34.4348° N, 81.0284° W

CHARLESTON

Most Famous People Born in Charleston, United States

Notable people
749
Peak decade
1940s
Median birth year
1920
Most distinctive
Baseball 4.5×

Charleston's profile is frozen in antebellum amber: an outsized Lawyer and Judge class built by the planter bar that dominated South Carolina politics from secession through Reconstruction, with an Officer bench propped up by the Citadel and the Confederate officer corps. The smaller, stranger note is the Novelist thread — Charleston Renaissance writers like DuBose Heyward, whose Porgy became the seed for American opera.

Through the Decades

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

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1940s with 63 notable births.

What Charleston Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Politician is Charleston's biggest profession — 22% of all notables (166).

Charleston over-indexes on baseball4.5× the global rate.

Charleston under-produces writer — only 0.6× the global rate.

  1. Politician166
  2. Football58
  3. Lawyer52
  4. Actor48
  5. Baseball38
  6. Basket27
  7. Painter19
  8. Music18
  1. Baseball384.5×
  2. Lawyer524.0×
  3. Judge123.4×
  4. Novelist103.4×
  5. Officer153.0×
  6. Basket272.9×
  7. Politician1661.9×
  8. Music181.7×
  1. Writer150.6×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

1700175018001850190019502000
  • Politics & Law
  • Sports
  • Film & TV
  • Music
  • Writing
  • Science
  • Other
All749
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749 notable people

0001 AUTHOR

Robert Jordan

1948 - 2007

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0002 ACTOR

Andy Dick

Born 1965

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0003 POLITICIAN

James F. Byrnes

1882 - 1972

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0004 ACTOR

Thomas Gibson

Born 1962

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0005 ACTOR

Lauren Hutton

Born 1943

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0006 ARTIST

Shepard Fairey

Born 1970

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0007 ACTOR

Will Patton

Born 1954

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0008 ACTOR

Conchata Ferrell

1943 - 2020

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0009 ACTOR

Logan Marshall-Green

Born 1976

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0010 POLITICIAN

Tim Scott

Born 1965

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0011 PSYCHOLOGIST

George Armitage Miller

1920 - 2012

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0012 COMPOSER

George Crumb

Born 1929

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0013 FILM

Arthur Freed

1894 - 1973

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0014 BASSIST

James Jamerson

1936 - 1983

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0015 CINEMA

Gregg Toland

1904 - 1948

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0016 POLITICIAN

John Rutledge

1739 - 1800

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0017 MILITAR

Wade Hampton III

1818 - 1902

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0018 SINGER

Darius Rucker

Born 1966

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0019 PHYSICIAN

Joel Roberts Poinsett

1779 - 1851

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0020 STATESMAN

Charles Cotesworth Pinckney

1746 - 1825

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0021 BIOCHEMIST

Robert F. Furchgott

1916 - 2009

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0022 POLITICIAN

Edward Rutledge

1749 - 1800

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0023 POLITICIAN

Charles Pinckney (governor)

1757 - 1824

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0024 POLITICIAN

Angelina Grimké

1805 - 1879

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0025 PAINTER

Washington Allston

1779 - 1843

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0026 FEMINIST

Sarah Moore Grimké

1792 - 1873

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0027 ACTOR

Mackenzie Rosman

Born 1989

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0028 POLITICIAN

Joe Wilson (American politician)

Born 1947

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0029 POLITICIAN

Mo Brooks

Born 1954

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0030 SINGER

Melanie Thornton

1967 - 2001

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0031 ACTOR

Ann Magnuson

Born 1956

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0032 POLITICIAN

Thomas Pinckney

1750 - 1828

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0033 PATRIOT

Christopher Gadsden

1724 - 1805

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0034 WRITER

Alexandra Ripley

1934 - 2004

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0035 MERCHANT

Henry Laurens

1724 - 1792

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0036 COMPOSER

Lou Marini

Born 1945

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0037 MUSIC

Alphonse Mouzon

1948 - 2016

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0038 POLITICIAN

Daniel Webster (Florida politician)

Born 1949

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0039 ARCHITECT

Robert Mills (architect)

