# List of University of Oxford people in public life overseas

This is a list of people from the University of Oxford in public life overseas. Many were students at one (or more) of the colleges of the university, and others held fellowships at a college.
This list forms part of a series of lists of people associated with the University of Oxford – for other lists, please see the main article List of University of Oxford people.

## Monarchs

| Name | College | Years | Reign |
| Seretse Khama | Balliol | 1945 | King of the BagammaNgwato people (1925); afterwards first President of Botswana (1966–1980) |
| Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck | Magdalen | 2000-? | King of Bhutan (2006 onwards) |
| Abdullah II of Jordan | Pembroke | | King of Jordan (1999 onwards) |
| Sultan Ahmad Shah | Worcester | 1948-? | King of Malaysia (1979–1984) and Sultan of Pahang (1979 onwards) |
| Tuanku Abdul Halim | Wadham | -1954 | King of Malaysia (1970–1975; 2011–2016) and Sultan of Kedah (1958 onwards) |
| Tuanku Jaafar | Balliol | | King of Malaysia (1994–1999) and Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan (1968 onwards) |
| Muhammad V of Kelantan | St Cross | 1990–1991 | King of Malaysia (2016–2018) and Sultan of Kelantan (2010 onwards) |
| Dr Nazrin Shah of Perak | Worcester | | Acting King of Malaysia (2018–2019), Deputy King of Malaysia (2016 onwards) and Sultan of Perak (2014 onwards) |
| William II of the Netherlands | Christ Church | | King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1840–1849) |
| Harald V of Norway | Balliol | 1960–1962 | King of Norway (1991 onwards) |
| Olav V of Norway | Balliol | 1924–1926 | King of Norway (1957–1991) |
| Vajiravhud | Christ Church | 1900–1901 | King of Siam (1910–1925) |
| Andrew Bertie | Christ Church | | Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (1988–2008) |
| George Tupou V | | | King of Tonga (2006–2012) |
| Sidkeong Tulku Namgyal | Pembroke | | Maharaja and Chogyal of Sikkim (1914) |
| Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho | Corpus Christi | | King of Lesotho (1966–1990, 1995–1996) |
| Naruhito | Merton | 1980s | Emperor of Japan (2019 onwards) |
| Philippe of Belgium | Trinity | 1978–1981 | King of the Belgians (2013 onwards) |

## Royal persons

| Name | College | Years at Oxford | Country |
| Dasho Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuk, Prince of Bhutan | St Peter's | | Bhutan |
| Al-Muhtadee Billah, Crown Prince of Brunei | Magdalen | | Brunei |
| Empress Masako | Balliol | | Japan |
| Prince Akishino of Japan | St John's | | Japan |
| Prince Chichibu of Japan | Magdalen | | Japan |
| Prince Tomohito of Mikasa | Magdalen | | Japan |
| Princess Akiko of Mikasa | Merton | | Japan |
| El Hassan bin Talal, formerly Crown Prince to the Hashemite Throne of Jordan | Christ Church | | Jordan |
| Princess Aisha of Jordan | Pembroke | | Jordan |
| Princess Badiya of Jordan | | | Jordan |
| Princess Haya of Jordan | St Hilda's | | Jordan |
| Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg | | | Luxembourg |
| Raja Zarith Sofia, Consort of Sultan of Johor | Somerville | | Malaysia |
| Sheikha Alanoud bint Hamad Al Thani | | | Qatar |
| Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia | St Benet's Hall | | Russia |
| Prince Khalid al Faisal of Saudi Arabia | | | Saudi Arabia |
| Natan Gamedze, Prince of Swaziland | | | Swaziland |
| Mom Rajawongse Seni Pramoj of Thailand | Worcester | | Thailand |
| Prince Wan Waithayakon of Thailand | | | Thailand |
| Prince Kitiyakara Voralaksana of Thailand | Balliol | | Thailand |
| Prince Paul of Yugoslavia | Christ Church | -1921 (studies interrupted by World War I) | Yugoslavia |
