42.3449° N, 71.0753° W

BOSTON

Most Famous People Born in Boston, United States

Notable people
3,663
Peak decade
1950s
Median birth year
1926
Most distinctive
Novelist 3.5×

America's oldest civic intelligentsia. Boston's notables are unusually concentrated in the 1700s and 1800s by American standards, and the distinctive shelves still read like a Yankee almanac — novelists, lawyers, military officers, mathematicians, and diplomats, the trades of a city where Harvard, the State House, and the Old North Church share a few square miles. The modern half tilts more conventionally toward Red Sox baseball, actors, and a deep college-bred music scene.

Through the Decades

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

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1950s with 348 notable births.

What Boston Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Actor is Boston's biggest profession — 9% of all notables (314).

Boston over-indexes on novelist3.5× the global rate.

Boston under-produces football — only 0.2× the global rate.

  1. Actor314
  2. Politician312
  3. Writer149
  4. Lawyer135
  5. Baseball110
  6. Painter106
  7. Music102
  8. Football87
  1. Novelist503.5×
  2. Baseball1102.6×
  3. Officer632.6×
  4. Mathematician452.5×
  5. Lawyer1352.1×
  6. Music1021.9×
  7. Diplomat371.7×
  8. Actor3141.6×
  1. Football870.2×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

16501700175018001850190019502000
  • Politics & Law
  • Sports
  • Writing
  • Film & TV
  • Science
  • Music
  • Other
All3,663
Sort By

Showing 246 of 3,663 notable people

0028 MATHEMATICIAN

John McCarthy (computer scientist)

1927 - 2011

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0036 JOURNALIST

Barbara Walters

Born 1929

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0071 EDITOR

Ben Bradlee

1921 - 2014

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0085 LAWYER

Elliot Richardson

1920 - 1999

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0087 CRIMINAL

Whitey Bulger

1929 - 2018

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0089 ECONOMIST

Merton Miller

1923 - 2000

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0100 SAXOPHONIST

Sonny Stitt

1924 - 1982

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0110 DRUMMER

Roy Haynes

Born 1925

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0115 PHYSICIST

Henry Way Kendall

1926 - 1999

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0118 WRITER

Nat Hentoff

1925 - 2017

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0124 PHOTOGRAPHER

Bill Cunningham (American photographer)

1929 - 2016

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0135 ACTOR

Susan Cabot

1927 - 1986

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0143 ENTREPRENEUR

Sumner Redstone

1923 - 2020

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0166 ACTOR

Peggy Cass

1924 - 1999

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0176 OBOIST

Charlie Mariano

1923 - 2009

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0233 MUSIC

Don Costa

1925 - 1983

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0242 MUSIC

H. C. Robbins Landon

1926 - 2009

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0246 WRITER

Judith Merril

1923 - 1997

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0248 POLITICIAN

Sixto Durán Ballén

1921 - 2016

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0254 FILM

Ruth Orkin

1921 - 1985

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0302 ACTOR

Jerry Maren

1920 - 2018

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0318 SAXOPHONIST

Serge Chaloff

1923 - 1957

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0320 ACTOR

Dorothy Loudon

1925 - 2003

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0329 JESUIT

Robert Drinan

1920 - 2007

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0344 NOVELIST

Robin Moore

1925 - 2008

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0368 ACTOR

Allen Hoskins

1920 - 1980

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0378 SINGER

Maria Cole

1922 - 2012

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0379 MATHEMATICIAN

George Mostow

1923 - 2017

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0383 ECONOMIST

Allan H. Meltzer

1928 - 2017

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0391 EDITOR

Cid Corman

1924 - 2004

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0419 MATHEMATICIAN

Daniel Gorenstein

1923 - 1992

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0420 ACTOR

Eugene Roche

1928 - 2004

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0424 BIOLOGIST

Franklin Stahl

Born 1929

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0425 COMEDIAN

Bob Elliott (comedian)

