St John's College, Cambridge

Discover the notable alumni of St John's College, Cambridge. The list includes people like Paul Ritter, Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford & Henry Wriothesley, 3rd earl of Southampton. This list of notable alumni is loosely sorted by popularity and has people from different domains of life, such as leaders, miscellaneous, scientists, intellectuals & academics and writers etc.
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 1 
Thomas Hobbes
(English Philosopher and One of the Founders of Modern Political Philosophy)
Thomas Hobbes
19
Birthdate: April 5, 1588
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Westport, Wiltshire, England
Died: December 4, 1679

Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher. Widely regarded as the co-founder of modern political philosophy, Hobbes is best known for his influential book Leviathan. Apart from political philosophy, Thomas Hobbes also contributed immensely to various other fields, such as ethics, theology, geometry, history, and jurisprudence.

 2 
Douglas Adams
(Author of the BBC Radio Comedy Series "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy")
Douglas Adams
16
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: March 11, 1952
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Cambridge, England
Died: May 11, 2001

English author, screenwriter, and essayist, Douglas Adams, is most remembered for his comedy science fiction series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. As a screenwriter, he wrote two stories for the TV series Doctor Who. He advocated for environmentalism and spoke about environmental issues in his non-fiction radio series Last Chance to See.

 3 
Roger Penrose
(English Mathematician, Mathematical Physicist and Winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize for Physics)
Roger Penrose
4
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: August 8, 1931
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Colchester, England

Roger Penrose’s contribution to the research related to the black hole and general relativity earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2020. The Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at Oxford, Roger is also a fellow of Wadham College, St John's College of Cambridge, and University College London.

 4 
Cecil Beaton
(British Photographer and Costume Designer)
Cecil Beaton
2
Listed In: Photographers
Birthdate: January 14, 1904
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Hampstead, London, England
Died: January 18, 1980

Cecil Beaton was a British war, portrait, and fashion photographer. A multi-talented personality, Beaton is also known for his work as a painter, diarist, interior designer, and costume designer. Cecil Beaton worked with popular publications like Vogue before becoming a leading war photographer. His work as a costume designer for the theatre and films earned him Oscars and Tony Awards.  

 5 
John Herschel
(British Polymath Known for His Invention of 'Blueprint')
John Herschel
5
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: March 7, 1792
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Slough, Buckinghamshire, England
Died: May 11, 1871

The son of renowned astronomer William Herschel, John Herschel was educated at Eton and Cambridge and grew up to be a polymath. Apart from contributing to the field of photography, he was known for cataloguing and naming stars and satellites. He briefly also served as the Master of the Royal Mint.

 6 
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
(Politician)
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
4
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: October 20, 1784
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Westminster, Middlesex, England
Died: October 18, 1865
 7 
Paul Ritter
10
Birthdate: December 20, 1966
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Kent, England
Died: April 5, 2021
 8 
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford
(Courtier)
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: April 12, 1550
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Hedingham Castle, England
Died: June 24, 1604
 9 
Mervyn King
(British Economist Who Served as Governor of the Bank of England)
Mervyn King
1
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: March 30, 1948
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Chesham Bois, Buckinghamshire, England

British economist Mervyn King, Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal, serves as School Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics and as Chairman of the Philharmonia. He taught at the University of Birmingham, Harvard and MIT, and served the Bank of England as a non-executive director, chief economist, deputy governor and lastly as Governor.  

 10 
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury
(Former Secretary of State of England (1596 - 1612))
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury
6
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: June 1, 1563
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Westminster, London, England
Died: May 24, 1612

Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury was a British statesman best remembered for his contribution during the Union of the Crowns. One of the main discoverers of the infamous Gunpowder Plot, Robert Cecil served as the Lord High Treasurer from 1608 to 1612. From 1596 to 1612, he served as the Secretary of State of England.

 11 
Samuel Butler
(Novelist)
Samuel Butler
2
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: December 4, 1835
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Langar, Nottinghamshire, England
Died: June 18, 1902
 12 
William Gilbert
(Physician)
William Gilbert
16
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: May 24, 1544
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Colchester , England, United Kingdom
Died: November 30, 1603

William Gilbert was a 16th-century English physician, physicist, astronomer, and natural philosopher. He earned his MD from Cambridge and practiced medicine in London. He was a much-respected figure and was made the president of the Royal College of Physicians. He served as Queen Elizabeth I's and King James VI and I’s personal physician. 