1781 - 1855

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0040 NOVELIST

DuBose Heyward

1885 - 1940

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0041 POLITICIAN

John Laurens

1754 - 1782

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0042 ACTOR

Helen Chandler

1906 - 1965

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0043 POLITICIAN

Dale Bumpers

1925 - 2016

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0044 BASKET

Khris Middleton

Born 1991

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0045 POLITICIAN

Fritz Hollings

1922 - 2019

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0046 ACTOR

Allison Hayes

1930 - 1977

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0047 BIOLOGIST

Ernest Everett Just

1883 - 1941

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0048 ACTOR

Lezley Zen

Born 1974

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0049 ACTOR

Douglas Dick

1920 - 2015

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0050 ACTOR

Bobbie Phillips

Born 1968

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0051 THEOLOGIAN

Thomas J. J. Altizer

1927 - 2018

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0052 POET

William Gilmore Simms

1806 - 1870

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0053 ACTOR

Kyla Kenedy

Born 2003

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0054 MUSIC

Freddie Green

1911 - 1987

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0055 PHYSICIAN

Albert Mackey

1807 - 1881

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0056 POLITICIAN

Tom Rice

Born 1957

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0057 SOLDIER

James Gadsden

1788 - 1858

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0058 BASKET

Hot Rod Hundley

1934 - 2015

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0059 ACTOR

Mabel King

1932 - 1999

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0060 POLITICIAN

Jim Justice

Born 1951

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0061 POLITICIAN

Henry Middleton

1717 - 1784

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0062 BASKET

Jason Williams (basketball, born 1975)

Born 1975

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0063 POLITICIAN

Arthur Middleton

1742 - 1787

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0064 BUSINESS

Lewis Strauss

1896 - 1974

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0065 ACTOR

Johnny Whitworth

Born 1975

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0066 POET

Henry Timrod

1828 - 1867

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0067 POLITICIAN

William Moultrie

1730 - 1805

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0068 ACTOR

Shanola Hampton

Born 1977

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0069 ATHLETIC

Randy Barnes

Born 1966

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0070 SINGER

Charlotte Martin

Born 1976

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0071 MUSIC

Red Sovine

1918 - 1980

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0072 LAWYER

Hugh S. Legaré

1797 - 1843

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0073 BASKET

Josh Powell

Born 1983

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0074 ACTOR

Jonny Weston

Born 1988

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0075 FOOTBALL

Art Shell

Born 1946

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0076 CHEMIST

Catherine Coleman

Born 1960

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0077 POLITICIAN

Ralph Izard

1741 - 1804

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0078 CLARINET

Willie Smith (alto saxophonist)

1910 - 1967

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0079 DRUG TRAFFICK

Bumpy Johnson

1905 - 1968

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0080 MILITAR

Stephen D. Lee

1833 - 1908

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0081 SOLDIER

Benjamin Huger (general)

1805 - 1877

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0082 PHYSICIAN

William Charles Wells

1757 - 1817

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0083 ACTOR

Frances Fuller

1907 - 1980

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0084 OFFICER

William A. Moffett

1869 - 1933

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0085 CRIMINAL

Sara Jane Moore

Born 1930

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0086 AUTHOR

Sidney Rittenberg

1921 - 2019

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0087 MILITAR

Barnard Elliott Bee Jr.

1824 - 1861

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0088 POLITICIAN

Stephen A. Hurlbut

1815 - 1882

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0089 ACTIVIST

Leon Sullivan

1922 - 2001

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0090 ACTOR

Charles Clary

1873 - 1931

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0091 FOOTBALL

Roddy White

Born 1981

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0092 BIOLOGIST

Lewis C. Cantley

Born 1949

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0093 LINGUIST

Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve

1831 - 1924

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0094 JUDGE

William H. Hunt

1823 - 1884

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0095 EDUCATOR

Octavius Catto

1839 - 1871

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0096 POLITICIAN

Burnet R. Maybank

1899 - 1954

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0097 POLITICIAN

James Hamilton Jr.

1786 - 1857

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0098 BASKET

Katrina McClain Johnson

Born 1965

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0099 POLITICIAN

Charles Bent

1799 - 1847

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0100 NOVELIST

Octavus Roy Cohen

1891 - 1959

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0101 BASKET

Kenny Rollins

1923 - 2012

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0102 OFFICER

James L. Holloway III

1922 - 2019

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0103 JUDGE

William Johnson (judge)

1771 - 1834

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0104 ASTRONAUT

Jon McBride

Born 1943

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0105 KILLER

Lavinia Fisher

1793 - 1820

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0106 POLITICIAN

George Trenholm

1807 - 1876

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0107 ACTOR

Jean Carson

1923 - 2005

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0108 BASKET

Jim Harrick

Born 1938

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0109 BASKET

Laron Profit

Born 1977

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0110 WRESTLER

Mr. Wrestling II

1934 - 2020

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0111 BASKET

Anthony Johnson (basketball)

Born 1974

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0112 POLITICIAN

Eric Massa

Born 1959

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0113 MUSIC

Bertha Hill

1905 - 1950

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0114 LAWYER

Archibald Bulloch

1730 - 1777

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0115 POLITICIAN

Arthur Ravenel Jr.