1923 - 2016

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0433 MUSIC

Ruby Braff

1927 - 2003

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0440 ARCHITECT

Henry N. Cobb

1926 - 2020

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0557 ACTOR

Edith Fellows

1923 - 2011

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0571 BOXER

Sandy Saddler

1926 - 2001

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0573 OFFICER

Paul X. Kelley

1928 - 2019

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0608 SCREENWRITER

Norm Prescott

1927 - 2005

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0611 METEOROLOGIST

Joanne Simpson

1923 - 2010

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0625 DIPLOMAT

Nathaniel Davis

1925 - 2011

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0651 MILITAR

George Patton IV

1923 - 2004

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0681 LAWYER

John T. Noonan Jr.

1926 - 2017

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0693 ACTOR

Julia Meade

1925 - 2016

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0716 EXECUTIVE

Clifton R. Wharton Jr.

Born 1926

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0729 BIOCHEMIST

Mahlon Hoagland

1921 - 2009

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0739 ACTOR

Dick Wesson (actor)

1922 - 1996

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0751 POLITICIAN

Lawrence Hogan

1928 - 2017

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0759 POLITICIAN

Joe Moakley

1927 - 2001

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0777 PHYSICIAN

Charles Theodore Dotter

1920 - 1985

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0787 MUSIC

Joe Gordon (musician)

1928 - 1963

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0798 JOURNALIST

Barbara Epstein

1928 - 2006

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0821 PSYCHIATRIST

Robert Coles (psychiatrist)

Born 1929

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0835 LAWYER

Robert H. Rines

1922 - 2009

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0850 FILM

Alex Grasshoff

1928 - 2008

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0858 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Jane C. Goodale

1926 - 2008

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0871 WRITER

Otto Friedrich

1929 - 1995

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0874 MATHEMATICIAN

John Little (academic)

Born 1928

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0891 HISTORIAN

Stanley Elkins

1925 - 2013

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0895 JOURNALIST

Jack Germond

1928 - 2013

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0924 PAINTER

May Stevens

1924 - 2019

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0928 ACTOR

Priscilla Morrill

1927 - 1994

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0930 PRIEST

Daniel Anthony Cronin

Born 1927

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0932 HOCKEY

John P. Riley Jr.

1920 - 2016

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0964 FOOTBALL

Karl-Alfred Jacobsson

1926 - 2015

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0965 ACTOR

Hayes Gordon

1920 - 1999

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0970 MUSIC

Jack Lesberg

1920 - 2005

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0998 PHILOSOPHER

Burton Dreben

1927 - 1999

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1021 POLITICIAN

Kevin White (politician)

1929 - 2012

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1031 WRITER

Hilbert Schenck

1926 - 2013

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1040 COMEDIAN

Norm Crosby

1927 - 2020

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1047 HISTORIAN

Robert Potash

1921 - 2016

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1068 PAEDIATRICIAN

David G. Nathan

Born 1929

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1088 PHOTOGRAPHER

Marie Cosindas

1925 - 2017

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1112 ACTOR

Norma Connolly

1927 - 1998

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1131 MUSIC

Frances Wayne

1924 - 1978

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1133 HISTORIAN

Joseph R. Levenson

1920 - 1969

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1138 PRIEST

George Hamilton Pearce

1921 - 2015

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1150 THEOLOGIAN

Francis A. Sullivan

1922 - 2019

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1153 POSTMASTER

Albert Vincent Casey

1920 - 2004

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1154 JOURNALIST

William Worthy

1921 - 2014

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1176 ACTOR

Carmen Filpi

1923 - 2003

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1221 PIANIST

Yara Bernette

1920 - 2002

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1254 ACTOR

Bernard Kates

1922 - 2010

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1268 HISTORIAN

Robert Vincent Daniels

1926 - 2010

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1269 SKATER

Gretchen Merrill

1925 - 1965

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1276 POLITICIAN

Fred Richmond

1923 - 2019

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1284 BOTANIST

George Richardson Proctor

1920 - 2015

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1287 ARTIST

Robert Berks

1922 - 2011

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1293 MUSIC

Lloyd Trotman

1923 - 2007

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1300 MUSIC

Bobby Donaldson

1922 - 1971

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1308 RABBI

Levi Yitzchak Horowitz

1921 - 2009

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1317 NOVELIST

Charles Einstein

1926 - 2007

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1353 SCULPTOR

Kahlil Gibran (sculptor)

