Founded 1861 as the Territorial University of Washington.
| Name | Occupation | Birth | Death | Known for |
| Brock Adams |
Politician |
13-Jan-1927 |
10-Sep-2004 |
US Senator from Washington, 1987-93 |
| Jane Adams |
Actor |
1-Apr-1965 |
|
Dr. Mel Karnofsky on Frasier |
| Fouad Ajami |
Author |
9-Sep-1945 |
|
Director of Middle East Studies, SAIS |
| Gerry L. Alexander |
Judge |
1936 |
|
Washington Chief Justice |
| Paul M. Anderson |
Business |
1945 |
|
CEO of Duke Energy, 2003-07 |
| Robert Armstrong |
Actor |
20-Nov-1890 |
20-Apr-1973 |
King Kong |
| Bill Atkinson |
Computer Programmer |
1951 |
|
Creator of HyperCard, QuickDraw, MacPaint |
| Roy L. Austin |
Diplomat |
13-Dec-1939 |
|
US Ambassador to Trinidad |
| Reiko Aylesworth |
Actor |
9-Dec-1972 |
|
Michelle Dessler on 24 |
| Bob Bartlett |
Politician |
20-Apr-1904 |
11-Dec-1968 |
US Senator from Alaska, 1959-68 |
| Howard P. Behar |
Business |
c. 1947 |
|
Starbucks President North America, 2001-02 |
| Bruce Bennett |
Actor |
19-May-1906 |
24-Feb-2007 |
Played Tarzan in 1930s movie serials |
| Dorrit J. Bern |
Business |
c. 1950 |
|
CEO of Charming Shoppes |
| David Bonderman |
Business |
c. 1943 |
|
Billionaire, Texas Pacific Group |
| Kim Bottomly |
Educator |
c. 1947 |
|
President, Wellesley College |
| Robert F. Brachtenbach |
Judge |
28-Jan-1931 |
2-May-2008 |
Justice, WA Supreme Court, 1972-94 |
| Donald Bren |
Business |
1932 |
|
Irvine real estate billionaire |
| Andrew Brimmer |
Economist |
13-Sep-1926 |
|
Federal Reserve Governor, 1966-74 |
| Erna Brodber |
Novelist |
20-Apr-1940 |
|
Jane and Louisa Will Soon Come Home |
| Jeffrey H. Brotman |
Business |
c. 1943 |
|
Chairman of Costco |
| Floyd G. Brown |
Activist |
1961 |
|
Ultraconservative smear artist |
| Michael W. Brown |
Business |
c. 1946 |
|
CFO of Microsoft, 1994-97 |
| Louise H. Bryson |
Business |
? |
|
Chairman of Getty Trust |
| Linda B. Buck |
Biologist |
29-Jan-1947 |
|
Odorant receptors and olfactory organization |
| Ted Bundy |
Criminal |
24-Nov-1946 |
24-Jan-1989 |
Serial killer, blamed pornography |
| Dyan Cannon |
Actor |
4-Jan-1937 |
|
Heaven Can Wait |
| James Caviezel |
Actor |
26-Sep-1968 |
|
Christ on a cross in Mel Gibson's Passion |
| Tom Chambers |
Judge |
c. 1944 |
|
Justice, Washington Supreme Court |
| Dale Chihuly |
Artist |
20-Sep-1941 |
|
Overrated glass artist |
| Beverly Cleary |
Author |
12-Apr-1916 |
|
Children's author, Ramona Quimby series |
| Jeffrey Combs |
Actor |
9-Sep-1954 |
|
Herbert West in Re-Animator |
| Chris DeWolfe |
Business |
c. 1966 |
|
Co-Founder of MySpace |
| Norm Dicks |
Politician |
16-Dec-1940 |
|
Congressman, Washington 6th |
| W. Ronald Dietz |
Business |
c. 1943 |
|
Former Citicorp VP |
| Patrick Duffy |
Actor |
17-Mar-1949 |
|
Bobby Ewing on Dallas |
| Jennifer Dunn |
Politician |
29-Jul-1941 |
5-Sep-2007 |
Congresswoman from Washington, 1993-2005 |
| David Eddings |
Author |
7-Jul-1931 |
|
The Belgariad |
| Mark Emmert |
Educator |
16-Dec-1952 |
|
President, University of Washington |
| Daniel J. Evans |
Politician |
16-Oct-1925 |
|
Governor of Washington, 1965-77 |
| John H. Eyler, Jr. |
Business |
1948 |
|
CEO of Toys R Us, 2000-06 |
| Anna Faris |
Actor |
29-Nov-1976 |
|
Scary Movie |
| Frances Farmer |
Actor |
19-Sep-1913 |
1-Aug-1970 |
Hollywood actress dehumanized by insane asylum |
