After much deliberation, we've narrowed our list of top alumni newsmakers to six standouts in business, sports, the arts, and public service, presented below in alphabetical order. Add your write-in candidates or thoughts about our top six in the comments section.
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Jeff Bezos ’86 The Amazon.com chief has staying power: 11 years after his appearance as Time’s Person of the Year, he was named one of the CEOs of the decade by Marketwatch.com.
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Jason Garrett ’89 A midseason promotion made the former Tiger star Princeton’s first NFL head coach. Through six games at the helm, his Dallas Cowboys are 4-2.
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Elena Kagan ’81 This year, Kagan went from arguing cases in front of the nation’s highest court – as solicitor general – to serving on it as a Supreme Court justice.
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W.S. Merwin ’49 A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Merwin again joined elite company in the world of letters by becoming the 17th poet laureate of the United States.
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David Petraeus *85 *87 In June, Petraeus left the U.S. Central Command to take over new responsibilities as the top American commander in Afghanistan, replacing Gen. Stanley McChrystal.
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Terri Sewell ’86 One of Princeton’s newest alumni in Congress, Sewell, an Alabama Democrat, made history as the first African-American woman to represent her state.
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Photos: Wikipedia (Bezos, Garrett, Kagan, and Petraeus); Library of Congress (Merwin); Sewell for Congress (Sewell).