1922 - 2008

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1361 PRELATE

Robert Joseph Banks

Born 1928

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1398 SOCIALITE

Barbara Daly Baekeland

1922 - 1972

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1419 SURGEON

Hermes Grillo

1923 - 2006

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1441 CARTOONIST

Mel Casson

1920 - 2008

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1456 PHYSICIAN

John Britton (doctor)

1925 - 1994

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1505 POET

Robert Dana

1929 - 2010

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1510 POLITICIAN

Peter A. Garland

1923 - 2005

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1512 POLITICIAN

Skip Bafalis

Born 1929

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1519 LOGICIAN

Richard Jeffrey

1926 - 2002

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1530 MUSIC

Arnold Ross (musician)

1921 - 2000

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1538 ENTREPRENEUR

Roger Wheeler (businessman)

1926 - 1981

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1542 SCIENTIST

Harry Rowen

1925 - 2015

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1563 ENTREPRENEUR

Robert Zildjian

1923 - 2013

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1565 PRODUCER

Zelda Fichandler

1924 - 2016

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1590 SCIENTIST

Daniel Yankelovich

1924 - 2017

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1604 ACTOR

Virginia Belmont

1921 - 2014

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1629 COMPOSER

Alice Parker

Born 1925

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1638 SOLDIER

Robert Rheault

1925 - 2013

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1641 MATHEMATICIAN

Arnold S. Shapiro

1921 - 1962

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1663 WRITER

Mary Stolz

1920 - 2006

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1676 STAGE

C. Z. Guest

1920 - 2003

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1699 LINGUIST

Stanford Luce

1923 - 2007

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1704 ARTIST

Sonya Rapoport

1923 - 2015

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1709 ORGANIST

Berj Zamkochian

1929 - 2004

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1763 FOOTBALL

Al Carmichael

1928 - 2019

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1778 HAMMER THROWER

Bob Backus

1926 - 1999

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1808 FOOTBALL

Gerard Cowhig

1921 - 1995

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1812 OFFICER

Robert F. McDermott

1920 - 2006

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1832 SINGER

Eunice Alberts

1927 - 2012

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1848 DIPLOMAT

Richard W. Murphy

Born 1929

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1850 THEATRICAL

Arthur Cantor

1920 - 2001

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1858 JOURNALIST

Charles W. Bailey II

1929 - 2012

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1883 ACTOR

Paul Sparer

1923 - 1999

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1894 HOCKEY

John Mulhern

1927 - 2007

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1898 METEOROLOGIST

Robert M. White (meteorologist)

1923 - 2015

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1908 ACADEMIC

John William Ward (professor)

1922 - 1985

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1925 SCHOLAR

Richard Barnet

1929 - 2004

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1974 ASTRONOMER

Harold Zirin

1929 - 2012

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2011 PHOTOGRAPHER

Cervin Robinson

Born 1928

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2018 MATHEMATICIAN

Herbert Gross

1929 - 2020

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2026 SKIPPER

Francis Scully (sailor)

1925 - 1998

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2036 POLITICIAN

James F. McNulty Jr.

1925 - 2009

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2040 PRIEST

John Joseph Glynn

1926 - 2004

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2050 ATHLETIC

Ted Vogel

1925 - 2019

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2061 TEACHER

James Vorenberg

1927 - 2000

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2070 PHYSICIAN

William P. Murphy Jr.

Born 1923

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2074 MATHEMATICIAN

Joseph A. Zilber

1923 - 2009

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2096 PRIEST

John R. McNamara

1927 - 2001

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2103 SAXOPHONIST

Sam Margolis

1923 - 1996

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2110 MILITAR

George W. Casey Sr.

1922 - 1970

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2132 PAINTER

Charlotte Gilbertson

1922 - 2014

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2142 WRITER

Tina Levitan

1922 - 2014

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2162 POLITICIAN

Edward F. McLaughlin Jr.

1920 - 2005

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2173 LAWYER

David E. McGiffert

1926 - 2005

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2191 POLITICIAN

Shirley Dysart

1928 - 2016

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2206 SPORT

Charles Hewett

Born 1929

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2211 FOOTBALL

John Yonakor

1921 - 2001

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2233 SINGER

Norman Foster (bass)

1925 - 2000

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2263 EXPLORER

Richard Evelyn Byrd III

1920 - 1988

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2308 WRITER

Martin Bookspan

Born 1926

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2314 ART HISTORIAN

James Parker (art historian)

1924 - 2001

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2341 SKATER

Joan Tozzer

1921 - 2012

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2401 BASEBALL

Dick Donovan

1927 - 1997

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2404 STATISTICIAN

A. Ross Eckler Jr.

1927 - 2016

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2405 BUSINESS

Landon T. Clay

1926 - 2017

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2411 POLITICAL SCIENTIST

Andrew E. Rice

1922 - 2010

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2421 JOURNALIST

John Strohmeyer

1924 - 2010

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2430 POLITICIAN

Francis Bellotti

Born 1923

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2436 SCREENWRITER

George Burditt (writer)

1923 - 2013

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2442 OFFICER

Kevin Reilly (Louisiana politician)

1928 - 2012

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2447 ACTOR

Betty Miller

1925 - 2004

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2453 BUSINESS

Aaron Feuerstein

Born 1925

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2455 OFFICER

Barbara J. Bishop

1920 - 2005

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2476 POLITICIAN

Theodore D. Mann

1922 - 1994

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2498 JOURNALIST

J.M. Flynn

1925 - 1985

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2501 FENCER

Ed Richards (fencer)

1929 - 2012

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2518 DIPLOMAT

Robert Anderson (diplomat)

1922 - 1996

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2571 PRIEST

Joseph John Ruocco

1922 - 1980

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2585 PAINTER

Esther Geller

1921 - 2015

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2632 PHYSICIST

Irwin Oppenheim

1929 - 2014

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2636 POLITICIAN

Frederick C. Langone

1921 - 2001

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2639 PHYSICIAN

Gordon K. MacLeod

1929 - 2007

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2659 LIBRARIAN

Phyllis Richmond

1921 - 1997

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2664 ACTOR

Marc London

Born 1927

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2675 FOOTBALL

Al Cannava

1924 - 2017

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2694 TEACHER

Rhoda Dorsey

1927 - 2014

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2718 PHILOLOGIST

John E. Rexine

1929 - 1993

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2743 PRODUCER

Bob Markell

1924 - 2020

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2755 ARMY

Charles W. Turner (Medal of Honor)

1921 - 1950

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2758 MURDER

Paul Rico

1925 - 2004

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2784 FOOTBALL

Bob Margarita

1920 - 2008

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2822 MUSIC

Joyce Wein

1928 - 2005

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2871 DIPLOMAT

Theodore L. Eliot Jr.