| Ed Felten |
Computer Programmer |
25-Mar-1963 |
|
Broke SDMI |
| Tom Foley |
Politician |
6-Mar-1929 |
|
Speaker of the House, 1989-95 |
| Ralph Frank |
Diplomat |
? |
|
US Ambassador to Croatia, 2003-06 |
| Booth Gardner |
Politician |
21-Aug-1936 |
|
Governor of Washington, 1985-93 |
| Mary Maxwell Gates |
Business |
5-Jul-1929 |
9-Jun-1994 |
Mother of Bill Gates |
| William H. Gates, Sr. |
Philanthropist |
30-Nov-1925 |
|
Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |
| Joseph L. Goldstein |
Scientist |
18-Apr-1940 |
|
Hypercholesterolemia and cell metabolism |
| Chris Gregoire |
Politician |
24-Mar-1947 |
|
Governor of Washington |
| Leslie R. Groves |
Military |
17-Aug-1896 |
13-Jul-1970 |
Director of the Manhattan Project |
| Ed Guthman |
Journalist |
1919 |
|
Nixon enemy, Pulitzer Prize winner |
| Charlotte Guyman |
Business |
c. 1956 |
|
Former GM, MSN Sales |
| Chuck Hansen |
Activist |
13-May-1947 |
26-Mar-2003 |
Nuclear historian and archivist |
| Frank Herbert |
Author |
8-Oct-1920 |
11-Feb-1986 |
Author of Dune series |
| Josephine Herbst |
Novelist |
5-Mar-1892 |
28-Jan-1969 |
Pity Is Not Enough |
| George H. Hitchings |
Scientist |
18-Apr-1905 |
27-Feb-1998 |
Developed medicines for leukemia, herpes, arthritis |
| Chet Huntley |
Journalist |
10-Dec-1911 |
20-Mar-1974 |
The Huntley-Brinkley Report |
| John R. Ingram |
Business |
c. 1963 |
|
Ingram Book Group |
| Jay Inslee |
Politician |
9-Feb-1951 |
|
Congressman, Washington 1st |
| Henry "Scoop" Jackson |
Politician |
31-May-1912 |
1-Sep-1983 |
US Senator from Washington, 1953-83 |
| Robinson Jeffers |
Poet |
10-Jan-1887 |
20-Jan-1962 |
Tamar and Other Poems |
| Merrill Jensen |
Historian |
1905 |
30-Jan-1980 |
The Articles of Confederaton |
| Charles W. Johnson |
Judge |
c. 1951 |
|
Justice, Washington Supreme Court |
| Darryl N. Johnson |
Diplomat |
? |
|
US Ambassador to Thailand, 2002-04 |
| James M. Johnson |
Judge |
c. 1946 |
|
Justice, Washington Supreme Court |
| Robert L. Joss |
Educator |
c. 1941 |
|
Dean, Stanford Business School |
| Curtis Kamman |
Diplomat |
15-Jan-1939 |
|
US Ambassador to Colombia, 1997-2000 |
| Richard Karn |
Actor |
17-Feb-1956 |
|
Al Borland on Home Improvement |
| Kitty Kelley |
Author |
4-Apr-1942 |
|
Controversial biogratrix |
| William T. Kerr |
Business |
17-Apr-1941 |
|
CEO of Meredith Corporation, 1997-2006 |
| Hank Ketcham |
Cartoonist |
14-Mar-1920 |
1-Jun-2001 |
Dennis the Menace |
| Gary Kildall |
Business |
19-May-1942 |
11-Jul-1994 |
Founder of Digital Research, Inc. |
| Carolyn Kizer |
Poet |
10-Dec-1925 |
|
Yin: New Poems |
| Dave Kopay |
Football |
28-Jun-1942 |
|
The Dave Kopay Story |
| Robert P. Kraft |
Astronomer |
16-Jun-1927 |
|
Lick Observatory |
| Bud Krogh |
Government |
3-Aug-1939 |
|
Nixon's plumbers |
| Tom Lantos |
Politician |
1-Feb-1928 |
11-Feb-2008 |
Congressman from California, 1981-2008 |
| David M. Lawrence |
Business |
c. 1940 |
|
CEO of Kaiser KHFP, 1991-2002 |
| Bruce Lee |
Actor |
27-Nov-1940 |
20-Jul-1973 |
Enter the Dragon |
| Arthur D. Levinson |
Business |
31-Mar-1950 |
|
CEO of Genentech |
| Charles M. Lillis |
Business |
c. 1945 |
|
President of MediaOne, 1995-2000 |
| Kyle MacLachlan |
Actor |
22-Feb-1959 |
|
Agent Cooper on Twin Peaks |
| Albert S. Macmillan, Jr. |
Business |
c. 1944 |
|
Triaxia Partners |
| Barbara A. Madsen |
Judge |
c. 1952 |
|
Justice, Washington Supreme Court |
| Warren G. Magnuson |
Politician |
12-Apr-1905 |
20-May-1989 |
US Senator from Washington |
| Joel McHale |
TV Personality |
20-Nov-1971 |
|
The Soup |
| Norman Z. McLeod |
Film Director |
20-Sep-1898 |
27-Jan-1964 |
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty |
| Cathy McMorris |
Politician |
22-May-1969 |
|
Congresswoman, Washington 5th |
| Jack Metcalf |
Politician |
30-Nov-1927 |
15-Mar-2007 |
Congressman from Washington, 1995-2001 |
| Norman J. Metcalfe |
Business |
c. 1942 |
|
Vice Chairman, The Irvine Company, 1993-96 |
| Diane Middlebrook |
Author |
16-Apr-1939 |
15-Dec-2007 |
Biographer of Anne Sexton |
| Warren Moon |
Football |
18-Nov-1956 |
|
CFL and NFL hall-of-fame quarterback |
| Robert A. Mundell |
Economist |
24-Oct-1932 |
|
Floating exchange rates |
| Edward R. Murrow |
Journalist |
25-Apr-1908 |
27-Apr-1965 |
The epitome of broadcast journalism |
| Greg Nickels |
Politician |
7-Aug-1955 |
|
Mayor of Seattle |
| Blake W. Nordstrom |
Business |
1961 |
|
President of Nordstrom |
| W. Lee Nutter |
Business |
c. 1943 |
|
CEO of Rayonier, 1999-2007 |
| Douglas E. Olesen |
Business |
c. 1938 |
|
CEO of Battelle, 1987-2001 |
| Gilbert S. Omenn |
Business |
30-Aug-1941 |
|
Professor, University of Michigan |
| Robert Osborne |
TV Personality |
3-May-1932 |
|
TCM host |
| Jerry Pournelle |
Author |
7-Aug-1933 |
|
Sci-Fi collaborator with Larry Niven |
| Kathryn L. H. Proffitt |
Diplomat |
1951 |
|
US Ambassador to Malta, 1998-2001 |
| Dorothy Provine |
Actor |
20-Jan-1937 |
|
The Roaring 20's |
| Ella Raines |
Actor |
6-Aug-1920 |
30-May-1988 |
Hail the Conquering Hero |
| Robin Raphel |
Diplomat |
1947 |
|
US Ambassador to Tunisia, 1997-2000 |
| Pamela Reed |
Actor |
2-Apr-1949 |
|
Gail Green on Jericho |
| Richard G. Reiten |
Business |
c. 1938 |
|
Northwest Natural Gas |
| Toni Rembe |
Attorney |
c. 1938 |
|
Partner at Pillsbury Winthrop, 1971-2004 |
| Tom Robbins |
Novelist |
22-Jul-1936 |
|
Still Life with Woodpecker |
| Marilynne Robinson |
Novelist |
1947 |
|
Housekeeping |
| Martin Rodbell |
Scientist |
1-Dec-1925 |
7-Dec-1998 |
G-protein cell signal transmission |
| Steven R. Rogel |
Business |
25-Oct-1942 |
|
CEO of Weyerhaeuser |
| Albert Rosellini |
Politician |
21-Jan-1910 |
|
Governor of Washington, 1957-65 |
| Brandon Roy |
Basketball |
23-Jul-1984 |
|
Portland Trailblazer's guard |
| Judith M. Runstad |
Attorney |
c. 1944 |
|
Former Partner, Foster Pepper |
| Keith P. Russell |
Business |
c. 1945 |
|
Chairman of Mellon West, 1996-2001 |
| Richard B. Sanders |
Judge |
1945 |
|
Justice, Washington Supreme Court |
| Lewis B. Schwellenbach |
Government |
20-Sep-1894 |
10-Jun-1948 |
US Secretary of Labor, 1945-48 |
| H. Mason Sizemore, Jr. |
Business |
c. 1941 |
|
Seattle Times President, 1985-2001 |
| Jean Smart |
Actor |
13-Sep-1959 |
|
Charlene on Designing Women |
| Adam Smith |
Politician |
15-Jun-1965 |
|
Congressman, Washington 9th |
| Harry Smith |
Curator |
29-May-1923 |
26-Nov-1991 |
Anthology of American Folk Music |
| Orin C. Smith |
Business |
c. 1942 |
|
CEO of Starbucks, 2000-05 |
| William S. Stavropoulos |
Business |
12-May-1939 |
|
Twice CEO of Dow Chemical |
| Rick Steves |
Author |
1955 |
|
Europe Through the Back Door |
| George J. Stigler |
Economist |
17-Jan-1911 |
