# List of alumni of Jesus College, Oxford

Jesus College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its alumni include politicians, lawyers, bishops, poets, and academics. Some went on to become fellows of the college; 14 students later became principal of the college. It was founded in 1571 by Queen Elizabeth I, at the request of a Welsh clergyman, Hugh Price, who was Treasurer of St David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire. The college still has strong links with Wales, and about 15% of students are Welsh. There are 340 undergraduates and 190 students carrying out postgraduate studies. Old members of Jesus College are sometimes known as "Jesubites".
From the world of politics, the college's alumni include two Prime Ministers (Harold Wilson of Britain and Kevin Rudd of Australia), Jamaica's Chief Minister and first Premier (Norman Washington Manley), a Speaker of the House of Commons (Sir William Williams), a leader of the Liberal Democrats (Sir Ed Davey), a co-founder of Plaid Cymru (D. J. Williams) and a co-founder of the African National Congress (Pixley ka Isaka Seme). Members of Parliament from the three main political parties in the United Kingdom have attended the college, as have politicians from Australia (Neal Blewett), New Zealand (Harold Rushworth), Sri Lanka (Lalith Athulathmudali) and the United States (Heather Wilson). The list of lawyers include one Lord Chancellor (Lord Sankey) and one Law Lord (Lord du Parcq). The list of clergy includes three Archbishops of Wales (A. G. Edwards, Glyn Simon and Gwilym Williams). Celticists associated with the college include Sir John Morris-Jones, Sir Thomas (T. H.) Parry-Williams and William John Gruffydd, whilst the list of historians includes the college's first graduate, David Powel, who published the first printed history of Wales in 1584, and the Victorian historian John Richard Green. The list includes a recipient of the Victoria Cross (Angus Buchanan) and T. E. Lawrence, better known as "Lawrence of Arabia." Yuval Noah Harari, the author of the popular science bestsellers Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2014), Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2016), and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018) was a student at the college. Record-breaking quadriplegic solo sailor Hilary Lister was also a student there, whilst from the field of arts and entertainment there are names such as Magnus Magnusson, presenter of Mastermind, the National Poet of Wales Gwyn Thomas and television weather presenters Kirsty McCabe and Siân Lloyd.
Because women were barred from studying at Jesus College for over four centuries (from its foundation until 1974), this list of alumni consists almost entirely of men.

## Alumni

The sub-headings are given as a general guide and some names might fit under more than one category.

### Abbreviations used in the following tables

* M – Year of matriculation at Jesus College (a dash indicates that the individual did not matriculate at the college)
* G – Year of graduation / conclusion of study at Jesus College (a dash indicates that the individual graduated from another college)
* DNG – Did not graduate: left the college without taking a degree
* ? – Year unknown; an approximate year is used for table-sorting purposes.
* (F/P) after name – later became a fellow or principal of Jesus College, and included on the list of principals and fellows
* (HF) after name – later became an Honorary Fellow of Jesus College, and included on the list of Honorary Fellows

### Degree abbreviations

* Undergraduate degree: BA – Bachelor of Arts
* Postgraduate degrees:
The subject studied and the degree classification are included, where known. Until the early 19th century, undergraduates read for a Bachelor of Arts degree that included study of Latin and Greek texts, mathematics, geometry, philosophy and theology. Individual subjects at undergraduate level were only introduced later: for example, Mathematics (1805), Natural Science (1850), Jurisprudence (1851, although it had been available before this to students who obtained special permission), Modern History (1851) and Theology (1871). Geography and Modern Languages were introduced in the 20th century. Music had been available as a specialist subject before these changes; medicine was studied as a post-graduate subject.

### Politicians and civil servants

Harold Wilson studied at Jesus College from 1934 to 1937, and was later the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during two periods (from October 1964 to June 1970, and from March 1974 to April 1976). More than 30 other Members of Parliament have been educated at the college, from Sir John Salusbury who was elected as MP for Denbighshire in 1601 to Theresa Villiers who was elected as MP for Chipping Barnet in 2005. Sir Leoline Jenkins, who became a fellow and later the principal of the college, was Secretary of State for the Northern Department from 1680 to 1681 and Secretary of State for the Southern Department from 1681 to 1685. Sir William Williams served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1680 to 1685 and as Solicitor General for England and Wales from 1687 to 1689. Evan Cotton was MP for Finsbury East before holding the position of President of the Bengal Legislative Council from 1922 to 1925. Several Welsh politicians have been educated at the college, some representing constituencies in Wales (such as Sir John Wogan, representing Pembrokeshire at various times between 1614 and 1644) and others working outside Parliament, such as D. J. Williams (a co-founder of the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru). Leader of the Liberal Democrats 2020–present, Sir Ed Davey, was also educated at the college.
Other students at the college have held political offices in other countries. Norman Manley was Chief Minister of Jamaica from 1955 to 1959, and served as its first and only Premier from 1959 to 1962 whilst negotiating its independence. In 2017, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd began studying for a doctorate on Xi Jinping at the college. P. T. Rajan was Chief Minister of Madras Presidency between April and August 1936. Heather Wilson was the first Old Member of the college to sit in the United States House of Representatives, where she represented New Mexico's 1st congressional district from 1998 to 2009. The Australian politician Neal Blewett was a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1977 to 1994, a Government Minister from 1983 to 1994 and High Commissioner to the UK from 1994 to 1998. Pixley ka Isaka Seme, who studied for a BCL between 1906 and 1909, was one of the founder members of the African National Congress.
Civil servants and diplomats educated at Jesus College include Sir Edgar Vaughan (British Ambassador to Colombia from 1964 to 1966), Gunasena de Soyza (High Commissioner for Ceylon in Britain from 1960 to 1961), Sir Frederick Atkinson (Chief Economic Adviser to HM Treasury from 1977 to 1979), Sir Thomas Williams Phillips (Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour from 1935 to 1944 and Chairman of the War Damage Commission from 1949 to 1959), Eryl Davies (a former Chief Inspector of Schools for Wales), and Christopher Lintrup Paus (a long-time British diplomat in Oslo).

### Judges and lawyers

Several prominent judges and lawyers were educated at the college. Viscount Sankey, who was Lord Chancellor from 1929 to 1935, studied for a BA in History and a BCL between 1885 and 1891. Lord du Parcq was appointed as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary in 1946. Sir Richard Richards became Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer in 1817. The Scottish MP and lawyer Lord Murray was appointed a Senator of the College of Justice in 1979. The solicitor Sir David Lewis was Lord Mayor of the City of London from 2007 to 2008. Other lawyers who studied at the college include James Chadwin QC, who defended the Yorkshire Ripper, and Sir Arthur James, who prosecuted the Great Train Robbers and later became a judge of the Court of Appeal. Academic lawyers include J Duncan M Derrett, Professor of Oriental Laws in the University of London from 1965 to 1982, and Alfred Hazel, Reader in English Law at All Souls College, Oxford.

