41.7994° N, 87.4912° W

MADISON

Most Famous People Born in Madison, United States

Notable people
567
Peak decade
1950s
Median birth year
1950
Most distinctive
Skater 9.5×
Through the Decades

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

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1950s with 80 notable births.

What Madison Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Politician is Madison's biggest profession — 13% of all notables (73).

Madison over-indexes on skater9.5× the global rate.

Madison under-produces writer — only 0.7× the global rate.

  1. Politician73
  2. Football54
  3. Actor36
  4. Baseball33
  5. Lawyer28
  6. Hockey26
  7. Basket21
  8. Business14
  1. Skater139.5×
  2. Baseball335.1×
  3. Hockey263.9×
  4. Basket212.9×
  5. Lawyer282.8×
  6. Novelist62.7×
  7. Physicist62.5×
  8. Business142.5×
  1. Writer130.7×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

175018001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Politics & Law
  • Film & TV
  • Science
  • Music
  • Writing
  • Other
All567
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567 notable people

0001 PHYSICIST

John Bardeen

1908 - 1991

Preview
0002 ACTOR

Bradley Whitford

Born 1959

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0003 PLAYWRIGHT

Thornton Wilder

1897 - 1975

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0004 ACTOR

Chris Farley

1964 - 1997

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0005 ACTOR

Chris Noth

Born 1954

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0006 ACTOR

Tyne Daly

Born 1946

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0007 SKATER

Eric Heiden

Born 1958

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0008 CHOREOGRAPHER

Rob Marshall

Born 1960

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0009 NOVELIST

Patrick Rothfuss

Born 1973

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0010 POLITICIAN

Tammy Baldwin

Born 1962

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0011 SINGER

Greg Graffin

Born 1964

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0012 POET

Robert Bly

Born 1926

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0013 WRITER

Alice Sebold

Born 1963

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0014 POLITICIAN

Liz Cheney

Born 1966

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0015 PLAYER

Phil Hellmuth

Born 1964

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0016 ACTOR

Imran Khan (Bollywood actor)

Born 1983

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0017 ACTOR

Andrea Anders

Born 1975

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0018 INVENTOR

Charles Martin Hall

1863 - 1914

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0019 FILM

Mary Sweeney

Born 1953

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0020 PHYSICIAN

William P. Murphy

1892 - 1987

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0021 HOCKEY

Phil Kessel

Born 1987

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0022 ENGINEER

Hendrik Wade Bode

1905 - 1982

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0023 POLITICIAN

Wayne Morse

1900 - 1974

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0024 COMPOSER

Joel McNeely

Born 1959

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0025 SKATER

Beth Heiden

Born 1959

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0026 LAWYER

James L. Kemper

1823 - 1895

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0027 COMPOSER

Kevin Farley

Born 1965

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0028 POLITICIAN

Stacey Abrams

Born 1973

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0029 POLITICIAN

Bill Foster (politician)

Born 1955

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0030 BASEBALL

Don Newcombe

1926 - 2019

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0031 POLITICIAN

Robert M. La Follette Jr.

1895 - 1953

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0032 SCULPTOR

Vinnie Ream

1847 - 1914

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0033 POLITICAL

Mary Cheney

Born 1969

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0034 RAPPER

Brother Ali

Born 1977

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0035 SKATER

Connie Carpenter-Phinney

Born 1957

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0036 LAWYER

Kris Kobach

Born 1966

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0037 ACTOR

Nick Eversman

Born 1986

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0038 BASEBALL

Pat Neshek

Born 1980

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0039 ECONOMIST

John A. List

Born 1968

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0040 SKATER

Peter Mueller (speed skater)

Born 1954

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0041 SINGER

Hasil Adkins

1937 - 2005

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0042 ENGINEER

Bradford Parkinson

Born 1935

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0043 SWIMMER

Jim Montgomery (swimmer)

Born 1955

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0044 HOCKEY

Ryan Suter

Born 1985

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0045 ACTOR

Mary Hart

Born 1950

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0046 COMIC

Frederick Burr Opper

1857 - 1937

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0047 WRITER

Frederic Prokosch

1906 - 1989

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0048 POLITICIAN

Richard Lamm

Born 1935

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0049 HOCKEY

Gary Suter

Born 1964

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0050 SKATER

Casey FitzRandolph

Born 1975

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0051 DRUMMER

Scott Phillips (musician)

