List of Princeton University people (United States Congress, Supreme Court, Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention)

This list of people associated with Princeton University includes graduates who have served in the national government of the United States.

Senate The United States Senate is the upper house of Congress. Princetonians have a long history of service in the Senate. The Senate of the First Congress included three Princeton alumni (Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut, William Paterson of New Jersey, and John Henry of Maryland), two more who attended Princeton but did not graduate (John Brown of Virginia, later Kentucky, and Benjamin Hawkins of North Carolina), and one Princeton trustee (Jonathan Elmer of New Jersey). Alexander Leitch wrote in 1978 of the Senate, "Since its establishment in 1789 it has been without a Princetonian only twenty years." This is still the case: Claiborne Pell served 1961–97, Kit Bond served 1987–2011, Jeff Merkley has served since 2009, and Ted Cruz has served since 2013. Princetonians have represented 26 of the 50 U.S. states in the Senate.

John Brown served in the Senate first from Virginia and then from Kentucky after its admission as a state. He is listed twice for convenience of sorting by state.

Name Affiliation State Service Notes Refs Att New York 1800–02, 1804 Minister to France, 1804–1810; minister to Spain, 1806; secretary of war, 1813–14 B 1903 New Jersey 1929–30 Att New Jersey 1931–37, 1938–43 B 1942 Oklahoma 1973–79 Governor, 1967–71 B 1784 Delaware 1804–13 B 1814 Delaware 1836–39, 1841–45 Chargé d'affaires to Belgium, 1850–53 B 1781 Georgia 1825–29, 1841–45, 1845–52 Attorney general, 1829–31 F Connecticut 1924–33 Credited with the discovery of Machu Picchu B 1841 Missouri 1871–73 Major general for the Union during the American Civil War B 1960 Missouri 1987–2011 Governor, 1973–77, 1981–85 B 1965 New Jersey 1979–97 NBA player, 1967–77; gold medalist in basketball in the 1964 Summer Olympics Att 1942 Maryland 1963–69 Att Virginia 1789–92 U.S. senator from Kentucky, 1792–1805; president pro tempore, 1803, 1804 (listed twice; see above) Att Kentucky 1792–1805 U.S. senator from Kentucky, 1789–92; president pro tempore, 1803, 1804 (listed twice; see above) B 1791 Ohio 1828–31 B 1772 New York 1791–97 Vice president of the United States, 1801–05 B 1852 Pennsylvania 1877–97 Secretary of war, 1876–77; chairman of the Republican National Committee, 1880 B 1794 Tennessee 1811–14, 1815–18 Secretary of the treasury, 1814; minister to Russia, 1818–21 B 1837 South Carolina 1858–60 Confederate brigadier general, 1864 B 1774 South Carolina 1801–02 B 1844 Georgia 1883–94 Governor, 1876–80 Att Georgia 1843–48 Congressman, 1839–49 B 1992 Texas 2013– Solicitor general of Texas, 2003–08 B 1803 Georgia 1835–43 B 1958 Missouri 1976–95 Ambassador to the United Nations, 2004–05 B 1776 New Jersey 1799–1805 U.S. House speaker, 1795–99 B 1825 New Jersey 1842–51 Republican Party nominee for vice president, 1856; minister to France, 1861–64 B 1789 New Jersey 1817–33 Governor, 1815–17; secretary of the Navy, 1834–38 B 1904 Pennsylvania 1951–57 Governor, 1947–51 B 1908 New York 1949 Secretary of state, 1953–59 B 1797 Connecticut 1823–27 Governor, 1833–34, 1835–38 B 1766 Connecticut 1789–96 Chief justice of the United States, 1796–1800; minister to France, 1799–1800 T 1782–95 New Jersey 1789–91 B 1821, F 1847 New Jersey 1862–63 B 1799 Georgia 1818–19, 1829–34 Governor, 1827–29; secretary of state, 1834–41 B 1770 New Jersey 1793–96 B 1804 New Jersey 1829–35 Whig Party candidate for vice president, 1844; president of Rutgers College, 1850–62 B 1974; T 1974–78, 1991–2001; F 2007–08 Tennessee 1995–2007 Senate majority leader, 2003–07 B 1901 Louisiana 1918–21 B 1781 Virginia 1804–15 Governor, 1827–30 B 1859 Delaware 1885–99 Att 1890–91 Pennsylvania 1935–47 B 1836 California 1873–75 B 1785 South Carolina 1816 Att North Carolina 1789–95 B 1769 Maryland 1789–97 Governor, 1797–98 B 1960 Arkansas 1977–79 B 1798 South Carolina 1843–45 Att South Carolina 1891–97 B 1806 North Carolina 1828–31 B 1820 Georgia 1855–61 B 1839 Oregon 1871–77 Att 1935 Massachusetts 1953–60 President of the United States, 1961–63; U.S. representative, 1947–53 B 1880 Maryland 1914–17 B 1752 New Hampshire 1793–1801 President pro tempore, 1796, 1799 B 1781 Louisiana 1829–31 Mayor of New York City, 1801–03; secretary of state, 1831–33; ambassador to France, 1833–35 GS New York 1917–19 B 1777 North Carolina 1815–28 President pro tem, 1826–27; U.S. representative from North Carolina, 1791–1815; speaker, 1801–07 B 1756 North Carolina 1793–99 Acting governor, 1781–82; governor, 1782–84, 1789–92 B 1774 Massachusetts 1800–03 MPA 1994 PHD 1996 Pennsylvania 2025– MPA 1982 Oregon 2009– B 1806 Delaware 1830–36 B 1773, T 1803–39 New Jersey 1802–03 Governor, 1812 B 1763 New Jersey 1789–90 Governor, 1791–93; associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1793–1806 B 1822 Maryland 1843–62 B 1940 Rhode Island 1961–97 B 1884 Ohio 1911–23 Att Maryland 1850–57 Governor of Maryland, 1845–48 Att Virginia 1825–27 Minister to Russia, 1830; co-founder of the American Colonization Society B 1900 Pennsylvania 1922–35 Att Mississippi 1826–27, 1829 B 1779 New Jersey 1791–98 B 1954, T 2002–06 Maryland 1977–2007 B 1901, F 1927–30 New Jersey 1944–59 B 1804 New Jersey 1821–23, 1833–42 Secretary of the Navy, 1823–29; interim secretary of the treasury, 1825; interim secretary of war, 1828; governor, 1832–33 B 1843 New Jersey 1865–66, 1869–75 U.S. ambassador to Italy, 1858–61 B 1779 New Jersey 1796–99 Att New Jersey 1851–53 Officer in the Mexican–American War B 1788 North Carolina 1801–07, 1813–14 Governor, 1808–10 B 1790 South Carolina 1810–16 Governor, 1826–28 Att New Jersey 1853–62 B 1775 Vermont 1796–97, 1815–21 Governor, 1797–1807, 1808–09 B 1797 Georgia 1816–18, 1829–33 Governor, 1823–27 B 1788 Delaware 1817–26 B 1780 Virginia 1803–04 B 1806 Alabama 1819–22 Inaugural U.S. senator B 1838 New Jersey 1863 B 1894 Missouri 1925–26

House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of Congress. Princetonians have a long history of service in the House. Alexander Leitch noted in 1978 that the House "has not been without a Princeton alumnus in its membership in any year since it first met in 1789." As of 2015, this remains the case.

Princetonians have served 24 of the 50 U.S. states in the House. Two served as nonvoting delegates from Arkansas Territory and Michigan Territory before these territories became states.