# List of members of Peterhouse, Cambridge

This is a list of notable members of Peterhouse, a college of the University of Cambridge, England. It includes alumni, fellows and Masters of the college.

## Alumni
### Public servants

* The Duke of Grafton Prime Minister of Great Britain (1768–1770)
* Michael Howard Leader of the Conservative Party (2003–2005)
* Christopher Meyer British Ambassador to the United States (1997–2003)
* Michael Portillo Cabinet Minister (1992–1997)
* John Whitgift Archbishop of Canterbury (1583–1604)
* Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, Baroness Butler-Sloss - First female Lord Justice of Appeal, 1988–1999, President of the Family Division, High Court of Justice, 1999–2005
* The Duke of Grafton, Prime Minister of Great Britain, 1768–1770
* Elijah Mudenda, Prime Minister of Zambia, 1975–1977
* Michael Howard, Leader of the Conservative Party, 2003–2005
* Christopher Meyer, British Ambassador to the United States, 1997–2003
* Michael Portillo, Cabinet Minister, 1992–1997
* Nicholas Stern, author of the Stern Review on climate change
* Conrad Swan, Garter Principal King of Arms
* John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1583–1604
* David Wilson, Governor of Hong Kong, 1987–1992

### Academics, artists, writers

* Niall Ferguson Historian
* Thomas Gray Poet
* Colin Greenwood Bassist, Radiohead
* David Mitchell Actor/comedian (Mitchell and Webb) and writer
* Sam Mendes, Director
* Kingsley Amis, writer
* Richard Baker (broadcaster), broadcaster
* Denis Brogan, historian
* Herbert Butterfield, historian, Master of Peterhouse, 1955–1968, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, 1959–1961, and Regius Professor of Modern History, 1963–1968
* Thomas Campion, 16th century composer
* John Ashton Cannon, historian
* Alistair Cooke, Baron Lexden, official historian of the Conservative Party
* Patrick Cosgrave, journalist, author and advisor to Margaret Thatcher
* Maurice Cowling, historian
* Mike Dash, historian
* Marius De Vries, composer and producer, best known as music director of La La Land
* Roger Deakin, naturalist writer
* Robert Dudley Edwards, historian
* Richard Eyre, director, former artistic director of the National Theatre
* Ronan Fanning, historian
* John Finnemore, writer and actor
* Michael Gough, archaeologist
* Thomas Gray, poet
* Colin Greenwood, Radiohead bassist
* Luke Hughes, furniture designer
* Harold James, historian
* David Knowles, Regius Professor of Modern History, 1954–1963
* Denis Mack Smith, historian
* F.X. Martin, historian and first Catholic priest admitted to Cambridge since the Reformation
* James Mason, actor
* Simon McBurney, theatremaker, founder of Complicité
* Sam Mendes, Academy Award-winning film director (for American Beauty) and four-time Laurence Olivier Award winner
* David Mitchell, actor, comedian and writer
* A. L. Morton, Marxist historian
* Michael Postan, historian
* William Ridgeway, classical scholar and Disney Professor of Archaeology, Cambridge University
* Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., American political historian.
* Karl Schweizer, historian and author.
* Peter Whitehead, filmmaker

