List of Wesleyan University people in politics and government

• Wilbur Fisk Burns (1860) – Wesleyan's first black graduate; Comptroller, Liberia, Africa; died before the age of 30[1][2]
• K C Chan (1979) – Hong Kong Secretary for the Treasury (2007–); member, Executive Council of Hong Kong (2007–)
• Delyan Dobrev (B.A. 2002) – Bulgarian Minister of Economy and Energy (since 2012); Deputy Minister (2011–12); member, National Assembly of Bulgaria, GERB party; Member of Parliament, from Haskovo[3][4]
• Paul Douglass (B.A.) – personal adviser, President Syngman Rhee (1st President of South Korea, 1948–1960) from 1952 to 1956
• Jean François-Poncet (1947) – French Minister of Foreign Affairs ( 1978–81); Secretary General, Office of the President of France (1976–78); Secretary of State (1974–76); member, French Senate (1983–2010)
• G. E. King (B.A. 1859) – 2nd and 4th Premier of New Brunswick, Canadian Confederation (1870–71, 72–78); twice Cabinet Minister and member, Executive Council (1869–71)[5]
• John Lipsky (1968) – Acting Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF) (2011); First Deputy Managing Director (second-in-command), IMF (2006–11)
• David Lipton (1975) – First Deputy Managing Director (second-in-command), International Monetary Fund (2011–)[6][7][8]
• Nobutaka Machimura – Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan (2007–08); twice Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs; thrice Minister of Education and Science of Japan
• John Mott-Smith – twice Minister of Finance (1869–72; 1891); Minister of Interior (1876–78); Minister to the U.S. (1891–93); member, Privy Council, Kingdom of Hawaii; member, both houses, Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
• Horst Siebert – member, German Council of Economic Experts (1990–2003); official economic adviser to two EU Presidents (2002–04, 2005–07)
• Kenko Sone (1990) – Director, OECD Division, Economic Affairs Bureau, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2008–)[9][10]

• Ian Bassin (1998) – Associate White House Counsel to the President of the United States (2009–11)[11]
• Ron Bloom (1977) – cited in Time's "100 Most Influential People in the World" of 2010;[12] member, Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry (2009–11); U.S. Car Czar (2009–11);[13][14] U.S. Manufacturing Czar (2009–11)[15]
• Lael Brainard (B.A.) – Deputy Director, United States National Economic Council and Deputy Assistant to the President on International Economics (1998–00); Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs (2010–), highest-ranking female Treasury official in U.S. history
• Thomas H. Collins (M.A.) – 22nd Commandant, United States Coast Guard, guided Coast Guard after 9/11 (2002–06); 22nd Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard
• Diana Farrell (1987) – member, Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry (2009–11);[16] Deputy Director, United States National Economic Council (2009–11)
• William C. Gilbreath – North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor (1905–14)
• Eliot Glassheim – member, North Dakota House of Representatives (1993–present; and previously in 1975)
• Mary Ann Handley – member, Connecticut State Senate (1997–10), Chief Deputy Majority Leader
• Robert E. Hunter (1962) – twice United States National Security Council Director (1977–79, 1979–81); White House staff, administration, Lyndon B. Johnson
• Daphne Kwok (1984) – Chair, U.S. President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (2010–); U.S. Secretary of Energy's Advisory Board (2000–05); founding chair, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans[17][18]
• David Lipton (1975) – United States National Economic Council (2009–11); United States National Security Council (2009–11); former Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs[6][7][8]
• James Loy (M.A.) – Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2005); 2nd Head, United States Transportation Security Administration (2002–03); 2nd Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security (second-in-command) (2003–05); 21st Commandant, United States Coast Guard, guided Coast Guard after 9/11 (1998–02)
• John A. Randall 1881 – United States Under Secretary of War (1918) (former 3rd ranking official in the U.S. Department of War)
• Stephen S. Trott (B.A.) – United States Associate Attorney General (3rd ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice) (1986–88); Assistant Attorney General of the U.S.
• Henry Merritt Wriston (B.A. 1911, M.A.) – personal adviser, President Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Walter B. Wriston (1941) – Chairman, Ronald Reagan's Economic Policy Advisory Board (1980–89); twice offered U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (by Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford), twice declined; Presidential Medal of Freedom

