List of people from Kansas
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates
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 (1931–2012), 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 (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; 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
- Elizabeth Barr Arthur (1884–1971), poet, author, journalist, librarian, police officer, suffragist; Lincoln County
- 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
- Clara H. Hazelrigg (1861–1937), author, educator, social reformer; Council Grove
- 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
- Bill Martin Jr. (1916–2004), children's author; Hiawatha
- Fred Myton (1885–1955), screenwriter; Garden City
- Gwendolen Overton (1874/76-1958), novelist; short story writer
- 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 (1934–2017), author; Colony
Dancers
- Clark Tippet (1954–1992), ballet; Parsons
Musicians
Athletics
Athletes
- A–F
_2014.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
- Alvan Adams (born 1954), basketball; Lawrence
- John H. Adams (1914–1995), 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
- 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; Wichita
- Orville 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 player
- Willie 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; Topeka
- Glenn 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; 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
- Adrianna Franch (born 1990), soccer player (world champion); Salina
- Scott Fulhage (born 1961), football player; Beloit
- G–M
- Andrew Gachkar (born 1988), football player; Overland Park
- Kendall Gammon (born 1968), football player; Rose Hill
- 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
- 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 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
- Harold 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
- 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 1981), pro basketball player; Liberal
- Wes Santee (1932–2010), NCAA cross country champion, track and field athlete; Ashland
- Gale Sayers (1943–2020), NFL Hall of Famer; Wichita
- Otto Schnellbacher (1923–2008), pro basketball and football player; Sublette
- Ryan Schraeder (born 1988), professional football player; Wichita
- Grant 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; Topeka
- Darren Sproles (born 1983), professional football player; Olathe
- Bubba Starling (born 1992), professional baseball player; Gardner
- Lee Stevens (born 1967), professional baseball player; Lawrence
- 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 1968), pro football player; Liberal
- Tommy Thompson (1916–1989), pro football player; Hutchinson
- Joe 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; 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 (1947–2020), professional football player; Garden City
Coaches
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 (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; 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; Wellsford
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)
- David G. Booth, (born 1946), co-founder of Dimensional Fund; Lawrence, Kansas
- Dan and Frank Carney (Dan born 1931, Frank 1938–2020), 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
- 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; Independence
- Carl 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; Wichita
- David H. Koch (1940–2019), 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
- 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 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
- E. W. Howe (1853–1937), author and newspaper editor; Atchison
- Bill Kurtis (born 1940), television journalist; Independence
- Jim Lehrer (1934–2020), 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
(2).jpg){kind=link}
Military and national security
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
- Lillian M. Mitchner (1862/64–1954), president, Kansas State Woman's Christian Temperance Union; Topeka
- 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 (1926–2018), Christian Identity minister; Hesston
Scientists and programmers
Others
Notable individuals
Notable historical figures not from Kansas but who participated in a significant 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
- 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<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Wild Bill Hickok (1837–1876), lawman; Hays and Abilene
- John James Ingalls (1833–1900), politician<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Kris Kobach (born 1966), candidate for governor in 2018, Kansas Secretary of State
- 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
- Mary Bell Smith (1818-1894), organizer and first president, Kansas Woman's Christian Temperance Union
Crime
Fictional persons
See also
References
Template:US state navigation box Template:Lists of people by U.S. state