### Clergy

Three Archbishops of Wales have studied at Jesus College. A. G. Edwards, the first archbishop of the Church in Wales after its disestablishment, read Literae Humaniores from 1871 to 1874, and was archbishop from 1920 to 1934. Glyn Simon, who was a student from 1922 to 1926, was Archbishop of Wales from 1968 to 1971. He was succeeded by Gwilym Williams, who was archbishop from 1971 to 1982.
Other bishops to have held office in Wales include Francis Davies, Roy Davies, John Harris, and Morgan Owen (who were all Bishops of Llandaff), Humphrey Humphreys, Daniel Lewis Lloyd and Humphrey Lloyd (who were Bishops of Bangor), William Lloyd and John Wynne (who were Bishops of St Asaph), and John Owen and William Thomas (who were Bishops of St David's). William Havard was a Welsh rugby international before becoming Bishop of St Asaph, then Bishop of St David's.
Former students of the college to have become bishops outside England and Wales include Rowland Ellis (Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney from 1906 to 1911), Richard Meredith (Bishop of Leighlin from 1579 to 1597), and John Rider (Bishop of Killaloe 1612 to 1632). In the twentieth century, bishops to have studied at the college include Kenneth Cragg (assistant Bishop of Jerusalem from 1970 to 1973), John Dickinson (assistant Bishop of Melanesia from 1931 to 1937), Gordon Roe (Bishop of Huntingdon from 1980 to 1997), Alwyn Williams (Bishop of Durham from 1939 to 1952 and Bishop of Winchester from 1952 to 1961), and Clifford Woodward (Bishop of Bristol from 1933 to 1946 and Bishop of Gloucester from 1946 to 1953).
Several former students have been appointed as cathedral deans; many others became parish priests in Wales and elsewhere in the Anglican church, some also finding time for other activities such as writing poetry or pursuing antiquarian interests. At least five have been Dean of Bangor – Henry Edwards, Henry James, Evan Lewis, John Pryce and James Vincent. Llewelyn Hughes was Dean of Ripon from 1951 to 1967, Alex Wedderspoon was Dean of Guildford from 1987 to 2001, and Wesley Carr was Dean of Westminster Abbey from 1997 to 2006. Edmund Meyrick, who studied at the college between 1656 and 1659, became Treasurer of St David's Cathedral; his bequest founded the college's Meyrick scholarships for students from North Wales, and scholarships from this fund are still awarded. The lexicographer John Davies of Mallwyd, who translated the Bible into Welsh, studied at the college. In the mid-19th century, some Anglican priests were influenced by John Henry Newman and converted to Roman Catholicism, including David Lewis; Edmund Ffoulkes converted too, but later went back to Anglicanism, becoming vicar of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford. John David Jenkins, who was Canon of Pietermaritzburg for a time, was later nicknamed the "Rail men's Apostle" for his ministry to railway workers in Oxford. David Thomas, a priest in Gwynedd, was instrumental in the foundation of a Welsh church in the Welsh settlement in Argentina.
Some students have become ministers in other denominations of Christianity. Methodists include David Charles and Christopher Bassett; Baptists include Gwilym Davies (the first person to broadcast on the radio in Welsh, in 1923); Welsh Presbyterians include William David Davies and Gwilym Edwards; Unitarians include John Islan Jones; and Catholics include John Hugh Jones and the Benedictine monk and poet Sylvester Houédard.

### Military personnel

Military personnel educated at the college :
| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes |
| Sir Henry Bagenal | 1572/3 | DNG | — | Bagenal left without taking a degree to support his father, who was marshal of the army in Ireland, and succeeded him in 1590. He was mortally wounded at the Battle of the Yellow Ford in 1598. |
| Angus Buchanan | 1913 | 1921 | BA Jurisprudence (initially Literae Humaniores) | Buchanan won the Victoria Cross (1916) for conspicuous bravery in rescuing a severely wounded officer under fire. He was blinded when shot in 1917. On returning to the college in 1919, he read law and became president of the Jesus College Record. |
| Jenkin Jones | 1639 | DNG | — | Captain in the Parliamentarian army during the English Civil War, and a Puritan preacher |
| Sir Charles Kemeys, 2nd Baronet | 1632 | DNG | — | Royalist who fought during the English Civil War, attacking Cardiff and defending Pembroke Castle |
| T. E. Lawrence | 1907 | 1910 | BA Modern History (1st) | "Lawrence of Arabia" |
| Henry Lloyd | 1736? | 1739? | ? | 18th-century soldier who fought for various European countries (switching sides in the Seven Years' War) and whose writings on military theory were studied by George Washington and George S. Patton |
| Jim Mauldon | 1938 | 1947 | BA Mathematics (1st) | Studies interrupted by military service during the Second World War, during which he won the Military Cross; later became Professor of Mathematics at Amherst College in the United States |
| Sir Edward Morgan, 1st Baronet | 1616 | 1619 | BA | Royalist who held a commission during the Bishops' War and the English Civil War, before being captured at Hereford and suffering the sequestration of his estate |
| Thomas Morgan | — | 1790 | ? | Matriculated from Wadham College; a naval chaplain who was injured during the Glorious First of June battle and involved in the Spithead mutiny before becoming chaplain of the naval dockyard at Portsmouth |
| Anton Muttukumaru | 1928 | 1931 | BA PPE (4th) | First Ceylonese-born officer to serve as Commander of the Ceylon Army (1955–59) |
| Chris Parry | 1972 | 1975 | BA Modern History | Rear admiral and military strategist |

### Celticists

| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes |
| Ellis Evans (F/HF) | 1952 | 1954 | Graduate scholar | Jesus Professor of Celtic (1978–1996) |
| R. Geraint Gruffydd (HF) | 1948 | 1953 | DPhil | Professor of Welsh at University of Wales, Aberystwyth (1970–1979) and Director of the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (1985–1993) |
| William John Gruffydd | 1899 | 1903 | BA English (2nd) (3rd in Classics Honour Mods) | Professor of Celtic at the University of Wales, Cardiff (1918–1946) (succeeding Thomas Powel, below); Liberal MP for the University of Wales constituency (1943–1950) |
| William Henry Harris | 1910 | 1913 | BA Theology (1913, 2nd), BLitt (1913) | Precentor, canon and treasurer of St David's Cathedral; also professor of theology briefly before becoming professor of Welsh at St David's College, Lampeter |
| George Henderson | 1896 | 1899? | BLitt | Gaelic scholar and Church of Scotland minister, who became a lecturer in Celtic at the University of Glasgow |
| John Jenkins | 1787? | — | — | Welsh priest and antiquarian, known as Ifor Ceri, who helped to establish eisteddfodau in Wales in the early nineteenth century; graduated from Merton College |
| Bedwyr Lewis Jones | 1956 | 1959? | ? | Professor of Welsh at the University of Wales, Bangor |
| John Jones | 1814 | 1818 | BA Mathematics (2nd) | Welsh clergyman and scholar (bardic name Ioan Tegid), who transcribed the Red Book of Hergest for Lady Charlotte Guest |
| Henry Lewis | 1910? | 1912? | ? | Professor of Welsh at University College, Swansea (1921–1954) |
| John Lloyd-Jones | 1907 | 1909? | BLitt | First Professor of Welsh at the National University of Ireland, Dublin |
| Derec Llwyd Morgan (F/HF) | 1964 | 1969 | DPhil | Professor of Welsh (1989–1995) then vice-chancellor and principal (1995–2004), University of Wales, Aberystwyth |
| Sir John Morris-Jones (F) | 1883 | 1888 | BA Mathematics (3rd, 1887), then research in Welsh | Professor of Welsh at University College of North Wales, Bangor (1895–1929), who had been awarded a one-year scholarship for research in Welsh with John Rhys |
| John Owen | 1872 | 1876 | BA Mathematics (2nd) (2nd in Mods in Classics and in Mathematics) | Professor of Welsh (1879–1889) and principal (1892–1897) at St David's College, Lampeter before becoming Bishop of St David's (1897–1926) |
| Sir Thomas (T. H.) Parry-Williams (HF) | 1909 | 1911 | BLitt | Professor of Welsh at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth (1920–1952) |
| Thomas Powel | 1869 | 1872 | BA Literae Humaniores (3rd) | Professor of Celtic at University College, Cardiff (1884–1918) (succeeded by William John Gruffydd, above) |
| Llywarch Reynolds | 1868 | 1875 | BA | Welsh solicitor and Celtic scholar; many of the antiquarian manuscripts he collected are now held by the National Library of Wales |
| Sir John Rhys (HF/F/P) | 1865 | 1869 | BA Literae Humaniores (1st) | First Jesus Professor of Celtic (1877–1915) |
| Evan Thomas | 1891 | 1895 | BA Theology (2nd) | Professor of Welsh at St David's College, Lampeter (1903–1915), where he helped to revive the position of Welsh in the college and curriculum |
| John Williams | 1832 | 1838 | BA Mathematics (4th, 1835), MA (1838) | Priest and Welsh scholar (bardic name Ab Ithel), who edited Y Gododdin and completed Aneurin Owen's edition of Annales Cambriae |