| Princess Catherine Hilda Duleep Singh | Somerville | | Sikh Empire |
| Princess Bamba Sutherland | Somerville | | Sikh Empire |
| Ahmed Shah Khan, Crown Prince of Afghanistan | | | Afghanistan |
| Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess of Russia | | | Russia |
| Prince Abbas Hilmi | | | Egypt |
| Princess Badiya bint Hassan | | | Jordan |
| Prince Moulay Hicham of Morocco | | −2020 | Morocco |
| Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant | Lincoln | 2021-2024 | Belgium |

## Heads of State and Heads of Government

| Name | College | Years at Oxford | Country | Position | Ref |
| John Gorton | Brasenose | 1932–1935 | Australia | Prime Minister 1968–71 | |
| Malcolm Fraser | Magdalen | 1949–1952 | Australia | Prime Minister 1975–83 | |
| Bob Hawke | University | 1953–1955/6 | Australia | Prime Minister 1983–91 | |
| Tony Abbott | The Queen's | 1981–1983 | Australia | Prime Minister 2013–15 |
| Malcolm Turnbull | Brasenose | 1978–1980 | Australia | Prime Minister 2015–2018 |
| Kevin Rudd | Jesus College, Oxford | 2017– | Australia | Prime Minister 2007–2010; 2013 |
| Grantley Adams | St Catherine's Society | 1919– | Barbados and the West Indies | Premier of Barbados 1954–58 Prime Minister of the West Indies Federation 1958–62 | |
| J.M.G. (Tom) Adams | Magdalen | | Barbados | Prime Minister of Barbados 1976–85 | |
| Seretse Khama | Balliol | | Botswana | President 1966–80 | |
| Festus Mogae | University | | Botswana | President 1998–2008 | |
| John Turner | Magdalen | | Canada | Prime Minister 1984 | |
| Lester Bowles Pearson | St John's | | Canada | Prime Minister 1963–68 | |
| Solomon Bandaranaike | Christ Church | | Ceylon | Prime Minister 1956–59 | |
| Alvaro Uribe | St. Anthony's | | Colombia | President of Colombia, 2002–2010 | |
| José Ramos-Horta | St Antony's | | East Timor | Nobel Peace Prize laureate 1996 Prime Minister 2006–2007 President 2007–2012; 2022- | |
| Penaia Ganilau | Wadham | | Fiji | President 1987–93 | |
| Kamisese Mara | Wadham | | Fiji | Prime Minister 1967–87 and 1987–92 President 1993–2000 | |
| Richard von Weizsäcker | Balliol | | Germany | President 1984–94 | |
| John Kufuor | Exeter | | Ghana | President 2001–09 | |
| Edward Afuko Addo | St Peter's | | Ghana | President 1970–72 | |
| Kofi Abrefa Busia | University and St Antony's | | Ghana | Prime Minister 1969–72 | |
| John Francis Davis | | | Hong Kong | Governor 1844–1848 |
| George Bowen | Trinity | −1844 | Hong Kong | Governor 1883–1885 |
| William Des Vœux | Balliol | −1856 | Hong Kong | Governor 1887–1891 |
| Reginald Edward Stubbs | Corpus Christi | −1899 | Hong Kong | Governor 1919–1925 |
| Cecil Clementi | Magdalen | −1898 | Hong Kong | Governor 1925–1930 |
| Andrew Caldecott | Exeter | −1907 | Hong Kong | Governor 1935–1937 |
| Geoffry Northcote | Balliol | | Hong Kong | Governor 1937–41 |
| Lord Murray MacLehose | Balliol | | Hong Kong | Governor 1971–82 |
| Lord David Wilson | Keble | 1955–1958 | Hong Kong | Governor 1987–92 |
| Lord Chris Patten | Balliol | | Hong Kong | Governor 1992–1997 |
| Viktor Orbán | Pembroke | 1989–1990 | Hungary | Prime Minister 1998–2002; 2010–now | |
| Guðni Th. Jóhannesson | St Antony's | 1999–2000 | Iceland | President 2016– |
| Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan | Manchester and All Souls | 1923–27 (Lecturer, Manchester); 1936–52 (Professor, All Souls) | India | First Indian to hold an Oxford professorship. President 1962–67 | |
| Manmohan Singh | Nuffield | | India | Prime Minister 2004–2014 | |
| Indira Gandhi | Somerville | 1937–1941 | India | Prime Minister 1966–77 and 1980–84 | |
| Norman Manley | Jesus | | Jamaica | Chief Minister 1955–59, Premier 1959–62 | |
| Dominic Mintoff | Hertford | | Malta | Prime Minister 1955–58, 1971–84 | |
