State flag of Kansas Location of Kansas on the U.S. map The following are notable people who were either born, raised, or have lived for a significant period of time in the American state of Kansas .
Academics and Nobel Prize laureates Marvin Lee Pelton Milton S. Eisenhower (1899–1985), university president; Abilene Wendell Johnson (1906–1965), psychologist and speech pathologist, author of The Monster Study ; Roxbury Jack S. Kilby (1923–2005), Nobel Prize winner in Physics; Great Bend Solon Toothaker Kimball (1909–1982), anthropologist; Manhattan Stanford Lehmberg (1931–2012), historian; McPherson Norman Malcolm (1911–1990), philosopher; Selden Deane Waldo Malott (1898–1996), president of Cornell University; AbileneAbby Lillian Marlatt (1869–1943), home economics; Manhattan Eric K. Meyer (born 1953), journalism professor and Pulitzer Prize nominee; Marion M. Lee Pelton (born 1950), president of Willamette University; Wichita John Brooks Slaughter (1934–2023), college president and first African-American director of the National Science Foundation; Topeka Vernon L. Smith (born 1927), Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economics; WichitaEarl Wilbur Sutherland Jr. (1915–1974), 1971 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology and Medicine; Burlingame Donald Worster (born 1941), historian; Lawrence
Arts and literature
Artists Nina E. Allender (1873–1957), artist and women's suffrage cartoonist; Auburn Grace Bilger (1907–2000), artist; Olathe Grant Bond (born 1974), artist; Kansas City Blackbear Bosin (1921–1980), Native American artist; WichitaGwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (1917–2000), poet; TopekaBruce Conner (1933–2008), artist; McPhersonJohn Steuart Curry (1897–1946), artist; Winchester Aaron Douglas (1900–1979), artist; TopekaRandall Duell (1903–1992), architect and art director; Russell County Edgar Heap of Birds (born 1954), artist; WichitaBruce Helander (born 1947), artist; Great Bend Elizabeth Layton (1909–1993), artist; Wellsville Evan Lindquist (born 1936), printmaker, Artist Laureate of Arkansas; Salina Barbara Morgan (1900–1992), photographer; Buffalo, Kansas Gordon Parks (1912–2006), photographer and film director; Fort Scott Birger Sandzen (1871–1954), artist, art professor at Bethany College ; Lindsborg Gary Mark Smith (born 1956), photographer, studied at University of Kansas; WichitaW. Eugene Smith (1918–1978), photographer; WichitaMort Walker (1923–2018), cartoonist, creator of Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois comic strips; El Dorado
Authors Laura Abbot , author of Harlequin romance novels; Kansas City Elizabeth Barr Arthur (1884–1971), poet, author, journalist, librarian, police officer, suffragist; Lincoln County Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000), author, poet; TopekaWilliam Burroughs (1914–1997), author; LawrenceDon Coldsmith (1926–2009), author of Western fiction; IolaDorothy Canfield Fisher (1879–1958), author of children's books; LawrenceThomas Frank (born 1965), author and editor; Mission Hills Clara H. Hazelrigg (1861–1937), author, educator, social reformer; Council Grove Jane Heap (1883–1964), author and publisher; TopekaScott Heim (born 1966), author; Hutchinson Langston Hughes (1902–1967), author and poet; LawrenceWilliam Inge (1913–1973), playwright; Independence Bill James (born 1949), author; Mayetta Bill Martin Jr. (1916–2004), children's author; Hiawatha Fred Myton (1885–1955), screenwriter; Garden City Kathy Patrick , author, founder of Pulpwood Queens Book Club; Eureka Scott Phillips (born 1961), author; WichitaVance Randolph (1892–1980), folklorist; Pittsburg Red Reeder (1902–1998), author and United States Army officer; Fort Leavenworth Richard Rhodes (born 1937), author and historian; Kansas City Lois Ruby , author of historic fiction; LawrenceDamon Runyon (1880–1946), author; Manhattan Mary Francis Shura (1923–1990), children's, romance and mystery author; Pratt William Stafford (1914–1993), poet and pacifist; HutchinsonMax Yoho (1934–2017), author; Colony
Dancers
Musicians Chris Arpad , solo steel pannist ; McPherson Karrin Allyson , jazz performer; Great BendDawayne Bailey , musician and songwriter (Bob Seger and Chicago ); Manhattan Pattie Brooks , singerKarla Burns (1955–2021), mezzo-soprano; WichitaDanny Carey (born 1961), musician; LawrenceRichard Christy , musician, actor, comedian, drummer, writer for Howard Stern show; Fort Scott Gene Clark (1944–1991), singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds; Bonner Springs Buck Clayton (1911–1991), jazz trumpeter-arranger solo and with Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, others; Parsons Dorothy DeLay (1917–2002), violinist, Juilliard professor; Medicine Lodge Joyce DiDonato (born 1969), mezzo-soprano; Prairie Village Phil Ehart (born 1951), drummer for the rock band "Kansas"; Coffeyville Melissa Etheridge (born 1961), musician; Leavenworth Rory Lee Feek (born ca. 1966), country music singer; Atchison Wendell Hall (1886–1969), musician; St. George Mark Hart (born 1953), musician, Crowded House, Supertramp; Fort Scott Nora Holt (1885 or 1890–1975), singer and co-founder of the National Association of Negro Musicians; Kansas City Dave Hope (born 1949), musician; TopekaEva Jessye (1895–1992), choral conductor; CoffeyvilleJennifer Knapp (born 1974), singer and songwriter; Chanute Brian Leeds (born 1991), a.k.a. Huerco S. and Pendant, electronic musician; Emporia .Katrina Leskanich (born 1960), musician; TopekaKerry Livgren (born 1949), founding member of Kansas ; TopekaFrank Luther (1905–1980), musician; Lakin Mitch Markovich (born 1944), drummer, marching band director, professor; Great BendMartina McBride (born 1966), musician; Sharon Andy McKee (born 1979), musician; TopekaJanelle Monáe (born 1985), vocalist; Kansas City Moondog (1916–1999), vocalist, percussionist and composer; real name Louis Thomas Hardin; Marysville Jerrod Niemann (born 1979), country singer; Liberal Charlie Parker (1920–1955), musician; Kansas City Samuel Ramey (born 1942), opera, bass-baritone; Colby Joe Don Rooney (born 1975), guitarist and vocalist; Baxter Springs Mark Schultz (born 1970), musician; Colby Robby Steinhardt (1950–2021), musician; LawrenceSteven Stucky (1949–2016), Pulitzer Prize -winner in music; HutchinsonJeremy Turner , guitar player in death metal band Origin , formerly of Cannibal Corpse Grace VanderWaal (born 2004), singer-songwriter, ukuleleist, winner of America's Got Talent season 11 (born in Lenexa )Joe Walsh (born 1947), musician; WichitaBobby Watson (born 1953), musician; Bonner Springs James Wesley , country music singer; Mound Valley David Wetzel (born 1983), musician; Westwood J. White Did It (born 1984), record producer; Kansas City and Leavenworth Rich Williams (born 1950), musician; TopekaChely Wright (born 1970), musician; WellsvilleXV (stage name of Donavan LaMond Johnson), emcee, producer; Wichita Gordon Young (1919–1998), organist and composer; McPherson
Athletics
Athletes A–F Chris Barnes Tony Clark Adrianna Franch Alvan Adams (born 1954), basketball; Lawrence John H. Adams (1914–1995), jockey; IolaNeil Allen (born 1958), baseball pitcher, pitching coach; Kansas City David Arkin (born 1987), pro football player; Wichita Elden Auker (1910–2006), baseball pitcher; Norcatur Chase Austin (born 1989), NASCAR driver; Eudora Chris Babb (born 1990), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League ; Topeka Ron Baker (born 1993), NBA player (New York Knicks ); Utica and Scott City (born in Hays)Thane Baker (born 1931), gold medalist at 1956 Summer Olympics , decathlon; Elkhart Tony Barker (born 1968), football player; Wichita Chris Barnes (born 1970), professional bowler; Topeka James Bausch (1906–1974), gold medalist 1932 Summer Olympics ; Garden Plain Oliver Bradwell (born 1992), sprinter; Wichita Judy Bell (born 1936), member of World Golf Hall of Fame ; Wichita Matt Besler (born 1987), professional soccer player; Overland Park B.H. Born (1932–2013), basketball player; Medicine Lodge Clint Bowyer (born 1979), NASCAR driver; Emporia George Brett (born 1953), baseball Hall of Famer; Mission Hills Bryce Brown (born 1991), football player; WichitaOrville Brown (1908–1981), pro wrestler, NWA champion; Sharon Mildred Bliss Burke (1915–1989), pro wrestler, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame; Coffeyville Enos Cabell (born 1949), baseball player; Fort Riley Veronica Campbell-Brown (born 1982), track and field athlete (Olympic and world champion); Great Bend Antoine Carr (born 1961), basketball playerWillie Cauley-Stein (born 1993), professional basketball player Spearville Larry Cheney (1886–1969), baseball pitcher; Belleville Jack Christiansen (1928–1986), football Hall of Famer; Sublette Tony Clark (born 1972), baseball player; Newton Maliek Collins (born 1995), football player; Kansas City Baron Corbin (born 1984), football player, WWE wrestler; Lenexa Nolan Cromwell (born 1955), football player; Smith Center Aaron Crow (born 1986), baseball player; TopekaGlenn Cunningham (1909–1988), silver medalist, 1936 Olympic Games,1,500m run; Elkhart Johnny Damon (born 1973), baseball player; Fort Riley Eldon Danenhauer (1935–2021), football player; Clay Center Darren Daulton (born 1962), baseball player; Arkansas City Wantha Davis (1917–2012), jockey ; Liberal Joey Devine (born 1983), baseball player; Junction City Lynn Dickey (born 1949), football player; Osawatomie Andy Dirks (born 1986), baseball player; Burrton Larry Drew (born 1958), basketball player and coach; Kansas City Mark Duckens (born 1965), football player; WichitaBrian Duensing (born 1983), baseball player; Marysville Brody Eldridge (born 1987), football player; La Cygne Tim Elliott (born 1986), mixed martial artist; WichitaMaurice Evans (born 1978), basketball player; WichitaKyle Farnsworth (born 1976), baseball player; WichitaGalen Fiss (1931–2006), football player; Johnson City Adrianna Franch (born 1990), soccer player (world champion); Salina Scott Fulhage (born 1961), football player; Beloit G–M Maurice Greene Walter Johnson Andrew Gachkar (born 1988), football player; Overland ParkKendall Gammon (born 1968), football player; Rose Hill Tyson Gay (born 1982), track and field athlete (world champion); Great BendMaurice Greene (born 1974), track and field athlete (world and Olympic champion); Kansas City Adrian Griffin (born 1974), basketball player and coach; Wichita Geneo Grissom (born 1992), football player; Hutchinson Andy Gruenebaum (born 1982), soccer playerDon Gutteridge (1912–2008), baseball player and manager; Pittsburg Joe Hastings (born 1987), football player; WichitaTanner Hawkinson (born 1990), football player; McPherson Mark Haynes (born 1958), football player; Kansas City Ben Heeney (born 1992), football player; Hutchinson Bobby Henrich (born 1938), baseball player; LawrenceDon Hill (1904–1967), football player; Hiawatha