* William Brewster (Class of 1892) - American ornithologist, co-founder of the American Ornithologists' Union
* Robert Benchley (Class of 1907) - American humorist, actor, and writer
* John Foster Dulles (Class of 1908) - U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Senator from New York, Chairman of the Republican National Committee
* Archibald MacLeish (Class of 1915) - American poet, Librarian of Congress, Pulitzer Prize winner
* Brooks Atkinson (Class of 1917) - American drama critic, Pulitzer Prize winner
* John Cheever (Class of 1926) - American novelist and short story writer, Pulitzer Prize winner
* John Updike (Class of 1950) - American novelist, short story writer, poet, and critic, Pulitzer Prize winner
* Charles Pierce (Class of 1962) - American philosopher and logician
* Dan Aykroyd (Class of 1967) - Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer