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 coach7.2× 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
All399
Sort By

399 notable people

0301 HOST

Tyler Mathisen

Born 1954

Preview
0302 BASEBALL

Bud Thomas (pitcher)

1910 - 2001

Preview
0303 MILITAR

Charles Mynn Thruston (colonel)

1738 - 1812

Preview
0304 OFFICER

Lewis B. Williams Jr.

1833 - 1863

Preview
0305 ASTRONOMER

Carr Waller Pritchett Sr.

1823 - 1910

Preview
0306 LAWYER

Hugh B. Scott

Born 1949

Preview
0307 POLITICIAN

Will Gabig

Born 1956

Preview
0308 MUSIC

Bentley Ball

-

Preview
0309 LAWYER

Peter G. Camden

1801 - 1873

Preview
0310 POLITICIAN

Ludovic Colquhoun

1804 - 1882

Preview
0311 ARCHITECT

Hassel T. Hicks

1896 - 1952

Preview
0312 MILITAR

John B. Campbell

1777 - 1814

Preview
0313 PLAYER

Kevin Stevens (rugby union)

Born 1987

Preview
0314 POLITICIAN

Matt Barrett

Born 1970

Preview
0315 SONGWRITER

Tony Wood (musician)

Born 1961

Preview
0316 SONGWRITER

Melanie Penn

Born 1980

Preview
0317 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Gregory Wheeler

Born 1968

Preview
0318 CRIMINAL

Frederic De Frouville

1850 - 1883

Preview
0319 RADIO

Kenny Williams (announcer)

1914 - 1984

Preview
0320 POLITICIAN

Walter Moore (politician)

Born 1959

Preview
0321 ARTS

Adele Chatfield-Taylor

Born 1945

Preview
0322 ACTIVIST

Pamela Hannley

Born 1951

Preview
0323 JOCKEY

Eliza Carpenter

1851 - 1924

Preview
0324 BUSINESS

Chris Lavergne

-

Preview
0325 POLITICIAN

Benjamin Franklin Williams

1819 - 1886

Preview
0326 OFFICER

William Kennon Mayo

1824 - 1900

Preview
0327 PASTOR

George Liele

1750 - 1820

Preview
0328 INFANTRY

James R. Gillenwater

1871 - 1946

Preview
0329 RELIGIOUS

Henry Moxley

1809 - 1878

Preview
0330 OFFICER

John B. Frazier

1869 - 1939

Preview
0331 LAWYER

William Ashbie Hawkins

1862 - 1941

Preview
0332 ATHLETIC

Paula Girven

Born 1958

Preview
0333 DIPLOMAT

Marc M. Wall

Born 1954

Preview
0334 MUSIC

Byrd Moore

1889 - 1949

Preview
0335 RESTAURATEUR

Terrance Brennan

-

Preview
0336 SCIENTIST

Patrick Emmet Duffy

-

Preview
0337 POLITICIAN

David C. Yakey

1830 - 1908

Preview
0338 ACTOR

Julia Antonelli

Born 2003

Preview
0339 CINEMA

David Rush Morrison

-

Preview
0340 RACECAR

Sonny Easley

1939 - 1978

Preview
0341 PRISONNIER

John Moultson

1752 - 1803

Preview
0342 POLITICIAN

Johnson Collins

1847 - 1906

Preview
0343 TEACHER

Jeannie Ritter

Born 1958

Preview
0344 SUFFRAGETTE

Ellen Battelle Dietrick

1847 - 1895

Preview
0345 FOOTBALL

Wild Bill Claiborne

1872 - 1933

Preview
0346 FOOTBALL

Bill Grinus

1911 - 1983

Preview
0347 SURVEYOR

Charles Baker (surveyor)

1743 - 1835

Preview
0348 LAWYER

Thomas Jefferson Boynton

1838 - 1871

Preview
0349 OFFICER

Beverley Randolph (aviator)

1923 - 1958

Preview
0350 POLITICIAN

Rees Hill

1776 - 1852

Preview
0351 LAWYER

John F. Harris (politician)

Died 1913

Preview
0352 BASEBALL

Tom Metcalf

Born 1940

Preview
0353 OFFICER

Charles Carroll Simms

1824 - 1884

Preview
0354 MILITAR

John E. Sterling Jr.