Born 1927

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0116 ANTHROPOLOGIST

John Weakland

1919 - 1995

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0117 POLITICIAN

Lewis Charles Levin

1808 - 1860

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0118 POLITICIAN

Floride Calhoun

1792 - 1866

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0119 COMPOSER

Robert Drasnin

1927 - 2015

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0120 FIGHTER

Phil Pfister

Born 1971

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0121 BASEBALL

Chris Owings

Born 1991

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0122 PAINTER

Louis Rémy Mignot

1831 - 1870

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0123 POLITICIAN

Gaston Caperton

Born 1940

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0124 POLITICIAN

Thomas Drayton

1809 - 1891

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0125 POLITICIAN

James Skivring Smith

1825 - 1892

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0126 MARTIAL ART

Brian Bowles (fighter)

Born 1980

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0127 ACTOR

Ada Clare

1834 - 1874

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0128 PAINTER

Edward Lamson Henry

1841 - 1919

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0129 BASEBALL

Asher Wojciechowski

Born 1988

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0130 PAINTER

William Aiken Walker

1839 - 1921

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0131 POLITICIAN

John Drayton

1766 - 1822

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0132 WRITER

Mary Lee Settle

1918 - 2005

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0133 POLITICIAN

Chip Cravaack

Born 1959

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0134 PLAYER

Anne White

Born 1961

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0135 WRITER

Roger Price (comedian)

1918 - 1990

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0136 GOLF

Beth Daniel

Born 1956

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0137 ACTOR

Josh Strickland

Born 1983

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0138 POLITICIAN

Jacob Read

1752 - 1816

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0139 PRIEST

Daniel Payne

1811 - 1893

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0140 HISTORIAN

William Robert Shepherd

1871 - 1934

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0141 EDUCATOR

Septima Poinsette Clark

1898 - 1987

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0142 BASEBALL

John Kruk

Born 1961

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0143 POLITICIAN

William Aiken Jr.

1806 - 1887

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0144 ADVOCATE

William Porcher Miles

1822 - 1899

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0145 ACTOR

Leigh Whipper

1876 - 1975

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0146 BASKET

Mark Workman

1930 - 1983

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0147 ACTOR

Jonathan Mangum

Born 1971

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0148 ACTOR

Elsa Raven

1929 - 2020

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0149 PAINTER

Solomon Nunes Carvalho

1815 - 1897

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0150 ASTRONAUT

Frank L. Culbertson Jr.

Born 1949

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0151 ADVISOR

Alec Ross (author)

Born 1971

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0152 LAWYER

William Loughton Smith

1758 - 1812

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0153 NOVELIST

Alice Childress

1916 - 1994

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0154 ACTOR

Beau Billingslea

Born 1944

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0155 BASKET

Alexis Hornbuckle

Born 1985

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0156 BASKET

Terrell Everett

Born 1984

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0157 SINGER

Frank Lebby Stanton

1857 - 1927

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0158 POLITICIAN

Daniel Elliott Huger

1779 - 1854

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0159 SINGER

Patti Drew

Born 1944

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0160 POLITICIAN

John Mathews (lawyer)