Born 1973

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0052 FOOTBALL

LeGarrette Blount

Born 1986

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0053 POLITICIAN

Julius Albert Krug

1907 - 1970

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0054 ACTOR

Linda Wallem

Born 1961

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0055 POLITICIAN

Philip La Follette

1897 - 1965

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0056 MUSIC

Eddie Trunk

Born 1964

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0057 BASEBALL

Kid Nichols

1869 - 1953

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0058 SURGEON

Lewis Sayre

1820 - 1900

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0059 FILM

Bruce Wagner

Born 1954

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0060 SAXOPHONIST

John Jorgenson

Born 1956

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0061 PRIEST

Matthew Fox (priest)

Born 1940

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0062 HOCKEY

Nick Schmaltz

Born 1996

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0063 SCREENWRITER

Michael Brandt

Born 1968

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0064 BASKET

Reece Gaines

Born 1981

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0065 SCREENWRITER

Meredith Stiehm

Born 1969

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0066 ACTOR

Chris Tallman

Born 1970

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0067 HOCKEY

Jack Skille

Born 1987

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0068 FOOTBALL

Lindsay Tarpley

Born 1983

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0069 COMICS

Steve Rude

Born 1956

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0070 BASKET

Levi Randolph

Born 1992

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0071 HOCKEY

Craig Smith (ice hockey)

Born 1989

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0072 CURLER

Matt Hamilton (curler)

Born 1989

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0073 ACTOR

Tate Ellington

Born 1979

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0074 NOVELIST

Armitage Trail

1902 - 1930

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0075 CARTOONIST

Mike Baron

Born 1949

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0076 ACTIVIST

Annie Laurie Gaylor

Born 1955

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0077 FILM

Nick Grinde

1893 - 1979

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0078 PHYSICIST

August Herman Pfund

1879 - 1949

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0079 COMPOSER

Lee Hoiby

1926 - 2011

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0080 SINGER

Max Carl

Born 1950

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0081 ACTOR

Leigh Zimmerman

Born 1969

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0082 CHOREOGRAPHER

Karole Armitage

Born 1954

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0083 HOCKEY

Adam Burish

Born 1983

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0084 HOCKEY

Amanda Kessel

Born 1991

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0085 ACTOR

Ian Nelson (actor, born 1982)

Born 1982

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0086 ACTOR

Tohoru Masamune

Born 1956

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0087 WRITER

Edward Irenaeus Prime-Stevenson

1858 - 1942

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0088 ACTOR

Willard Waterman

1914 - 1995

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0089 POLITICIAN

Theodore Christianson

1883 - 1948

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0090 MATHEMATICIAN

Max Mason

1877 - 1961

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0091 POLITICIAN

Clyde H. Smith

1876 - 1940

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0092 POET

Amos Wilder

1895 - 1993

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0093 MANAGER

Noah Dietrich

1889 - 1982

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0094 CHESS

Awonder Liang

Born 2003

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0095 BASKET

Maurice Baker

Born 1979

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0096 HOCKEY

Bob Suter

1957 - 2014

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0097 BASKET

Keaton Nankivil

Born 1989

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0098 ACADEMIC

John M. Dillon

Born 1939

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0099 HOCKEY

Brad Winchester

Born 1981

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0100 COMPOSER

Scott Johnson (composer)

Born 1952

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0101 COMPOSER

Fred Lerdahl

Born 1943

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0102 ACTOR

Michael Cole (actor)

Born 1945

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0103 POLITICIAN

Peter Early

1773 - 1817

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0104 FOOTBALL

Jordan Matthews

Born 1992

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0105 ATHLETIC

Eugene Luther Vidal

1895 - 1969

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0106 MILITAR

Colin Kelly

1915 - 1941

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0107 ACTOR

John Farley (actor)

Born 1968

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0108 CURLER

Becca Hamilton

Born 1990

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0109 ESSAYIST

Minot Judson Savage

1841 - 1918

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0110 BASKET

Donnie Freeman

Born 1944

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0111 POLITICAL SCIENTIST

Gary King (political scientist)