### Classicists and archeologists

| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes |
| William Boyd Dawkins (HF) | 1854 | 1860 | BA Natural Science (1st) | Geologist and archeologist |
| John Craig | 1908 | 1912 | BA Literae Humaniores (2nd) | Firth Professor of Latin at the University of Sheffield (1930–1952) |
| Percy Dodd (F) | 1907 | 1911 | BA Literae Humaniores (1st) | Lecturer at Leeds University then a college fellow; career cut short by ill-health |
| Edward Edwards | 1743 | 1747 | BA | Cleric, with a particular interest in Xenophon's Memorabilia |
| Thomas Iorwerth Ellis | 1920 | 1923 | BA Literae Humaniores (3rd) | Academic at University College, Swansea, St David's College, Lampeter and the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth; secretary of the New Wales Union for 25 years; publications included a biography of his father T. E. Ellis |
| Sir Emrys Evans | 1913 | 1915? | BLitt | First professor of classics at Swansea University, later principal of University College, Bangor |
| John Garstang (HF) | 1895 | 1899 | BA Mathematics (3rd) | Archeologist |
| Harold Arthur Harris | 1921 | 1925 | BA English (1st) (1st in Classics Honour Mods) | Professor of Classics at St David's College, Lampeter(1934–1968) |
| Barri Jones | 1955 | 1963 | BA Literae Humaniores; DPhil | Classical scholar and archaeologist |
| Griffith Hartwell Jones | 1879 | 1883 | BA Literae Humaniores (2nd) | Professor of Latin at the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, Cardiff, chairman of both the National Eisteddfod Association and the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion |
| Terence Mitford | 1923? | 1927? | BA Literae Humaniores | Archeologist at the University of St Andrews, with a particular interest in Cyprus; an officer in the Special Air Service during the Second World War |
| Percy Seymour (F) | 1910? | 1912 | BA Literae Humaniores (1st) | Australian classicist, and college bursar (1930–1935) |
| John Strugnell | 1947 | 1954 | BA Literae Humaniores, MA Oriental Languages | Dead Sea Scrolls scholar, and Professor of Christian Origins at Harvard Divinity School |

### Geographers, geologists and cartographers

| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes |
| J. N. L. Baker (F) | 1913 | 1922 | BA Modern History (1920), Diploma in Geography (1921), BLitt | Geographer, with particular interest in the history of geography, College Bursar and geography tutor, and author of Jesus College 1571–1971 |
| John Evans | 1773 | — | — | Transferred to St Alban Hall; a Welsh surgeon and cartographer, who reprinted his father's celebrated maps of North Wales and later produced his own edition |
| James Fairgrieve | 1891 | 1895 | BA Mathematics (2nd) | Human geographer and educator |
| John House | 1937 | 1940 | BA Geography (2nd) | Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography at Oxford (1974–1983) |
| Henry Yule Oldham | 1882 | 1886 | BA Natural Science (Animal Morphology) (2nd) | Geographer who conducted the definitive version of the Bedford Level experiment in 1901, proving that the earth was a sphere |
| Robert Steel (F/HF) | 1934 | 1937 | BA Geography (1st) | Professor of geography at the University of Liverpool (1957–1974), then principal of the University College of Swansea (1974–1982) |
| David Williams | 1810 | 1814 | BA | Anglican priest in Bleadon, Somerset and geologist who wrote extensively of the geology of the west of England |

### Historians and antiquarians

| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes |
| Warren Ault (HF) | 1907 | 1910 | BA Modern History (2nd) | One of the college's first two Rhodes Scholars; taught history at Boston University from 1913 to 1957, becoming Huntington Professor of History |
| Theo Barker | 1941 | 1948 | BA Modern History (1st) | Social and economic historian, who was a professor at the University of Kent and the London School of Economics |
| James Burke | 1957 | 1961 | BA English (3rd) | Science historian |
| George Wingrove Cooke | 1830 | 1834 | BA Literae Humaniores (4th) | Barrister and historian, whose first book (Memoirs of Lord Bolingbroke) was written whilst Cooke was an undergraduate |
| William Cronon | 1976 | 1978 | DPhil | Historian of environmental change, Bancroft Prize winner and MacArthur Fellow who completed his doctorate in unusually short time of two years |
| Sir Goronwy Edwards (F/HF) | 1909 | 1913 | BA Modern History (1st) | Welsh historian who become Director of the Institute of Historical Research and Professor of History at the University of London |
| John Ellis (F) | 1690 | 1696 | BA (1693), MA (1696) | Welsh cleric and antiquarian |
| Richard Ellis | 1898 | 1902 | BA | Assistant librarian of the National Library of Wales, whose main research interest was the life and work of Edward Lhuyd |
| Thomas Ellis (F) | 1640 | 1646 | BA (1644), MA (1646) | Welsh clergyman and historian |
| Richard Evans (HF) | 1966 | 1969 | BA Modern History (1st) | Historian, specialising in modern German history, who was principal defence expert witness for Deborah Lipstadt when she was sued for libel by David Irving |
| Richard Farrington | 1720 | 1724 | BA | Welsh priest and antiquarian, with a particular interest in Caernarfonshire; Chancellor of Bangor Cathedral |
| Albert Goodwin (F) | 1924 | 1928 | BA Modern History (1st) | Professor of Modern History at the University of Manchester |
| John Richard Green (HF) | 1856 | 1859 | Pass degree | Historian, author of A History of the English people (four volumes) |
| Sir John Rigby Hale (F/HF) | 1945 | 1948 | BA Modern History (1st) (top of year) | Historian of the Renaissance |
| Yuval Noah Harari | 1999 | 2002 | DPhil | Historian, author of the popular science bestsellers Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2014), Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2016), and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018). |
| Sir Thomas Herbert, 1st Baronet | 1622? | DNG | — | Gentleman of the bedchamber to Charles I, who wrote an account of the last two years of the king's life entitled Threnodia Carolina |
| Edward Ernest Hughes | 1899? | 1902 | BA Modern History (2nd) | The first Professor of History at University College, Swansea (1926–1944) |
| Colin Jones | 1967? | 1971 | BA Modern History and Modern Languages (French) | Professor of History at Queen Mary, University of London since 2006 |
| John Jones | 1804 | 1808 | ? | Cleric in Caernarfonshire and antiquarian |
| Maldwyn Jones | 1946 | 1949 | BA Modern History (1st) | Commonwealth Professor of American History, University College, London (1971–1988) |
| John Lloyd | 1753 | 1757 | BA | Cleric (at Caerwys and Nannerch) and antiquarian |
| John Le Patourel | 1928 | 1933 | BA Modern History (1st, 1931), DPhil ( | Professor of Medieval History at the University of Leeds (1945–1970), with a particular interest in the history of the Channel Islands |
| John Duncan Mackie | 1904 | 1908 | BA Modern History (1st) | Professor of Scottish History and Literature, University of Glasgow (1930–1957) and Historiographer Royal (appointed in 1957) |
| John Mason | 1938 | 1947 | BA Modern History (1st) | Studies interrupted by war service; Student (i.e. Fellow) of Christ Church, Oxford 1957–1987; historian of the Norman Conquest and of his home town of Bridgnorth, Shropshire |
| John Morris | 1932 | 1935 | BA Modern History (2nd) | Lecturer in Ancient History at University College, London |
| Nicholas Owen | 1769 | 1776 | BA (1773), MA (1776) | Welsh Anglican clergyman and antiquarian |
| Glen O'Hara | 1993 | 1997 | BA Modern History (1st, 1996), MSc Economic and Social History (Distinction, 1997) | Senior Lecturer in Modern History, Oxford Brookes University |
| Henry Parry | 1786 | 1790 | BA | Welsh cleric and antiquarian |
| William Parry (F) | 1706 | 1712 | BA (1709), MA (1712), BD (1719) | Antiquarian and rector of Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire |
| John Pettingall | 1725 | 1728 | BA | Antiquarian and priest |
| Albert Pollard (HF) | 1887 | 1891 | BA Modern History (1st) (2nd in Classics Honour Mods) | Captain of Boats whilst at college; a historian, particularly of Henry VIII, and former Assistant Editor of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |
| David Powel | 1571? | 1576 | BA (1573), MA (1576), BTh and DTh (1583) | Matriculation college unknown, but moved to Jesus on its foundation and thought to be the first person to graduate from Jesus; published The Historie of Cambria, now called Wales, the first printed history of Wales (1584) |
| Rice Rees (F) | 1822 | 1828 | BA Literae Humaniores (3rd, 1826), MA (1826) | Cleric and author of The Welsh Saints (1836) |
| Henry Rice | 1607 | 1607 | BA | Matriculated 10 days before graduation; a gentleman at the court of King Charles I, whose writings included a Life of Sir Rhys ap Thomas, one of his ancestors |
| William Rider | — | 1745 | BA | Matriculated from St Mary Hall before transferring to the college; a cleric and writer, whose 50-volume work A New History of England was later described as one of the vilest Grub Street compilations ever published |
| Susobhan Sarkar | 1923 | 1925 | BA Modern History (1st) | Indian historian, who was Professor of History at Presidency College, Calcutta (1932–1956), Jadavpur University (1956–1961) and Calcutta University (1961–1967) |
| David Thomas | 1852 | 1856 | BA Literae Humaniores (3rd) | Canon of St Asaph and Archdeacon of Montgomery; wrote History of the Diocese of St Asaph, the first such history of a Welsh diocese |
| John Thomas | 1755 | 1758 | BA | Welsh cleric and antiquarian, who collected and transcribed manuscripts, and wrote a History of the Island of Anglesey (1775); elder brother of Richard Thomas, who also attended the college |
| Richard Thomas | 1771 | 1775 | BA | Welsh cleric and antiquarian, who collected and transcribed manuscripts; younger brother of John Thomas, who also attended the college |
| Arthur Wade-Evans | 1893 | 1896 | BA | Historian of early Britain, the Celtic church and medieval Welsh law |
| Thomas Wilkins | 1641 | 1661 | ? (Law) | Welsh cleric and antiquarian, from whose collection of manuscripts the Red Book of Hergest was donated to the college after his death |
| Alfred Wood | 1919 | 1923 | BA Modern History (1st, 1921), BLitt (1923) | Professor of History at the University of Nottingham (1951–1960) |
| William Wynne (F) | 1688 | 1691 | BA | Welsh cleric who wrote a History of Wales (1697), a revised version of David Powel's history; younger brother of the priest Robert Wynne |