| Sir Maung Gyee | | | Myanmar/Burma | |
| Aung San Suu Kyi | St Hugh's | 1964–1967 | Myanmar | State Counsellor of Myanmar (De facto Prime Minister) 2015-now Nobel Peace Prize laureate |
| Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto | Christ Church | | Pakistan | President 1971–73, Prime Minister 1973–77 | |
| Benazir Bhutto | Lady Margaret Hall | | Pakistan | Prime Minister 1988–90, 1993–96 | |
| Wasim Sajjad | Wadham | | Pakistan | President 1993, 1997–98 | |
| Liaquat Ali Khan | Exeter | 1918–1921 | Pakistan | Prime Minister 1947–51 | |
| Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy | | | Pakistan | Prime Minister 1956–57 | |
| Farooq Leghari | | | Pakistan | President 1993–97 | |
| Imran Khan | Keble College, Oxford | 1972–1975 | Pakistan | Prime Minister 2018-2022 | |
| Pedro Pablo Kuczynski | Exeter | 1956– | Peru | Prime Minister of Peru 2005–06 President of Peru 2016–2018 | |
| Seni Pramoj | Worcester | | Thailand | Prime Minister 1945–46, 1975, 1976 | |
| Bongbong Marcos | St Edmund Hall | 1975-1978 | Philippines | 17th President of the Philippines 2022- Governor, Senator, Philippine Constabulary | He did not complete his degree and was only awarded a Special Diploma in Social Studies, which according to the university, "[is] not a full graduate diploma" . |
| Mark Brantley | St. Catherine's, Oxford | | St. Kitts and Nevis | Premier of Nevis | |
| Kukrit Pramoj | The Queen's | −1933 | Thailand | Prime Minister 1975–76 | |
| Abhisit Vejjajiva | St John's | | Thailand | Prime Minister 2008–2011 | |
| Enele Sopoaga | | 1956– | Tuvalu | Prime Minister 2013-2019 | |
| Eric Williams | St Catherine's | | Trinidad and Tobago | Prime Minister 1956–81 | |
| A. N. R. Robinson | St John's | | Trinidad and Tobago | Prime Minister 1986–91, President 1997–2003 | |
| Mihai Razvan Ungureanu | St Cross | | Romania | Prime Minister 2012 | |
| Bill Clinton | University | 1968–1970 | United States | President 1993–2001 | |
| Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu | Lincoln | | Biafra | President 1967–1970 | |
| Risto Ryti | | 1914 | Finland | President 1940–1944 & Prime Minister 1939–1940 | |

## Politicians, civil servants, diplomats, and military personnel

| Name | College | Years at Oxford | Country | Notes |
| Kim Beazley | | | Australia | Leader HM Opposition 1996–2001, 2005–2006 |
| Rubén Berríos | | | Puerto Rico | Honorary President, Socialist International 1999– President, Puerto Rican Independence Party 1968– |
| George Brandis | Magdalen | | Australia | Senator for Qld 2000– Senior Counsel 2006– Minister for Arts & Sport 2007– |
| Ashton Carter | | 1976–79 (Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics) | United States | Physicist, Harvard University professor, United States Secretary of Defense |
| Jim Cooper | Oriel College, Oxford | | United States | Congressman of the United States Congress |
| Zelman Cowen | New College and Oriel | | Australia | Governor General 1977–82, Provost of Oriel 1982–90 |
| Gareth Evans | Magdalen | | Australia | Foreign Minister 1988–96 Deputy Leader Australian Labor Party 1996–98 |
| Geoff Gallop | St John's | | Australia | Premier of Western Australia 2001–06 |
| James Gobbo | Magdalen | | Australia | Judge Supreme Court of Victoria 1978–94 Lt–Governor Victoria 1995–97 Governor 1997–2000 |
| Geoffrey Keighley | Trinity | | Australia | First–class cricketer, barrister Member of NSW Legislative Council |
| Tomáš Hellebrandt | | | Slovakia | Member of the National Council of Slovakia (2023-) |
| Wilfrid Kent Hughes | Christ Church | | Australia | Member of the House of Representatives 1949–70 Minister 1951–56 |
| Peter King | | | Australia | Member of the House of Representatives 2001–04 |