### Scientists and inventors

* Charles Babbage Inventor of the difference engine, "father of the computer"
* Henry Cavendish Scientist, discoverer of hydrogen
* Sir James Dewar Chemist, physicist, inventor of the Dewar flask
* Lord Kelvin Inventor and pioneer in thermodynamics, electricity and telegraphy
* James Clerk Maxwell Formulator of classical electromagnetic theory
* Sir Frank Whittle Inventor of the jet engine
* Nick Barton, evolutionary biologist
* Christopher Cockerell, inventor of the hovercraft
* Peter Guthrie Tait, mathematician
* William Hopkins, mathematician
* Joseph E. Pesce, astrophysicist
* Edward John Routh, mathematician
* Klaus Roth, mathematician and winner of the Fields Medal
* Philip Charles Woodland, engineer
| Name | Birth | Death | Career |
| Tom Askwith | 1911 | 2001 | Permanent Secretary, Blue and Olympic oarsman |
| Richard Baker | 1925 | 2019 | Newsreader |
| Charles Babbage | 1791 | 1871 | Inventor; his analytical engine anticipated the modern computer |
| Augustus Theodore Bartholomew | 1882 | 1933 | Cambridge librarian |
| William Brewster | 1566 | 1644 | Colonial leader and preacher |
| G. B. Caird | 1917 | 1984 | Biblical scholar and churchman |
| Thomas Campion | 1567 | 1620 | Composer and poet |
| Steph Cook | 1972 | | Gold medal Olympian in pentathlon |
| Richard Crashaw | 1613 | 1649 | Poet |
| Richard Eyre | 1943 | | Film and theatre director |
| Robert Foley | 1949 | | Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies at the University of Cambridge |
| Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton | 1735 | 1811 | British Prime Minister |
| Colin Charles Greenwood | 1969 | | Bass player of Radiohead |
| Syed Mohammed Hadi | 1899 | 1971 | Olympic athlete |
| Erich Heller | 1911 | 1990 | British essayist |
| Sir Christopher Heydon | 1561 | 1623 | English soldier and writer on astrology |
| Michael Howard | 1941 | | Former leader of the Conservative Party |
| Hugh Latimer | 1485 | 1555 | Religious reformer and Protestant martyr |
| Edward Law, 1st Baron Ellenborough | 1750 | 1818 | Lord Chief Justice |
| James Mason | 1909 | 1984 | Actor |
| James Clerk Maxwell | 1831 | 1879 | Physicist |
| Dan Mazer | 1971 | | Comic writer |
| Damian McBride | 1974 | | Former Special Adviser to Gordon Brown |
| Chris Mead | 1940 | 2003 | Ornithologist |
| Sam Mendes | 1965 | | Film and stage director/producer |
| Christopher Meyer | 1944 | | Former British ambassador to the US |
| David Mitchell | 1974 | | Comedian |
| John Penry | 1559 | 1593 | Religious writer and Protestant martyr |
| Michael Portillo | 1953 | | Former Conservative MP |
| Ed Smith | 1977 | | Cricketer and author |
| Nicholas Stern, Baron Stern of Brentford | 1946 | | Author, Stern Review on climate change |
| Anthony St Leger | 1732 | 1786 | Soldier, politician, Governor of Saint Lucia, founder of the St. Leger Stakes |
| Rory Sweetman | | 1991 | New Zealand historian |
| Vincent Watts | 1940 | | Vice-Chancellor of the University of East Anglia (1997–2002) |
| Frank Whittle | 1907 | 1996 | Developed jet propulsion |
| Peregrine Worsthorne | 1923 | 2020 | Journalist |

## Fellows

* Niall Ferguson, historian
* Thomas Gray, poet
* Henry Cavendish, scientist, discoverer of hydrogen
* Sir James Dewar, chemist, physicist, inventor of the Dewar flask
* Lord Kelvin, inventor and pioneer in thermodynamics, electricity and telegraphy
| Name | Birth | Death | Career |
| Kingsley Amis | 1922 | 1995 | Novelist |
| Herbert Butterfield | 1900 | 1979 | Historian |
| Henry Cavendish | 1731 | 1810 | Scientist |
| Christopher Cockerell | 1910 | 1999 | Inventor of the hovercraft |
| Maurice Cowling | 1926 | 2005 | Historian |
| Richard Crashaw | 1613 | 1649 | Poet |
| James Dewar | 1842 | 1923 | Scientist |
| Niall Ferguson | 1964 | | Historian |
| Thomas Gray | 1716 | 1771 | Poet and Regius Professor of Modern History |
| Thomas Heywood | 1570? | 1641 | Playwright and actor |
| George Joye | 1495 | 1553 | Protestant Bible translator |
| Lord Kelvin | 1824 | 1907 | Physicist |
| Aaron Klug | 1926 | | Nobel Prize Winner |
| Patrick Lynch | 1917 | 2001 | Economist |
| Archer Martin | 1910 | 2002 | Nobel Prize for developing partition chromatography |
| Fynes Moryson | 1566 | 1630 | Travel author |
| Edward Norman | 1938 | | Theologian |
| Andrew Perne | 1519 | 1589 | Dean of Ely |
| Max Perutz | 1914 | 2002 | Nobel Prize for chemistry |
| Roger Scruton | 1944 | 2020 | Philosopher |
| Hugh Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton | 1914 | 2003 | Historian |
| Shallet Turner | | 1762 | Regius Professor of Modern History |
| John Whitgift | 1530 | 1604 | Archbishop |

## Masters

For a list see Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge.