# List of Complutense University of Madrid alumni

This list of Complutense University of Madrid alumni includes notable graduates of Complutense University of Madrid

## Government

Pre–20th century
* Don John of Austria – Victor of the Battle of Lepanto, Spanish Governor of the Netherlands, Grandee of Spain, the last Knight of Europe.
* Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza.
* Cardinal Mazarin – 2nd Prime Minister of France (1642–1661), successor of Cardinal Richelieu.
* Gaspar de Borja y Velasco – Served as Primate of Spain, Archbishop of Seville, Archbishop of Toledo and viceroy of Naples.
* Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos – Prime Minister of Spain, theorist behind the Constitution of 1812
* Nicolás Salmerón y Alonso – President of the First Spanish Republic
* Emilio Castelar y Ripoll – Journalist, Essayist, Minister during the First Spanish Republic
II Spanish Republic
* Manuel Azaña – Head of State & President of Spain at various points throughout the Second Spanish Republic
* Juan Negrín López – Last President of the Second Spanish Republic
* Gregorio Marañón – Spanish physician, scientist, historian, writer, philosopher and political reformer
* Julián Besteiro Fernández – Socialist Politician, Deputy during the Second Spanish Republic
* Clara Campoamor – Feminist Politician, Deputy during the Second Spanish Republic
* Victoria Kent – Essayist, Feminist, Deputy during the Second Spanish Republic
* Claudio Sánchez–Albornoz y Menduiña – Historian, Deputy during the Second Spanish Republic
* Fernando de los Ríos Urruti – Anarquist Politician during the Second Spanish Republic
Transition and Contemporary Administrations
* Adolfo Suárez – first democratically elected Prime Minister after the Franco regime
* Américo Castro – Politician, Spanish cultural historian, philologist, and literary critic
* José María Aznar – Former President of the Spanish Government (1996–2004)
* Javier Solana – European Union foreign policy chief and former NATO Secretary General
* Esperanza Aguirre – Former regional President of Madrid
* Enrique Barón Crespo – President of the European Parliament
* Manuel Fraga Iribarne – Former interior minister/father of the Spanish Constitution of 1978/founder and president of the Spanish conservative People's Party/former president of the Xunta de Galicia/member of the Spanish Senate
* María Teresa Fernández de la Vega – Former vice president of the Spanish Government (2004–)
* Marcelino Oreja Aguirre – Secretary General of the Council of Europe/Member of the European Parliament /European Commissioner for Transport/European Commissioner for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy
* Manuel Prado y Colón de Carvajal – Spanish diplomat/Politician/Royal Senator/Administrator of the Royal Household
* Rodrigo Rato – Politician/former Spanish Minister of Economy and Finance/9th Chairman of the International Monetary Fund
* Josep Borrell – former president of the European Parliament
* Manuel Marín – former member of the European Commission and President during the interim Santer Commission/President of the Congress of Deputies of Spain
* José Bono – former president of Castile–La Mancha, former Defense Minister, former president of the Spanish Congress of Deputies
* Ana Palacio – former Spanish minister of foreign affairs
* Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba – Chemist/ former minister of the Ministry of Education (Spain), former Defense Minister, former minister of the Spanish Interior Minister
* Elena Salgado – former Spanish Minister of Economy and Finance
* German Vargas Lleras – former Ministry of the Interior and Justice (Colombia)
* José María Barreda – former president of Castile–La Mancha
* José Manuel González Paramo – former member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank
* Isabel Díaz Ayuso – Politician and president of the Community of Madrid
* Juan Pizarro Navarrete – former deputy and former member of the Parliament of Andalusia
* Sara Aagesen – current Secretary of State for Energy
* Teresa Ribera – current Minister for the Ecological Transition of Spain
Foreign Government Figures
* Luis J. Lauredo – former United States Ambassador to the Organization of American States and executive director of the First Summit of the Americas
* Mario Crisostomo Belisario – former Philippine Ambassador to Romania, Hungary, Consul, and Assistant Secretary of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs
Royalty
* Infanta Cristina of Spain – Spanish princess, the younger daughter of King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía of Spain.
* Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano – Queen consort of Spain
* Miriam, Princess of Turnovo – Spanish jewellery designer and member of the Bulgarian royal family

## Journalism and literature

* Antonio de Nebrija – writer, grammarian
* Antonio Machado – poet, member of the Generación del '98 literary movement
* Basilio Rodríguez Cañada – writer, president of the PEN Club of Spain
* Camilo José Cela – writer, poet, Nobel Prize in Literature (1989), Miguel de Cervantes Prize Recipient, member of the Generación del '50 literary movement
* Carmen Camacho (writer) - writer, columnist
* Concepción Arenal – journalist, essayist, political figure
* Dámaso Alonso y Fernández de las Redondas – writer, poet, philologist, member of the Generación del '27 literary movement, Miguel de Cervantes Prize Recipient
* Enrique Tierno Galván – writer, politician
* Elísabet Benavent – romance writer
* Federico García Lorca – poet, playwright
* Paloma García Ovejero – journalist, news broadcaster, first woman vice director of the Holy See Press Office
* Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio – Spanish playwright
* Fermín Caballero – early journalist / publisher, Congressional Deputy
* Francisco Ayala – writer, Nobel Prize for Literature Candidate, Principe de Asturias Award for Literature, Miguel de Cervantes Prize Recipient
* Francisco de Quevedo – classical writer
* Gerardo Diego – writer, poet, Member of the Spanish Royal Academy, Member of the Generación del '27 literary movement, Miguel de Cervantes Prize Recipient
* Giannina Braschi – author of Empire of Dreams, Yo–Yo Boing!, and United States of Banana
* Jacinto Benavente – playwright, Nobel Prize in Literature (1922)
* Javier Marías – writer, translator, member of the Spanish Royal Academy
* José Echegaray y Eizaguirre – writer, Nobel Prize in Literature (1904)
* José Rodríguez Carracido – writer, pharmacist, chemist
* María Zambrano – writer, philosopher
* Mario Vargas Llosa – Peruvian writer (naturalized Spaniard), Principe de Asturias Award, Miguel de Cervantes Prize, Nobel Prize in Literature (2010)
* Mercedes Gallego – journalist and author
* Miguel de Unamuno – writer, member of the Generación del '98 literary movement, Neo–Humanist Philosopher
* Mónica Martínez, journalist, television presenter
* Pío Baroja – writer, member of the Generación del '98 literary movement
* Ramiro Ledesma Ramos – writer, politician
* Torcuato Luca de Tena y Álvarez–Ossorio – journalist, founder of ABC
* Juan Ignacio Luca de Tena – journalist, playwright, diplomat
* Vicente Aleixandre – writer, poet, Nobel Prize in Literature (1970)
* Xosé Luís Méndez Ferrín – writer
* José Ortega Spottorno – journalist, founder of Alianza Editorial, co–founder of El País
* Jesús de Polanco – journalist, co–founder of El País, founder of Editorial Santillana, Grupo PRISA and Cadena SER
* Juan Luis Cebrián – journalist, co–founder and former editor–in–chief of El País, member of the Real Academia Española, head of Grupo PRISA
* Ribhi Kamal, Palestinian writer, teacher, and radio broadcaster.

## Philosophy

* Antonio de Nebrija – Renaissance Humanist, Philologist
* Domingo de Soto – Philosopher, Theologian, Theorist at the Council of Trent
* Fernando Savater – Philosopher
* José Gaos y González Pola – Neo–Humanist Philosopher
* Jose Luis López Aranguren – Philosopher
* José Ortega y Gasset – Neo–Humanist Philosopher, Founder of Ratio–Vitalism, Writer, Journalist, Deputy during the Second Spanish Republic
* Julián Marías – Philosopher
* Francisco Elías de Tejada y Spínola – Philosopher, Law Theorist, Political Theorist
* María Isidra de Guzmán y de la Cerda – First woman to earn a doctorate in Spain, Philosopher
* Raimon Panikkar – Philosopher, Theologian, Scholar of Comparative Philosophy of Religion
* Tomás de Villanueva – Roman Catholic Saint, Archbishop of Valencia, Theologian
* Xavier Zubiri Apalategui – Philosopher, Philologist
* María Zambrano – Philosopher

## History

* Carmen Agulló Díaz – History of Education professor
* Ambrosio de Morales – historian
* Francisco Giner de los Ríos – Historian
* Juan de Mariana – historian, Political Theorist
* Eugenia TenenbaumBeatriz Rico – neurologist
* José Amador de los Ríos – historian
* Manuel Colmeiro Penido – economist, historian, jurist
* Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo – scholar, historian
* Ramón Menéndez Pidal – historian
* Salvador Salort–Pons – art historian
* Eugenia Tenenbaum – art historian

## Medicine

* Carlos Jiménez Díaz – medical pioneer
* Florestán Aguilar – medical pioneer
* Galo Leoz – ophthalmologist and supercentenarian
* Gregorio Marañón – Physician/Scientist/Historian/Writer/Philosopher
* José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda – Philippine national hero, polyglot, writer, biologist, ophthalmologist, and author.
* Santiago Ramón y Cajal – Nobel Prize in Medicine (1906), founder of modern Neuroscience
* Javier de Felipe – neuroscientist
* Severo Ochoa – Nobel Prize in Medicine (1959)
* Elisa Soriano Fisher – physician, teacher, feminist
* Joaquín Gómez Mira – radiation oncologist and medical researcher
* Juan José López–Ibor – psychiatrist
* Simón Pardiñas – dentist, and youtuber

## Mathematics and sciences

* Albert Einstein – Doctor of Science degree Honoris Causa (first one he accepted from a European University)
* Antonia Ferrín Moreiras mathematician, professor, and the first Galician woman astronomer
* Ángel Martín Municio – chemist/pharmacist/President of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences
* Antonio Luna – Philippine General, Commanding General of the Philippine Revolutionary Army (Philippine–American War), Doctorate in Pharmacy (1890)
* Blas Cabrera y Felipe – physicist/President of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences, member of the Solvay Conference
* Bruno Brandão Fischer – Brazilian professor
* Carlos Sánchez del Río – physicist/President of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences
* Eduardo Torroja Caballé – mathematician, disciple of Karl Georg Christian von Staudt, member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences
* Enrique Moles Ormella – physicist
* Federico Mayor Zaragoza – pharmacist/Director–General of UNESCO from 1987 to 1999
* Juan Manuel Rodríguez Parrondo – physicist
* Javier Fernández Aguado – Economics PhD, author and management expert
* José Cuatrecasas – botanist
* José Rodríguez Carracido – chemist/pharmacist/Dean at the Faculty of Pharmacy/Rector of the Complutense University of Madrid /President of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences
* Juan Luis Arsuaga – biologist/paleontologist
* Julio Rey Pastor – mathematician
* Margarita Salas – scientist/President of the Instituto de España
* Miguel Catalán Sañudo – scientist
* Germán Sierra – theoretical physicist
* Myriam Gorospe – scientist
* Samer Hassan – computer scientist
* Sixto Ríos – mathematician/statistician
* Jesús Huerta de Soto – economist, law scholar
* Juan Ignacio Cirac Sasturain – quantum physicist, Wolf Prize in Physics 2013
* Vicente Lopez Ibor Mayor – solar energy
* Jimena Quirós – Oceanographer, scientist of the Spanish Institute for Oceanography (IEO).
* María Teresa Miras Portugal – Spanish scientist, pharmacist, biochemist, molecular biologist and Emeritus professor.
* Victoria Escandell-Vidal - theoretical linguist

## Film

* Alejandro Amenábar – Oscar–winning Filmmaker (did not graduate)
* Luis Buñuel – Surrealist Filmmaker
* Santiago Segura – Actor, Filmmaker

## Other

* Agustín Blánquez Fraile - latinist
* Ángel Sanz Briz – Spanish diplomat credited with saving thousands of Hungarian Jews from Nazi persecution during World War II
* Isabel de Ceballos–Escalera – museum director and curator
* Rosanna Castrillo Diaz – artist
* Chema Madoz – Photographer
* Vicente Blanco Gaspar, ambassador and writer
* Concepción Arenal – Spanish feminist writer and activist
* Emilio García Gómez – International authority on Arab culture
* Fernando Cordero Cueva – Ecuadorian politician and architect
* Hildegart Rodríguez Carballeira – Girl genius of the 1920s and renowned Socialist activist and Sexual Reformer
* Boti García Rodrigo – professor and LGBTI activist
* Cristina Lasvignes – radio and television broadcaster
* José Benedicto Luna Reyes – Filipino jurist
* José Antonio Llorente – Founder of Llorente & Cuenca
* Miguel Álvarez–Fernández – Sound artist and theorist
* Valentín García Yebra – philologist and translation scholar
* Fabio Hurtado – Artist
* Francisco Javier López Díaz – theologian
* Alejandra Andreu – Miss International 2008
* Luisa R. Seijo Maldonado – Activist, social worker and professor
* Eva Navarro – Artist
* Miren Ortubay Fuentes – Lawyer, criminologist, professor
* Gloria Oyarzabal – Visual artist
* Ronald Duterte – Filipino mayor