 13 
Jonah Hauer-King
(Actor)
Jonah Hauer-King
7
Birthdate: May 30, 1995
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Westminster, London, England
 14 
Thomas Wentworth, 1st earl of Strafford
(Noble)
Thomas Wentworth, 1st earl of Strafford
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: April 13, 1593
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: London, England
Died: May 12, 1641
 15 
Brook Taylor
(English Mathematician and Barrister)
Brook Taylor
1
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: August 18, 1685
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Edmonton, Middlesex, England
Died: December 29, 1731
 16 
Jamie Bamber
(Known for His Roles in the TV Series: Battlestar Galactica and Law & Order: UK)
Jamie Bamber
2
Birthdate: April 3, 1973
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Hammersmith, London, England

Born in England, to an American father and an Irish mother, Jamie Bamber grew up in both England and France. The LAMDA alumnus is best known as Lee Adama from Battlestar Galactica and has also played major roles in series such as Law & Order: UK and movies such as Pulse 2: Afterlife.

 17 
Charles Algernon Parsons
(Anglo-Irish Engineer Best Known for His Invention of the 'Compound Steam Turbine')
Charles Algernon Parsons
0
Listed In: Engineers
Birthdate: June 13, 1854
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: London, England
Died: February 11, 1931

Copley Medal-winning engineer Charles Algernon Parsons revolutionized marine transport with his invention of a multi-stage steam turbine. His other inventions include a mechanical reducing gear. Apart from being named a Fellow of the Royal Society, he was also knighted and awarded an Order of Merit for his contributions.

 18 
John Ambrose Fleming
(British Electrical Engineer and Physicist Who Invented the First 'Thermionic Valve' or 'Vacuum Tube')
John Ambrose Fleming
2
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: November 29, 1849
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Lancaster, Lancashire, England
Died: April 18, 1945

John Ambrose Fleming was an English electrical engineer and physicist. He is known for inventing the first thermionic valve or vacuum tube and designing the radio transmitter with which the first transatlantic radio transmission was made. Along with  Douglas Dewar and Bernard Acworth, he helped establish the Evolution Protest Movement. Fleming was also a noted photographer and artist. 

 

 19 
John Gardner
(English Spy and Novelist, Best Known for His 'James Bond' Continuation Novels)
John Gardner
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: November 20, 1926
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Northumberland, England
Died: August 3, 2007

John Gardner was an English spy and author. He is best remembered for his thriller novels, including the continuation novels containing Ian Fleming's iconic character James Bond and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's villain Professor James Moriarty. John Gardner wrote over 50 works of fiction, including 14 original James Bond novels.

 20 
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham
(Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: May 13, 1730
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Wentworth, Yorkshire, England
Died: July 1, 1782
 21 
George Darwin
(British Barrister, Astronomer and the Second Son of Naturalist Charles Darwin)
George Darwin
2
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: July 9, 1845
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Down House, Downe, Kent, England
Died: December 7, 1912

Born to legendary biologist Charles Darwin, George Darwin initially studied law and became a barrister. However, his interest in science made him deviate to astronomy. He believed the Moon was one part of the Earth. He later also taught at Cambridge and was made a Fellow of The Royal Society.

 22 
Henry Wriothesley, 3rd earl of Southampton
(Noble)
Henry Wriothesley, 3rd earl of Southampton
3
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 6, 1573
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Cowdray, England
Died: November 10, 1624
 23 
Hugh Rose, 1st Baron Strathnairn
(Field marshal)
Hugh Rose, 1st Baron Strathnairn
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: April 6, 1801
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: October 16, 1885
 24 
John Browne, Baron Browne of Madingley
(Businessman)
John Browne, Baron Browne of Madingley
2
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: February 20, 1948
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Hamburg, Germany
 25 
James Joseph Sylvester
(Former Mathematician who made fundamental contributions to matrix theory, invariant theory, number theory, partition theory, and combinatorics)
James Joseph Sylvester
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: September 3, 1814
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: London, England, United Kingdom
Died: March 15, 1897
 26 
Edwin Abbott Abbott
(English Schoolmaster, Theologian and Anglican Priest)
Edwin Abbott Abbott
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: December 20, 1838
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Marylebone, London, England
Died: October 12, 1926

Edwin Abbott Abbott was a theologian, schoolmaster, and Anglican priest. He is remembered for writing the 1884 novella Flatland. He served as the principal of the City of London School where he supervised the education of H.H. Asquith, who would go on to serve as the prime minister of the UK. Abbott is also credited with writing educational text books.

 27 
Rudolf Peierls
(British Physicist Who Played a Major Role in 'Tube Alloys')
Rudolf Peierls
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: June 5, 1907
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: September 19, 1995

German-born British physicist Rudolf Peierls is best-remembered for co-authoring the Frisch–Peierls memorandum with Otto Frisch which revealed that an atomic bomb can be developed from a small amount of fissile uranium-235. This led to formation of MAUD Committee, development of the Tube Alloys project and the Manhattan Project, and atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War.

 28 
William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle
(Courtier)
William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: December 16, 1593
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Handsworth, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died: December 25, 1676
 29 
John Vincent
(Writer)
John Vincent
0
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: September 28, 1971
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: London , England

One of the co-founders of the chain of health-oriented fast-food eateries, Leon Restaurants, John Vincent has also penned seven cookbooks. He has also launched the School Food Plan, which has improved the diet of millions of students. He has chaired the Council for Sustainable Business, too.