### Language and literature academics

| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes |
| Fred Bachrach | 1948 | 1951? | DPhil | Dutch art and literature academic |
| William Brice | 1939 | 1946 | BA Geography (1st) | Studies interrupted by war service; an ethnographer and linguist who worked on Linear A |
| Angus Cameron | 1961 | 1968 | BA (1963), BLitt (1968) | Canadian Rhodes Scholar, who lectured at Mount Allison University after achieving his BA before returning for a post-graduate degree, his thesis being entitled "Old English nouns of colour: a semantic study"; a lexicographer of Old English and a professor at the University of Toronto |
| J. P. Collas | 1929 | 1934 | BA French (1st, 1932), BLitt (1934) | Norman-French scholar and Professor of French at Queen Mary College, London (1953–1976), regarded as one of the leading philologists of his generation |
| John Fleming | 1958 | 1961 | BA English (2nd) | Former Professor of English at Princeton University |
| Andrew Goatly | 1969 | 1972 | BA English (2nd) | Professor of English at Lingnan University, Hong Kong |
| Stephen Thomas Knight | 1959 | 1962 | BA English (2nd) | Professor of English at Cardiff University with a particular interest in medieval literature, Robin Hood and King Arthur |
| Reuben Levy | 1912 | 1914 | BA Oriental Studies (2nd) | Professor of Persian at the University of Cambridge |
| Meirion Pennar | 1965? | 1968? | DPhil | Welsh literature academic and poet |
| Graham Pollard | 1921 | 1924 | BA Modern History (3rd) | Bookseller and bibliographer; Reader in Bibliography at the University of Oxford (1961) |
| Richard Sayce | 1934 | 1937 | BA French and German (1st) | Reader in French Literature at Oxford, and a Fellow of Worcester College |
| William Davies Thomas | 1911 | 1913 | BA English (1st) | Professor of English at the University of Saskatchewan (1919–1921), and the first Professor of English language and literature at University College, Swansea (1921–1954) |
| Leslie Walton | 1918 | 1926 | BA Spanish (1st) (1920), BLitt (1926) | Forbes Reader in Spanish at the University of Edinburgh, head of the Department of Hispanic Studies |

### Philosophers and theologians

| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes |
| Paul Badham | 1962 | 1965 | BA Theology (2nd) | Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Wales, Lampeter since 1991 |
| J. E. Daniel | 1919 | 1925 | BA Literae Humaniores (1924, 1st), BA Theology (1925, 1st) | Welsh theologian (a professor at Bala-Bangor Theological Seminary) who was also chairman of Plaid Cymru (1939–1943) |
| William David Davies | 1915 | 1923? | BA Literae Humaniores (2nd, 1921), BA Theology (1st, 1922), BD | Welsh Presbyterian minister who was the first Welsh non-conformist to obtain a BD from Oxford, and who turned down a university tutorship in theology since it required membership of the Church of England; Professor of the history of religions and the philosophy of religion at the United Theological College Aberystwyth (1928–1933) |
| Walter Evans-Wentz | 1907 | 1909? | BSc in Folklore | Anthropologist and writer who made a particular study of Tibetan Buddhism |
| S. H. Hooke (HF) | 1907 | 1912 | BA Theology 1910 (1st), BA Oriental Languages (2nd) | Biblical scholar, who was Professor of Old Testament Studies at the University of London |
| Hywel Lewis (HF) | 1933 | 1935 | BLitt | Welsh philosopher and theologian, who was Professor of the History and Philosophy of Religion at the University of London (1955–1977) |
| Henry Maurice (F) | 1664 | 1668 | BA (1668), MA (1671), BD (1679), DD (1683) | Treasurer of Chichester Cathedral, who was elected Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at Oxford shortly before his death in 1691 |
| Huw Owen | 1944 | 1949 | BA Theology (2nd) | Welsh Presbyterian minister, who was Professor of Christian Doctrine at King's College London (1971–1983) |
| Robert Owen (F) | 1838 | 1845 | BA Literae Humaniores (3rd, 1842), MA (1845), BD (1852) | Theologian and antiquarian, who wrote An Introduction to the Study of Dogmatic Theology and Institutes of Canon Law but who was forced to resign his fellowship after an allegation of immorality |
| Philip Hallie | 1949 | 1951 | BLitt | Fulbright Scholar from the United States; William Griffin Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Wesleyan University (1965–1988) |
| Griffith Powell (F/P) | 1581 | 1593 | BA (1584), MA (1589), BCL | Aristotelian philosopher |
| Clement Rogers | 1885 | 1889 | BA Theology (2nd) | Professor of Pastoral Theology at King's College, London (1919–1932) |
| Cecil Weir | 1927? | 1930 | DPhil | Theologian who was Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Languages, Glasgow at the University of Glasgow (1937–1968) |

### Mathematics, medicine and science

Mathematicians to have studied at Jesus College include Nigel Hitchin (Savilian Professor of Geometry at Oxford since 1997), the Canadian Jonathan Borwein and Jim Mauldon (who taught at Oxford before moving to the United States to teach at Amherst College, Massachusetts). David E. Evans is Professor of Mathematics at Cardiff University, and H. W. Lloyd Tanner was Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy at one of its predecessor institutions, the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire. Several noted individuals from biology, botany and zoology were educated at the college, including the Welsh clergyman Hugh Davies (whose Welsh Botanology of 1813 cross-referenced the Welsh-language and the scientific names of plants), Edward Bagnall Poulton (Professor of Zoology at Oxford) and James Brontë Gatenby (Professor of Zoology at Trinity College, Dublin). Frank Greenaway was Keeper of the Department of Chemistry at the Science Museum in London for over 20 years, and the physicist Chris Rapley was appointed director of the museum in 2007. Other physicists who are Old Members of the college include Michael Woolfson (a former Professor of Physics at the University of York) and Edward Hinds (whose work on ultra-cold matter won him the Rumford Medal of the Royal Society in 2008). Edwin Stevens, who studied Natural Science at the college, went on to design the world's first wearable hearing aid, and Sir Graham Sutton became director-general of the Meteorological Office.

