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 13 of 399 notable people

0049 OFFICER

Catesby ap Roger Jones

1821 - 1877

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0062 LAWYER

William Terry (congressman)

1824 - 1888

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0154 BRIGADIER

John R. Jones

1827 - 1901

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0173 POLITICIAN

Alpheus P. Hodges

1821 - 1858

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0203 LOBBYIST

Barney Ford

1822 - 1902

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0211 LAWYER

Robert Benjamin Hilton

1821 - 1894

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0227 SETTLER

Samuel J. Jones

1820 - 1880

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0292 POLITICIAN

Albert E. Summers

1824 - 1901

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0305 ASTRONOMER

Carr Waller Pritchett Sr.

1823 - 1910

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0326 OFFICER

William Kennon Mayo

1824 - 1900

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0353 OFFICER

Charles Carroll Simms

1824 - 1884

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0371 ARMY

Andrew K. Campbell

1828 - 1867

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0395 LAWYER

Nathaniel C. Claiborne

1820 - 1857

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