Born 1958

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0112 FOOTBALL

Jim Bakken

Born 1940

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0113 SCREENWRITER

J. D. Walsh (actor)

Born 1974

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0114 FOOTBALL

Gale Gillingham

1944 - 2011

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0115 ECOLOGIST

Pamela Matson

Born 1953

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0116 ACTOR

Charles Willis Lane

1869 - 1945

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0117 ACTOR

Taylor Louderman

Born 1990

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0118 CURLER

Erika Brown

Born 1973

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0119 HISTORIAN

James Wright (historian)

Born 1939

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0120 ANTHROPOLOGIST

E. Adamson Hoebel

1906 - 1993

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0121 FOOTBALL

Chris Thompson (running back)

Born 1990

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0122 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Drew McDermott

Born 1949

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0123 HISTORIAN

Alfred E. Senn

1932 - 2016

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0124 POLITICIAN

Louis J. Brann

1876 - 1948

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0125 MATHEMATICIAN

Daniel Kane (mathematician)

Born 1986

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0126 VIDEO GAME

David Brevik

Born 1968

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0127 OFFICER

Robert A. Rushworth

1924 - 1993

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0128 BASKET

Tom Nissalke

1932 - 2019

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0129 SCHOLAR

Barbara Lerner Spectre

Born 1942

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0130 HOCKEY

Kevin Dean (ice hockey)

Born 1969

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0131 SCREENWRITER

Steven Grant

Born 1953

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0132 ACTOR

Sarayu Rao

Born 1975

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0133 ACTOR

Sandra Nelson

Born 1962

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0134 GYMNAST

Lisa Wang

Born 1988

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0135 MUSHER

Libby Riddles

Born 1956

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0136 PLAYER

Jack Waite

Born 1969

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0137 OLYMPIC

Peter Barrett (sailor)

1935 - 2000

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0138 FOOTBALL

George Kittle

Born 1993

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0139 WRITER

Randy Paul Gage

Born 1959

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0140 BIOLOGIST

Richard E. Blackwelder

1909 - 2001

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0141 SWIMMER

Steve Furniss

Born 1952

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0142 SKATER

Dan Immerfall

Born 1955

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0143 BUSINESS

David J. Lesar

Born 1953

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0144 GOVERNOR

Charles N. Herreid

1857 - 1928

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0145 ECONOMIST

Frank Ackerman

1946 - 2019

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0146 ASTRONOMER

George Comstock (astronomer)

1855 - 1934

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0147 SONGWRITER

Billy Edd Wheeler

Born 1932

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0148 MUSIC

John Dalley

Born 1935

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0149 MATHEMATICIAN

Steven Kerckhoff

Born 1952

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0150 ECONOMIST

Sumner Slichter

1892 - 1959

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0151 POLITICIAN

Alexander Duncan (politician)

1788 - 1853

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0152 ENGINEER

Ken Lunde

Born 1965

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0153 COMPOSER

Brent Michael Davids

Born 1959

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0154 SCIENTIST

Norman Uphoff

Born 1940

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0155 ACTOR

Kevin James (pornographic actor)

1954 - 1990

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0156 BIBLE

Titus Coan

1801 - 1881

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0157 GOLF

Sherri Steinhauer

Born 1962

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0158 ROWER

Carie Graves

Born 1953

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0159 CURLER

Nina Roth

Born 1988

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0160 POLITICIAN

Linn Banks

1784 - 1842

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0161 WRESTLER

Russ Hellickson

Born 1948

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0162 ATHLETIC

Clare Jacobs

1886 - 1971

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0163 HOCKEY

Blake Kessel

Born 1989

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0164 BASKET

Steve Green (basketball)

Born 1953

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0165 NOVELIST

Virginia Lanier

1930 - 2003

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0166 LAWYER

Robert Mallory

1815 - 1885

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0167 HOCKEY

Tyler Haskins

Born 1986

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0168 POET

Charlotte Wilder

1898 - 1980

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0169 ATHLETE

Heather Miller

Born 1987

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0170 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Janet D. Spector

