List of people educated at George Watson's College

Notable alumni

• The Reverend David Arnott, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for 2011–201
• Robert Horne, 1st Viscount Horne, Chancellor of the Exchequer
• Paul Nuki Chief Editor at NHS Choices.

  Culture

Actors and dramatists

• James Finlayson, actor
• Peter Baikie, Scottish comedian and composer
• Jack Docherty, Scottish writer, actor, presenter and producer
• Jamie Drummond, Edinburgh-born Canadian sommelier and amateur dramatist
• Gordon Kennedy, actor

  Architects

• Basil Spence, architect
• William Kininmonth
• James Craig
• Alexander Lorne Campbell
• Gareth Hoskins

  Artists

• Douglas Percy Bliss, painter
• Henry Raeburn Dobson, painter

  Music

• Ian Anderson, musician with Jethro Tull
• Robin Williamson, musician with The Incredible String Band
• Donald Runnicles, conductor
• Malcolm Martineau, pianist and recital accompanist
• Myles MacInnes, singer-songwriter, music producer, and DJ
• Keith McIvor music producer, and DJ

  Writers – Poets, novelists, dramatists

• David Daiches, Scottish literary historian and literary critic
• Rebecca West, writer and campaigner

  Journalists

• Karin Giannone, Journalist and news presenter at BBC News
• Martha Kearney, BBC broadcaster and journalist
• Hugo Rifkind, journalist
• Iain Macwhirter, journalist

  Lawyers and Judges

• Robert Brown Black, GCMG, Governor of Hong Kong, 1958–64
• Colin Boyd, Baron Boyd of Duncansby, PC, QC, Lord Advocate, life peer in the British House of Lords
• John Corrie, politician, MP, MEP
• David Maxwell Fyfe, Viscount Kilmuir, Barrister, Home Secretary and Lord Chancellor
• Frances Guy Diplomat
• Donald Mackay, Baron Mackay of Drumadoon
• Ronald King Murray, Lord Murray, PC, politician and judge,
• Robert Reed, Lord Reed, Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
• Iain Macphail, Lord Macphail
• Alastair Campbell, Lord Bracadale, QC
• John Ireland Falconer, WS
• Tun Dato' Sir James Beveridge Thomson, KBE, SSM, PMN, PJK, lawyer and judge, Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Malaysia.
• John Charles Fenton, lawyer, Solicitor General for Scotland

  Military

• Air Chief Marshal Sir James Robb, GCB, KBE, DSO, DFC, AFC
• Rear Admiral George Pirie Thomson, CBE, naval officer and Britain's Chief Press Censor in WWII
• Lieutenant General Sir David Young, KBE, CB, DFC
• Major-General Sir Alexander Biggam, KBE, CB, FRSE, FRCPE, FRCP
• Captain Henry Peel Ritchie, First World War Victoria Cross recipient

  Politics

• Malcolm Chisholm
• Ronald King Murray, Lord Murray, PC, politician and judge,
• Malcolm Rifkind, KCMG, QC, politician
• Chris Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury, PC, former British MP and Cabinet minister
• Elizabeth Smith, MSP
• David Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, KT, KBE, PC, politician, MP, former leader of the Liberal Party
• William Wolfe
• Auckland Geddes, 1st Baron Geddes, GCMG, KCB, PC
• Rebecca West, feminist campaigner
• Robin Gray,

  Science and academia

• Sir Eric Anderson, KT, FRSE, provost of Eton College
• Prof William Stuart Mcrae Craig FRSE, medical author
• Norman Davidson, CBE
• Sir John Flett, KBE, FRSE, FRS, FGS
• Keith Moffatt, physicist
• Stan Paterson, glaciologist
• Ian R. Porteous, mathematician
• Gerald Russell, Professor of Psychiatry
• Leslie Skene, psychiatrist
• John Steele
• Joseph Wedderburn, mathematician
• Ian Frazer, Creator of the Human Papilloma virus vaccine and Australian of the Year 2006

  Sport

• Martin Bell, skier, and four times participant in the Winter Olympics
• Neil McCallum
• Ian Greig
• Sir Chris Hoy, MBE, Six-time Olympic gold medal winning track cyclist
• Gillian Cooke, athlete and bobsledder
• Robin Smith, mountaineer
• Craig Sutherland, professional footballer
• Keith Fraser, Olympic Athlete 1992

  Rugby players

• Gavin Hastings, OBE, rugby player
• Scott Hastings, rugby player
• Jason White, rugby player
• Ian Robertson
• David Johnston International rugby player and professional footballer
• Marcus Di Rollo
• John Howard Wilson, rugby player