41.7866° N, 71.5578° W

PROVIDENCE

Most Famous People Born in Providence, United States

Notable people
736
Peak decade
1940s
Median birth year
1927
Most distinctive
Bank 5.8×

Providence's Bank bench is what's left of the old Rhode Island mercantile and textile fortunes that built Federal Hill and the Brown family empire, with a Lawyer class drawn from the same patrician pipeline. The Baseball count reaches back to the Providence Grays of the 1880s, while a modern RISD-and-Brown creative vein runs through the Music and Screenwriter lines — Damien Chazelle and a thick seam of film composers.

Through the Decades

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

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1940s with 86 notable births.

What Providence Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Politician is Providence's biggest profession — 16% of all notables (116).

Providence over-indexes on bank5.8× the global rate.

Providence under-produces football — only 0.3× the global rate.

  1. Politician116
  2. Lawyer54
  3. Actor50
  4. Baseball39
  5. Football22
  6. Music20
  7. Writer17
  8. Painter17
  1. Bank75.8×
  2. Baseball394.7×
  3. Lawyer544.2×
  4. Boxer82.7×
  5. Officer112.3×
  6. Screenwriter72.2×
  7. Diplomat92.1×
  8. Music201.9×
  1. Football220.3×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

1700175018001850190019502000
  • Politics & Law
  • Sports
  • Film & TV
  • Writing
  • Music
  • Science
  • Other
All736
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736 notable people

0001 NOVELIST

H. P. Lovecraft

1890 - 1937

Preview
0002 NOVELIST

Cormac McCarthy

Born 1933

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0003 FILM

Damien Chazelle

Born 1985

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0004 ACTOR

Marilyn Chambers

1952 - 2009

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0005 COMPOSER

Bill Conti

Born 1942

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0006 SINGER

George M. Cohan

1878 - 1942

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0007 PSYCHIATRIST

Aaron T. Beck

Born 1921

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0008 POLITICIAN

Pat Toomey

Born 1961

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0009 SINGER

Nelson Eddy

1901 - 1967

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0010 SCREENWRITER

Josh Schwartz

Born 1976

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0011 SCREENWRITER

Brian Helgeland

Born 1961

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0012 ACTOR

David Hedison

1927 - 2019

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0013 COMPOSER

Dr. Luke

Born 1973

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0014 ACTOR

Ruth Hussey

1911 - 2005

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0015 ACTOR

Nicholas Colasanto

1924 - 1985

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0016 ACTOR

Jason Marsden

Born 1975

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0017 PHILOSOPHER

Stanley Fish

Born 1938

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0018 SINGER

Blu Cantrell

Born 1976

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0019 ACTOR

Alice Drummond

1928 - 2016

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0020 ECONOMIST

John Bates Clark

1847 - 1938

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0021 ACTOR

Spalding Gray

1941 - 2004

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0022 ACTOR

Shanna Moakler

Born 1975

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0023 POLITICIAN

Jack Reed (Rhode Island politician)

Born 1949

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0024 LAWYER

Stephen Hopkins (politician)

1707 - 1785

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0025 POLITICIAN

John Chafee

1922 - 1999

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0026 ACTOR

Robert Capron

Born 1998

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0027 FOOTBALL

Michael Parkhurst

Born 1984

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0028 ACTOR

Kirsten Price (actress)

Born 1981

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0029 ARTIST

David Mazzucchelli

Born 1960

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0030 POLITICIAN

David Cicilline

Born 1961

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0031 WRITER

Grace Lee Boggs

1915 - 2015

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0032 JOCKEY

Pauly D

Born 1980

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0033 POLITICIAN

James Langevin

Born 1964

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0034 TEACHER

Henry Giroux

Born 1943

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0035 ACTOR

Andy On

Born 1976

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0036 FILM

David S. Ward

Born 1945

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0037 POET

Sarah Helen Whitman

1803 - 1878

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0038 MUSIC

Jeffrey Osborne

Born 1948

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0039 SAXOPHONIST

Scott Hamilton (musician)

