37.8688° N, 79.2205° W

AMHERST

Most Famous People Born in Amherst, United States

Notable people
399
Peak decade
1950s
Median birth year
1882
Most distinctive
Coach 7.2×
Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Amherst during each.

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1950s with 29 notable births.

What Amherst Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Politician is Amherst's biggest profession — 18% of all notables (70).

Amherst over-indexes on coach — 7.2× the global rate.

Amherst under-produces football — only 0.3× the global rate.

  1. Politician70
  2. Lawyer25
  3. Actor16
  4. Militar15
  5. Football13
  6. Music13
  7. Officer13
  8. Singer11
  1. Coach67.2×
  2. Activist55.8×
  3. Officer134.9×
  4. Lawyer253.6×
  5. Militar153.1×
  6. Music132.3×
  7. Diplomat52.1×
  8. Baseball81.8×
  1. Football130.3×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Amherst's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

16501700175018001850190019502000
  • Politics & Law
  • Sports
  • Military
  • Music
  • Science
  • Writing
  • Other
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Showing 9 of 399 notable people

0098 LAWYER

John Dawson (1762–1814)

1762 - 1814

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0130 POLITICIAN

William Barnett (Georgia politician)

1761 - 1832

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0131 POLITICIAN

David S. Garland

1769 - 1841

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0136 POLITICIAN

Zadock Cook

1769 - 1863

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0148 MILITAR

Francis Laforey

1767 - 1835

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0149 POLITICIAN

Benjamin G. Orr

1762 - 1822

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0186 EXPLORER

Caleb Greenwood

1763 - 1850

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0269 LAWYER

Robert Coleman Foster

1769 - 1844

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0372 JUDGE

Francis Dunlavy

1761 - 1839

Preview