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SJU Commencement Speakers
NOTE: Having a commencement speaker, as we know the ceremony, was not always the custom. Apparently it became the custom at SJU in 1882, 25 years after its 1857 founding.
| Year | Guest Speaker | Student Speaker |
| 2012 | John McCutcheon | Ty Cox |
| 2011 | John Grim | Thomas Loonan |
| 2010 | Rev. Edwin D. Leahy, OSB | Matthew Beck |
| 2009 | Dr. Sharon Daloz Parks | Joe Kane |
| 2008 | Mr. William Green | Thomas Connelly |
| 2007 | Mr. Bob Abernethy | Paul E. Storm |
| 2006 | Dr. R. Scott Appleby | Samuel Boggs |
| 2005 | Mr. Charles M. Denny, Jr. | Andrew Dirksen |
| 2004 | Mr. Thomas Beaudoin | Michael Marschel |
| 2003 | Mr. Ray Suarez | James Mulrooney |
| 2002 | The Honorable Mark Kennedy | Charles Berendes |
| 2001 | Fred de Sam Lazaro | Joseph Tinguely |
| 2000 | Rev. William J. Byron, S.J. | Kevin Clancy |
| 1999 | Prof. Michael Perry | Michael Dirksen |
| 1998 | Dr. Evan Maurer | Lance Bodeen |
| 1997 | The Honorable Guido Calabresi | Philip Steger |
| 1997 (December) | Dr. Charles Bobertz | |
| 1996 | Mr. Steven Rothschild | Anthony Amelse |
| 1996 (December) | Ms. Betty Wolterman | |
| 1995 | Mr. Stephen Sommers | Joseph Flock |
| 1995 (December) | Mr. David Lyndgaard | |
| 1994 | The Honorable Alan C. Page | Thomas Tanghe |
| 1994 (December) | Dr. Joseph Farry | |
| 1993 | Mr. Colman McCarthy | Ross Drever |
| 1993 (December) | Rev. Timothy Backous, O.S.B. | |
| 1992 | Governor George A. Sinner | Todd Bass Denis McDonough |
| 1991 | Rev. Hilary D. Thimmesh, O.S.B. | Christopher P. Diffley |
| 1990 | Ambassador Edward J. Perkins | Scott C. LaBarre |
| 1989 | Mr. William F. Buckley, Jr. | Michael A. Holscher |
| 1988 | Mr. Paul D. Schurke | Michael J. Cronin |
| 1987 | Ms. Carolyn Forche | Anthony Gabriel Amon |
| 1986 | Rev. David Burrell, C.S.C | Frederick William Stein |
| 1985 | Dr. Esther de Waal | Aaron H. Franta |
| 1984 | Mr. Garrison Keillor | John P. Keane |
| 1983 | Senator David Durenberger | Paul R. Linde |
| 1982 | Mr. Jon Hassler | Robert E. Culligan |
| 1981 | Dr. Harlan Cleveland | |
| 1980 | Dr. Mortimer J. Adler | |
| 1979 | Mr. Thomas F. Roeser | |
| 1978 | Rev. Hilary D. Thimmesh, O.S.B. | |
| 1977 | The Honorable Sam Ervin, Jr. | |
| 1976 | Mr. Russell Baker | |
| 1975 | Senator Hubert H. Humphrey | |
| 1974 | Dr. Robert H. Dumonceaux | |
| 1973 | Prof. Norman James | |
| 1972 | Rev. John Howard, O.S.B. | |
| 1971 | Dr. Dana L. Farnsworth, M.D. | |
| 1970 | Rev. Andrew J. Young | |
| 1969 | The Right Honorable Lord Caradon | |
| 1968 | Dr. Eugene C. Blake | |
| 1967 | Lady Barbara Ward Jackson | |
| 1966 | Dr. Jaroslav J. Pelikan | |
| 1965 | Rev. John Courtney Murray, S.J. | |
| 1964 | Senator Eugene J. McCarthy | |