 30 
William McDougall
(English Psychologist)
William McDougall
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: June 22, 1871
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Chadderton, Lancashire, England
Died: November 28, 1938
 31 
F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich
(Politician)
F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: November 1, 1782
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Skelton-on-Ure, England
Died: January 28, 1859
 32 
David Cox
(Statistician)
David Cox
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: July 15, 1924
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Birmingham, England
 33 
Norman Heatley
(English Biochemist, Biologist and One of the Scientists Who Developed 'Penicillin')
Norman Heatley
1
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: January 10, 1911
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Woodbridge, Suffolk, England
Died: January 5, 2004

Norman Heatley was an English biochemist and biologist. He was part of a team of Oxford University scientists whose work led to the development of penicillin. Heatley is credited with developing a technique for purifying penicillin in bulk. Norman Heatley's contribution in the development of penicillin was not fully recognized until 1990.

 34 
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
(Indian-British Barrister)
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
0
Birthdate: April 14, 1872
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Mumbai, India
Died: December 10, 1953
 35 
T. E. Hulme
(Poet & Critic)
T. E. Hulme
3
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: September 16, 1883
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Endon, England
Died: September 28, 1917
 36 
Roger Ascham
(Scholar)
Roger Ascham
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 1515 AD
Birthplace: Kirby Wiske, England
Died: December 30, 1568
 37 
Edward Victor Appleton
(English Physicist Who Won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1947)
Edward Victor Appleton
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: September 6, 1892
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Bradford, England
Died: April 21, 1965

Considered a pioneer in radio physics, Nobel laureate Sir Edward Victor is remembered as much for his pioneering work on physics of the upper atmosphere as for his discovery of the Appleton layer. His investigations, which proved the existence of ionosphere and established its characteristics, helped not only to develop an unfailing long-range radio communication, but also the much-needed radars.

 38 
Nevill Francis Mott
(Physicist Who Won the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physics for His Work on Electronic, Magnetic, and Disordered Systems)
Nevill Francis Mott
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: September 30, 1905
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Leeds, England
Died: August 8, 1996

British physicist Nevill Francis Mott revolutionized science with his research on the magnetic and electrical properties of amorphous semiconductors, which earned him a Nobel Prize. Born to teachers of science and math, Mott grew up to teach physics. He was also knighted for his contribution to science.

 39 
Jack Goody
(English Social Anthropologist)
Jack Goody
0
Birthdate: July 27, 1919
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Hammersmith, England
Died: July 16, 2015

Apart from teaching at Cambridge, British social anthropologist Jack Goody also penned books such as Death, Property and the Ancestors. He had also fought in World War II. His work in sociology earned him the knighthood. He was also made a Fellow of The British Academy.

 40 
Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset
(Poet)
Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 1536 AD
Birthplace: Withyham, England
Died: April 19, 1608
 41 
George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon
(Diplomat)
George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: January 12, 1800
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: London, England
Died: June 27, 1870

George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon had earned the nickname The Great Lord Clarendon. A Liberal Party politician, he had been the foreign secretary of Britain under 4 prime ministers. He was also a significant member of the Congress of Paris, which put an end to the Crimean War.

 42 
Algernon Percy, 10th earl of Northumberland
(Aristocrat)
Algernon Percy, 10th earl of Northumberland
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: September 29, 1602
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Essex House, London, England
Died: October 13, 1668
 43 
Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough
(Politician)
Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: September 8, 1790
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: London, England
Died: December 22, 1871
 44 
Henry Briggs
(Mathematician)
Henry Briggs
1
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: February 1, 1561
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Warleywood, Yorkshire, England
Died: January 26, 1630
 45 
Chris Brasher
(British Track and Field Athlete, Sports Journalist and Co-founder of the 'London Marathon')
Chris Brasher
3
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: August 21, 1928
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Georgetown, Guyana
Died: February 28, 2003

Apart from being a famed British athlete, Christopher William Brasher was also a skilled mountaineer, who was part of Edmund Hillary’s reserve team for his Everest mission and had led two missions to the Arctic. He was an award-winning journalist, too, but was best known for co-founding the London Marathon.

 46 
Thomas Wriothesley, 4th earl of Southampton
(Noble)
Thomas Wriothesley, 4th earl of Southampton
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: March 10, 1607
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: England, United Kingdom
Died: May 16, 1667
 47 
Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath
(Politician)
Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: September 13, 1734
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Hatfield, England
Died: November 19, 1796
 48 
George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend
(Military officer, Politician)
George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: February 28, 1724
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: London, England
Died: September 14, 1807
 49 
Samantha Davies
(British Sailor)
Samantha Davies
0
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: August 23, 1974
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Portsmouth, England
 50 
Douglas Hartree
(Mathematician)
Douglas Hartree
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: March 27, 1897
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Cambridge, England
Died: February 12, 1958