaž Rola 1990–

Former Slovenian tennis player

Deshaun Thomas 1991–

Former professional basketball player

Morgan Hamm 1982–

Gymnast, 2004 Olympic team silver medalist

Lea Ann Parsley 1968–

Skeleton racer; 2002 Olympic silver medalist

Also attended: University of Virginia-Main Campus, Marshall University

Paula Jean Myers-Pope 1934–1995

Diver and four-time Olympic medalist

Also attended: University of Southern California

Natalie Spooner 1990–

Canadian hockey player, 2024 IIHF Female Player of the Year

Bryan Volpenhein 1976–

Rower and three-time Olympian

Thomas Hoff 1973–

Volleyball player on the US national team

Derek Anderson 1974–

Former NBA player and current coach

Attended until 1994

Also attended: University of Kentucky

Jeffrey Dahmer 1960–1994

American serial killer

Father: Lionel Dahmer (Iowa State University, Marquette University)

Robert Monroe 1915–1995

Founder of The Monroe Institute; out-of-body author

Jerrie Mock 1925–2014

First woman to fly solo around the world

Marion Tinsley 1927–1995

Mathematician and greatest checkers player