| Andrew Murray | | | Australia | Member of the Australian Senate 1996–2007 |
| Fred Paterson | | | Australia | Member of the House of Representatives 1944–50 |
| Malcolm Turnbull | | | Australia | Opposition Leader of Australia 2008– |
| Daryl Williams | | | Australia | Attorney General of Australia 1996–2003 |
| Ian Wilson | | | Australia | Member of the House of Representatives 1966–69 and 1972–93 Minister 1981–83 |
| Frank Vandenbroucke | | 1996–1999 DPhil | Belgium | Federal MP 1985–96 President Socialist Party 1989–94 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister 1994–95 Minister 1999–04 Flemish Minister 2004–09 Flemish MP 2009–10 Minister of State 2009– Senator 2010– |
| Maidin Hashim | | 1984 (Certificate in Diplomacy) | Brunei | Ambassador of Brunei to Germany 1994–97 Permanent Representative of Brunei to the United Nations 1997–98 High Commissioner of Brunei to the United Kingdom 2006–10 |
| James Coyne | | | Canada | Governor of the Bank of Canada 1955–61 |
| Jack Davis | St John's | Elected Rhodes Scholar in 1939, studies interrupted by war | Canada | MP 1962–74, MLA British Columbia 1975–78 and 1979–1991 |
| Eugene Forsey | Balliol | | Canada | Senate 1970–79, Privy Council 1985–91 |
| Onésime Gagnon | | | Canada | House of Commons 1930–40 National Assembly of Quebec 1936–60 Lieutenant–Governor of Quebec 1958–61 |
| Paul Gérin-Lajoie | | | Canada | National Assembly of Quebec 1960–70 Minister 1960–66 Pres Canadian International Development Agency 1970–77 |
| Alastair Gillespie | | | Canada | Sometime Government minister |
| John Godfrey | Balliol, St Antony's | 1967 MPhil, 1975 DPhil | Canada | Pres & V-C Univ of K Coll 1977–87 Editor Financial Post 1987–91, MP 1993–2008 Parliamentary Sec to the PM 1996–2004 Min of State 2004–06 Head Master Toronto French School 2008– |
| Allan Gotlieb | Wadham and All Souls | | Canada | Ambassador to the USA 1981–89, Chairman Canada Council 1989–94 |
| Arnold Heeney | St John's | | Canada | Clerk of the Privy Council & Cabinet Secretary 1940–49 Ambassador USA 1953–57 & 1959–62 |
| George Ignatieff | | | Canada | Ambassador to Yugoslavia 1956–8, NATO 1963–6, UN 1966–9, Chancellor University of Toronto 1980–6 |
| Michael Ignatieff | | | Canada | House of Commons 2006– |
| Ted Jolliffe | Christ Church | | Canada | Leader Ontario CCF 1942–53, Leader Opposition Ontario Legislature 1943–45 & 1948–51 |
| Arthur Kroeger | Pembroke | | Canada | Deputy Minister 1975–92, Chancellor of Carleton University 1993–2002 |
| Marcel Lambert | Hertford | | Canada | MP 1957–84, Speaker 1962–63, Minister of Veterans Affairs 1963 |
| Otto Lang | Exeter | | Canada | MP 1968–79, Minister 1968–79, Attorney General 1972–75 & 1978 |
| David Lewis | | | Canada | leader of New Democratic Party of Canada 1971–75 |
| Charles Herbert Little | Brasenose | | Canada | Director of Naval Intelligence World War II |
| Vincent Massey | Balliol | | Canada | Ambassador to USA 1927–30, Governor General 1952–59 |
| Roland Michener | Hertford | | Canada | Speaker 1957–62, High Commissioner India & Ambassador Nepal 1964–67, Governor General 1967–74 |
| Talbot Mercer Papineau | Brasenose | | Canada | MC 1915, died Passchendaele 6am 30 October 1917 |
| Jack Pickersgill | | | Canada | Clerk of the Privy Council & Sec to the Cabinet 1952–53, MP 1953–67, Privy Counsellor from 1953, CC from 1970, styled The Rt Hon from 1992 |
| Bob Rae | Balliol | | Canada | Premier of Ontario 1990–95 |
| Escott Reid | Christ Church | | Canada | High Commr & Ambassador 1952–62, Dir S Asia & Middle East Dept World Bank 1962–5 |
| Edgar Ritchie | | | Canada | Ambassador to USA 1966–70, Ambassador to Ireland 1976–80 |
