List of people from Kansas

State flag of Kansas
Location of Kansas in 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

  • 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 (born 1931), historian; McPherson
  • Norman Malcolm (1911–1990), philosopher; Selden
  • Deane Waldo Malott (1898–1996), president of Cornell University; Abilene
  • Abby 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 (born 1934), college president and first African-American director of the National Science Foundation; Topeka
  • Vernon L. Smith (born 1927), Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economics; Wichita
  • Earl 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; Wichita
  • Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (1917–2000), poet; Topeka
  • Bruce Conner (1933–2008), artist; McPherson
  • John Steuart Curry (1897–1946), artist; Winchester
  • Aaron Douglas (1900–1979), artist; Topeka
  • Randall Duell (1903–1992), architect and art director; Russell County
  • Edgar Heap of Birds (born 1954), artist; Wichita
  • Bruce 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; Wichita
  • W. Eugene Smith (1918–1978), photographer; Wichita
  • Mort 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
  • Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000), author, poet; Topeka
  • William Burroughs (1914–1997), author; Lawrence
  • Don Coldsmith (1926–2009), author of Western fiction; Iola
  • Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1879–1958), author of children's books; Lawrence
  • Thomas Frank (born 1965), author and editor; Mission Hills
  • Jane Heap (1883–1964), author and publisher; Topeka
  • Scott Heim (born 1966), author; Hutchinson
  • Langston Hughes (1902–1967), author and poet; Lawrence
  • William Inge (1913–1973), playwright; Independence
  • Bill James (born 1949), author; Mayetta, Kansas
  • 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; Wichita
  • Vance 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; Lawrence
  • Damon Runyon (1880–1946), author; Manhattan
  • Mary Francis Shura (1923–1990), children's, romance and mystery author; Pratt
  • William Stafford (1914–1993), poet and pacifist; Hutchinson
  • Max Yoho (born 1934), author; Colony

Dancers

  • Clark Tippet (1954–1992), ballet; Parsons

Musicians

  • Chris Arpad, solo steel pannist; McPherson
  • Karrin Allyson, jazz performer; Great Bend
  • Dawayne Bailey, musician and songwriter (Bob Seger and Chicago); Manhattan
  • Chris Burnett (born 1955), musician; Olathe
  • Karla Burns (born 1955), mezzo-soprano; Wichita
  • Danny Carey (born 1961), musician; Lawrence
  • Richard Christy, musician, actor, comedian, drummer, writer for Howard Stern show; Fort Scott
  • 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
  • Louis Thomas Hardin (1916–1999), vocalist, percussionist and composer better known by stage name, "Moondog"; Marysville
  • Nora Holt (1885 or 1890–1975), singer and co-founder of the National Association of Negro Musicians; Kansas City
  • Dave Hope (born 1949), musician; Topeka
  • Eva Jessye (1895–1992), choral conductor; Coffeyville
  • Jennifer Knapp (born 1974), singer and songwriter; Chanute
  • Katrina Leskanich (born 1960), musician; Topeka
  • Kerry Livgren (born 1949), founding member of Kansas; Topeka
  • Frank Luther (1905–1980), musician; Lakin
  • Mitch Markovich (born 1944), drummer, marching band director, professor; Great Bend
  • Martina McBride (born 1966), musician; Sharon
  • Andy McKee (born 1979), musician; Topeka
  • Janelle Monáe (born 1985), vocalist; Kansas City
  • 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
  • Steven Stucky (born 1949), Pulitzer Prize-winner in music; Hutchinson
  • Jeremy Turner, guitar player in death metal band Origin, formerly of Cannibal Corpse; (Hometown Needed)
  • Joe Walsh (born 1947), musician; Wichita
  • Bobby 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
  • Chely Wright (born 1970), musician; Wellsville
  • XV (stage name of Donavan LaMond Johnson), emcee, producer; Wichita
  • Gordon Young (1919–1998), organist and composer; McPherson