Shaun Hill (born 1980), football player; Parsons Elon Hogsett (1903–2001), baseball player; Brownell Lionel Hollins (born 1953), basketball player and coach; Arkansas City Scott Huffman (born 1964), pole vaulter; Quinter Damian Johnson (born 1962), football player; Great BendWalter Johnson (1887–1946), baseball Hall of Famer; Humboldt Pete Kilduff (1893–1930), baseball player; WeirFred Kipp (born 1931), baseball pitcher; Piqua Tonya Knight (born 1966), IFBB professional bodybuilder; Overland ParkLaurie Koehn (born 1982), WNBA player; Moundridge Gene Krug (born 1955), baseball player; Garden City Adam LaRoche (born 1979), baseball player; Fort Scott Bobby Lashley (born 1976), professional wrestler for WWE; Junction City Shalee Lehning (born 1987), WNBA player; Sublette Martin Lewis (born 1975), NBA basketball player; Liberal Danny Manning (born 1966), NBA basketball player; LawrenceHarold Manning (1909–2003), Steeplechase world record holder and Olympian; Sedgwick Rudy May (born 1944), baseball player; Coffeyville Jon McGraw , professional football player; Riley Archie "Hap" McKain (1911–1985), baseball player; Delphos Peter Mehringer (1910–1987), Olympic gold medalist wrestler, pro football player; Kinsley Brian Moorman (born 1976), football player; Sedgwick Mike Morin (born 1991), baseball player; Leawood N–Z Jordy Nelson John Riggins Barry Sanders Marcio Navarro (born 1978), professional kickboxer and mixed martial artist; Wichita Jordy Nelson (born 1985), football player; Leonardville Terence Newman (born 1978), football player; Salina Nicole Ohlde (born 1982), WNBA player; Clay Center Antonio Orozco (born 1987), professional boxer; Garden City Victor Ortiz (born 1987), professional boxer; Garden CityBob Orton (1929–2006), professional wrestler; Kansas City Bob Orton Jr. (born 1950), professional wrestler, WWE Hall of Fame ; Kansas City John Parrella (born 1969), professional football player; TopekaHal Patterson (1932–2011), professional football player; Larned Jordan Phillips (born 1992), professional football player; Towanda Joseph Randle (born 1991), professional football player; WichitaRonn Reynolds (born 1958), professional baseball player; WichitaDustin Richardson (born 1984), MLB pitcher; Newton John Riggins (born 1949), football player, Pro Football Hall of Famer ; Centralia Brandon Rios (born 1986), professional boxer; Garden CityLafayette Russell (1905–1978), football player, B-movie actor "Reb" Russell; Osawatomie Johnny Rutherford (born 1938), race car driver; CoffeyvilleJim Ryun (born 1947), athlete and politician; WichitaBarry Sanders (born 1968), football player, NFL Hall of Famer; WichitaMelvin Sanders (born 1981), pro basketball player; LiberalWes Santee (1932–2010), NCAA cross country champion, track and field athlete; Ashland Gale Sayers (1943–2020), NFL Hall of Famer; WichitaOtto Schnellbacher (1923–2008), pro basketball and football player; SubletteRyan Schraeder (born 1988), professional football player; WichitaGrant Sherfield (born 1999), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League Wayne Simien (born 1983), NCAA All-American, NBA basketball player; Leavenworth Mark Simoneau (born 1977), professional football player; Smith Center Marilynn Smith (1929–2019), professional golfer and LPGA co-founder; TopekaDarren Sproles (born 1983), professional football player; Olathe Bubba Starling (born 1992), professional baseball player; Gardner Lee Stevens (born 1967), professional baseball player; LawrenceJackie Stiles (born 1978), WNBA basketball player; Claflin Stewart "Smokey" Stover (born 1938), professional football player; McPhersonDarrell Stuckey (born 1987), professional football player; Kansas City Tom Sturdivant (1930–2009), professional baseball player; Gordon Steve Tasker (born 1962), NFL Pro Bowl MVP in 1993; Leoti (born in Smith Center Luther Haden "Dummy" Taylor (1875–1958), baseball pitcher; Oskaloosa Doug Terry (born 1968), pro football player; LiberalTommy Thompson (1916–1989), pro football player; HutchinsonJoe Tinker (1880–1948), MLB shortstop, member of Baseball Hall of Fame; Muscotah Blake Treinen (born 1988), professional baseball player; Osage City Jerame Tuman (born 1976), pro football player; LiberalRon Warner (born 1975), professional football player; Independence Earl Watson (born 1979), NBA basketball player; Kansas City Tom Watson (born 1949), golfer, member of World Golf Hall of Fame ; Stilwell Mitch Webster (born 1959), MLB player; LarnedKendra Wecker (born 1982), WNBA player; MarysvilleMichael Wilhoite (born 1986), pro football player; Manhattan Jess Willard (1881–1968), world heavyweight boxing champion, St. Clere; Pottawatomie County Kamerion Wimbley (born 1983), professional football player; WichitaLynette Woodard (born 1959), basketball Hall of Famer; WichitaBrad Ziegler (born 1979), baseball player; Pratt John Zook (1947–2020), professional football player; Garden City