Born 1954

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0040 MUSIC

Bobby Hackett

1915 - 1976

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0041 ACTOR

Tony Tedeschi

Born 1964

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0042 POET

Galway Kinnell

1927 - 2014

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0043 AUTHOR

John W. Dower

Born 1938

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0044 SCULPTOR

Lee Bontecou

Born 1931

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0045 AUTHOR

Paula Vogel

Born 1951

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0046 HOUSEWIFE

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller

1874 - 1948

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0047 ACTOR

Peter Gerety

Born 1940

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0048 MUSIC

Frankie Carle

1903 - 2001

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0049 RAPPER

Mapei (musician)

Born 1983

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0050 BASEBALL

Paul Konerko

Born 1976

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0051 BUSINESS

James McNerney

Born 1949

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0052 WRESTLER

Spike Dudley

Born 1970

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0053 SINGER

Vini Poncia

Born 1942

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0054 WRITER

Edwin O'Connor

1918 - 1968

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0055 FILM

Jane Rosenthal

Born 1956

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0056 ACTOR

Otis Young

1932 - 2001

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0057 MOUNTAINEER

Annie Smith Peck

1850 - 1935

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0058 ORNITHOLOGIST

John Cassin

1813 - 1869

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0059 POLITICIAN

Theodore F. Green

1867 - 1966

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0060 ART DIRECTOR

Grant Wilson

Born 1974

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0061 JOURNALIST

Elias Abu Shabaki

1903 - 1947

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0062 AUTHOR

George Schuyler

1895 - 1977

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0063 PLAYER

Jill Craybas

Born 1974

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0064 DIPLOMAT

Jonathan Russell

1771 - 1832

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0065 POET

Ted Berrigan

1934 - 1983

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0066 FILM

Don Carmody

Born 1951

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0067 ACTOR

Jayme Langford

Born 1987

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0068 PHILOSOPHY

Sam Berns

1996 - 2014

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0069 PSYCHIATRIST

Clara Thompson

1893 - 1958

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0070 ASTRONOMER

Lewis Boss

1846 - 1912

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0071 COMPOSER

Alvin Curran

Born 1938

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0072 ACTOR

Mark Famiglietti

Born 1979

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0073 HOCKEY

Kacey Bellamy

Born 1987

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0074 SCREENWRITER

Chris Sparling

Born 1977

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0075 BASKET

Ricky Ledo

Born 1992

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0076 MUSIC

Jesse Leach

Born 1978

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0077 BASEBALL

Chris Iannetta

Born 1983

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0078 ANIMATOR

Monty Oum

1981 - 2015

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0079 PAINTER

Ellen Gallagher

Born 1965

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0080 WRITER

Georges Polti

1867 - 1946

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0081 PAINTER

William Congdon

1912 - 1998

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0082 ACTOR

Master Juba

1825 - 1852

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0083 POLITICIAN

John Pastore

1907 - 2000

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0084 COMPOSER

Ben Weisman

1921 - 2007

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0085 ACTOR

Margaret Ladd

Born 1942

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0086 PAINTER

George Hitchcock (artist)

1850 - 1913

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0087 SKATER

Marissa Castelli

Born 1990

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0088 HISTORIAN

Glen Bowersock

Born 1936

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0089 POLITICIAN

Bruce Sundlun

1920 - 2011

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0090 BOXER

Demetrius Andrade

Born 1988

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0091 MUSIC

Carol Sloane

Born 1937

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0092 LAWYER

Henry Wheaton

1785 - 1848

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0093 BASKET

Marvin Barnes

1952 - 2014

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0094 ACTOR

Ron McLarty

1947 - 2020

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0095 DIPLOMAT

Frederic M. Sackett

1868 - 1941

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0096 ASTRONOMER

George B. Field

Born 1929

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0097 PAINTER

Dodge MacKnight

1860 - 1950

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0098 HOCKEY

Keith Carney

Born 1970

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0099 PLAYER

Jared Donaldson

Born 1996

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0100 ENGINEER

Robert Henry Thurston

1839 - 1903

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0101 SINGER

David Blue (musician)