1-Dec-1991 |
Economic Theory of Regulation |
| Julia Sweeney |
Comic |
10-Oct-1959 |
|
Androgyne Pat on Saturday Night Live |
| Alice B. Toklas |
Relative |
30-Apr-1877 |
7-Mar-1967 |
Gertrude Stein's lover |
| Bud Tribble |
Business |
c. 1953 |
|
Apple, NeXT |
| Dawn Wells |
Actor |
18-Oct-1938 |
|
Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island |
| Kelvin R. Westbrook |
Business |
1955 |
|
Millenium Digital Media |
| Rainn Wilson |
Actor |
20-Jan-1966 |
|
Dwight on The Office |
| Lynn Woolsey |
Politician |
3-Nov-1937 |
|
Congresswoman, California 6th |
| James Wright |
Poet |
13-Dec-1927 |
25-Mar-1980 |
The Branch Will Not Break |
| Marion Zioncheck |
Politician |
5-Dec-1901 |
7-Aug-1936 |
Congressman, committed suicide |
| Robert Zubrin |
Engineer |
c. 1952 |
|
Mars Direct |
| Name | Occupation | Birth | Death | Known for |
| John Berryman |
Poet |
25-Oct-1914 |
7-Jan-1972 |
Homage to Mistress Bradstreet |
| Elizabeth Bishop |
Poet |
8-Feb-1911 |
6-Oct-1979 |
North & South |
| Linda B. Buck |
Biologist |
29-Jan-1947 |
|
Odorant receptors and olfactory organization |
| Caroline Bynum |
Historian |
1941 |
|
Medieval historian |
| John Angus Campbell |
Activist |
10-Mar-1942 |
|
Discovery Institute |
| Dave Cutler |
Computer Programmer |
13-Mar-1942 |
|
Father of Windows NT |
| Hans G. Dehmelt |
Physicist |
9-Sep-1922 |
|
Co-Inventor of the ion trap |
| Paul H. Douglas |
Politician |
26-Mar-1892 |
24-Sep-1976 |
US Senator from Illinois, 1949-67 |
| August Dvorak |
Inventor |
5-May-1894 |
10-Oct-1975 |
Dvorak Simplified Keyboard |
| Edmond H. Fischer |
Scientist |
6-Apr-1920 |
|
Protein phosphorylation |
| Leland H. Hartwell |
Scientist |
30-Oct-1939 |
|
Regulators of cell cycle |
| David C. Hodge |
Educator |
27-Sep-1948 |
|
President, Miami University of Ohio |
| Leroy Hood |
Biologist |
10-Oct-1938 |
|
Systems biology and Human Genome Project |
| Merrill Jensen |
Historian |
1905 |
30-Jan-1980 |
The Articles of Confederaton |
| Clark Kerr |
Educator |
17-May-1911 |
1-Dec-2003 |
Chancellor of UC Berkeley, 1952-58 |
| W. H. Knight |
Educator |
c. 1954 |
|
Law Professor, University of Washington |
| Edwin G. Krebs |
Scientist |
6-Jun-1918 |
|
Protein phosphorylation |
| Nicholas R. Lardy |
Economist |
c. 1946 |
|
Senior fellow, Institute for International Economics |
| James McDermott |
Politician |
28-Dec-1936 |
|
Congressman, Washington 7th |
| Douglass C. North |
Economist |
5-Nov-1920 |
|
Cliometrics |
| Gilbert S. Omenn |
Business |
30-Aug-1941 |
|
Professor, University of Michigan |
| Rudolf Peierls |
Physicist |
5-Jun-1907 |
19-Sep-1995 |
Frisch-Peierls Memorandum |
| William C. Powers, Jr. |
Educator |
30-May-1946 |
|
President, University of Texas at Austin |
| John Raisian |
Economist |
c. 1953 |
|
Director, Hoover Institution |
| Dixy Lee Ray |
Politician |
3-Sep-1914 |
2-Jan-1994 |
Governor of Washington, 1977-81 |
| William C. Richardson |
Educator |
c. 1940 |
|
President of Johns Hopkins, 1990-95 |
| Theodore Roethke |
Poet |
25-May-1908 |
1-Aug-1963 |
The Waking |
| Joanna Russ |
Author |
22-Feb-1937 |
|
The Female Man |
| Richard B. Sanders |
Judge |
1945 |
|
Justice, Washington Supreme Court |
| William F. Sharpe |
Economist |
16-Jun-1934 |
|
Capital asset pricing model |
| E. Donnall Thomas |
Scientist |
15-Mar-1920 |
|
Bone marrow transplants |