| Norman Robertson | | | Canada | High Commr UK 1946–9 & 1952–7, Clerk of the Privy Council & Cabinet Sec 1949–52, Ambassador USA 1957–8 |
| Norman McLeod Rogers | University | | Canada | MP 1935–40, Minister of Labour 1935–9, Minister of National Defence 1939–40 |
| James Sinclair | | | Canada | MP 1940–58, Minister of Fisheries 1952–57 |
| Arnold Smith | Christ Church | | Canada | Ambassador to Egypt 1958–61, to USSR 1961–63, Commonwealth Secretary General 1965–75 |
| George F.G. Stanley | Keble | 1929–1936 | Canada | Lieutenant–Governor of New Brunswick 1981–87, designer of the Canadian flag |
| Michel Vennat | Merton | | Canada | Special Asst to the PM 1968–70, QC 1983, President Business Development Bank of Canada 2000–04 |
| Danny Williams | | 1969 elected Rhodes Scholar | Canada | QC 1984, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador 2003– |
| Lalith Athulathmudali | Jesus | | Ceylon/Sri Lanka | Minister of National Security, Minister of State for Defence, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Education. |
| Lakshman Kadirgamar | Balliol | | Ceylon/Sri Lanka | Foreign Minister 1994–2001 and 2004–05 |
| William de Silva | University | | Ceylon/Sri Lanka | Minister of Industries and Fisheries |
| Tyronne Fernando | Keble | | Ceylon/Sri Lanka | Foreign Minister 2001–04 |
| Gamani Corea | Nuffield | | Ceylon/Sri Lanka | Secretary-General of the UNCTD & Ambassador to the EEC, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands |
| Rajiva Wijesinha | University & Corpus Christi | | Ceylon/Sri Lanka | Lecturer; Sri Lankan Liberal Party MP, 2010–15 |
| Lala Sukuna | | | Fiji | Tui Lau 1938–58, Speaker Legislative Council 1954–58, served French Foreign Legion (Croix de Guerre) |
| Ralf Dahrendorf, Baron Dahrendorf | St Antony's | | Germany | Member Bundestag & Sec of State 1969–70, Eur Commr 1970, Dir LSE 1974–84 |
| Hans Bernd von Haeften | | | Germany | conspired in 20 July plot to assassinate Hitler, hanged at Plötzensee 15 August 1944 |
| Adam von Trott zu Solz | Balliol | | Germany | conspired in 20 July plot to assassinate Hitler, hanged at Plötzensee 26 August 1944 |
| Stephen Lam | | 2012–2013 | Hong Kong | Acting Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Chief Secretary for Administration, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs |
| Ronny Tong | St Edmund Hall, Oxford | | Hong Kong | Member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, founder of Civic Party, founder and convenor of Path of Democracy, Queen's Counsel, Senior counsel |
| Braj Kumar Nehru | Balliol | | India | |
| Binay Ranjan Sen | | | India | director general of UN Food and Agriculture Organization 1956–67 |
| John Michuki | Oxford | | Kenya | MP 1983–, Min for Transport & Commns 2002–05, for Internal Security 2005– |
| Khairy Jamaluddin | St Hugh's | | Malaysia | Member of Parliament for Rembau 2008-2022, Minister of Youth and Sports 2013–2018, Minister of Science, Technology & Innovation 2020–2021, Minister of Health 2021-2022 |
| Sivarasa Rasiah | St Anne's | | Malaysia | Member of Parliament for Subang 2008-2018, Sungai Buloh 2018-2022, Deputy Minister of Rural Development 2018-2020 |
| Tony Pua | Keble | | Malaysia | Member of Parliament for Damansara 2008-2022 |
| Aurelio Nuño Mayer | St Antony's College, Oxford | | Mexico | Secretary of Public Education (2015–17) Chief of Staff of the President (2012–15) |
| Héctor Vasconcelos | | | Mexico | Senator (2018–), Ambassador to Denmark, Norway, and Iceland, initial Foreign Secretary nominee |
| Chris Laidlaw | Merton | | New Zealand | High Commissioner to Harare 1986–89, MP 1992–93 |
| Arthur Porritt, Baron Porritt | Magdalen | | New Zealand | Olympic bronze medal 1924, NZ Olympic captain 1928, member IOC 1934–67, surgeon to the King 1946–52, to the Queen 1952–67, President BMA and RCS, Governor General NZ 1967–72 |
