Famous People from Kansas

• Kirstie Alley (1955 - ) Actress starring in Cheers and Veronica’s Closet; born in Wichita.

• Robert D. Ballard (1942 - ) He discovered the Titanic shipwreck; born in Wichita.

• Walter Beech - (1891 - 1950) Outstanding pioneer of aviation; lived in Wichita.

• Gwendolyn Brooks (1917 - ) The first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize; born in Topeka.

• John Brown (1800 - 1859) Infamous abolitionist during the Civil War

• George Washington Carver (1864 - 1943) A great scientist, educator and humanitarian; graduated from Minneapolis Kansas High School.

•  Clyde Cessna - (1879 - 1954) One of the outstanding pioneers of aviation; born in Hawthorne.

• Walter Chrysler (1875 - 1940) Founder of Chrysler Corporation in 1925; born in Wamego.

• Charles Curtis (1860 - 1936) The first Native American to serve as US vice president (1929-1933); born near Topeka.

• Bob Dole (1923 - ) United States senator for many years; he ran for President in 1996; born in Russell.

• Amelia Earhart (1897 - 1937) The first woman granted a pilot’s license by the National Aeronautics Associate, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean (1932), and the first person to fly solo across the Pacific; born in Atchison.

• Melissa Etheridge (1961 - ) Popular singer and guitarist; born in Leavenworth.

• Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 - 1969) The 34^th United States President that served from 1953-1961; grew up in Abilene.
• James "Wild Bill" Hickok (1837 - 1876) A scout and U.S. marshal in the Old West.
• Omar Knedlik, Invented the first frozen carbonated drink machine in 1961; from Coffeyville.
• William Lear (1902 - 1978) One of the outstanding pioneers of aviation; lived in Wichita.
• Hattie McDaniel (1895 - 1952) The first black woman to win an Academy Award; won for her role in “Gone with the Wind”; born in Wichita.
• Charlie Parker (1920 - 1955) One of the most influential improvising soloists in jazz, and a central figure in the development of bop in the 1940s; grew up in Kansas City.
• William Purvis & Charles Wilson, Invented the helicopter in 1909; from Goodland.
• Susan Madora Salter, The first woman mayor in the United States, elected in Argonia in 1887.

• Clyde Tombaugh (1906 - 1997) The astronomer who discovered the planet Pluto; grew up in Burdette.

More Famous People of Kansas

• Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle actor, Smith Center
• Clarence D. Batchelor political cartoonist, Osage City
• John Steuart Curry painter, Dunavant
• Milton S. Eisenhower educator, Abilene
• Carl A. Hatch politician, Kirwin
• Dennis Hopper actor, Dodge City
• William Inge playwright, Independence
• Walter Johnson baseball pitcher, Humboldt
• Buster Keaton comedian, Piqua
• Emmett Kelly clown, Sedan
• Stan Kenton jazz musician, Wichita
• Harold Lloyd actor, Burchard
• Edgar Lee Masters poet, Garnett
• William C. Menninger psychiatrist, Topeka
• Gordon Parks film director, Fort Scott
• Zasu Pitts actress, Parsons
• Charles Buddy Rogers actor, Olathe
• Damon Runyon journalist, Manhattan
• Barry Sanders football player, Wichita
• Eugene W. Smith photojournalist, Wichita
• William E. Stafford poet, Hutchinson
• John Cameron Swayze news commentator, Atchison
• Vivan Vance actress, Cherryvale
• William Allen White journalist, Emporia
• Charles E. Whittaker jurist, Troy