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
 * 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
 * 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
 * Beatriz 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

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.

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