| 1963 | The Most Reverend Paul Leonard Hagarty, O.S.B. | |
| 1962 | Mr. Gerald E. Sherry | |
| 1961 | Mr. Philip J. Scharper | |
| 1960 | The Most Reverend Peter W. Bartholome | |
| 1959 | Mr. John Cogley | |
| 1958 | Dr. David A. Boyd, Jr., M.D. | |
| 1957 | The Most Reverend Leo F. Dworschak | |
| 1956 | The Most Reverend Archbishop John Gregory Murray | |
| 1955 | Sister Madeleva, C.S.C. | |
| 1954 | Rev. Philip Hughes | Waldemar Wenner |
| 1953 | The Honorable Eugene J. McCarthy | John Dunn |
| 1952 | Dr. Helen C. White | Bertran Hartinger |
| 1951 | Rev. Hans A. Reinhold | Dale M. Sauve |
| 1950 | Dr. Donald J. Cowling | Gerald Scherer |
| 1949 | The Most Reverend Francis Schenk | Will Theodore Gimenez |
| 1948 | Dr. Patrick A. Crowley | John E. Simonett |
| 1947 | Dr. Laurence M. Gould | Heinz B. Arnold |
| 1946 | Rev. Wilfred Mallon, S.J. | Robert Hovda |
| 1945 | Rev. J. Timothy Gannon | Philip Wooby |
| 1944 | Prof. James J. Doland | Donald M. Berg |
| 1943 | The Honorable Lawrence M. Hall | Edward William Arth |
| 1942 | The Most Reverend Peter W. Bartholome | Donald H. Norman |
| 1941 | Rev. James H. Moynihan | Bernard W. Lorenz |
| 1940 | Dr. Louis J.A. Mercier | Philip D. Raths |
| 1939 | The Most Reverend Joseph F. Busch | Charles H. Hinz |
| 1938 | Dr. Mortimer J. Adler | Austin M. McCarthy |
| 1937 | Dr. Martin Ruud | Emerson Hynes |
| 1936 | Dr. Jerome G. Kirwin | Edmund Piotrowski |
| 1935 | Mr. John J. Courtney | James C. Coyne |
| 1934 | Dr. Richard E. Scammon | Mathias A. Himsl |
| 1933 | Dr. William O'Brien, M.D. | John J. Zaic |
| 1932 | The Most Reverend Joseph F. Busch | Edward J. Hennessy |
| 1931 | Rev. Leo Keaveny | Fred Hughes |
| 1930 | Rev. Philip H. Kiley | Aloys V. Himsl |
| 1929 | The Most Reverend Joseph F. Busch | Stephen B. Humphrey |
| 1928 | Abbot Alcuin Deutsch, O.S.B. | Norvell Callaghan |
| 1927 | The Most Reverend Joseph F. Busch | |
| 1926 | The Most Reverend Joseph F. Busch | |
| 1925 | Abbot Alcuin Deutsch, O.S.B. | |
| 1924 | The Honorable James Quigley | |
| 1923 | James A. Garrity | |
| 1922 | Charles E. Vasaly | |
| 1921 | John Willis | |
| 1920 | Rt. Rev. Joseph Busch, D.D. | |
| 1917 | Most Rev. John Bonzano, D.D. | |
| 1914 | Joseph Janovick, 1902 | |
| 1912 | John Willis | |
| 1910 | Bishop Patrick Heffren, 1878 | |
| 1909 | Rev. George A. Arctander, 1888 | |
| 1908 | Rev. Daniel Lynch, 1886 | |
| 1906 | William Markoe, 1869 | |
| 1905 | John Ahmann, 1877 | |
| 1904 | Rev. L. J. Vaughan | |
| 1903 | William Markoe, 1869 | |
| 1898 | Bishop Trobec | |
| 1895 | Bishop Marty | |
| 1894 | Governor Knute Nelson | |
| 1892 | Judge D.B. Searle | |
| 1891 | Hon. Frank E. Searle | |
| 1885 | Hon. H.C. Waite | |
| 1884 | J.C. Arctander | |
| 1882 | Hon. H.C. Waite |