Notable Alumni
A
- Leon Abbett – former New Jersey governor (112th Class)
- Henry David Abraham – psychiatrist, 1985 Nobel Peace Prize co-winner (214th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1988
- Raymond Pace Alexander – judge, civil rights lawyer (127th Class)
- Elliott Abrams – AccuWeather meteorologist, chief forecaster (223rd Class)
- Anthony G. Amsterdam – civil rights lawyer, professor at NYU (200th Class)
- Dave Appell – musician, record producer
- Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz – poet and author (255th Class)
- Joe Augustyn – screenwriter, producer (229th Class)
B
- James P. Bagian – astronaut, physician (228th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1992
- Edward W. Barankin – physicist (168th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1976
- Albert C. Barnes – art collector, founder of Barnes Foundation educational art institution (92nd Class) – inducted posthumously into Hall of Fame 2009
- James G. Barnwell (16) served as librarian of the Library Company of Philadelphia, founded by Benjamin Franklin; teacher, school principal and founder of the Mary Gaston Barnwell Foundation – inducted to Hall of Fame 2015
- Reds Bassman – football player
- Edward Roy Becker – Federal Judge (194th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1986
- Bernard Bell – Former Vice President, World Bank (150th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1988
- John C. Bell, Jr. – Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (75th Class)
- Alvin Benedict – hotelier (176th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1979
- Barry Bloom – infectious disease scientist, WHO (202nd Class) – inducted to Hall of Fame 2011
- Jim Braude – talk radio host (225th Class)
- Leo Braudy – cultural historian and film critic (211th Class) – inducted to Hall of Fame 2015
- Charles R. Bridges, MD, ScD (232) Physician, Professor, Cardiovascular Surgery Pioneer – inducted to Hall of Fame 2011
- King Britt – DJ and record producer (245th Class)
- Isadore Brodsky, MD – Medical Scholar and Inventor (189th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1995
- William H. Brown, III – former Chairman of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (185th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 2009
- Lou Bruce – Major League Baseball outfielder (graduated 1899)
- Doc Bushong – Major League Baseball catcher and dentist (graduated 1876)
C
- George Campbell, Jr. – President of Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (220th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 2009
- Dr. Howard Carlisle – educator (162nd Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1986
- Robert B. Carney – Admiral, USN (118th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1976
- Philip Casnoff – actor (226th Class)
- Cassidy – rapper (would have been the 259th class, but he did not graduate from Central High School)
- John J. Cebra (198) established a lab in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Florida and studied immunoglobulins, being credited with discovering the important functions of IgA and its role in antibody production – inducted to Hall of Fame 2015
- Morris I. (“Moose”) Charlap – Broadway composer (186th Class)
- Noam Chomsky – linguist and political activist (184th Class)
- Ben Clime – professional football player
- Mark B. Cohen – Pennsylvania state legislator (225th Class)
- Dr. D. Walter Cohen – dentist, educator (181st Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1976
- Frank “Tick” Coleman – one of the first three known African-American Eagle Scouts, educator (156th Class)
- Joel Cook – U.S. Congressman, journalist (33rd Class)
- Tarzan Cooper – basketball player for the New York Renaissance
- Dr. William H. Cornog – educator (146th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1973
- Bill Cosby – comedian and entertainer (left after 10th grade – 204th Class)
- William B. Curry, Sr. – Corresponding Secretary, AACHS (125th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1982
D
- Samuel Dash – professor at Georgetown Law (178th Class)
- James DePreist – orchestra conductor (202nd Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 2001
- John H. Dialogue – shipbuilder in Camden, New Jersey (5th Class)
- DJ Drama (Tyree Simmons) – hip hop artist and DJ (255th Class)
- Ignatius L. Donnelly – author, politician, U.S. Congressman (13th Class)
- Rel Dowdell – filmmaker (248th Class)
- Leonard S. Dreifus, MD – physician (177th Class)- inducted into Hall of Fame 1986
- Joseph William Drexel – banker, philanthropist (13th Class)
E
- Thomas Eakins – painter (38th Class) – inducted posthumously into Hall of Fame 2009
- Joshua Eilberg – U.S. Congressman
- Ira Einhorn – Environmental activist, convicted murderer
- Arnold Eisen – Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary (228th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 2015
- Lee Eisenberg – Editor-in-Chief, Esquire Magazine (221st Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1988
- Charles Joseph Epstein, MD (196) Professor of Pediatrics, Geneticist – inducted into Hall of Fame 2001
- Edwin M. Epstein (202) Professor Emeritus UC Berkeley – inducted to Hall of Fame 2011
- Duane Eubanks – jazz trumpeter, and brother of guitarist Kevin Eubanks (245th Class)[citation needed]
- Robin Eubanks – jazz trombonist, professor at Oberlin Conservatory, and brother of guitarist Kevin Eubanks (231st Class)
F
- Douglas J. Feith – former U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, a major architect of the 2003 invasion of Iraq (230th Class)
- Alvan R. Feinstein, MD – Professor of Medicine, Yale University (177th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1988
- Norman Fell – actor on Three’s Company (176th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1976
- Samuel Simeon Fels – manufacturer, philanthropist (72nd Class) – inducted posthumously into Hall of Fame 2009
- Lee Felsenstein – personal computer pioneer and activist (219th Class)
- Joseph M.Field (192) founder of Entercom Communications Corporation, violinist, philanthropist – inducted to Hall of Fame 2011
- Louis Filler – historian, writer, and professor at Antioch College (151st Class, 1929)
- Larry Fine – Larry of the Three Stooges (132nd Class) – inducted posthumously into Hall of Fame 2009
- Paul J. Fink, MD (189) Psychiatrist – inducted into Hall of Fame 1998
- Richard J. Fox (184) real estate developer- inducted into Hall of Fame 2006
- Robert A. Fox (188) Investor – inducted into Hall of Fame 2006
- Phillip Frost – physician, pharmaceuticals executive, philanthropist (200th Class) – inducted to Hall of Fame 2011
- Charles Lewis Fussell – landscape artist (34th Class, 1857)
G
- Ellis A. Gimbel (79), businessman and philanthropist, chairman of the board of the Gimbel Brothers Department store chain – inducted to Hall of Fame 2015
- Howard Gittis, Esq. (197) Attorney – inducted into Hall of Fame 2006
- William Glackens – painter, co-founder of the Ashcan School art movement (92nd Class) – inducted posthumously into Hall of Fame 2011
- W. Wilson Goode, Jr. – Philadelphia City Councilman at Large, son of former mayor W. Wilson Goode (241st Class)
- Barry B. Goldberg, MD (204) Director, Ultrasound Research and Education Institute – inducted into Hall of Fame 2006
- E. Urner Goodman – early leader of the Boy Scouts of America (114th Class)
- Oscar Goodman – mayor of Las Vegas, mob defense lawyer (left after 10th grade)
- Charles Goren – bridge player and author (132nd Class) – inducted posthumously into Hall of Fame 2011
- Simon Gratz (18) Educator, Founder P.A.F.A – inducted posthumously into Hall of Fame 2011
- Shelly Gross – theatrical producer, author (170th Class)- inducted into Hall of Fame 1986
- Richard Grossman – jazz pianist (204th Class) – inducted to Hall of Fame 2015
- Lee Guber – theatrical producer (170th Class)- inducted into Hall of Fame 1986
- Daniel Guggenheim – industrialist and philanthropist (66th Class) – inducted posthumously into Hall of Fame 2009
- Simon Guggenheim – industrialist, financier, philanthropist, U.S. Senator for Colorado (87th Class) – inducted posthumously into Hall of Fame 2009
H
- Eric M. Hammel – military historian, writer and publisher (221st Class)
- Stephen J. Harmelin, Esq. (206) Attorney – inducted into Hall of Fame 2006
- John F. Harbeson – architect with H2L2 (111th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1976
- Joe Harris – mathematician at Harvard University
- Joseph Smith Harris – President of the Reading Railroad (24th Class)
- William J. Harvey III – religious leader (156th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1992
- Ralph Horwitz (223) senior vice president for Clinical Evaluation Sciences and senior adviser to the chairman of research &; development for GlaxoSmithKline; professor emeritus of medicine and epidemiology at Yale University – inducted to Hall of Fame 2015
- Dr. Joseph S. Hepburn – chemist, historian (108th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1976
- Quiara Alegría Hudes – playwright and author (254th Class) – inducted to Hall of Fame 2011
I
- Albert Innaurato – playwright, theater director, and writer (224th Class)
J
- Major Jackson – poet and professor at University of Vermont (245th Class)
K
- Louis Kahn – architect (134th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1973
- Alex Karp – CEO of Palanitr Technologies Inc.