Athletics

Athletes

A–F
  • Alvan Adams (born 1954), basketball; Lawrence
  • John H. Adams (born 1915), jockey; Iola
  • Neil 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
  • 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
  • Judy Bell (born 1936), member of World Golf Hall of Fame; Wichita
  • Matt Besler (born 1987), professional soccer player; Overland Park
  • B.H. Born (born 1932), 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; Wichita
  • Orville Brown (1908–1981), pro wrestler, NWA champion; Sharon
  • Mildred Bliss Burke (1915–1989), 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 player
  • 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; Topeka
  • Glenn Cunningham (1909–1988), silver medalist, 1936 Olympic Games,1,500m run; Elkhart
  • Johnny Damon (born 1973), baseball player; Fort Riley
  • Eldon Danenhauer (born 1935), football player; Clay Center
  • Darren Daulton (born 1962), baseball player; Arkansas City
  • Wantha Davis (born 1918), 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; Wichita
  • Brian Duensing (born 1983), baseball player; Marysville
  • Brody Eldridge (born 1987), football player; La Cygne
  • Tim Elliott (born 1986), mixed martial artist; Wichita
  • Maurice Evans (born 1978), basketball player; Wichita
  • Kyle Farnsworth (born 1976), baseball player; Wichita
  • Galen Fiss (1931–2006), football player; Johnson City
  • Scott Fulhage (born 1961), football player; Beloit
G–M
  • Andrew Gachkar (born 1988), football player; Overland Park
  • Tyson Gay (born 1982), track and field athlete (world champion); Great Bend
  • Maurice 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 player
  • Don Gutteridge (1912–2008), baseball player and manager; Pittsburg
  • Joe Hastings (born 1987), football player; Wichita
  • Tanner 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; Lawrence
  • Don Hill (1904–1967), football player; Hiawatha
  • Shaun Hill (born 1980), football player; Parsons
  • Chief 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 Bend
  • Walter Johnson (1887–1946), baseball Hall of Famer; Humboldt
  • Pete Kilduff (1893–1930), baseball player; Weir
  • Fred Kipp (born 1931), baseball pitcher; Piqua
  • Tonya Knight (born 1966), IFBB professional bodybuilder; Overland Park
  • Laurie 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; Lawrence
  • 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
  • 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 City
  • Bob 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; Topeka
  • Hal Patterson (1932–2011), professional football player; Larned
  • Jordan Phillips (born 1992), professional football player; Towanda
  • Joseph Randle (born 1991), professional football player; Wichita
  • Ronn Reynolds (born 1958), professional baseball player; Wichita
  • Dustin 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 City
  • Lafayette Russell (1905–1978), football player, B-movie actor "Reb" Russell; Osawatomie
  • Johnny Rutherford (born 1938), race car driver; Coffeyville
  • Jim Ryun (born 1947), athlete and politician; Wichita
  • Barry Sanders (born 1968), football player, NFL Hall of Famer; Wichita
  • Melvin Sanders (born January 3, 1981), pro basketball player; Liberal
  • Wes Santee (1932–2010), NCAA cross country champion, track and field athlete; Ashland
  • Gale Sayers (born 1943), NFL Hall of Famer; Wichita
  • Otto Schnellbacher (1923–2008), pro basketball and football player; Sublette
  • Ryan Schraeder (born 1988), professional football player; Wichita
  • Wayne Simien (born 1983), NCAA All-American, NBA basketball player; Leavenworth
  • Mark Simoneau (born 1977), professional football player; Smith Center
  • Marilynn Smith (born 1928), professional golfer and LPGA co-founder; Topeka
  • Lee Stevens (born 1967), professional baseball player; Lawrence
  • Darren Sproles (born 1983), professional football player; Olathe
  • Jackie Stiles (born 1978), WNBA basketball player; Claflin
  • Stewart "Smokey" Stover (born 1938), professional football player; McPherson
  • Darrell 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 February 10, 1968), pro football player; Liberal
  • Tommy Thompson (1916–1989), pro football player; Hutchinson
  • Blake Treinen (born 1988), professional baseball player; Osage City
  • Jerame Tuman (born March 24, 1976), pro football player; Liberal
  • Ron 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; Larned
  • Kendra Wecker (born 1982), WNBA player; Marysville
  • Michael 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; Wichita
  • Lynette Woodard (born 1959), basketball Hall of Famer; Wichita
  • Brad Ziegler (born 1979), baseball player; Pratt
  • John Zook (born 1947), professional football player; Garden City

Coaches

  • Phog Allen (1885–1974), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Lawrence
  • Jeremy 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
  • Don Gambril (born 1934), Hall of Fame swimming coach; Altamont
  • Ted Gilmore (born 1967), college football coach; Wichita
  • Bill Guthridge (born 1937), college basketball coach; Parsons
  • Lionel Hollins (born 1953), NBA head coach; Arkansas City
  • Ralph Houk (1919–2010), Major League Baseball manager; Lawrence
  • Tim 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; Hiawatha
  • Ralph 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 University of Kansas; (Hometown needed)
  • Johnny Orr (born 1927), college basketball coach; Yale
  • John 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 (born 1936), college basketball coach; Bucklin
  • Mark Turgeon (born 1965), college basketball coach; Topeka
  • Brent Venables (born 1970), college football coach; Salina

