 The first three Honorary Fellows , all former students of the college , were elected in October 1877 : John Rhys , the first Jesus Professor of Celtic ( later an Official Fellow ( 1881 – 1895 ) and Principal ( 1895 – 1915 ) ) ; the historian John Richard Green ; and the poet Lewis Morris . The college noted in 1998 that the number of Honorary Fellows of the college was markedly below the average of other Oxford colleges and it adopted a more methodical approach to increase numbers . Seven Honorary Fellows were elected that year , followed by another five in 1999 . The college 's Honorary Fellows have included two Old Members who later became Prime Minister of their respective countries : Norman Washington Manley , who studied at Jesus College as a Rhodes Scholar and who was Chief Minister of Jamaica from 1955 to 1962 , and Harold Wilson , who was twice British Prime Minister ( 1964 – 1970 and 1974 – 1976 ) . 