Coaches Lionel Hollins Dean Smith Phog Allen (1885–1974), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; LawrenceJeremy Bates (born 1976), NFL offensive coordinator; Manhattan Jack Christiansen (1928–1986), pro and college football coach; Sublette Alan Cockrell (born 1962), hitting coach, New York Yankees; Kansas City Jory Collins (born 1978), college basketball coach; Holton Larry Drew (born 1958), NBA head coach; Kansas City Mark Fox (born 1969), college basketball coach; Garden City Dennis Franchione (born 1951), college football coach; Girard Edward C. Gallagher (1887–1940), NCAA Champion, Olympic and Hall of Fame Wrestling Coach; Perth Don Gambril (born 1934), Hall of Fame swimming coach; Altamont Ted Gilmore (born 1967), college football coach; WichitaBill Guthridge (1937–2015), college basketball coach; Parsons Lionel Hollins (born 1953), NBA head coach; Arkansas CityRalph Houk (1919–2010), Major League Baseball manager; LawrenceTim Jankovich (born 1959), college basketball coach; Manhattan Gene Keady (born 1936), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Larned Gary Patterson (born 1960), college football coach; Rozel Jerry Kill (born 1961), college football coach; Cheney Lon Kruger (born 1952), college and NBA basketball coach; Silver Lake John McLendon (1915–1999), Hall of Fame basketball coach of college, ABL, and ABA; HiawathaRalph Miller (1919–2001), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Chanute Billie Moore (born 1943), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Westmoreland James Naismith (1861–1939), inventor of basketball, coach, athletic director, faculty member at University of Kansas Johnny Orr (1927–2013), college basketball coach; YaleJohn H. Outland (1871–1947), namesake of Outland Trophy ; Douglas County Adolph Rupp (1901–1977), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Halstead Francis Schmidt (1885–1944), college football, baseball, and basketball coach; Downs Brian Schottenheimer (born 1973), NFL offensive coordinator; Stilwell Dean Smith (1931–2015), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Emporia Bill Snyder (born 1939), Hall of Fame college football coach; Kansas State University Eddie Sutton (1936–2020), college basketball coach; Bucklin Mark Turgeon (born 1965), college basketball coach; TopekaBrent Venables (born 1970), college football coach; Salina
Aviators and astronauts Amelia Earhart Walter Herschel Beech (1891–1950), aviator and aircraft designer; WichitaClyde Vernon Cessna (1879–1954), aviator and aircraft designer; RagoAmelia Earhart (1897–1937), aviator; AtchisonJoe Engle (1932–2024), astronaut; Chapman Ronald Evans (1933–1990), astronaut; St. Francis Daniel Forbes (1920–1948), United States Army Air Corps pilot; Carbondale Steve Hawley (born 1951), astronaut; SalinaDonald Hudson (1895–1967), World War I flying ace; TopekaGlenn L. Martin (1886–1955), aviation pioneer; SalinaLloyd Carlton Stearman (1898–1975), aviator and aircraft designer; Wellsford
Businesspeople and inventors Walter Chrysler Philip Anschutz (born 1939), billionaire investor; Russell Bion Barnett (1857–1958), co-founder of Barnett Bank; HiawathaOlive Ann Beech , chairwoman of Beech Aircraft Company ; Wichita (born in Waverly )Dan and Frank Carney (Dan born 1931, Frank 1938–2020), founders of Pizza Hut; WichitaWalter Chrysler (1875–1940), founder of Chrysler Corporation; Wamego William Coffin Coleman (1870–1957), founder of the Coleman Company; WichitaDavid Dillon (born 1951), former CEO of Kroger ; HutchinsonVic Edelbrock (1913–1962), automotive engineer; Eudora David Green (born 1941), founder of Hobby Lobby ; Emporia James Harbord (1866–1947), president and chairman of the board of RCA; Manhattan Hollis Dow Hedberg (1903–1988), president of Gulf Oil Company ; Falun William Wadsworth Hodkinson (1881–1971), pioneer film marketer and distributor; IndependenceCarl Ice (born 1956), President of BNSF; Topeka Omar Knedlik (1915–1989), inventor of the ICEE frozen drink; Barnes Charles G. Koch (born 1935), CEO of Koch Industries ; WichitaDavid H. Koch (1940–2019), executive and politician; WichitaAlan Mulally (born 1945), engineer, former president and CEO of the Ford Motor Company ; LawrenceMatthew K. Rose (born 1959), chairman and CEO of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.; SalinaHarry F. Sinclair (1876–1956), founder of Sinclair Oil Company; IndependenceRussell Stover (1888–1954), founder of Russell Stover Candies ; Alton
Film, stage and television
Actors and performers Brandon Adams (born 1979), actor; Topeka Tyrees Allen (born 1954), actor; Salina Kirstie Alley (1951-2022), actress; Wichita Fatty Arbuckle (1887–1933), actor; Smith Center Barbara Babcock (born 1937), actress; Fort Riley Gerry Bamman (born 1941), actor; Independence Hugh Beaumont (1909–1982), actor; Lawrence Annette Bening (born 1958), actress; TopekaGregg Binkley (born 1963), actor; TopekaMadge Blake (1899–1969), actress (Batman ); Kinsley Roscoe Born (1950–2020), actor; TopekaSteve Brodie (1919–1992), actor; El Dorado Louise Brooks (1906–1985), actress; Cherryvale Petrea Burchard (born 1955), actress; LawrenceDarren E. Burrows (born 1966), actor; Winfield Trai Byers (born 1983), actor; Kansas City Del Close (1934–1999), actor and comedian; Manhattan Brent Collins (1941–1988), actor; Plainville Jack Colvin (1934–2005), actor; Lyndon Aneta Corsaut (1933–1995), actress; Hutchinson Nathan Darrow (born 1976), actor; Overland ParkLucinda Dickey (born 1960), actress and dancer; HutchinsonBilly Drago (1945–2019), actor; Hugoton Marj Dusay (1936–2020), actress; HaysJimmy Donaldson (born 1998), YouTuber; WichitaR. Lee Ermey (1944–2018), actor; Emporia Bridget Everett (born 1972), actress, cabaret artist, comedian; Manhattan [1] Bill Farmer (born 1952), voice actor; Pratt Tamara Feldman (born 1980), actress; WichitaScott Foley (born 1972), actor; Kansas City Dwight Frye (1899–1943), actor; Salina Alan Fudge (1944–2011), actor; WichitaLaurel Goodwin (born 1942), actress; WichitaCary