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
Search
All399
Sort By

Showing 15 of 399 notable people

0046 NOVELIST

John Esten Cooke

1830 - 1886

Preview
0072 ACTIVIST

Ann Jarvis

1832 - 1905

Preview
0102 MILITAR

John R. Chambliss

1833 - 1864

Preview
0116 JUDGE

Abraham Jefferson Seay

1832 - 1915

Preview
0168 OFFICER

J. Thompson Brown

1835 - 1864

Preview
0225 POLITICIAN

Charles Vernon Eskridge

1833 - 1900

Preview
0243 OFFICER

Edward Edmonds

1835 - 1863

Preview
0276 CARPENTER

Silas Chandler

1838 - 1919

Preview
0287 POLITICIAN

William S. Mason

1832 - 1899

Preview
0304 OFFICER

Lewis B. Williams Jr.

1833 - 1863

Preview
0337 POLITICIAN

David C. Yakey

1830 - 1908

Preview
0348 LAWYER

Thomas Jefferson Boynton

1838 - 1871

Preview
0368 POLITICIAN

Jacob Edgar Boyers

1832 - 1911

Preview
0370 KING

Erasmus M. Smithers

1830 - 1900

Preview
0380 LAWYER

William W. Page

1836 - 1897

Preview