- Sam Katz – perennial Philadelphia Republican mayoral candidate (226th class)
- Bernard M. Kauderer – Vice Admiral, USN (192nd Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1986
- Ted Kaufman – U.S. Senator from Delaware (206th class)
- Charles Keinath – college basketball player and coach
- Seymour Kety, MD – physiologist (158th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1973
- Alexander Kendrick – broadcast journalist (149th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1976
- Daniel Kevles – historian of science at Yale and California Institute of Technology
- A. Eugene Kohn, FAIA, RIBA, JIA (190) Architect – inducted into Hall of Fame 2006
- Mark Kramer – jazz pianist (220th class)
- Joseph L. Kun – Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas judge
L
- Monsignor William Lallou – religious leader (103rd Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1973
- Cato T. Laurencin – surgeon, professor, chemical engineer (235th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 2009
- Conrad C. Lautenbacher – Navy Vice Admiral (213th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1998
- Dr. I.M. Levitt – Director Emeritus, Fels Planetarium (146th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1988
- Thomas F. Lewis – member, U.S. House Of Representatives (1942)
- Betty W. Liu (250) Financial Journalist, Bloomberg TV Anchor – inducted to Hall of Fame 2011
- Alain LeRoy Locke – author, philosopher, first African-American Rhodes Scholar (107th Class) – inducted posthumously into Hall of Fame 2009
- Walter P. Lomax, Jr., MD (192) Physician, Healthcare Management – inducted to Hall of Fame 2011
- Jerome Lowenthal – classical pianist, chair of Juilliard School Piano Department (192nd Class)
- J. Paul Lyet – industrialist (164th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1973
M
- John Macionis – Olympic Silver Medal Swimming (160th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1992
- Lawrence S. Margolis – United States federal court judge – inducted into Hall of Fame 2009
- John Marzano – Major League Baseball catcher and broadcast analyst (240th Class)
- Gary K. Michelson – orthopedic spinal surgeon (225th Class)
- Jeffrey Milarsky – conductor of contemporary music (243rd Class)
- Roger M. Milgrim – intellectual property lawyer and treatise author (202nd Class)
- Samuel Brown Wylie Mitchell – founder of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity
- Anthony P. Monaco, MD – Professor of Surgery, Harvard University (191st Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1988
- Louis J. Mordell – mathematician at University of Cambridge (111th Class)
- Joel Myers – founder of AccuWeather (208th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1998
N
- Robert N. C. Nix, Jr. – former Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court (186th Class)
O
- Leon J. Obermayer, Esq. – attorney (109th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1978
- Benjamin Ostrofsky, PhD (177) Engineer, Fellow Society of Logistic Engineers – inducted into Hall of Fame 2006
- Eric Owens – opera singer (247th Class) – inducted to Hall of Fame 2015
P
- Dr. Robert H. Page, PE (183) Professor Emeritus, Mechanical Engineering- inducted into Hall of Fame 2001
- Robert E. Pattison – former Governor of Pennsylvania (55th Class)
- Thomas May Peirce – founder of Peirce College (32nd Class)
- David Pincus – clothing manufacturer, art collector (181st Class) – inducted to Hall of Fame 2015
- Edward N. Polisher, Esq. – attorney, philanthropist (132nd Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 192
- Ramon L. Posel – founder of Ritz Theaters (186th Class)
- Neil R. Powe (231) chief of medical services at San Francisco General Hospital and the Constance B. Wofsy distinguished professor and vice-chairman of medicine, University of California, San Francisco – inducted to Hall of Fame 2015
- Hilary Putnam – philosopher (182nd Class)
R
- Jed S. Rakoff – United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York (215th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 2015
- David Raksin – composer “Grandfather of Film Music” (153rd Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1979
- Conyers Read – historian(1899)
- Ralph T. Reed – former CEO of American Express (114th Class) – inducted posthumously into Hall of Fame 2011
- William Reed – sprinter (247th Class)
- David L. Reich – academic anesthesiologist and professor; President & Chief Operating Officer of the Mount Sinai Hospital, and President of Mount Sinai Queens (236th Class)
- Allen Rosenberg – attorney, lecturer, member U.S. Olympic Committee (192nd Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 2001
- Eugene H. Rotberg – international banker (188th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1979
- Arnold Roth – cartoonist, humorist (186th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1976