Guffey (born 1972), actor; TopekaZach Hadel (born 1990), voice actor; Overland ParkDennis Hayden (born 1952), actor; Girard Colton Haynes (born 1988), actor; WichitaThelma Hill (1906–1938), actress; Emporia Dennis Hopper (1936–2010), actor; Dodge City Jayne Houdyshell (born 1953), actress; TopekaMary Howard (1913–2009), actress; IndependenceDon Johnson (born 1949), actor; WichitaNeal Jones (born 1960), actor; WichitaGordon Jump (1932–2003), actor; Manhattan Tom Kane (born 1962), voice actor; Overland ParkBuster Keaton (1895–1966), actor and director; Piqua Emmett Kelly (1898–1979), circus clown; Sedan Laura Kirk (born 1966), actress; Lecompton Shirley Knight (1936–2020), actress; Goessel Sarah Lancaster (born 1980), actress; Overland ParkLila Leeds (1928–1999), actress; Dodge City Hattie McDaniel (1895–1952), actress; WichitaEverett McGill (born 1945), actor; Kansas City Michael McMillian (born 1978), actor; Olathe George Murdock (1930–2012), actor; SalinaCassandra Peterson (born 1951), actress, aka Elvira, Mistress of the Dark; Manhattan ZaSu Pitts (1894–1963), actress; Parsons Chris Porter (born 1979), comedian; OlatheJohn Quade (1938–2009), actor; Kansas City James Reynolds , actor; Oskaloosa Rob Riggle (born 1970), actor and comedian; Overland ParkCharles "Buddy" Rogers (1904–1991), actor and jazz musician; OlathePaul Rudd (born 1969), actor; Overland ParkSheila Ryan (1921–1975), actress; TopekaKendall Schmidt (born 1990), singer, actor, and dancer; WichitaKevin Schmidt (born 1988), actor; Andover Travis Schuldt (born 1974), actor; TopekaAngus Scrimm (1926–2016), actor; Kansas City Max Showalter (1917–2000), actor; Caldwell Cynthia Sikes (born 1954), actress; Coffeyville Lois Smith (born 1930), actress; TopekaDavid Rees Snell (born 1966), actor; WichitaSara Sothern (1895–1994), stage actress; Arkansas City Taryn Southern (born 1986), actress, YouTube personality; WichitaRebecca Staab (born 1961), actress; HaysMichael Stevens (born 1986), educator, entertainer; Stilwell Milburn Stone (1904–1980), actor (Gunsmoke ); Burrton Eric Stonestreet (born 1971), actor; Kansas City Jason Sudeikis (born 1975), actor; Overland Park Norma Terris (1904–1989), actress; Columbus Fay Tincher (1884–1983), actress; TopekaVivian Vance (1909–1979), actress (I Love Lucy ); Cherryvale Matt Vogel (born 1970), puppeteer; Kansas City Lyle Waggoner (1935–2020), sculptor, actor (Wonder Woman ); Kansas City Kari Wahlgren (born 1977), actress; Hoisington Dee Wallace (born 1948), actress; Kansas City Jason Wiles (born 1970), actor; Lenexa Claire Windsor (1892–1972), actress; Cawker City Patrice Wymore (1926–2014), actress; Miltonvale Jeff Yagher (born 1961), actor; Lawrence
Directors Michael Almereyda (born 1960), film director; Overland Park Steve Balderson (born 1975), film director; Wamego Darren Lynn Bousman (born 1979), film director; Overland ParkChris Buck (born 1960), film director, animator; Wichita Eric Darnell (born 1960), director, writer, songwriter, animator; Prairie Village Randall Duell (1903–1992), art director; Russell County Alex Graves (born 1968), television director; El Dorado Sherman Halsey , music video and television director; Independence Martin and Osa Johnson (1884–1937 and 1894–1953), film pioneer, explorer; Chanute Stephen R. Johnson (1952 - 2015), music video and television director; Paola Oscar Micheaux (1893–1951), film director; Great Bend Gordon Parks (1912–2006), film director; Fort Scott Richard Thorpe (1896–1991), film director; Hutchinson
Public figures
Journalists Frank Marshall Davis (1905–1987), journalist, poet, political and labor movement activist; Arkansas CitySteve Doocy (born 1956), co-host of Fox News 's Fox & Friends ; Abilene Elizabeth Farnsworth (born 1943), television journalist; TopekaWilliam M. Gallagher (1923–1975), Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist; Hiawatha Jane Grant (1892–1972), journalist who co-founded The New Yorker ; Girard E. W. Howe (1853–1937), author and newspaper editor; Atchison Bill Kurtis (born 1940), television journalist; IndependenceJim Lehrer (1934–2020), television journalist; WichitaMelissa McDermott (born 1960s), television news anchor for CBS's Up to the Minute ; WichitaClementine Paddleford (1898–1967), journalist and food critic; Riley County Eugene C. Pulliam (1889–1975), founder Central Newspapers, Inc.; Ulysses Roy A. Roberts (1887–1967), newspaper editor; Muscotah W. Eugene Smith (1918–1978), photojournalist; WichitaJohn Cameron Swayze (1906–1995), television journalist; WichitaJulius Wayland (1854–1912), newspaper editor, Appeal to Reason ; Girard William Allen White (1868–1944), author and newspaper editor; Emporia Gene Wojciechowski , author, sportswriter and ESPN commentator; Salina