### Other academics

| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes |
| John Adair | 1969? | 1971 | BLitt | Author and academic on leadership studies; Professor of Leadership Studies at the University of Surrey (1979–1984); visiting professor at the University of Exeter (1990–2000); Honorary Professor of Leadership at the China Executive Leadership Academy in Pudong since 2006 |
| Henry Bould (F) | 1621 | 1624 | BA (1621), MA (1624) | Named as one of the founding scholars in the college's charter (1622); Fellow (1623–1628) |
| Joseph Clearihue | 1911 | 1914 | BA Jurisprudence (2nd, 1913), BCL (3rd, 1914) | Canadian Rhodes scholar, who later became a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and a county court judge; also chairman of the council of Victoria College, British Columbia (which became the University of Victoria under his leadership) |
| Sir Goronwy Daniel (HF) | 1937 | 1940 | DPhil | Permanent Under-Secretary of the Welsh Office (1964–1969), Principal of University of Wales, Aberystwyth (1969–1979) |
| Walter Jenkin Evans | 1875? | 1878 | BA | Principal of Carmarthen Presbyterian College (1888–1927) |
| Robert Gentilis | — | 1603 | BA | Academic and translator who matriculated from Christ Church at the age of eight, graduated at the age of twelve and became a Fellow of All Souls at seventeen; eldest son of Alberico Gentili, the Italian jurist and Regius Professor of Civil Law |
| Lewis Gilbertson (F) | 1833 | 1839 | BA Literae Humaniores (3rd, 1836), MA (1839), BD (1847) | Vicar in parishes in Cardiganshire, and also served as Vice-Principal |
| Joseph Hoare (F/P) | 1727 | 1733 | BA (1730), MA | Prebend of Westminster Abbey; died after being scratched by his cat |
| David Hughes (F/P) | 1770 | 1776 | BA (1773), MA (1776), BD (1783), DD (1790) | Principal (1802–1817) |
| Henry Foulkes (F/P) | 1790 | 1797 | BA (1794), MA (1797), BD (1804), DD (1817) | Principal for 40 years (1817–1857) |
| Francis Heiser | 1903? | 1907 | BA Theology (2nd) | Principal of Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone (1920–1922), Principal of St Aidan's Theological College, Birkenhead (1929–1950) |
| Wilfred Hinton | 1908? | 1910? | BA | Professor of Political Economy at the University of Hong Kong (1913–1929), Director of Studies for the Institute of Bankers (1929–1949), and an expert in Far Eastern international affairs |
| George Howells | 1895? | 1898? | BLitt | Principal of Serampore College, India (1907–1932) |
| Gwilliam Iwan Jones | 1923 | 1926 | BA Modern History (2nd) | Colonial civil servant who photographed life in Nigeria in the 1930s, later becoming an anthropologist and Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge |
| Maurice Jones (F/HF) | 1882 | 1886 | BA Divinity (1st, 1886), BD (1907), DD (1914) | Welsh clergyman and principal of St David's College, Lampeter (1923–1938) |
| Thomas Jones | 1827 | 1832 | BA | Librarian of Chetham's Library, Manchester (1845–1875) |
| William Jones (F/P) | 1694 | 1700 | BA (1697), MA (1700), BD (1708), DD (1720) | Principal (1720–1725) |
| Deepak Lal | 1960 | 1965 | BA PPE (1962), BPhil (Economics, 1965) | Development economist; James S. Coleman Professor of International Development Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles since 1991 |
| Llewelyn Lewellin | 1818 | 1827 | BA Literae Humaniores (1st, 1822), MA (1824), BCL (1827), DCL (1829) | First Principal of St David's College, Lampeter (1828–1878), also Dean of St David's (1843–1878) |
| Harold Loukes | 1930 | 1934 | BA English (1st) | Taught at the University of Delhi before spending 30 years in the Department of Education at Oxford, most of them as Reader in Education |
| Francis Mansell (P) | 1607 | 1611 | BA (1609), MA (1611) | Elected a Fellow of All Souls in 1613; Principal of Jesus College on three occasions |
| Rupert Morris | 1861 | 1865 | BA Literae Humaniores (2nd) | Principal of Carmarthen Training College (1869–1876), headmaster of Godolphin School (1876–1884); clergyman and antiquarian |
| Humphrey Owen (F/P) | 1718 | 1733 | BA (1722), MA (1725), BD (1733), DD (1763) | Bodley's Librarian (1747–1768) |
| Thomas Pardo (F/P) | 1707 | 1711 | BA (1708), MA (1711), BD (1719), DD (1727) | Chancellor of St David's (1749–1753) |
| David Parry | 1701 | 1708 | BA (1705), MA (1708) | Keeper of the Ashmolean Museum (1709–1714) |
| John Price | 1754 | 1760 | BA (1757), MA (1760), BD (1768) | Bodley's Librarian for 45 years (1768–1813) |
| Theodore Price (F) | 1586? | 1591 | BA (1588), MA (1591) | Prebend of Westminster Abbey and principal of Hart Hall, Oxford |
| Robert Rowthorn | 1957? | 1962? | BA Mathematics (1st), BPhil Economics | Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of King's College, Cambridge (1991–2006) |
| Robert Skidelsky, Baron Skidelsky (HF) | 1958 | 1965 | BA Modern History (2nd, 1961), DPhil Social Studies | Economist and biographer of John Maynard Keynes |
| Sir Ben Bowen Thomas (HF) | 1920 | 1922 | BA Modern History (2nd) | Permanent Secretary to the Welsh Department of the Department of Education (1945–1963), President of University College of Wales, Aberystwyth (1964–1975) |
| John Lloyd Thomas | 1930 | 1932 | BA Theology (2nd) | Principal of St David's College, Lampeter (1953–1975) |
| Llewellyn Thomas (F) | 1860 | 1865 | BA Literae Humaniores (3rd) | Welsh cleric, poet and scholar, who was the college's Welsh reader, senior tutor and vice-principal |
| David Williams | 1898? | 1903 | BA Literae Humaniores (2nd, 1902), BA Theology (2nd, 1903) | Welsh Calvinistic Methodist minister and professor at the United Theological College Aberystwyth |
| John Tudno Williams | 1957 | 1960 | BA Theology (2nd) | Lecturer, then principal (1998–2003) of the United Theological College Aberystwyth, and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Wales (2006–2007) |
| William Christopher Wordsworth | 1899? | 1903 | BA Literae Humaniores (1st) | Professor of political economy (and later principal) of the Presidency College, Calcutta, who was also a journalist for The Statesman and The Times |