| Paul Reeves | St Peter's | | New Zealand | Archbishop 1980–85, Governor General 1985–90 |
| Bilawal Bhutto Zardari | Christ Church | 2007–10 | Pakistan | Appointed Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party 30 December 2007 and will become full-time party leader on completing his course at Oxford |
| Imran Khan | Keble | | Pakistan | cricket captain 1982–92, leader of Tehreek–e–Insaf Party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf1997–, MP 2002– |
| Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri | | | Pakistan | Foreign Minister |
| Murtaza Bhutto | Christ Church | 1977–1979 (Master of Letters) | Pakistan | Former chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (Shaheed Bhutto) |
| Khalid Jawed Khan | Hertford | | Pakistan | 33rd and 35th Attorney General for Pakistan 2018, 2020-2022 |
| Radosław Sikorski | Pembroke | | Poland | Minister of National Defence 2005–07, Minister of Foreign Affairs 2007– |
| Mark Brantley | St. Catherine's | | St. Kitts and Nevis | Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Desmond Lee | | | Singapore | Minister for Social and Family Development & Second Minister for National Development |
| Raymond Lim | | | Singapore | Minister for Transport 2006–2011 |
| Sim Ann | Exeter | | Singapore | Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth |
| Frene Ginwala | | | South Africa | Speaker of the National Assembly 1994–2004 |
| Jan Hofmeyr | | | South Africa | Cabinet Minister |
| Pixley ka Isaka Seme | Jesus | | South Africa | founder of South African Native National Congress (later the ANC) |
| Korn Chatikavanij | St. John's | | Thailand | Finance Minister of Thailand 2009–2011 |
| Sukhumbhand Paribatra | Pembroke | | Thailand | Deputy Foreign Minister of Thailand 1997–2000, Governor of Bangkok 2009–2016 |
| Carl Albert | St Peter's | | United States | US Representative (Oklahoma) 1947–77, Speaker of the US House of Representatives 1971–77 |
| Thomas H. Allen | Wadham | | United States | US Representative (Maine) 1997 |
| Gabe Amo | Merton | 2010 Marshall Scholar | United States | US Representative (Rhode Island) 2023– |
| Rick Baker | | | United States | Mayor of St Petersburg, Florida 2001–05 & 2005–10 |
| Tom Birmingham | Exeter | | United States | President of Massachusetts State Senate 1996–2003 |
| Dennis C. Blair | | | United States | Commander–in–Chief of US Pacific Command 1999–2002 |
| Charles Bonesteel | | | United States | Commander US Forces and Commander–in–Chief UN Command Korea 1966–69 |
| Cory Booker | | | United States | Mayor of Newark 2006–13, US Senator (New Jersey) 2013– |
| David Boren | Balliol | | United States | Governor of Oklahoma 1975–79, US Senator (Oklahoma) 1979–94, President University of Oklahoma 1994–2018 |
| John Brademas | Brasenose | | United States | US Representative (Indiana) 1959–81 |
| Bill Bradley | Worcester | | United States | US Senator (New Jersey) 1979–97 |
| Ben Cannon | Corpus Christi | | United States | Democratic candidate Oregon State Representative for House District 46 |
| Brad Carson | Trinity | | United States | US Representative (Oklahoma) 2001–05 |
| Dick Celeste | Exeter | | United States | Dir Peace Corps 1979–81, Gov Ohio 1983–91, Ambassador to India 1997–2001 Pres Colorado College 2002– |
| Wesley Clark | Magdalen | | United States | Nato Supreme Allied Commander Europe 1997–2000 |
| Charles R. Clason | Christ Church | | United States | US Representative (Massachusetts) 1937–1949 |
| Richard Danzig | | | United States | US Secretary of the Navy 1998–2001 |
| Nancy-Ann Min DeParle | Balliol | | United States | director Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) 1997–2000 |