Politics and law Charles Curtis Dwight D. Eisenhower Mabel Walker Willebrandt John Anderson Jr. (1917–2014), Kansas Governor; De Soto Sheila Bair (born 1954), former Chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), former Commissioner and Acting Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; IndependenceEarl Browder (1891–1973), General Secretary, Communist Party USA ; WichitaSam Brownback (born 1956), U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, Kansas Governor; Garnett Arthur Capper (1865–1951), Kansas Governor and newspaper editor; Garnett Frank Carlson (1893–1987), U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and Kansas Governor; Concordia Georgia Neese Clark Gray (1900–1995), first woman Treasurer of United States; Richland Ty Cobb (born 1950), Special Counsel to the President of the United States; Great Bend, KansasSamuel J. Crawford (1835–1913), Kansas Governor; Garnett Charles Curtis (1860–1936), U.S. Senator and 31st Vice President of United States; TopekaHarry Darby (1895–1987), businessman and U.S. Senator; Kansas City George Docking (1904–1964), Kansas Governor; Clay CenterBob Dole (born 1923), U.S. Senator from Kansas (1969–1996) and 1996 Republican nominee for president; Russell Dwight Eisenhower (1890–1969), 34th President of the United States , Allied commander in World War II; Abilene (born in Denison, Texas)Joan Finney (1925–2001), Kansas Governor; TopekaMarlin Fitzwater (born 1942), Press Secretary for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush; AbileneRobert Gates (born 1943), CIA director, U.S. Secretary of Defense; WichitaRobert L. Gernon (1943–2005), Kansas Supreme Court Justice; Sabetha Dan Glickman (born 1944), Secretary of Agriculture, President of Motion Picture Association of America ; WichitaBill Graves (born 1953), Kansas Governor; SalinaPaul Ranous Greever (1891–1943), Wyoming Congressman; Lansing Gary Hart (born 1936), Colorado Senator; Ottawa Carl Hatch (1889–1963), New Mexico Senator; Kirwin Mike Hayden (born 1944), Kansas Governor; Colby Wally Hickel (1919–2010), Governor of Alaska, U.S. Secretary of Interior; Claflin Laura M. Johns (1849–1935), president, Kansas State Suffrage Association; president, Kansas Republican Woman's AssociationUral Alexis Johnson (1908–1997), diplomat and ambassador; Falun Tim Kaine (born 1958), Virginia Governor and Senator; 2016 Democratic nominee for Vice President; Overland ParkNancy Kassebaum Baker (born 1932), Kansas Senator; TopekaJames H. "Dog" Kelley (1833–1912), frontiersman, mayor of Dodge City William P. Lambertson (1880–1957), U.S. Congressman; Fairview Alf Landon (1887–1987), Kansas Governor, 1936 presidential candidate; TopekaFrank H. Lee (1873–1952), Missouri U.S. Representative; De Soto John Martin (1839–1889), Kansas Governor, newspaperman, Civil War Colonel; AtchisonGeorge McGill (1879–1963), Kansas Senator; WichitaJerry Moran (born 1954), U.S. Representative and Senator; Plainville Roger Noriega (born 1959), U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs; WichitaGale Norton (born 1954), U.S. Secretary of the Interior; WichitaLawton Nuss (born 1952), State Supreme Court Justice; SalinaKate Richards O'Hare (1877–1948), American Socialist Party activist; Ottawa County Leslie Osterman (born 1947), member of Kansas House of Representatives; WichitaShirley Phelps-Roper (born 1957), lawyer for Westboro Baptist Church ; TopekaChuck Reed (born 1948), Mayor of San Jose, California; Garden City Roy Romer (born 1928), Colorado Governor; Garden CitySusanna M. Salter (1860–1961), Mayor of Argonia , first woman mayor in U.S.Bradley Schlozman (born 1971), controversial figure in George W. Bush Administration's Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy ; Overland ParkK. Gary Sebelius (born 1949), U.S. magistrate judge, husband of Kathleen Sebelius ; Norton Harold Sebring (1898–1968), Nuremberg Trial judge; OlatheArlen Specter (1930–2012), Pennsylvania Senator; RussellDale Swenson (born c. 1957), member of Kansas House; WichitaMartin E. Trapp (1877–1951), Oklahoma Governor; Robinson Rosalie E. Wahl (1924–2014), associate justice Minnesota Supreme Court ; Caney William Walker (1800–1874), Provisional Governor of Nebraska Territory, Wyandot chiefMabel Walker Willebrandt (1889–1963), U.S. Assistant Attorney General 1921–29; Woodsdale Harry Hines Woodring (1890–1967), Kansas Governor and Secretary of War under Franklin Roosevelt; Elk City Robert M. Wright (1840–1915), member of Kansas House of Representatives; a founder of Dodge City [2] Ron Wyden (born 1949), Oregon Senator; Wichita
Military and national security Stanley T. Adams Donald K. Ross Stanley T. Adams (1922–1999), Korean War Medal of Honor recipient; De Soto Wilbur Bestwick (1911–1972), first Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps; Sabetha Kendall Carl Campbell (1917–1942), Ensign, posthumous WWII Navy Cross recipient; Garden City Richard Cowan (1922–1944), WWII Medal of Honor recipient; WichitaDwight Eisenhower (1890–1969), 34th President of the United States, Allied commander in World War II, 5-star General ; Abilene (born in Denison, Texas)Rebecca L. Ediger (born 1952), agent in charge of Presidential Protective Division of U.S. Secret Service ; Peabody (born in Newton )Harry D. Felt (1902–1992), WWII Naval aviator and Admiral; TopekaArthur M. Ferguson (1877–1922), Colonel, Medal of Honor recipient, Philippine–American War; Coffey County Frederick N. Funston (1865–1917), Major General, Medal of Honor recipient; IolaJohn E. Gingrich (1897–1960), U.S. Navy four-star Admiral, first chief of security for Atomic Energy Commission ; Dodge City James Harbord (1866–1947), U.S. Army, WWI Distinguished Service Cross; Bushong Joseph Henderson (1869–1938), Medal of Honor recipient, Philippine–American War; Fort Leavenworth Elizabeth P. Hoisington (1918–2007), first WAC officer promoted to Brigadier General; Newton Herbert Loper (1896–1989), Major General, U.S. Army; Norcatur Homer A. McCrerey (1919–1999), U.S. Navy meteorologist and oceanographer; Hiawatha Richard Myers (born 1942), General, U.S. Air Force, 15th Chairman of Joint Chiefs; Olathe Ross Myers (born 1959), Commander