### Educators

| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes |
| Alan Aldous | 1942 | 1948 | BA English (2nd) | Headmaster of Leeds Grammar School (1970–1975) |
| Edward Barnwell | 1830 | 1834 | BA Mathematics (1st) | Headmaster of Ruthin School (1839–1865), succeeding Charles Williams |
| Edmund Brice | 1648 | 1650 | BA | Translator and schoolmaster, and follower of the Christian mystic John Pordage |
| John Caldicott | — | 1851 | BA Literae Humaniores (2nd, 1851), BA Mathematics (3rd, 1851), BD and DD (1874) | Matriculated from Pembroke College; Anglican priest and headmaster of Bristol Grammar School |
| J. R. Cohu (F) | 1876 | 1880 | BA Literae Humaniores (1st, 1880), MA (1883) | Headmaster, clergyman and writer on biblical topics |
| William Weekes Fowler | — | 1873 | BA | Matriculated at New College before transferring to Jesus with a scholarship; a clergyman, headmaster (of Lincoln School) and entomologist who was President of the Incorporated Association of Head Masters and President of the Entomological Society of London |
| Daniel Harper (F/P) | 1840 | 1844 | BA Mathematics (1st) | Headmaster of Cowbridge Grammar School (1847–1850) and Sherborne School (1851–1877) |
| John Haycraft | 1948 | 1951 | BA Modern History (2nd) | English language teacher and founder of International House World Organisation |
| Herbert Armitage James | 1863 | — | — | Transferred to Lincoln College when he won a scholarship in 1864; later headmaster of Rugby School and President of St John's College, Oxford |
| Robert James | 1924 | 1928 | BA Literae Humaniores (1st) | Son of Henry James, Dean of Bangor; High Master of St Paul's School (1946–1953) and Headmaster of Harrow School (1953–1971) |
| Harold Littler | 1907? | 1910 | BA Modern History (2nd) | Anglican priest and headmaster of Sir William Turner's School, Coatham |
| Daniel Lewis Lloyd | 1862 | 1867 | BA Literae Humaniores (2nd) (1867), MA (1871) | Headmaster of Dolgelley Grammar School, Friars School, Bangor and Christ College, Brecon; later Bishop of Bangor |
| Edward Owen | 1746 | 1752 | BA (1749), MA (1752) | Welsh priest and translator, who was headmaster of the grammar school in Warrington |
| Owen Owen | 1873 | 1877 | BA Literae Humaniores (3rd) | Headmaster in Oswestry who became the first Chief Inspector of the Central Welsh Board for Intermediate Education |
| Morgan Phillips | 1907? | 1911 | ? | Headmaster of Ruthin School (1930–1935) |
| Owen Price | 1649 | — | — | Graduated from Christ Church, Oxford; Master of Magdalen College School, Oxford and writer of educational books |
| Ernest Salter Davies | 1891 | 1895 | BA Literae Humaniores | Director of Education for Kent for 20 years and writer on educational matters |
| Thomas Thomas | 1824 | 1827 | BA | Welsh cleric ("Thomas of Caernarfon") who helped to found schools in Caernarfon; the father of Llewellyn Thomas |
| James Vincent | 1735 | 1739 | BA | Welsh cleric and schoolteacher, who was Master of the Friars School, Bangor; grandfather of James Vincent, who also attended the college |
| Charles Williams (F/P) | 1823 | 1827 | BA Literae Humaniores (1st) | Headmaster of Ruthin School (1831–1839), Principal (1857–1877) |
| John Williams (F) | 1777 | 1783 | BA (1781), MA | Cleric in north Wales and master of the Free school in Llanrwst (1790–1812) |
| Peter Bailey Williams | 1785 | 1790— | — | Cleric in north Wales whose Sunday school in Llanrug was the first in the county; graduated from Christ Church in 1790 |
| Robert Dewi Williams | 1892? | 1896? | BA | Headmaster of Clynnog Fawr School, which moved to become Clwyd College, Rhyl; a Presbyterian minister and writer |

### Artists and writers

| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes | Ref. |
| Tom Becker | 1998 | 2001? | BA Modern History | Won the 2007 Waterstone's Children's Book Prize for his first novel, Darkside | |
| John Blackwell | 1824 | 1828 | BA | Welsh poet and writer, using the bardic name Alun | |
| William Boyd (HF) | 1975 | 1978 | DPhil | Novelist and screenwriter; left college accommodation and started work in 1978 when grant ran out, and has said "I never really left Jesus – I sort of drifted away." | |
| Alan Brien | 1943 | 1950 | BA English Literature (2nd) | Journalist and critic, author of Lenin; whilst at college, produced a film (Our College) commissioned by the Jesus College Record as a gesture of thanks to an American university that had sent a food parcel | |
| William Lucas Collins | 1833 | 1840 | BA Literae Humaniores (2nd, 1838), MA (1840) | Clergyman and contributor to Blackwood's Magazine | |
| John Davies | 1641 | DNG | — | Moved to St John's College, Cambridge during the English Civil War; a translator of works in French, Spanish and Latin who also wrote an account of the Civil War | |
| James Davis | 1723 | 1732 | BA (1726), MA (1729), BM (1732) | Physician and satirist | |
| David Ellis | 1794 | DNG | — | Welsh clergyman, poet and transcriber of manuscripts, who was at the college from March to June 1794 | |
| Daniel Evans (F) | 1810 | 1817 | BA Literae Humaniores (3rd, 1814), MA (1817), BD (1824) | Welsh poet, known as Daniel Ddu o Geredigion | |
| John Evans | 1789 | 1792 | BA | Wrote four works about the topography of Wales | |
| Thomas Floyd | 1589 – | 1599 | MA (1596), BCL (1599) | Matriculated (1589) and BA (1593) from New Inn Hall, Oxford before moving to Jesus College; author of The picture of a perfit common wealth, describing as well the offices of princes and inferior magistrates over their subjects, as also the duties of subjects towards their governors (1600) | |
| Gwyneth Glyn | 1999 | 2002 | BA Philosophy and Theology (1st) | Singer and poet, Welsh Children's Bard (2006–2007) | |
| Sylvester Houédard | 1941 | 1949 | ? | Studies interrupted by war service; a Benedictine monk and poet (known as "dom silvester houédard" or "dsh") | |
| James Howell | 1610 | 1613 | BA | Writer (notably of Dodona's Grove) | |
| Philip Hubbard | 1929 | 1933 | BA Literae Humaniores (2nd) | Author of 16 novels and two books for children; winner of the Newdigate Prize for English verse (1933) | |
| Edward Hughes | 1794 | 1800 | BA (1797), MA (1800) | Welsh poet (bardic name Y Dryw), who won prizes at the Denbigh Eisteddfodau of 1819 and 1828 | |
| Thomas Rowland Hughes | 1928 | 1931 | BLitt | Welsh novelist, whose thesis was entitled "The London Magazine from 1820 to 1829" | |
| John Jenkins | 1905 | 1908 | BA Theology (2nd) (1908), DLitt (1932) | Welsh poet (bardic name Gwili) and theologian; Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales (1932–1936) | |
| Brian John | 1959 | 1965 | BA Geography (2nd, 1962), DPhil | Author of the historical-fiction series Angel Mountain Saga, whose DPhil was on the Ice Age in Wales | |
| Thomas Jones | 1759 | DNG | — | Left in 1761 to become a painter on the death of his uncle, at whose instigation he was studying for ordination | |
| Tobias Jones | 1992 | 1995 | BA Modern History and English (1st) | Author (of The Dark Heart of Italy) and journalist | |
| David Lewis | 1698 | 1702 | BA | Poet, whose collections of poetry also included works by Alexander Pope and John Dyer | |
| Evan Lloyd | 1751 | 1757 | BA (1754), MA (1757) | Satirical poet, whose works led to his imprisonment and hampered his career in the church | |
| Owen Martell | 1998 | 1999 | Meyricke Graduate Scholarship | Welsh author, translator, musician. Recipient of the . Winner 2001 Welsh Book of the Year Award for Cadw dy ffydd, brawd, (Strong and Prophetic; Gomer, 2000). Second novel, Dyn yr Eiliad (The Other Man; Gomer, 2003), short-listed in 2004. Dolenni Hud (Welsh Knot; Gomer, 2008) short stories in collaboration with photographer Simon Proffitt (another Jesus Alumnus). Translated Martin Crimp's Attempts on Her Life, (produced Sherman Cymru theatre, Cardiff, 2009). Third novel Intermission (Heinemann, 2013), written in English (has been translated into French, German and Spanish). He was co-editor of the Welsh-language review of books, O’r Pedwar Gwynt. | |
| Roland Mathias | 1933 | 1939 | BA Modern History (1st, 1936), BLitt | Welsh poet, short story writer and editor of The Anglo-Welsh Review (1961–1976), whose BLitt thesis was entitled "The Economic Policy of the Board of Trade 1696–1714" | |
| Dom Moraes | 1956 | 1959 | BA English (3rd) | Indian writer, poet and columnist | |
| John Morgan | 1704 | 1708 | BA | Clergyman and poet (who was known as John Morgan Matchin after his appointment to a position in Matching, Essex) and author of Myfyrdodau bucheddol ar y pedwar peth diweddaf ('Devout musings on the four last things') (1714) | |
| Sir Lewis Morris (HF) | 1851 | 1856 | BA Literae Humaniores (1st) | Anglo-Welsh poet, who was the first student to obtain 1st in Classics in both Mods and Finals for 30 years | |
| Arthur Nortje | 1965 | 1967 | BA English | South African poet, who returned to the college to study for a BPhil but died in 1970 before completing the course | |
| Goronwy Owen | 1742 | DNG | — | Welsh poet who was hardly resident at the college | ` |
| Philip Palmer | 1979 | 1982? | BA English | British science fiction writer | |
| Henry Perry | 1579– | 1583 | MA (1583), BTh (1597) | Initially a member of Balliol College; a Welsh priest and writer | |
| Edward Pierce | 1650 | 1657 | BA (1655), MA (1657) | Welsh clergyman and satirist | |
| Angharad Price | 1990 | 1997? | BA, DPhil (Modern Languages) | Prize-winning Welsh novelist and lecturer at Bangor University | |
| Rhys Prichard | 1597 | 1602 | BA | Welsh poet and clergyman, known as Yr Hen Ficer ("The Old Vicar"), and author of Canwyll y Cymry ("The Welshmen's Candle") | |
| William Rees | 1889 | 1892 | BA Literae Humaniores (2nd) | Welsh priest and writer | |
| David Richards | 1774 | DNG | — | Welsh poet (bardic name Dafydd Ionawr) and schoolmaster, who only spent one term at the college | |
| Thomas Richards | 1708 | 1711 | BA | Canon of St Asaph's Cathedral, who was also a writer and satirist | |
| John Roberts | 1792 | 1796 | BA | Welsh cleric and writer | |
| Erasmus Saunders | 1690 | 1696 | BA (1693), MA (1696), BD (1705), DD (1712) | Welsh priest and writer | |
| Francesca Simon | 1977 | 1980? | BA Old English Language and Literature | American author of the Horrid Henry series of books | |
| Charles Symmons | — | 1794 | DD | Welsh priest and writer; a graduate of the University of Cambridge who was incorporated at Oxford in order to take his DD after being involved in controversy at Cambridge | |
| Gwyn Thomas | 1959 | 1966 | DPhil | Welsh poet, appointed National Poet of Wales in 2006 | |
| Nathaniel Thomas | 1747 | 1750? | BA | Welsh writer; editor and proprietor of the St James's Chronicle in London, and editor of Robert Ainsworth's Latin Dictionary | |
| Len Tyler | 1971 | 1974? | BA Geography | Crime writer | |
| Henry Vaughan | 1641? | DNG | — | Welsh poet and doctor; college records unclear on entry date | |
| Thomas Vaughan | 1638 | 1646/7 | BA (1642), graduate scholar until 1646/1647 | Welsh clergyman, poet and writer | |
| William Vaughan | 1592 | 1605 | BA (1595), MA (1597), BCL (1600), DCL | Welsh writer and colonial investor | |
| John Walters | 1777 | 1781 | BA | Welsh clergyman and poet | |
| Hugh Williams | 1740 | 1744 | BA | Welsh clergyman and writer | |
| Morris Williams | 1832 | 1835 | BA Literae Humaniores (2nd) | Welsh writer (bardic name Nicander) and clergyman | |
| Nathaniel Williams | 1672 | 1676 | BA | Welsh writer whose works include A Pindaric Elegy on the famous Physician Dr. Willis | |
| William Wynn | 1727 | 1735 | BA (1730), MA (1735) | Welsh cleric and poet | |
| Ellis Wynne | 1692 | 1695? | BA, possibly MA too, possibly in Law | Welsh clergyman and writer, particularly remembered for Gweledigaetheu y Bardd Cwsc ("Visions of the Sleeping Bard") | |
| Edwin Yoder (HF) | 1956 | 1958 | BA PPE (2nd) | American Rhodes Scholar, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing (1979) | |