| Liddy Dole | University | | United States | Secretary of Transportation 1983–87 of Labor 89–90, President US Red Cross 91–99, US Senator (N Carolina) 2003– |
| William Henry Drayton | Balliol | | United States | member of Continental Congress |
| Russ Feingold | Magdalen | | United States | US Senator (Wisconsin) 1993–2011 |
| David B. Frohnmayer | Wadham | | United States | Attorney General of Oregon 1981–91, President University of Oregon 1994–2009 |
| William Fulbright | Pembroke | | United States | US Senator (Arkansas) 1945–74 |
| Robert J. Harris | | | United States | Mayor of Ann Arbor 1969–73 |
| Gary Hart | St Antony's | | United States | US Senator (Colorado) 1975–87 |
| Bradley C. Hosmer | | | United States | Superintendent US Air Force Academy 1991–94 |
| Bobby Jindal | New College | | United States | Asst Secretary of Health and Human Services 2001–04, US Representative (Louisiana) 2005–2008, Governor of Louisiana 2008-2016 |
| Philip Mayer Kaiser | Balliol | | United States | Assistant Secretary of Labor 1949–53, Ambassador Mauritania 1961–64, Hungary 1977–80, Austria 1980–81 |
| Nicholas Katzenbach | Balliol | | United States | Attorney General 1965–66, Under–Secretary of State 1966–69 |
| John Neely Kennedy | Magdalen | | United States | US Senator (Louisiana) 2017– |
| Philip Lader | Pembroke | | United States | Ambassador to the United Kingdom 1997–2001 |
| Robb LaKritz | Worcester | | United States | Advisor to the United States Deputy Secretary of Treasury 2001–2003 |
| Arthur Larson | Pembroke | | United States | US Under Sec of Labor 1954–6, Dir US Information Agency 1956–7, Exec Asst to the President 1957–8 |
| Richard Lugar | Pembroke | | United States | US Senator (Indiana) 1977–2013 |
| Ira Magaziner | | | United States | President Clinton's chief internet policy advisor |
| Robert McCallum, Jr. | Christ Church | | United States | Asst AG 01–03, Assoc AG 03–05, Acting Dep AG 04 & 05, Ambassador to Australia 05– |
| Charles Thomas McMillen | University | | United States | Olympic silver medallist 1972, US Representative (Maryland) 1987–93 |
| Thomas Merrill | | | United States | Deputy Solicitor General 1987–90, Professor of Law Northwestern University 1993–2003, Columbia Law School 2003– |
| William Green Miller | | | United States | United States Ambassador to Ukraine from 1993 to 1998 |
| Wes Moore | Wolfson | | United States | Governor of Maryland 2023-present |
| James Oglethorpe | Corpus Christi | | United States | founder of Georgia |
| William Penn | Christ Church | | United States | founder of Pennsylvania |
| Kim E. Petersen | University of Oxford | | United States | security and counter-terrorism expert |
| Larry Pressler | St Edmund Hall | | United States | US Senator (South Dakota) 1979–97 |
| Franklin Raines | Magdalen | | United States | Director US Office of Management and Budget 1996–98 |
| Robert Reich | University | | United States | Secretary of Labor 1993–97 |
| Mel Reynolds | Lincoln | | United States | US Representative (Illinois) 1993–95 |
| Susan E. Rice | New College | | United States | Assistant Secretary of State (African affairs) 1997–2001, United States Ambassador to the United Nations 2009–2013 |
| Winthrop Paul Rockefeller | Pembroke | | United States | Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas 1996–2006 |
| Bernard W. Rogers | University | | United States | Nato Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander–in–Chief US European Command 1979–87 |
| Dean Rusk | St John's | | United States | Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969 |
| Edward Rutledge | | | United States | member of Continental Congress |