1941 - 1982

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0102 TEACHER

Helen Magill White

1853 - 1944

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0103 ACTOR

Christopher Stanley

Born 1965

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0104 ACTOR

Amy Van Nostrand

Born 1953

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0105 HISTORIAN

John Russell Bartlett

1805 - 1886

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0106 HOCKEY

Lou Lamoriello

Born 1942

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0107 POLITICIAN

Dwight Foster (1757–1823)

1757 - 1823

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0108 FILM

Gilbert Pratt

1892 - 1954

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0109 ACTOR

Richard Hart (actor)

1915 - 1951

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0110 PHYSICIST

Walter Guyton Cady

1874 - 1974

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0111 ART HISTORIAN

J. Carter Brown

1934 - 2002

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0112 DIPLOMAT

Leonard Woodcock

1911 - 2001

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0113 POLITICIAN

John Brown (Rhode Island)

1736 - 1803

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0114 SINGER

Jon B.

Born 1974

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0115 SINGER

Freddie Scott

1933 - 2007

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0116 COMPOSER

Joseph J. Lilley

1913 - 1971

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0117 PRODUCER

AraabMuzik

Born 1989

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0118 LAWYER

Thomas E. Donilon

Born 1955

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0119 HOCKEY

Chris Terreri

Born 1964

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0120 POLITICIAN

John H. Clifford

1809 - 1876

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0121 POLITICIAN

Nicholas Cooke

1717 - 1782

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0122 SINGER

David Olney

1948 - 2020

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0123 POLITICIAN

Philip Allen (politician)

1785 - 1865

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0124 POLITICIAN

Henry Lippitt

1818 - 1891

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0125 POLITICIAN

James Fenner

1771 - 1846

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0126 ARMY

Francis Vinton Greene

1850 - 1921

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0127 SINGER

Lisa Papineau

Born 1950

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0128 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Peter Wegner

1932 - 2017

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0129 POLITICIAN

Samuel G. Arnold

1821 - 1880

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0130 HOCKEY

Brian Burke (ice hockey)

Born 1955

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0131 INDUSTRIALIST

Moses Brown

1738 - 1836

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0132 PHILOSOPHER

George Boas

1891 - 1980

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0133 SCREENWRITER

Don McGregor

Born 1945

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0134 PRIEST

Robert F. Taft

1932 - 2018

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0135 POLITICIAN

Jesse H. Metcalf

1860 - 1942

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0136 COMPOSER

Peter Boyer

Born 1970

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0137 FILM

Eugene Forde

1898 - 1986

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0138 SCIENTIST

Richard H. Bube

1927 - 2018

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0139 COMPOSER

Irving Gertz

1915 - 2008

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0140 ATHLETIC

Norman Taber

1891 - 1952

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0141 POLITICIAN

Charles W. Lippitt

1846 - 1924

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0142 OFFICER

Abraham Whipple

1733 - 1819

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0143 DANCER

Marian Chace

1896 - 1970

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0144 ACTOR

Claudia Jordan

Born 1973

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0145 POLITICIAN

Arthur Fenner

1745 - 1805

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0146 PSYCHOLOGIST

Jennifer Freyd

Born 1957

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0147 POLITICIAN

Elisha Dyer

1811 - 1890

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0148 POLITICIAN

John E. Fogarty

1913 - 1967

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0149 MUSIC

Joe Maini

1930 - 1964

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0150 MUSIC

Andrew Sega

Born 1975

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0151 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Russell Impagliazzo

Born 1963

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0152 BOXER

Peter Manfredo Jr.