1944 - 2011

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0171 ACTOR

Nick Kiriazis

Born 1969

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0172 BOTANIST

Estella Leopold

Born 1927

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0173 DIPLOMAT

John F. Tefft

Born 1949

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0174 SKATER

Mary Docter

Born 1961

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0175 POLITICIAN

Ernest W. Roberts

1858 - 1924

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0176 GEOLOGIST

Konrad Bates Krauskopf

1910 - 2003

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0177 BASEBALL

Cory Riordan

Born 1986

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0178 BASEBALL

Zane Smith

Born 1960

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0179 POLITICIAN

Leonard G. Wolf

1925 - 1970

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0180 SKATER

Sarah Docter

Born 1964

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0181 NOVELIST

Raymond Andrews

1934 - 1991

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0182 HOCKEY

Alex Brooks

Born 1976

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0183 HOCKEY

Jeremy Dehner

Born 1987

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0184 ACTOR

Douglas Evans (actor)

1904 - 1968

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0185 BALLET

Will Mastin

1878 - 1979

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0186 ACTOR

Jenn Korbee

Born 1980

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0187 POLITICIAN

James W. Grant

Born 1943

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0188 OPERA

Mary Cardwell Dawson

1894 - 1962

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0189 POLITICIAN

Albert G. Schmedeman

1864 - 1946

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0190 FOOTBALL

Vincent Valentine (American football)

Born 1994

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0191 LAWYER

George Rublee

1868 - 1957

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0192 LAWYER

Harry Sauthoff

1879 - 1966

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0193 ATHLETE

Joanne Reid

Born 1992

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0194 SAXOPHONIST

Floyd "Candy" Johnson

1922 - 1981

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0195 SCREENWRITER

Paul Manning (TV producer)

1959 - 2005

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0196 NOVELIST

Greg Olear

Born 1972

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0197 BASKET

Paul Cloyd

1920 - 2005

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0198 BUSINESS

Mary Burke

Born 1959

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0199 BOTANIST

Ira Loren Wiggins

1899 - 1987

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0200 GOLF

Jerry Kelly

Born 1966

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0201 SOCIOLOGIST

William Freudenburg

1951 - 2010

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0202 WRITER

William F. Jasper

-

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0203 BASKET

George Ireland

1913 - 2001

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0204 WRITER

James Byron Huggins

Born 1959

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0205 PAINTER

Benny Andrews

1930 - 2006

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0206 POLITICIAN

Charles R. Robertson

1889 - 1951

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0207 FILM

Matt Sloan (voice actor)

Born 1973

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0208 PLAYER

Jeff Nygaard

Born 1972

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0209 POLITICIAN

William T. Schulte

1890 - 1966

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0210 PHYSICIST

David E. Aspnes

Born 1939

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0211 POLITICIAN

Robert Stell Heflin

1815 - 1901

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0212 BASKET

Shaka Smart

Born 1977

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0213 LAWYER

Seaborn Reese

1846 - 1907

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0214 POLITICIAN

David R. Paige

1844 - 1901

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0215 FOOTBALL

Rick Neuheisel

Born 1961

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0216 HOCKEY

Marc Behrend

Born 1961

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0217 WRITER

Jessica Nelson North

1891 - 1988

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0218 HOCKEY

Barry Richter

Born 1970

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0219 FOOTBALL

Dave Stalls

Born 1955

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0220 LAWYER

Edward Swann

1862 - 1945

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0221 ASTRONOMER

Samuel Herrick (astronomer)

1911 - 1975

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0222 ARTIST

Don Trachte

1915 - 2005

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0223 ILLUSTRATOR

Jeff Butler

Born 1958

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0224 SWIMMER

Michael Weiss (swimmer)

Born 1991

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0225 DANCER

Jesco White

Born 1956

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0226 PHOTOGRAPHER

Keith Carter (photographer)

Born 1948

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0227 HISTORIAN

Jacob Soll

Born 1968

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0228 CURLER

Craig Brown (curler)

Born 1975

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0229 PHYSICIST

Louis B. Slichter

1896 - 1978

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0230 POLITICIAN

Leonard S. Echols

1871 - 1946

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0231 POLITICIAN

Washington F. Willcox

1834 - 1909

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0232 SKI

Kurt Stein

Born 1970

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0233 FOOTBALL

Jay Norvell

Born 1963

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0234 ACADEMIC

Michael Fellman

1943 - 2012

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0235 MUSIC

Tommy Durden

1919 - 1999

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0236 FOOTBALL

Tyrone Braxton

Born 1964

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0237 SINGER

INOJ

Born 1976

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0238 FOOTBALL

Chris Spencer (American football)