of the United States Cyber Command , Tenth Fleet; Garden City Danny J. Petersen (1949–1970), Specialist 4, U.S. Army, posthumous Vietnam Medal of Honor recipient; Netawaka George S. Robb (1887–1972), U.S. Army, WWI Medal of Honor recipient; Assaria Bernard W. Rogers (1921–2008), NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe; Fairview Donald K. Ross (1910–1992), first Medal of Honor recipient in WWII, United States Navy ; Beverly Conrad Schmidt (1830–1908), Civil War, Medal of Honor recipient; Ogden Duane D. Thiessen (born 1951), Major General, USMC; Goessel Grant F. Timmerman (1919–1944), Sergeant, USMC, posthumous Medal of Honor recipient; Americus William B. Trembley (1877–1952), Medal of Honor recipient, Philippine–American War; Johnson Lewis William Walt (1913–1989), General, USMC, initiated Combined Action Program in Vietnam; Wabaunsee County
Religious William Bickerton (1815–1905), founder of the Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite) and the Zion Valley, Kansas, colony; St. John Charles J. Chaput (born 1944), Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver ; Concordia Sheri L. Dew (born 1953), influential Latter-day Saint spokeswoman; Ulysses Bart D. Ehrman (born 1955), New Testament scholar; LawrenceJerry Johnston (born 1959), Southern Baptist Convention evangelist and pastor; Overland ParkEmil Kapaun (1916–1951), Army chaplain Korean War, posthumous Medal of Honor recipient, Catholic martyr and sainthood candidate; Pilsen Ron Kenoly (born 1944), musical worship leader; CoffeyvilleLillian M. Mitchner (1862/64-1954), President, Kansas State Woman's Christian Temperance Union ; TopekaFred Phelps (1929–2014), leader of Westboro Baptist Church ; TopekaJames Reeb (1927–1965), Unitarian minister beaten to death by segregationists in Selma, Alabama, during the Civil Rights Movement; WichitaDavid Laurin Ricken (born 1954), bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne ; Dodge City Michael Jarboe Sheehan (born 1939), Archbishop of Santa Fe ; WichitaM. Madeline Southard (1877–1967), Methodist minister and writerJohn Joseph Sullivan (1920–2001), Bishop of Grand Island, Nebraska , and Kansas City-St. Joseph; Horton Gerald B. Winrod (1900–1957), evangelical Christian and Nazi sympathizer; WichitaGordon Winrod (1926–2018), Christian Identity minister; Hesston
Scientists and programmers Charles Bachman (1924–2017), computer scientist; Manhattan C. Olin Ball (1893–1982), food scientist; AbileneBarnum Brown (1873–1963), paleontologist; Carbondale John D. Carmack (born 1970), computer programmer; Shawnee Mission George Washington Carver (1864–1943), botanist and chemist; Minneapolis, Kansas James F. Crow (1916–2012), geneticist; WichitaCarl Owen Dunbar (1891–1979), geologist and paleontologist; Cherokee County David Fairchild (1869–1954), botanist and explorer; Manhattan Philip Fox (1878–1944), astronomer; Manhattan Howard K. Gloyd (1902–1978), herpetologist; De Soto Ebbe Hoff (1906–1985), neurologist; Rexford Jack Kilby (1923–2005), inventor of the integrated circuit ; Great BendHomer A. McCrerey (1919–1999), meteorologist and oceanographer; HiawathaRay McIntire (1918–1996), research engineer, inventor of Styrofoam ; GardnerKarl Menninger (1893–1990), psychiatrist; TopekaCharles D. Michener (1918–2015), entomologist; LawrenceLou Montulli , a founding engineer at Netscape and responsible for many HTML and web innovationsErnest Fox Nichols (1869–1924), scientist; Leavenworth County Wallace Pratt (1885–1981), petroleum geologist; Phillipsburg Walter Sutton (1877–1916), geneticist and physician; RussellGeorge Tiller (1941–2009), medical doctor and controversial late-term abortion provider; WichitaClyde Tombaugh (1906–1997), astronomer; Burdett Samuel Wendell Williston (1852–1918), scientist; Manhattan Douglas Youvan (born 1955), biophysicist and inventor; Frontenac
Others
Notable individuals Danni Boatwright (born 1975), winner of Survivor: Guatemala ; Tonganoxie Emily Gibson Braerton (1884–1966), V.P. Daughters of the American Revolution {1950–53}; LawrenceErin Brockovich (born 1960), environmental activist; LawrenceOliver Brown (1918-1961), welder; TopekaRichard Christy (born 1974), comedian on the Howard Stern Show ; Fort ScottHilda Clark (1872–1932), first woman to appear in a Coca-Cola advertisement; LeavenworthEarl Cole (born 1971), winner of Survivor: Fiji ; Kansas City Racquel Darrian (born 1968), pornographic film star; HutchinsonElmer Dresslar Jr. (1925–2005), voice actor and baritone voice of Jolly Green Giant commercials; St. Francis Alvin Dewey (1912–1987), special agent of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation ; Garden CityAnn Dunham (1942–1995), mother of Barack Obama ; WichitaMadelyn and Stanley Dunham (1922–2008 and 1918–1992), grandparents of Barack Obama; PeruTara Dawn Holland (born 1972), Miss America 1997 ; Overland ParkCarrie Ingalls (1870–1946), sister of Laura Ingalls Wilder; born in Little House on the Prairie near IndependenceVicki Lynn Lasseter (born 1960), February 1981 Playboy Playmate; IolaCandy Loving (born 1956), January 1979 Playboy Playmate and 25th Anniversary Playmate; Oswego Waldo McBurney (1902–2009), formerly listed as oldest worker; Quinter Kelli McCarty (born 1969), Miss USA 1991, actress, pornographic films; Liberal Janet Murguía (born 1954), President and CEO, National Council of La Raza; Kansas City Dan Perkins (born 1961), cartoonist, pen name "Tom Tomorrow"; WichitaJeff Probst (born 1962), television personality and host of Survivor ; WichitaDarrel Ray (born 1950), psychologist, author, atheist activist, and founder of Recovering from Religion and the associated Secular Therapy Project ; WichitaVictor Rojas , studio analyst for MLB Network ; Overland Park (born in Miami )Satanta (1830–1878), Chief of Kiowa tribe; western KansasMatt Schlapp , chairman of American Conservative Union ; WichitaTheresa Vail (born 1990), host of Outdoor Channel 's Limitless with Theresa Vail ; Manhattan Carrie Westcott (born 1969), September 1993 Playboy Playmate; Mission HillsHarold F. Williamson (1901–1989), business historian; Piper Earl Woods (1932–2006), father of golfer Tiger Woods and first African-American baseball player in the Big Eight Conference ; Manhattan