Aviators and astronauts

  • Walter Herschel Beech (1891–1950), aviator and aircraft designer; Wichita
  • Clyde Vernon Cessna (1879–1954), aviator and aircraft designer; Rago
  • Amelia Earhart (1897–1937), aviator; Atchison
  • Joe Engle (born 1932), 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; Salina
  • Donald Hudson (1895–1967), World War I flying ace; Topeka
  • Glenn L. Martin (1886–1955), aviation pioneer; Salina
  • Lloyd Carlton Stearman (1898–1975), aviator and aircraft designer; Wellsville

Businesspeople and inventors

  • Philip Anschutz (born 1939), billionaire investor; Russell
  • Bion Barnett (1857–1958), co-founder of Barnett Bank; Hiawatha
  • Olive Ann Beech, Chairwoman of Beech Aircraft Company; Wichita (born in Waverly)
  • Dan and Frank Carney (Dan born 1931, Frank born 1938), founders of Pizza Hut; Wichita
  • Walter Chrysler (1875–1940), founder of Chrysler Corporation; Wamego
  • William Coffin Coleman (1870–1957), founder of the Coleman Company; Wichita
  • David Dillon (born 1951), former CEO of Kroger; Hutchinson
  • Vic Edelbrock (1913–1962), automotive engineer; Eudora
  • James Harbord (1866–1947), President and Chairman of the Board of RCA; Manhattan
  • William Wadsworth Hodkinson (1881–1971), pioneer film marketer and distributor; Independence
  • Omar Knedlik (1915–1989), inventor of the ICEE frozen drink; Barnes
  • Charles G. Koch (born 1935), CEO of Koch Industries; Wichita
  • David H. Koch (born 1940), executive and politician; Wichita
  • Alan Mulally (born 1945), engineer, former President and CEO of the Ford Motor Company; Lawrence
  • Matthew K. Rose (born 1959), Chairman and CEO of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.; Salina
  • Harry F. Sinclair (1876–1956), founder of Sinclair Oil company; Independence
  • Russell Stover (1888–1954), founder of Russell Stover Candies; Alton

Film, stage and television

Actors and performers

Directors

  • Michael Almereyda (born 1960), film director; Overland Park
  • Steve Balderson (born 1975), film director; Wamego
  • Darren Lynn Bousman (born 1979), film director; Overland Park
  • Chris 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
  • 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 City
  • Steve Doocy (born 1956), co-host of Fox News's Fox & Friends; Abilene
  • Elizabeth Farnsworth (born 1943), television journalist; Topeka
  • William M. Gallagher (1923–1975), Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist; Hiawatha
  • Jane Grant (1892–1972), journalist who co-founded The New Yorker; Girard, Kansas
  • E. W. Howe (1853–1937), author and newspaper editor; Atchison
  • Bill Kurtis (born 1940), television journalist; Independence
  • Jim Lehrer (born 1934), television journalist; Wichita
  • Melissa McDermott (born 1960s), television news anchor for CBS's Up to the Minute; Wichita
  • Clementine 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; Wichita
  • John Cameron Swayze (1906–1995), television journalist; Wichita
  • Julius 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

  • John Anderson, Jr. (1917–2014), Kansas Governor; De Soto
  • Earl Browder (1891–1973), General Secretary, Communist Party USA; Wichita
  • Sam 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 (1900–1995), first woman Treasurer of United States; Richland
  • Ty Cobb (born 1950), Special Counsel to the President of the United States; Great Bend, Kansas
  • Samuel J. Crawford (1835–1913), Kansas Governor; Garnett
  • Charles Curtis (1860–1936), U.S. Senator and 31st Vice President of United States; Topeka
  • Harry Darby (1895–1987), businessman and U.S. Senator; Kansas City
  • George Docking (1904–1964), Kansas Governor; Clay Center
  • Bob 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; Topeka
  • Marlin Fitzwater (born 1942), Press Secretary for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush; Abilene
  • Robert Gates (born 1943), CIA director, U.S. Secretary of Defense; Wichita
  • Robert L. Gernon (1943–2005), Kansas Supreme Court Justice; Sabetha
  • Dan Glickman (born 1944), Secretary of Agriculture, President of Motion Picture Association of America; Wichita
  • Bill Graves (born 1953), Kansas Governor; Salina
  • Paul 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
  • Ural Alexis Johnson (1908–1997), diplomat and ambassador; Falun
  • Tim Kaine (born 1958), Virginia Governor and Senator; 2016 Democratic nominee for Vice President; Overland Park
  • Nancy Kassebaum Baker (born 1932), Kansas Senator; Topeka
  • James H. "Dog" Kelley (1833–1912), frontiersman, mayor of Dodge City; (Hometown Needed)
  • William P. Lambertson (1880–1957), U.S. Congressman; Fairview
  • Alf Landon (1887–1987), Kansas Governor, 1936 presidential candidate; Topeka
  • Frank H. Lee (1873–1952), Missouri U.S. Representative; De Soto
  • John Martin (1839–1889), Kansas Governor, newspaperman, Civil War Colonel; Atchison
  • George McGill (1879–1963), Kansas Senator; Wichita
  • Jerry Moran (born 1954), U.S. Representative and Senator; Plainville
  • Roger Noriega (born 1959), U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs; Wichita
  • Gale Norton (born 1954), U.S. Secretary of the Interior; Wichita
  • Lawton Nuss (born 1952), State Supreme Court Justice; Salina
  • Kate Richards O'Hare (1877–1948), American Socialist Party activist; Ottawa County
  • Leslie Osterman (born 1947), member of Kansas House of Representatives; Wichita
  • Shirley Phelps-Roper (born 1957), lawyer for Westboro Baptist Church; Topeka
  • Chuck Reed (born 1948), Mayor of San Jose, California; Garden City
  • Roy Romer (born 1928), Colorado Governor; Garden City
  • Susanna M. Salter (1860–1961), Mayor of Argonia, first woman mayor in U.S.; (Hometown Needed)
  • Bradley Schlozman (born 1971), controversial figure in George W. Bush Administration's Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy; Overland Park
  • K. Gary Sebelius (born 1949), U.S. magistrate judge, husband of Kathleen Sebelius; Norton
  • Harold Sebring (1898–1968), Nuremberg Trial judge; Olathe
  • Arlen Specter (1930–2012), Pennsylvania Senator; Russell
  • Dale Swenson (born c. 1957), member of Kansas House; Wichita
  • Martin 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 chief; (Hometown Needed)
  • Mabel 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 (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; Wichita
  • 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; Topeka
  • Arthur 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; Iola
  • John 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
  • 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 (born 1921), NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe; Fairview
  • Donald K. Ross (born 1910), 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; Lawrence
  • Jerry Johnston (born 1959), Southern Baptist Convention evangelist and pastor; Overland Park
  • Emil 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; Coffeyville
  • Fred Phelps (1929–2014), leader of Westboro Baptist Church; Topeka
  • James Reeb (1927–1965), Unitarian minister beaten to death by segregationists in Selma, Alabama, during the Civil Rights Movement; Wichita
  • David Laurin Ricken (born 1954), bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne; Dodge City
  • Michael Jarboe Sheehan (born 1939), Archbishop of Santa Fe; Wichita
  • M. Madeline Southard (1877–1967), Methodist minister and writer
  • John 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; Wichita
  • Gordon Winrod (born 1926), Christian Identity minister; Hesston

Scientists and programmers

  • Charles Bachman (born 1924), computer scientist; Manhattan
  • C. Olin Ball (1893–1982), food scientist; Abilene
  • Barnum 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; Wichita
  • Carl 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 Bend
  • Homer A. McCrerey (1919–1999), meteorologist and oceanographer; Hiawatha
  • Ray McIntire (1918–1996), research engineer, inventor of Styrofoam; Gardner
  • Karl Menninger (1893–1990), psychiatrist; Topeka
  • Charles D. Michener (born 1918), entomologist; Lawrence
  • Lou Montulli (), a founding engineer at Netscape and responsible for many HTML and web innovations; (Hometown Needed)
  • Ernest Fox Nichols (1869–1924), scientist; Leavenworth County
  • Wallace Pratt (1885–1981), petroleum geologist; Phillipsburg
  • Walter Sutton (1877–1916), geneticist and physician; Russell
  • George Tiller (1941–2009), medical doctor and controversial late-term abortion provider; Wichita
  • Clyde 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}; Lawrence
  • Erin Brockovich (born 1960), environmental activist; Lawrence
  • Richard Christy (born 1974), comedian on the Howard Stern Show; Fort Scott
  • Hilda Clark (1872–1932), first woman to appear in a Coca-Cola advertisement; Leavenworth
  • Earl Cole (born 1971), winner of Survivor: Fiji; Kansas City
  • Racquel Darrian (born 1968), pornographic film star; Hutchinson
  • Elmer 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 City
  • Ann Dunham (1942–1995), mother of Barack Obama; Wichita
  • Madelyn and Stanley Dunham (born 1922 and 1918–1992), grandparents of Barack Obama; Puru
  • Tara Dawn Holland (born 1972), Miss America 1997; Overland Park
  • Carrie Ingalls (1870–1946), sister of Laura Ingalls Wilder; born near Independence
  • Charles "Buffalo" Jones (1844–1919), state representative Finney County; co-founder of Garden City
  • Vicki Lynn Lasseter (born 1960), February 1981 Playboy Playmate; Iola
  • Candy 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"; Wichita
  • Jeff Probst (born 1962), television personality and host of Survivor; Wichita
  • Victor Rojas (), studio analyst for MLB Network; Overland Park (born in Miami)
  • Satanta (1830–1878), Chief of Kiowa tribe; western Kansas
  • Matt Schlapp (), chairman of American Conservative Union; Wichita
  • Justin E. Smith (born 1968), sheriff of Larimer County, Colorado; McPherson
  • Theresa Vail (born 1990), host of Outdoor Channel's Limitless with Theresa Vail; Manhattan
  • Kari Wahlgren (born 1977), video game voice actress; Hoisington
  • Carrie Westcott (born 1969), September 1993 Playboy Playmate; Mission Hills
  • Harold F. Williamson (1901–1989), business historian; Piper