Born 1953

Preview
0355 POLITICAL

Millard F. Singleton

1859 - 1939

Preview
0356 POLITICIAN

Thomas Jarvis

1623 - 1694

Preview
0357 JOURNALIST

Frederick Blantford Bate

1917 - 1970

Preview
0358 SINGER

Lavinia Turner

1888 - 1937

Preview
0359 LAWYER

Lewis Linn McArthur

1843 - 1897

Preview
0360 JOURNALIST

Walter J. Singleton

1860 - 1933

Preview
0361 LIEUTENANT

Robert F. Coverdale

Born 1930

Preview
0362 NAVY

Meritt H. Steger

1900 - 1998

Preview
0363 MILITAR

Thomas A. Davis

1873 - 1964

Preview
0364 NURSE

Elizabeth Leonhardt

1867 - 1953

Preview
0365 ACADEMIC

Warren J. Winstead

1927 - 2001

Preview
0366 FOOTBALL

Tori Christ

Born 1992

Preview
0367 MILITAR

Eugene Blair

1908 - 1942

Preview
0368 POLITICIAN

Jacob Edgar Boyers

1832 - 1911

Preview
0369 FOOTBALL

Frank Peake

1903 - 1978

Preview
0370 KING

Erasmus M. Smithers

1830 - 1900

Preview
0371 ARMY

Andrew K. Campbell

1828 - 1867

Preview
0372 JUDGE

Francis Dunlavy

1761 - 1839

Preview
0373 PHYSICIAN

Josephine English

1920 - 2011

Preview
0374 ILLUSTRATOR

Shannon Wright (illustrator)

Born 1994

Preview
0375 POLITICAL

Enrique Yateman

1810 - 1880

Preview
0376 PASTOR

J. Lee Hill Jr.

Born 1978

Preview
0377 HORSE TRAINER

Carl A. Roles

1903 - 1970

Preview
0378 FOOTBALL

Walker Leach

1888 - 1944

Preview
0379 RENNFAHRER

John Penton

Born 1925

Preview
0380 LAWYER

William W. Page

1836 - 1897

Preview
0381 TEACHER

Mildred E. Gibbs

1850 - 1935

Preview
0382 ACTIVIST

John Lewis (Nebraska activist)

Born 1841

Preview
0383 FOOTBALL

Marcia McDermott

-

Preview
0384 BUSINESS

John R. McDaniel

1807 - 1878

Preview
0385 COACH

W. S. Renn Jr.

Born 1928

Preview
0386 POLITICIAN

Frank Denver

-

Preview
0387 PLAYER

Maria Demencia Morales

Born 1992

Preview
0388 FOOTBALL

Bert C. Piggott

1920 - 1999

Preview
0389 MISSING

Thomas Kilgore

1715 - 1823

Preview
0390 SINGER

Frank Edwards

1909 - 1997

Preview
0391 POLITICIAN

Earle M. Brown

1926 - 1969

Preview
0392 PHOTOGRAPHER

Robert A. Gilbert

1870 - 1942

Preview
0393 MISSING

Robert Turner (Bahai)

1855 - 1909

Preview
0394 ACADEMIC

Mary Yost

1881 - 1954

Preview
0395 LAWYER

Nathaniel C. Claiborne

1820 - 1857

Preview
0396 POLITICIAN

Samuel M. Garland

1812 - 1880

Preview
0397 MISSING

Joel Monroe

1793 - 1877

Preview
0398 SPORT

Tim Yackley

-

Preview
0399 POLITICIAN

John T. Costin

-

Preview