- Solomon Kal Rudman – radio and television pioneer, publisher, philanthropist (188th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1986
- Leo Stanton Rowe – US Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (89th Class)
S
- Marvin Samson (211) entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded Samson Medical Technologies; chairman of the board of trustees of the Franklin Institute – inducted to Hall of Fame 2015
- Ralph Sanders – Professor Emeritus, National Defense University (183rd Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1988
- Shunsuke Sato – world-renowned young violinist (261st Class)
- Morton Livingston Schamberg – modern artist
- Ralph Schlosstein (227) Co-founder BlackRock, Inc. – inducted into Hall of Fame 2009
- Bernard G. Segal, Esq. – attorney (149th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1979
- Robert Serber – physicist on Manhattan Project (146th
- Joseph Shallit – mystery novelist (156th Class)
- Arthur M. Shapiro – ecologist (220th Class) – inducted to Hall of Fame 2015
- Bree Sharp – singer and songwriter (252nd Class)
- Lee M. Silver – professor of molecular biology, Princeton University (227th Class)
- Richard Bruce Silverman – chemistry professor, inventor of Lyrica (221st Class) – inducted to Hall of Fame 2011
- John French Sloan – painter (92nd Class) – inducted posthumously into Hall of Fame 2011
- Joseph Smukler, Esq. (185) Attorney, Philanthropist, Humanitarian – inducted into Hall of Fame 2001
- Richard S. Sokolov, Esq. (226) International Real Estate Developer – inducted into Hall of Fame 2006
- Bernard Spain (198) Entrepreneur, Philanthropist – inducted into Hall of Fame 2009
- Ben Stahl – labor and civil rights activist
- Julie Stevens – actress, film director and producer (246th Class)
- Frank R. Stockton – writer and humorist (19th Class)
- Charles Stone III – film and ad director (243rd Class)
T
- John Baxter Taylor, Jr. – track and field athlete, first African-American Olympic gold medalist (107th Class) – inducted posthumously into Hall of Fame 2009
- Teller (Raymond Joseph) – entertainer, Penn & Teller (224th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 2001
- Dr. Howard Temin – geneticist, Nobel Laureate (196th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1976
- Elihu Thomson – inventor, one of the founders of the General Electric Company (55th Class)
- Richard B. Teitelman – judge (223rd Class)
- Dylan Tichenor – film editor (245th Class)
- Arthur Tracy – vaudeville performer, singer, actor, “The Street Singer” (130th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1986
V
- William Scott Vare – U.S. Congressman (1912-1927), Pennsylvania State Senator (1922-1923), U.S. Senator Elect (1927-1929), Republican political boss in Philadelphia
W
- Bernard M. Wagner, MD (182) Pioneer in Toxicologic Pathology – inducted into Hall of Fame 2006
- Phil Walker – Guard on the 1977-1978 NBA champion Washington Bullets (231st class)
- John Wallowitch – composer, songwriter and cabaret performer (181st Class)
- Louis J. Weichmann – one of the chief witnesses for the prosecution in the conspiracy trial of the Abraham Lincoln assassination
- Andrew Weil, MD – physician, author, proponent of integrative medicine (212th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 2000
- Edward Weinberger – TV producer and writer (204th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1976
- Judge Leo Weinrott – Jurist (121st Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1979
- Judge Charles R. Weiner – Jurist (174th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1976
- Stephen William White – translator of Jules Verne and secretary of the Northern Central Railway (31st class)
- R. Seth Williams – District Attorney of Philadelphia (244th Class)
- Alan Wolfe – political scientist and sociologist (213th Class) – inducted to Hall of Fame 2011
- Bernard Wolfman, Esq. – legal scholar (176th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1976
- Alexander Woollcott – drama critic for The New Yorker (110th Class)
- Jeremiah Wright – former Senior Pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago (211th Class)
- Richard J. Wurtman, MD – Physician and Researcher (199th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1995
- Ed Wynn (until age 15) – entertainer, actor, comedian, producer (110th Class) – inducted posthumously into Hall of Fame 2009
Y
- Charles Yerkes – industrialist and financier (27th Class)
- Leroy K. Young, MD – physician (155th Class) – inducted into Hall of Fame 1973
- Carlton J. Young, MD (238) Transplant Surgeon- inducted into Hall of Fame 2009
Z
- Melvin B. Zisfein – Deputy Director, National Air & Space Museum – inducted in Hall of Fame 1979
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alumni_of_Central_High_School_(Philadelphia,_Pennsylvania)