Born 1982

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0239 DERMATOLOGIST

Thomas B. Fitzpatrick

1919 - 2003

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0240 POLO

Charles McCallister

1903 - 1997

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0241 FOOTBALL

Jules Boykoff

Born 1970

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0242 FOOTBALL

Philip Nelson (American football)

Born 1993

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0243 POLITICIAN

Alexander Campbell Botkin

1842 - 1905

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0244 JOURNALIST

Gideon Yago

Born 1978

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0245 POLITICIAN

Stephen A. Cobb

1833 - 1878

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0246 LAWYER

Nathaniel Greene Foster

1809 - 1869

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0247 GOVERNOR

Richard Barrett Lowe

1902 - 1972

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0248 PRODUCER

Leo Sidran

Born 1976

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0249 ARCHITECT

Charles E. Peterson

1906 - 2004

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0250 ACTIVIST

Fola La Follette

1882 - 1970

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0251 SPORT

Jerry Schemmel

Born 1959

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0252 BASKET

B. J. Elder

Born 1982

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0253 FOOTBALL

Paul Chryst

Born 1965

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0254 JOURNALIST

Sonia Nazario

Born 1960

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0255 GOLDSMITH

Abel Buell

1742 - 1822

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0256 FOOTBALL

Sammy Winder

Born 1959

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0257 JUDGE

James B. Loken

Born 1940

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0258 SINGER

Tracy Nelson (singer)

Born 1944

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0259 DANCER

Barbara Browning

Born 1961

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0260 LAWYER

Leslie Joyce Abrams

Born 1974

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0261 POLITICIAN

Craig Hickman

Born 1967

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0262 SPORT

Robert Schneider (cyclist)

Born 1944

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0263 PHOTOGRAPHER

Peter Goin

Born 1951

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0264 JOURNALIST

Jessica Smith (editor)

1895 - 1983

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0265 ASSEMBLY

Gary Hebl

Born 1951

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0266 FOOTBALL

Gordon King

Born 1956

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0267 PRODUCER

DJ Pain 1

Born 1983

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0268 SINGER

Nick Hexum

Born 1971

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0269 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Lauriston Sharp

1907 - 1993

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0270 WRITER

Anne-Marie O'Connor

Born 1959

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0271 BASKET

Will Hudson

Born 1989

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0272 ROWER

Jackie Zoch

Born 1949

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0273 SINGER

Hobo Jim

Born 1952

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0274 LAWYER

Robin Davis

Born 1956

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0275 ART HISTORIAN

Howard Hibbard

1928 - 1984

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0276 POLITICIAN

Jennifer Gale

1960 - 2008

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0277 ACTOR

Aaron Yonda

Born 1973

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0278 MUSIC

Joe Schermie

1946 - 2002

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0279 PRODUCER

The Audible Doctor

Born 1984

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0280 SINGER

Graham Lindsey

Born 1978

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0281 ROWER

Victoria Opitz

Born 1988

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0282 MUSIC

Thomas Thorn

Born 1964

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0283 RUNNER

Christo Landry

Born 1986

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0284 SONGWRITER

Jimmy Davis (songwriter)

1915 - 1997

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0285 ACTOR

Dominic Zhai

Born 1990

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0286 BASEBALL

Pat Richter

Born 1941

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0287 BUSINESS

Melissa Sargent

Born 1969

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0288 ARTIST

Andrew Swant

Born 1976

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0289 ACADEMIC

Thomas G. Pullen

1898 - 1979

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0290 FOOTBALL

Stu Voigt

Born 1948

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0291 PHYSICIAN

Jay P. Sanford

1928 - 1996

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0292 ACTOR

George Brasno

1911 - 1982

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0293 MILITAR

Joseph L. Hogg

1806 - 1862

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0294 ACTOR

Sandy Dempsey

1949 - 1975

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0295 BASKET

Jeronne Maymon

Born 1991

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0296 ACTOR

Lane Bradbury

Born 1938

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0297 SCIENTIST

Eric Goldman

Born 1968

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0298 BASEBALL

Mike Gosling

Born 1980

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0299 FOOTBALL

Jesse Solomon

Born 1963

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0300 POLITICIAN

Rick Weiland

Born 1958

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