Research Guides: WashU Commencement History: Commencement Speakers

Commencement Speakers, 1905-1939

Washington University admitted its first undergraduates in 1857 and awarded its first undergraduate degrees in 1862. The first commencement ceremony, held June 20, 1862, consisted of a public address by all five members of the graduating class, and an address to the graduating class by Chancellor William Chauvenet. Student addresses, usually in Latin or Greek, were the norm for commencement ceremonies at this time. The tradition of having every member of the class speak lasted until approximately 1880. From approximately 1881 until 1905, speeches were given by selected members of the class, with fewer of these speeches being given in Latin or Greek as time went on. Beginning in 1905, commencement took on the form similar to today's ceremony.

The first commencement ceremony on the Danforth (Hilltop) Campus took place in June 1905. The formal dedication of the Campus took place at the same ceremony.

Commencement speakers from 1905-1939 were:

June 15, 1905: David Rowland Francis
June 20, 1907: James Bryce
June 18, 1908: Rabbi Leon Harrison
June 8, 1911: Charles Nagel
June 13, 1912: Rev. Thomas Lamb Eliot
June 12, 1913: Paul Elmer More, Aspects of Reaction
June 11, 1914: Rev. William C. Bitting, Education and Daily Life
June 10, 1915: Rev. John Haynes Holmes
June 8, 1916: Bishop Daniel Sylvester Tuttle
June 14, 1917: Herbert Lockwood Willett, The University and the Nation
June 10, 1920: Walter Miller
June 8, 1922: Daniel John Cowling, The Place of Liberal Arts Ideals in American Education
June 14, 1923: James Augustin Emery, Educated Men and Public Affairs
June 12, 1924: Henry Smith Pritchett, Our Present Day Ideal of Civil Liberty
June 9, 1925: Robert Ernest Vinson, A Chapter of the Controversy
June 7, 1927: Charles Gates Dawes, The New Diplomacy
June 5, 1928: Rev. Christopher Rhodes Eliot, Adventures in Idealism
June 11, 1929: John Carleton Jones, The Reserves of the Educated Man
June 10, 1930: John Duncan Ernst Spaeth, Science and Humanism in University Education
June 9, 1931: Shailer Mathews, The Administration of Optimism
June 7, 1932: Rev. William Greenleaf Eliot, Jr., A Free University in a Free State
June 6, 1933: Charles Nagel, Robert S. Brookings
June 12, 1934: Percival Chubb, The Summons to a New Idealism
June 11, 1935: Guy Stanton Ford, Protecting an Investment
June 9, 1936: Otto Heller
June 8, 1937: Karl Morgan Block, College and Character
June 7, 1938: Martin Hill Ittner, The Function of Technology in Modern Society
June 6, 1939: Gordon Jennings Laing, A Liberal Education

Commencement Speakers, 1940-1990

The commencement speakers from 1940-1990 were:

June 11, 1940: Walter B. Cannon, Progress and Problems
June 2, 1942: Rev. John Macclian, Facing Tomorrow's World
May 27, 1943: Frank J. Bruno, The Price of Freedom
May 25, 1944: Frederick Arnold Middlebush, The Burning of the Books
June 13, 1946: Charles Allen Thomas, Crossroads
June 12, 1947: Reuben G. Gustavson, The Challenge of Civilization to Your Generation
June 8, 1948: Arthur Holly Compton, Education for Peace
June 7, 1949: Paul Gray Hoffman
June 6, 1950: Bernard M. Baruch
June 6, 1951: George C. Marshall
June 11, 1952: Karl T. Compton
1953: Arthur Holly Compton
June 9, 1954: Charles Malik, The Ultimate Question
June 8, 1955: Ethan A.H. Shepley
June 6, 1956: Paul A. Freund
June 12, 1957: Raymond R. Tucker
June 11, 1958: Howard J. Morgens
June 10, 1959: Rev. Paul C. Reinert, S.J.
June 6, 1960: Elmer Ellis
June 5, 1961: George D. Stoddard
June 4, 1962: Carl Tolman, The Essence of the University
June 10, 1963: James S. McDonnell
June 8, 1964: Richard P. Wilbur
June 7, 1965: Sister Francetta Barberis
June 5, 1966: Merle Fainsod
June 4, 1967: Sol Myron Linowitz
June 2, 1968: Ruth Moore
June 9, 1969: J. George Harrar
June 1, 1970: William B. Pollard, Thomas H. Eliot, Charles Allen Thomas
June 4, 1971: Thomas H. Eliot
May 26, 1972: Barbara Ward (Lady Jackson)
May 25, 1973: Eli Goldston, For the Rich it Sings
May 19, 1974: DeWitt Stetton, Jr., The University and Its Professional Schools
May 23, 1975: Albert William Levi, The Uses of the Humanities
May 21, 1976: Clark M. Clifford, Our American System: Can it Withstand The Present Threats?
May 20, 1977: Carla Anderson Hills, The Quality of Life
May 19, 1978: John Jay McCloy
May 18, 1979: William H. Gass, Learning to Talk
May 16, 1980: Philip Handler, Science and the American Future
May 22, 1981: Edward T. Foote II, The Pursuit of Happiness, 1981
May 21, 1982: Andrew F. Brimmer, The Erosion of Equity in American Society
May 20, 1983: John Harold Plumb, A Time for Hope?
May 18, 1984: Bob Hope
May 17, 1985: Philip Habib, Jeremy Fostaker
May 16, 1986: Sen. Paul Simon
May 15, 1987: William G. Hyland
May 20, 1988: Thomas F. Eagleton
May 19, 1989: Henry E. Hampton
May 18, 1990: Mona Van Duyn, The Imagination: Commencement or Conclusion

Commencement speakers, 1991-present

The commencement speakers from 1991-present were:

May 17, 1991: Oscar Arias Sanchez
May 15, 1992: Marian Wright Edelman, The Measure of Our Success
May 14, 1993: Peter H. Raven, Attitudes and Alliances: Shared Dependencies and Responsibilities for the Environment
May 20, 1994: Senator Bill Bradley, America's Changing World: New Economy, New Diversity, New Challenges
May 19, 1995: Sen. John C. Danforth
May 17, 1996: Jane Alexander
May 16, 1997: Sir Geoffrey Winston Russell Palmer
May 15, 1998: George Will
May 15, 1999: William H. Danforth
May 19, 2000: Julian Bond
May 18, 2001: Rita R. Colwell
May 10, 2002: Ruth J. Simmons
May 16, 2003: Madeline Albright
May 21, 2004: Thomas L. Friedman
May 20, 2005: Richard A. Gephardt
May 19, 2006: Sir John Major
May 18, 2007: Tim Russert
May 16, 2008: Chris Matthews
May 15, 2009: Wendy Kopp
May 21, 2010: Dr. Stephen Chu
May 20, 2011: Elie Wiesel, Memory and Ethics
May 18, 2012: Mike Peters
May 17, 2013: Cory A. Booker
May 16, 2014: Tony La Russa
May 15, 2015: Ken Burns
May 20, 2016: John R. Lewis
May 19, 2017: Anna Quindlen
May 18, 2018: Anne-Marie Slaughter
May 17, 2019: Michael R. Bloomberg
2020 speech was held in-person on May 30, 2021 because there was no in-person Commencement Ceremony in 2020 due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic: Dr.Julie Gerberding
May 20, 2021: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
May 20, 2022: Mae Jemison
May 15, 2023: Sterling K. Brown