• Andrea Barthwell (B.A.) – former Deputy United States Drug Czar (former cabinet-level) under President George W. Bush
• Leonard Burman (1975) – tax-policy expert; Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Tax Analysis (1998–00), served as administration's top tax economist
• Susannah Fox (B.A.) – Chief Technology Officer of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (2015–2017)
• Charles James (1976) – former Assistant Attorney General of the United States in charge of the Antitrust Division
• James Lynch (B.A.) – Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics, United States Department of Justice (2010–12/31/2012)[19][20][21]
• Justin Oberman (B.A.) – Assistant Administrator, United States Transportation Security Administration, participated in critical aspects of the agency's start-up
• Charles Alan Wright (B.A.) – represented President Richard Nixon as lead lawyer on issues growing out of Watergate investigations, though he did not argue case in Supreme Court

• Robert M. Ball (B.A. 1935, M.A. 1936) – Head, United States Social Security Administration (1962–1973); served under three presidents
• Douglas J. Bennet (1959) – Head, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) (1979–81); served twice as United States Assistant Secretary of State
• Martin A. Knapp (1868) – Chairman (1898–1910), Commissioner (1897–1910), United States Interstate Commerce Commission
• John Macy (1938) – Head, United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (1979–81); twice President and Commissioner, United States Civil Service Commission (1953–58; 1961–69)
• Robert E. Patricelli (1961) – Head, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) (1975–77); Deputy Undersecretary, Department of Health, Education and Welfare[22][23]
• Jessica Rosenworcel (B.A.) – Commissioner, United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) (2012–)[24][25][26]

• Michael F. Bennet (1987) – Democratic Senator, Colorado (appointed, 2009–10; elected, 2011–); former superintendent, Denver Public Schools
• Cornelius Cole (1847) – Republican Senator and Congressman, California; at 102 the oldest Senator in American History
• Norris Cotton (1923) – Republican Senator and Congressman, New Hampshire
• Alonzo J. Edgerton (1850) – Republican Senator, Minnesota; Brigadier General, American Civil War
• Lester C. Hunt – former Democratic Senator, Wyoming
• Watson Squire (1859) – Republican Senator, Washington
• Josiah O. Wolcott (1901) – former Democratic Senator, Delaware

• John E. Andrus (1862) – Republican Congressman, Westchester, New York
• John Harris Baker (1879) – Republican Congressman, Indiana (1875–1881)
• Raymond Baldwin (1916) – Republican Senator, Connecticut
• Edward G. Biester, Jr. (1952) – former Republican Congressman, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
• Benjamin T. Biggs – former Democratic Congressman, Delaware
• John R. Buck – former Republican Congressman, Connecticut
• William Citron (1918) – Republican Congressman, Connecticut
• Clarence D. Coughlin – Republican Congressman, Pennsylvania
• Emilio Daddario (1939) – former Democratic Congressman, Connecticut; Legion of Merit
• Frederick M. Davenport (1889) – Republican Congressman, New York; Progressive Party candidate, Governor, 1914
• Stanley W. Davenport (1884) – Democratic Congressman, Pennsylvania
• Charles Douglas III – former Republican Congressman, New Hampshire
• Miles Granger (1842) – Democratic Congressman, Connecticut
• Clarence E. Hancock (1906) – Republican Congressman, Syracuse, New York
• Chester Hubbard (1840) – Republican Congressman, West Virginia; Unconditional Unionist, 39th Congress; Republican, 40th Congress
• William Pallister Hubbard (1863) – Republican Congressman, West Virginia
• Mitchell Jenkins (1919) – Republican Congressman, Pennsylvania
• Rufus H. King – former Congressman, New York; President Lincoln requested Pope Pius IX accept King as 1st U.S. representative to Vatican
• Nobutaka Machimura – member, House of Representatives of Japan (since 1983–); member and Acting Secretary General, Liberal Democratic Party, Japan
• Edwin H. May, Jr. (1948) – former Republican Congressman, Connecticut
• James Pike (1837–1839, theology) – Congressman, New Hampshire; American Party, 34th Congress; Republican Party, 35th Congress
• Max Rose (2003-2007, history) — Congressman, New York; Democratic Party, 116th Congress, and US Army Bronze Star recipient.
• George Washington Shonk (1873) – Republican Congressman, Pennsylvania
• Abner Sibal (1943) – former Republican Congressman, Connecticut
• David Skaggs (1964) – former Democratic Congressman, Colorado; Chair, Office of Congressional Ethics (2009–); 1st chair, OCE (2008–09)
• Julius Strong – former Republican Congressman, Connecticut
• William Copeland Wallace (1876) – Republican Congressman, New York