### Broadcasters and entertainers

| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes |
| Elwyn Brook-Jones | 1930? | 1933? | ? | West End, film and TV actor, whose roles included "The Voice" (the hero's opponent) in the children's TV series Garry Halliday |
| Greg Childs | 1973 | 1976 | MA English | Children's television producer and advocate |
| Douglas Cleverdon | 1922 | 1926 | BA Literae Humaniores (3rd) | Radio producer and bookseller |
| Ronald Frame | 1975 | 1979 | B Litt | Scottish author |
| Ian Gillies | 1946 | 1949 | BA Modern History (2nd) | Quiz question-setter, who was "Mycroft" on BBC Radio 4's Brain of Britain |
| Arturo Goetz | 1971 | DNG | — | Argentinian actor who studied for a DPhil in Economics, but his scholarship finished before his thesis was complete |
| Siân Lloyd | 1979? | DNG | — | ITV national weather forecaster who left after 1 year of a BLitt in Celtic Studies |
| Magnus Magnusson (HF) | 1948 | 1951 | BA English (2nd) | Television presenter (including Mastermind) and writer |
| Inder Manocha | 1985? | 1980s (late) | BA Modern History | Comedian and actor |
| Glyn Mathias | 1963? | 1966? | BA | Political Editor of Independent Television News (1981–1986) and BBC Wales (1994–1999); the Electoral Commission's Commissioner for Wales (2001–2008) |
| Norman Matthews | 1922 | 1926 | BA Theology (2nd) | Chancellor of Llandaff Cathedral (1952–1964) and one of the panellists on the BBC show "The Brains Trust" |
| Kirsty McCabe | 1996? | 1999? | postgraduate work on climate change | BBC national weather forecaster on radio and television |
| Andre Ptaszynski | 1972 | 1975 | BA English | Television and theatre producer, and Chief Executive of the Really Useful Group |
| Francine Stock (HF) | 1976 | 1980 | BA Modern Languages | Journalist and broadcaster; the college's first female honorary fellow |
| William Terriss | 1865? | DNG | — | Actor, known for his swashbuckling roles, who was murdered outside the Adelphi Theatre in 1897 by an unstable and struggling actor |
| Jim Waterson | 2008 | 2011 | BA History | Journalist; Deputy Editor of Buzzfeed |
| John Wood | 1950 | 1953 | BA Jurisprudence (3rd) | Actor, member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Tony Award winner in 1976 |

### Musicians

Musicians educated at the college :
| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes |
| John Edwards | 1825 | 1830 | BA | Welsh cleric and hymn-tune composer, most notably of Rhosymedre (named after his parish) |
| David Evans | 1725? | 1731 | BA (1728), MA (1731) | Welsh priest, scholar and musician |
| Thomas Fielden | 1905 | 1909? | BA Music, BMus | College organ exhibitioner; Professor of Pianoforte at the Royal College of Music (1921–52) |
| David Ffrangcon-Davies | 1876 | 1881 | BA | Baritone singer who needed several attempts to pass his exams |
| Paul Jones | 1960? | DNG | — | Singer with Manfred Mann |
| Michael Nicholas | 1957 | 1960 | BA Music (2nd) | Organ scholar at college; organist and master of the choristers at Norwich Cathedral (1971–94); Chief Executive of the Royal College of Organists (1994–97) |
| William Reed | 1929 | 1934 | BA Literae Humaniores (2nd, 1933), Diploma in Education (1934), DMus (1939) | English composer who studied with Herbert Howells |
| Alan Rowlands | 1946? | 1949? | BA Chemistry | Pianist specialising in the work of John Ireland |
| Denis Stevens | 1940 | 1949 | BA Music | A musicologist (with a particular interest in Monteverdi); editor of Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1959–63) and Professor of Music at Columbia University (1964–76); studied languages (1940–42) then music after his war service (1942–46) |
| Blanc Wan | 2012 | 2013 | MSt Music Performance | A pianist and acclaimed writer; chief editor of The Pianist magazine; studied at Oxford then research on Russian Piano School in London; Professor of Piano at Goldsmiths, University of London. |