1744 - 1802

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0161 MUSIC

Fud Livingston

1906 - 1957

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0162 MUSIC

Turley Richards

Born 1941

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0163 ACTOR

Florence Lake

1904 - 1980

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0164 MATHEMATICIAN

Carolyn S. Gordon

Born 1950

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0165 PAINTER

Alice Baber

1928 - 1982

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0166 AUTHOR

Paul Hamilton Hayne

1830 - 1886

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0167 POLITICIAN

Richard Hutson

1748 - 1795

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0168 POLITICIAN

André Bauer

Born 1969

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0169 SHOT PUTTER

Raven Saunders

Born 1996

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0170 JUDGE

Andrew Gordon Magrath

1813 - 1893

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0171 ACTOR

Robert R. Shafer

Born 1958

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0172 ATTORNEY

George W. Atkinson

1845 - 1925

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0173 ACTOR

Julie Mitchum

1914 - 2003

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0174 POLITICIAN

Henry L. Pinckney

1794 - 1863

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0175 MUSIC

Rufus "Speedy" Jones

1936 - 1990

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0176 FOOTBALL

Joe Gilliam

1950 - 2000

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0177 RADIO

Hal Jackson

1915 - 2012

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0178 POLITICIAN

Francis Lewis Cardozo

1836 - 1903

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0179 OFFICER

William Ward Burrows I

1758 - 1804

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0180 POLITICIAN

Hugh Smith Thompson

1836 - 1904

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0181 ATHLETIC

T'erea Brown

Born 1989

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0182 BUSINESS

Martha Rivers Ingram

Born 1935

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0183 LAWYER

William F. De Saussure

1792 - 1870

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0184 POLITICIAN

Alonzo J. Ransier

1834 - 1882

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0185 ACTOR

Lesli Kay

Born 1965

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0186 POLITICIAN

Arthur P. Hayne

1788 - 1867

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0187 BASKET

George King (basketball, born 1928)

1928 - 2006

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0188 CHEMIST

Paul M. Doty

1920 - 2011

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0189 POLITICIAN

Miles Benjamin McSweeney

1855 - 1921

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0190 MUSIC

H-Bomb Ferguson

1929 - 2006

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0191 POLITICIAN

Hamilton P. Bee

1822 - 1897

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0192 LAWYER

Philip Phillips (lawyer)

1807 - 1884

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0193 ATHLETIC

Jasmine Camacho-Quinn

Born 1996

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0194 GENETICIST

Ronald W. Davis

Born 1941

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0195 POLITICIAN

Harvey Gantt

Born 1943

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0196 LAWYER

James Conner (general)

1829 - 1883

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0197 FOOTBALL

Courtney Brown (defensive end)

Born 1978

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0198 LAWYER

Charles James McDonald

1793 - 1860

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0199 ARTIST

Brooke McEldowney

Born 1952

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0200 MUSIC

Tommy Benford

1905 - 1994

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0201 POLITICIAN

Martin Frederick Ansel

1850 - 1945

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0202 POLITICIAN

Alfred L. Bulwinkle

1883 - 1950

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0203 POLITICIAN

Thomas Caute Reynolds

1821 - 1887

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0204 GOVERNOR

William Henry Gist

1807 - 1874

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0205 OFFICER

Samuel W. Ferguson

1834 - 1917

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0206 TRUMPET

Gus Aiken

1902 - 1973

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0207 POLITICIAN

John Geddes (politician)

1777 - 1828

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0208 POLITICIAN

Jamie Whitten

1910 - 1995

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0209 POLITICIAN

Thomas Bennett Jr.

1781 - 1865

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0210 LAWYER

George S. Patton (attorney)

1856 - 1927

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0211 FOOTBALL

Dontrelle Inman

Born 1989

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0212 LAWYER

Thomas Bee

1739 - 1812

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0213 NOVELIST

William Hoffman (author)

1925 - 2009

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0214 POLITICIAN

Richard Beresford

1755 - 1803

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0215 PRIEST

Ellison Capers

1837 - 1908

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0216 BASEBALL

Rollie Stiles

1906 - 2007

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0217 SWIMMER

Brad Bridgewater

Born 1973

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0218 THEOLOGIAN

James Petigru Boyce

1827 - 1888

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0219 SECRETARY

Mike McCurry (press secretary)

Born 1954

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0220 ARMY

Lucius B. Northrop

1811 - 1894

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0221 POLITICIAN

Isaac E. Holmes

1796 - 1867

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0222 BASEBALL

Gorman Thomas

Born 1950

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0223 PAINTER

Stephen Pace (artist)

1918 - 2010

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0224 FOOTBALL

Mike Cloud

Born 1975

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0225 SONGWRITER

Tom Delaney (songwriter)

1889 - 1963

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0226 PAINTER

Edwin Harleston

1882 - 1931

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0227 ACTOR

Tilky Jones

Born 1981

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0228 MODEL

Hillary Fisher

Born 1984

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0229 ACTOR

Robert V. Barron

1932 - 2000

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0230 BASKET

Rex Morgan (basketball)

1948 - 2016

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0231 FOOTBALL

Ryan Switzer

Born 1995

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0232 POLITICIAN

Thomas F. Hartnett

Born 1941

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0233 FOOTBALL

Demetri Goodson

Born 1989

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0234 POLITICIAN

Francis Kinloch (Congressman)

1755 - 1826

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0235 WRITER

Walter F. Murphy

1929 - 2010

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0236 NOVELIST

Lucy A. Snyder

Born 1971

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0237 SINGER

Ann Crumb

Died 2019

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0238 MUSIC

Cuba Austin

1906 - 1961

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0239 WRITER

Louisa Susannah Cheves McCord

1810 - 1879

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0240 BASKET

Bobby Smith (basketball)