1928 - 2019

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2933 HISTORIAN

Charles C. McLaughlin

1929 - 2005

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2937 SCENOGRAPHER

Peter Larkin (Filmarchitekt)

1926 - 2019

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3004 EDUCATOR

Elma Lewis

1921 - 2004

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3012 PSYCHOLOGIST

Maressa Orzack

1924 - 2010

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3025 SCIENTIST

Arthur H. White

1924 - 2014

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3058 POLITICIAN

Michael E. Haynes

1927 - 2019

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3066 PAINTER

Wendell Thompson Perkins

1928 - 1997

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3082 POLITICIAN

David J. O'Connor

1924 - 2011

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3087 PAINTER

Vincent Pepi

1926 - 2020

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3109 FLIGHT ATTENDANT

John Ferruggio

1925 - 2010

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3113 ECONOMIST

David I. Meiselman

1924 - 2014

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3118 FOOTBALL

George Dickson

Born 1923

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3123 MUSIC

Lloyd Ulyate

1927 - 2004

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3135 JUDGE

Francis Patrick O'Connor

1927 - 2007

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3180 POLITICIAN

David H. Locke

1927 - 2019

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3205 ICE HOCKEY

Bob Crocker

1928 - 2018

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3209 POLITICIAN

Herbert Tuckerman

1921 - 2007

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3221 WORLD WAR

Rene Anselmo

1926 - 1995

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3229 ENGINEER

Sidney Topol

1924 - 2011

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3258 LAWYER

Edward J. McCormack Jr.

1923 - 1997

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3265 FOOTBALL

Edmund McNamara

1920 - 2000

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3267 CARTOONIST

Bill Campbell (illustrator)

Born 1920

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3268 TELEVISION

Paul K. Niven Jr.

1924 - 1970

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3294 POLITICIAN

Stephen Davenport

1924 - 2011

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3297 DRUMMER

Jimmy Zitano

1928 - 1989

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3315 POLITICIAN

Sid Lovett

Born 1928

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3329 POLITICIAN

Marilyn R. Goldwater

Born 1927

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3347 PRODUCER

Sam Parkins

1926 - 2009

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3357 DIPLOMAT

Harry E. T. Thayer

1927 - 2017

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3362 POLITICIAN

Carroll Sheehan

1925 - 2016

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3377 SPORT

Charles Toole

1922 - 2008

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3398 REFORMER

Kay Bullitt

Born 1925

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3411 SINGER

Pat Rainey

1925 - 1998

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3412 PHYSICIAN

Fredrik Berglund (läkare)

Born 1924

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3435 PHYSICIAN

Erik Berglund (läkare)

Born 1924

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3456 POLITICIAN

Joseph M. Connolly

1924 - 2007

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3470 ILLUSTRATOR

Chet Kalm

1925 - 2017

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3481 SPORT

Don Hamilton (sport shooter)

1929 - 1999

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3482 WRITER

Nancy Flagg Gibney

1922 - 1980

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3487 OFFICER

John P. McDonough (chaplain)

Born 1928

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3503 BASEBALL

Mike Palm (baseball)

1925 - 2011

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3505 CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Russ Bixler

1927 - 2000

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3506 BASEBALL

Lucille Stone

1925 - 2016

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3520 DIPLOMAT

Marilyn P. Johnson

Born 1922

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3530 POLITICIAN

Susan McLane

1929 - 2005

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3538 PHYSICIAN

Gertrude Hunter

1926 - 2006

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3539 BUSINESS

Harold Sossen

1924 - 2013

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3562 MUSIC

Margaret Kohn (Pianistin)

Born 1928

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3567 ADMIRAL

Frederick C. Turner

1923 - 2014

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3575 COACH

Bud Van Deren

1924 - 2010

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3583 HORSE TRAINER

Victor J. Nickerson

1928 - 2004

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3584 BISHOP

Alexander Doig Stewart

1926 - 1999

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3619 POLITICIAN

Richard Caples

1921 - 2002

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3620 PHYSICIST

Alfred G. Redfield

1929 - 2019

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3632 LAWYER

Peter K. Babalas

1922 - 1987

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3646 SCIENTIST

William H. Angoff

1920 - 1993

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3660 SURGEON

Philip D. Wilson Jr.

1920 - 2016

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3662 POLITICIAN

Sumner Z. Kaplan

1920 - 2011

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