Notable historical figures not from Kansas but who participated in a significant event in Kansas John Brown (1800–1859), abolitionist; OsawatomieBuffalo Bill Cody (1846–1917), buffalo hunter and showman; LeavenworthWyatt Earp (1848–1929), lawman; Wichita and Dodge City Mary Tenney Gray (1833-1904), known as the "Mother of the Women's Club Movement in Kansas"; Kansas City Dora Hand (1844–1878), dance hall singer, Dodge City[3] Wild Bill Hickok (1837–1876), lawman; Hays and AbileneJohn James Ingalls (1833–1900), politician[4] Kris Kobach (born 1966), candidate for governor in 2018, Kansas Secretary of StateJames H. Lane (1814–1866), abolitionist, senator and union general; LawrenceBat Masterson (1853–1921), lawman; Dodge CityCarrie Nation (1846–1911), temperance activist; Medicine LodgeMary Bell Smith (1818-1894), organizer and first president, Kansas Woman's Christian Temperance Union
Crime Edward J. Adams (1887–1921), bank robber and murderer; HutchinsonLowell Lee Andrews (1939–1962), murderer; Wolcott John and Kate Bender (1872–1873), serial killers; Labette County Fred "Killer" Burke (1893–1940), Prohibition-era gangster; Mapleton Mark Essex (1949–1973), mass murderer; Emporia Jake and Ralph Fleagle , bank robbers and murderers; Marienthal Debora Green (born 1951), murderer; Prairie Village Eric Harris (1981–1999), perpetrator, along with Dylan Klebold, of the Columbine High School massacre ; WichitaRichard Hickock (1931–1965), murderer; Kansas City Alvin "Creepy" Karpis (1907–1979), bank robber and member of the Barker Gang; TopekaAnna Emmaline McDoulet (1882–1978), female spy for Doolin Gang known as Cattle Annie Lawrence; Seneca George Newcomb (1866–1895), member of Bill Doolin's Wild Bunch; Fort ScottDuane Earl Pope (born 1943), bank robber and murderer; Roxbury Dennis Rader (born 1945), serial killer known as "BTK"; WichitaScott Philip Roeder (born 1958), assassin; Merriam Marc Sappington (born 1978), murderer and cannibal, known as the Kansas City Vampire; Kansas City
Fictional persons Courage the Cowardly Dog lives with his adoptive family in fictional Nowhere, KansasHelen Crump (1962), girlfriend of Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry on The Andy Griffith Show , from rural KansasDennis the Menace (1951), neighborhood terror, Wichita[citation needed ] Matt Dillon (1949), marshal, KansasSam "Squid" Dullard, character on Rocket Power , moves to fictional California town featured in the show in the first episode, revealed in a later episode that he’s from Hutchinson [5] Dorothy Gale (1900), farm girl who lived with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry ; transported to the Land of Oz by a tornado, with her dog TotoElmer Gantry (1927), evangelist and title character in the Sinclair Lewis novel of the same name; attended college in KansasGil Hamilton (c. 2083), futuristic detective, TopekaWill Kane (1952), sheriff in the 1952 classic Western High Noon , from Hadleyville, KansasJohnny Kaw (1955), mythical Kansas settler, Manhattan Clark Joseph Kent (1938), adopted child of Jonathan and Martha Kent of Smallville , known as the alter ego Superman , born on Krypton as Kal-El Lana Lang (1950), Superboy 's teenage love interest, Smallville Ted Lasso (2020), head coach of the fictional London -based AFC Richmond, Overland Park Major Astro (1960), astronaut portrayed by local character actor Tom Leahy; host of a children's television program, WichitaColleen McMurphy , lead character from China Beach , from a "small town" in KansasCameron Mitchell , Lieutenant Colonel of Stargate SG-1 television series, from Auburn Jack B. Quick (1999), boy genius, Queerwater Creek, Kansas Amanda Rogers (born 2351), character on Star Trek: The Next Generation , TopekaPete Ross (1961), Superboy 's best friend, Smallville Mary Ann Summers , traveler on a "three-hour tour" that was lost at sea on Gilligan's Island , Winfield Annie Wilson (1993), aspiring actress, WichitaDean Winchester (1979), demon hunter, LawrenceSam Winchester (1983), demon hunter, LawrenceWizard of Oz (1900), balloonist, magician, ruler of the Land of Oz (1939 movie version only)
See also
References ^ Schulman, Michael (September 29, 2014), "Sweet and Vicious", The New Yorker ^ "George Laughhead, Robert M. Wright (1840–1915), Dodge City: town president, founder, pioneer, September 23, 2009". kansashistory.us. Retrieved April 14, 2014 . ^ "Susan Leiser Silva and Lee A. Silva, "The Killing of Dora Hand",43374, 2009". historynet.com; originally in Wild West Magazine. Retrieved April 13, 2014 . ^ "John James Ingalls". Architect of the Capitol . Retrieved July 16, 2018 . ^ "Fictional Characters from Kansas". 360Wichita.com .