### Sports people

| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes |
| Tony Ambrose | 1951 | 1954 | BA Natural Science (Engineering, 4th) | British rally driver who was given a red MG sports car by his father for winning a scholarship to the college |
| Ranjit Bhatia | 1957 | 1959 | BA Mathematics (3rd) | Indian athlete who competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics (marathon and 5000 metres) |
| Trevor Brewer | 1948 | 1952 | BA Chemistry (2nd) | Welsh rugby union international, winning three caps (1950–1955); rugby "Blue" in 1951 |
| Bailey Davies | 1905 | 1908 | BA Mathematics (3rd) | Welsh rugby union international, winning one cap (1907); rugby "Blue" three times (1905–1907) |
| Jenkin Alban Davies | 1906? | 1909 | BA Theology (3rd) | Welsh rugby union international, winning seven caps (1913–1914); did not win a "Blue" |
| Sir David William Evans | 1885 | 1888 | ? | Welsh rugby union international, winning five caps (1899–1891); rugby "Blue" twice (1887 and 1888); later became a solicitor and was knighted for public services to Wales |
| Walter Rice Evans | 1887 | 1890? | ? | Welsh rugby union international, winning three caps (1890–1891); rugby "Blue" in 1890 |
| William Frederick Evans | 1876 | 1883 | BA Theology (3rd, 1880), MA (1883) | Welsh rugby union international, winning two caps (1882 and 1883); did not win a "Blue" |
| Arthur Evanson | 1880 | 1884 | BA (1884), MA (1887) | English rugby union international, winning four caps (1882–1884); the college's first rugby "Blue" (twice, 1880 and 1881), and its only English rugby international |
| Gwyn Francis | 1919 | 1921 | BA French | Welsh rugby union international, winning two caps (1919 and 1924); rugby "Blue" in 1919, and part of the college team (along with William Havard) that won the inter-college cup in 1920 |
| William Havard | 1919 | 1921 | BA Modern History | College chaplain (1919–1921) who won his 'Blue' for rugby and represented Wales against New Zealand Services in 1919 (his only international) before becoming Bishop of St Asaph (1934–1950) and Bishop of St David's (1950–1956) |
| Vivian Jenkins | 1930 | 1933 | BA Literae Humaniores | Welsh rugby union international, winning fourteen caps (1933–1939) and one for the British and Irish Lions, who was the first Welsh full-back to score a try in an international match; rugby "Blue" three times (1930–1932); also played cricket for Glamorgan |
| Kenyon Jones | 1930 | 1933 | BA Modern History (2nd) | Welsh rugby union international, winning one cap (1934); rugby "Blue" twice (1931 and 1932) |
| Thomas Babington Jones | 1871 | 1875 | BA Mathematics (4th) | Played first-class cricket for Oxford University CC; cricket "Blue" in 1874 |
| Charles Lewis | 1872 | 1879 | BA (1876), MA (1879) | Welsh rugby union international, winning five caps (1882–1884); a triple "Blue" (cricket, hammer and hurdles, but not rugby) |
| Hilary Lister | 1991 | 1996 | BA Biochemistry | Quadriplegic solo sailor – the first quadriplegic sailor to cross the English Channel |
| James Page | 1919 | 1923 | BA Literae Humaniores (3rd, 1922), BA Jurisprudence (4th, 1923) | President of the Jesus College Jesus College Record and Captain of Boats whilst at college; rowing coach and secretary of the Amateur Rowing Association (1952–1972) |
| Conway Rees | 1891 | 1894 | BA Modern History (3rd) | Welsh rugby union international, winning three caps (1892–1894); rugby "Blue" three times (1891–1893) and the first Welshman to captain Oxford University RFC |
| Aneurin Rees | 1877 | DNG | — | Welsh rugby union international, winning one cap in the first international match involving Wales (1881); did not win a "Blue" |
| George Robinson | 1879 | 1883 | BA Theology (3rd) | Played first-class cricket for Oxford University CC; cricket "Blue" three times (1881–1883) |
| John Strand-Jones | 1898 | 1901 | ? | Welsh rugby union international, winning five caps (1902–1903); rugby "Blue" three times (1899–1901) |
| Barney Williams | 2004 | 2006 | Diploma in Legal Studies; MSc Management Studies | Canadian rower (winning a gold medal at the 2003 World Championships and a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics) who was part of the winning crew for the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race in 2005 and 2006 |

### Other people in public life

| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes |
| John Aspinall | 1947 | DNG | — | Zoo owner (Howletts Zoo and Port Lympne Zoo) and gambler, who boasted of never attending a lecture whilst at Oxford, and who missed his final examinations to go to the races at Ascot |
| Sir John Carter (HF) | 1958 | 1961 | BA Mathematics (2nd) | Chief Executive of Commercial Union (1994–1998) and Chairman of the National House Building Council since 2002 |
| Sir Geoffrey Cass (HF) | 1951 | 1954 | BA PPE (2nd) | Chief Executive of Cambridge University Press (1972–1992) and Chairman of the Royal Shakespeare Company (1985–2000) |
| Geraint Talfan Davies | 1963 | 1966 | BA Modern History | Chair of Welsh National Opera, formerly Controller of BBC Wales and Chair of the Arts Council of Wales |
| Rajeeb Dey | 20052004 | 2008 | BA Economics and Management | Businessman who won the "02 X Young Entrepreneur of the Year" award in 2009 |
| Ffion Hague | 1986 | 1989 | BA English | Writer and wife of former Conservative Party leader William Hague |
| Sir Bernard Miller (HF) | 1923 | 1927 | BA Modern History (1st) | Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership (1955–1972) |
| Alec Monk (HF) | 1962 | 1965 | BA PPE (2nd) | Chairman and Chief Executive of Gateway (1981–1989) and Chairman of Charles Wells (1998–2003) |
| Beau Nash | 1692 | DNG | — | A dandy and social celebrity who was allegedly dismissed from the university for an "intrigue" with a local woman, although college records have no evidence that he was sent down |
| Roger Parry | 1976 | 1978? | MLitt | Media entrepreneur and Chairman of YouGov |
| Sir Owen Roberts (HF) | 1854 | 1858 | BA Literae Humaniores (3rd) | Clerk to the Clothworkers' Company (1866–1907, Master 1909); prime mover in setting up the City and Guilds of London Institute and chairman of the London Polytechnic Council |
| Crispian Strachan | 1968 | 1971 | BA Jurisprudence | Chief Constable of Northumbria Police (1998–2005) |
| John Wynne | 1688 | DNG | — | Industrialist and philanthropist |

## Fictional students of Jesus College

Students at the college in fiction :
| Character | Author | Notes |
| Sir David Metcalfe QC | Jeffrey Archer | A character in the play Beyond Reasonable Doubt |
| Ruth Gilmartin | William Boyd | A principal character in Restless, who in Chapter 4 calls at her college in Turl Street; the novel is set in 1976, when Jesus College was the only Turl Street college admitting women; Boyd has also said "When, in my fiction, I have had to place a character at an Oxford college it has always been Jesus – sometimes disguised (as in my novel An Ice-Cream War) sometimes overtly identified (as in my novel Any Human Heart)" |
| Logan Mountstuart | William Boyd | A character in the novel Any Human Heart, who studies History at Jesus College in the 1920s and is awarded a third-class degree |
| Cedric Downes | Colin Dexter | A Fellow of Brasenose in the novel The Jewel That Was Ours, who reveals that he was an undergraduate at Jesus, which he describes as "one of the less fashionable colleges" |
| Sir Watkin Phillips, Bt. and others | Tobias Smollett | Phillips is mentioned in The Expedition of Humphry Clinker (1771), an epistolary novel, as the recipient of letters from another Jesus College man, Jery Melford. There is no evidence that Phillips or Melford were based on real people, but other Jesus College men in Melford's letters (Griffy Price, Gwyn, Mansel, Basset and "our old friend Barton") may be based on individuals attending Jesus College in the 1720s and 1730s. |
| Mark Treasure | David Williams | A detective in various novels by Williams; his Jesus College tie is recognised by a Welsh parson in Divided Treasure |