Notable historical people not from Kansas but were part of an important event in Kansas

  • John Brown (1800–1859), abolitionist; Osawatomie
  • Buffalo Bill Cody (1846–1917), buffalo hunter and showman; Leavenworth
  • Wyatt Earp (1848–1929), lawman; Wichita and Dodge City
  • Dora Hand (1844–1878), dance hall singer, Dodge City, Kansas[3]
  • Wild Bill Hickok (1837–1876), lawman; Hays and Abilene
  • James H. Lane (1814-1866), abolitionist, senator and union general; Lawrence
  • Bat Masterson (1853–1921), lawman; Dodge City
  • Carrie Nation (1846–1911), temperance activist; Medicine Lodge
  • John James Ingalls (1833–1900), politician[4]
  • Kris Kobach (1966), Candidate for Governor in 2018, Kansas Secretary of State.

Infamous persons

  • Edward J. Adams (1887–1921), bank robber and murderer; Hutchinson
  • Lowell 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 () (Ralph: ), 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; Wichita
  • Richard Hickock (1931–1965), murderer; Kansas City
  • Alvin "Creepy" Karpis (1907–1979), bank robber and member of the Barker Gang; Topeka
  • Anna 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 Scott
  • Duane Earl Pope (born 1943), bank robber and murderer; Roxbury
  • Dennis Rader (born 1945), serial killer known as "BTK"; Wichita
  • Scott Philip Roeder (born 1958), assassin; Merriam
  • Marc Sappington (born 1978), murderer and cannibal, known as the Kansas City Vampire; Kansas City

Fictional persons

  • Helen Crump (1962), girlfriend of Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry on The Andy Griffith Show, from rural Kansas
  • Dennis the Menace (1951), neighborhood terror, Wichita
  • Matt Dillon (1949), marshal, Dodge City, Kansas
  • 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 Toto
  • Elmer Gantry (1927), evangelist and title character in the Sinclair Lewis novel of the same name; attended college in Kansas
  • Gil Hamilton (c. 2083), futuristic detective, Topeka
  • Will Kane (1952), sheriff in the 1952 classic Western High Noon, from Hadleyville, Kansas
  • Johnny 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, Kansas
  • Major Astro (1960), astronaut portrayed by local character actor Tom Leahy; host of a children's television program, Wichita
  • Colleen McMurphy, lead character from China Beach, from a "small town" in Kansas
  • Cameron 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, Topeka
  • Pete Ross (1961), Superboy's bestfriend, Smallville, Kansas
  • Mary Ann Summers, traveler on a "three-hour tour" that was lost at sea on Gilligan's Island, Winfield, Kansas
  • Annie Wilson (1993), aspiring actress, Wichita
  • Dean Winchester (1979), demon hunter, Lawrence
  • Sam Winchester (1983), demon hunter, Lawrence
  • Wizard of Oz (1900), balloonist, magician, ruler of the Land of Oz (1939 movie version only)

References

  1. ↑ Schulman, Michael (September 29, 2014), "Sweet and Vicious", The New Yorker
  2. ↑ "George Laughhead, Robert M. Wright (1840–1915), Dodge City: town president, founder, pioneer, September 23, 2009". kansashistory.us. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Susan Leiser Silva and Lee A. Silva, "The Killing of Dora Hand",43374, 2009". historynet.com. October 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  4. ↑ "John James Ingalls". Architect of the Capitol. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
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