| Paul Sarbanes | Balliol | | United States | US Senator (Maryland) 1977–2007 |
| Kurt Schmoke | Balliol | | United States | State's Attorney Baltimore City 1982–87, Mayor of Baltimore 1987–99 |
| Terri Sewell | St. Hilda's | | United States | US Representative (Alabama) 2011– |
| John M. Spratt, Jr. | | | United States | US Representative (South Carolina) 1983–2011 |
| Cecil Staton | Regent's Park | | United States | Georgia State Senator |
| George Stephanopoulos | Balliol | | United States | White House Communications Director under President Clinton |
| William Stevenson | | | United States | Olympic gold medallist 1924, President Oberlin College 1946–61, Ambassador Philippines 1961–65 |
| William Stoughton | New College | | United States | acting Governor of Massachusetts 1694–99 |
| Strobe Talbott | Magdalen | | United States | Deputy Secretary of State 1994–2001 |
| Stansfield Turner | Exeter | | United States | Director of Central Intelligence 1977–81 |
| David Vitter | Magdalen | | United States | US Senator (Louisiana) 2005– |
| William Weld | University | | United States | Governor of Massachusetts 1991–97 |
| Heather Wilson | Jesus | | United States | Secretary of the Air Force 2017–2019 and US Representative (New Mexico) 1998–2009 |
| R. James Woolsey | St John's | | United States | director of Central Intelligence 1993–95 |
| Arthur Mutambara | Merton | | Zimbabwe | president Movement for Democratic Change faction 2006– |
| Edward Yau | Balliol | | Hong Kong | Secretary for the Environment |
| Andriy Zagorodnyuk | | | Ukraine | Minister of Defence of Ukraine |
| Sigrid Kaag | St Antony's | 1987–1988 | Netherlands | Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands 2022– |
* Alan Bersin (born 1946), President Obama's "Border Czar," US Attorney for the Southern District of California, California Secretary of Education, Commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection, US Department of Homeland Security Secretary for International Affairs, and INTERPOL vice president
* Urszula Gacek (born 1963), British-born Polish member of the European Parliament and former Consul General of the Republic of Poland in New York City

## Non-government people in public life

| Name | College | Years at Oxford | Notes |
| Prince Alexander of Pless | Mathematical Institute | 1925–1929 | MI6 officer, German and Polish businessman |
| Chelsea Clinton | University | 2001–2003 | DPhil International Relations. Daughter of Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton (former First Daughter of the United States of America) |
| J. Paul Getty | Magdalen | −1914 | Philanthropist |
| Guy Spier | University | 1984–1988 | Investor and Author. 1983: Matriculation in Law. 1988: BA, Politics, Philosophy and Economics. |
| Malala Yousafzai | Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford | 2017–2020 | Nobel Peace Prize laureate |
| Marc Kielburger | | | co–founder of the Kiel Network |
| Prince Felix Yusupov | University College | 1909–12 | Founder of Oxford University Russian Society |
| Ronny Tong SC | St Edmund Hall | | Founder of Civic Party, former Queen's Counsel, former chairman of Hong Kong Bar Association, former legislator of Hong Kong |
| Dr The Hon Kenneth Chan Ka-lok | Nuffield College | | Legislator, former Civic Party chairman, associate professor |
| Hikaru Wakeel Hayakawa | Exeter College | | Climate justice activist, UNESCO and WHO youth advisor, and Climate Cardinals Executive Director |

## Colonial administrators
### Governor-Generals/Viceroys of India

| Name | College | Years at Oxford | Years as Viceroy/Governor General | Notes | Ref |
| Lord Curzon | Balliol and All Souls | | 1899–1905 | Tenure known particularly for the Indian famine of 1899–1900 | |