• Raymond Baldwin (1916) – 72nd and 74th Governor of Connecticut (1939–41, 1943–46)
• Gerald Baliles (1963) – 65th Democratic Governor of Virginia (1986–90)
• Benjamin T. Biggs – 46th Governor of Delaware (1887–91)
• Walter Eli Clark (1895) – Republican, 7th Governor, District of Alaska (1909–12), and 1st Governor of Alaska Territory (1912–13)
• Oran Faville – 1st Lieutenant Governor of Iowa (1858–60); former president, Ohio Wesleyan Female College
• John Hickenlooper (B.A. 1974, M.A. 1980) – 42nd Governor of Colorado (2011–); Mayor, Denver, Colorado (2003–11)
• Arthur MacArthur, Sr. (attended) – 4th Governor of Wisconsin (1956), Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin (1956–58)
• Frederick Walker Pitkin – 2nd Governor of Colorado (served two terms, 1879–83)
• Carlton Skinner – 1st Civilian Governor of Guam (1949–53); wrote Constitution, Guam; founded, University of Guam; prominent advocate, integration of U.S. Armed Forces
• Watson Squire (1859) – 12th Governor, Territory of Washington (1884–87)
• Peter Shumlin (1979) – 81st Governor of Vermont (two terms, 2011–12, 2012–2017); President Pro Tempore, Vermont Senate (1994–02, 2006–11); co-founder, Landmark College

• Raymond Bateman (1950) – President of the New Jersey Senate (1970–72); chairman, New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (resigned in 2001)
• L. Dean Brown (1942) – United States Ambassador to Jordan, Gambia, Senegal; Special Envoy to Lebanon[27][28][29]
• Kathleen Clyde (2001) – member, Ohio House of Representatives (since 2011)
• Walter L. Cutler (1953) – United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (1984–89), Congo-Kinshasa (1975–79), Tunisia (1982–84)
• Joseph Denison (1840) – co-founder, abolitionist town of Manhattan, Kansas (1855) (see Bleeding Kansas)
• William H. Fairchild (1883) – President pro tempore of the Vermont State Senate (1917–19); state representative (1880–90, 1915–17), state senator (1890–92)
• Art Feltman (B.A. 1980) – member, Connecticut House of Representatives (1997–09)
• Don Friedman — member, Colorado House of Representatives 1962-1976; was also an American businessman, talk-show host
• Brian E. Frosh (1968) – member, Maryland State Senate (since 1995); Maryland House of Delegates (1987–1995)
• Henry G. Hager (1956) - Pennsylvania State Senator (1973-1984), President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate (1981-1984)
• Robert E. Hunter (1962) – United States Permanent Representative to NATO (with rank of Ambassador) (1993–98); President, Atlantic Treaty Association (2003–2008)
• David T. Killion – United States Permanent Representative to NATO (with rank of Ambassador) (2009–)[30][31]
• Matt Lesser (2010) – member, Connecticut House of Representatives (since 2009)
• Fred C. Norton (1950) – 47th (1980–81) and 50th (1987) Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives
• Robert Carter Pitman (1845) – President of the Massachusetts Senate (1868–69); state representative (1858), state senator (1864–65, 1868–69)