Born 1937

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0241 ACTOR

Peggy Walton-Walker

Born 1943

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0242 FILM

Regina Russell Banali

Born 1965

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0243 POLITICIAN

Benjamin Guerard

1739 - 1788

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0244 POLITICIAN

Thomas Larkin Thompson

1838 - 1898

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0245 POLITICIAN

William Waters Boyce

1818 - 1890

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0246 LAWYER

Charles P. Snyder

1847 - 1915

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0247 LAWYER

Samuel Dibble

1837 - 1913

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0248 SINGER

Rachel Proctor

Born 1974

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0249 ACTOR

Shelley Taylor Morgan

Born 1950

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0250 POLITICIAN

Karla Drenner

Born 1961

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0251 POLITICIAN

Edmund William McGregor Mackey

1846 - 1884

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0252 PHYSICIST

David Ceperley

Born 1949

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0253 MUSIC

Julian Dash

1916 - 1974

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0254 JUDGE

Alexander Campbell King

1856 - 1926

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0255 PRODUCTION DESIGNER

James D. Bissell

Born 1951

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0256 JOURNALIST

Rufus Fairchild Zogbaum

1849 - 1925

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0257 SOCIOLOGIST

Glenn Firebaugh

Born 1948

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0258 WRITER

Catherine Gilbert Murdock

-

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0259 HERPETOLOGIST

George B. Rabb

1930 - 2017

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0260 ABOLITIONIST

Robert Purvis

1810 - 1898

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0261 PHOTOGRAPHER

J Henry Fair

-

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0262 POLITICIAN

John E. Moore

Born 1943

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0263 WRITER

Sam Aleckson

1852 - 1914

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0264 FOOTBALL

Dexter Coakley

Born 1972

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0265 JUDGE

Richard S. Whaley

1874 - 1951

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0266 LAWYER

Archibald Grimké

1849 - 1930

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0267 CRAFTSMAN

Thomas Day (North Carolina)

1801 - 1861

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0268 BRIGADIER

Wilmot Gibbes de Saussure

1822 - 1886

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0269 POLITICIAN

Glenn F. McConnell

Born 1947

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0270 PAINTER

Maria Martin

1796 - 1863

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0271 POLITICIAN

Theodore Gaillard Hunt

1805 - 1893

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0272 BUSINESS

Sallie Krawcheck

Born 1964

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0273 BOTANIST

Lewis Reeve Gibbes

1810 - 1894

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0274 PIANIST

Cliff Smalls

1918 - 2008

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0275 POLITICIAN

Wilson Godfrey Harvey

1866 - 1932

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0276 LAWYER

Calvary Morris

1798 - 1871

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0277 POLITICIAN

John M. Slack Jr.

1915 - 1980

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0278 POLITICIAN

Brad Dye

1933 - 2018

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0279 INSEGNANTE

Louis George Gregory

1874 - 1951

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0280 BOXER

Lonnie Bradley

Born 1968

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0281 NOVELIST

Rodrigues Ottolengui

1861 - 1937

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0282 PLAYER

Peachy Kellmeyer

Born 1944

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0283 ACTOR

Jane Keckley

1876 - 1963

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0284 DIVER

Elbert Root

1915 - 1983

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0285 POLITICIAN

Joseph P. Riley Jr.

Born 1943

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0286 AUTHOR

Robert Roberts (butler)

1780 - 1860

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0287 BUSINESS

Anita Zucker

Born 1962

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0288 POLITICIAN

Henry M. Hyams

1806 - 1875

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0289 ENTREPRENEUR

John D. Spreckels

1853 - 1926

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0290 PAINTER

William Haskell Coffin

1878 - 1941

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0291 DIPLOMAT

William Henry Trescot

1822 - 1898

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0292 JOURNALIST

Charles Peters

Born 1926

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0293 PRELATE

Lawrence Eugene Brandt

Born 1939

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0294 BASKET

Carol Ross

Born 1959

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0295 SONGWRITER

Janie Bradford

Born 1939

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0296 POLITICIAN

John Parker (Continental Congress)

1759 - 1832

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0297 WRITER

Julia C. R. Dorr

1825 - 1913

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0298 PRIEST

Robert Nugent Lynch

Born 1941

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0299 POLITICIAN

Benjamin Huger (congressman)

1768 - 1823

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0300 LAWYER

Thomas Lowndes (congressman)

1766 - 1843

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