•William Thornton Pryce (1953) -- United States Ambassador to Honduras (1993-1996)

• Stephen H. Rhinesmith (1965) – Special United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union under President Reagan[32]
• Laura Ruderman (1992) – former representative, Washington House of Representatives, Washington State Legislature (1999–2005)
• Julius Augustus Skilton MD (A.M. 1853) – U.S. Consul General, Chief of Mission, Republic of Mexico (1872–78); U.S. Consul, Mexico City (1869–72)[33][34][35][36][37]
• Benjamin Franklin Tefft (1835) – Acting U.S. Minister to Sweden, American Civil War; U.S. Consul in Stockholm; president, predecessor of Syracuse University (Genesee College)
• Francis T. Underhill, Jr. (1942) – former United States Ambassador to Poland, Malaysia, the Philippines, and South Korea[38][39][40][41]
• Jacob Walles (1979) – U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia (2012–2015);[42][43] U.S. Consul General, Chief of Mission, Jerusalem (2005–2009)
• Steven Walsh (1995) – member, Massachusetts House of Representatives (since 2005); practicing attorney and adjunct faculty member
• Henry Gordon Wells (1902) – President of the Massachusetts Senate in 1916 succeeding Calvin Coolidge (1916–17)
• John Quinby Wood (1890) – U.S. Consul General, Chief of Mission, Addis Ababa (1913–14); U.S. Consul, Chemnitz (1914–17); Marseille (1917)[44][45][46]
• Henry Merritt Wriston (B.A. 1911, M.A.) – member, United States Department of State's Advisory Committee on United States Foreign Service (under President Eisenhower)
• David Wu (1991) – policy advisor, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels; Indiana Lt Governor Rebecca Skillman; Indianapolis Mayor Gregory Ballard; Rudy Giuliani for President; Campo for Congress; Susan Brooks for Congress; Bruce Rauner for Governor of Illinois
• Stephen M. Young (1973) – U.S. Ambassador, Consulate General of the United States in Hong Kong (2010–); former United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan

• John Emory Andrus (1857) – Mayor of Yonkers, New York
• Joel H. Cooper, state legislator, abolitionist (his house was a stop on the Underground Railroad) and postmaster
• Emilio Q. Daddario (1939) – Mayor of Middletown, Connecticut; Legion of Merit
• Stanley W. Davenport (1884) – Mayor of Middletown, Connecticut
• Sid Espinosa (1994) – 1st Latino Mayor (2011–), Vice Mayor (2010–11), City Council member (2008–), Palo Alto, California[47][48]
• William Henry Eustis (1873) – Mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota; philanthropist; founder of Eustis Hospital
• Robert J. Harris – Mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Rhodes Scholar; professor, University of Michigan Law School (1959–74)
• Yoriko Kishimoto (1977) – 1st Asian-American Mayor (2007–09), Vice Mayor (2006–07), City Council member (2002–06), Palo Alto, California[49][50]
• Alex Knopp (1969) – Eight term member of the Connecticut House of Representatives (1987 – 2001) and two term mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut (2001–2005); clinical Lecturer at Yale Law School (since 2006)
• Elizabeth Maher Muoio — Two term member of the New Jersey General Assembly (2015-2018) and incumbent Treasurer of New Jersey (2018-present);
• Stephen May (1953) – Mayor of Rochester, New York; historian and writer
• Benjamin Franklin Mudge (1840) – Mayor of Lynn, Massachusetts
• John Rhea (1987) – Chairman, New York City Housing Authority (2009–)[51]
• Edward Suslovic — current member, Portland, Maine City Council; previously represented part of Portland in Maine House of Representatives (2002 to 2004); served as ceremonial mayor of Portland (2007 to 2008)
• Rick Tuttle (1962) — Freedom Rider and Los Angeles City Controller.[52]