Born 1980

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0153 PLAYER

Beverly Baker Fleitz

1930 - 2014

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0154 OFFICER

Frank Wheaton

1833 - 1903

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0155 PAINTER

Elizabeth Okie Paxton

1877 - 1971

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0156 FOOTBALL

Bill Osmanski

1915 - 1996

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0157 BASKET

Joe Hassett

Born 1955

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0158 JOURNALIST

Jane Kramer

Born 1938

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0159 POLITICIAN

James Burrill Jr.

1772 - 1820

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0160 WORKER

Martha Sharp

1905 - 1999

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0161 ACTOR

Eddie Gorodetsky

Born 1956

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0162 PSYCHOLOGIST

David C. Geary

Born 1957

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0163 NEUROLOGIST

Rudolph E. Tanzi

Born 1958

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0164 POLITICIAN

Henry F. Lippitt

1856 - 1933

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0165 POLITICIAN

Robert J. Healey

1957 - 2016

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0166 ROWER

Harriet Metcalf

Born 1958

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0167 POLITICIAN

Norman S. Case

1888 - 1967

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0168 TYPOGRAPHER

Daniel Berkeley Updike

1860 - 1941

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0169 BOXER

Jason Estrada

Born 1980

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0170 BASEBALL

Rick Lancellotti

Born 1956

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0171 SCULPTOR

Jackie Brookner

1945 - 2015

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0172 PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Lilly Kilvert

Born 1950

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0173 DRAMA

George Pierce Baker

1866 - 1935

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0174 NOVELIST

Robert N. Charrette

Born 1953

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0175 MILITAR

William C. Chase

1895 - 1986

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0176 FOOTBALL

Will Blackmon

Born 1984

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0177 SONGWRITER

Dawaun Parker

Born 1984

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0178 ATHLETIC

Edward Payson Weston

1839 - 1929

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0179 ENGINEER

Blaise Agüera y Arcas

Born 1975

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0180 OFFICER

Richard Arnold (general)

1828 - 1882

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0181 POLITICIAN

J. Joseph Garrahy

1930 - 2012

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0182 POLITICIAN

Augustus O. Bourn

1834 - 1925

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0183 WRITER

Edith Pearlman

Born 1936

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0184 SOCIOLOGIST

James W. Carey

1934 - 2006

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0185 FILM

Michael Kang (director)

Born 1970

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0186 JOURNALIST

Max Holland

Born 1950

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0187 PROFESSOR

Katharine Cashman

Born 1954

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0188 LAWYER

Jabez Bowen

1739 - 1815

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0189 GOVERNOR

William W. Hoppin

1807 - 1880

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0190 WRITER

Joan Nathan

Born 1943

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0191 POLITICIAN

Robert Tiernan

1929 - 2014

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0192 HISTORIAN

Gavriel David Rosenfeld

Born 1967

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0193 POLITICIAN

Allan Fung

Born 1970

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0194 POLITICIAN

Dennis J. Roberts

1903 - 1994

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0195 RADIO

Dicky Barrett

Born 1964

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0196 PAINTER

R. H. Ives Gammell

1893 - 1981

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0197 ACTOR

Maggie Han

Born 1959

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0198 ATHLETE

Annelies Cook

Born 1984

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0199 POLITICIAN

Charles D. Kimball

1859 - 1930

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0200 PSYCHOLOGIST

Robert Glaser

1921 - 2012

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0201 HOCKEY

Clark Donatelli

Born 1965

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0202 SKATER

Dudley Richards

1932 - 1961

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0203 LAWYER

Zachariah Allen

1795 - 1882

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0204 ACTOR

Bruce MacVittie

Born 1956

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0205 ASTRONOMER

James F. Bell, III

Born 1965

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0206 PHARMACOLOGIST

William A. Catterall

Born 1946

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0207 DIPLOMAT

Christopher Robinson (Rhode Island)

1806 - 1889

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0208 LINGUIST

William G. Moulton

1914 - 2000

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0209 HAMMER THROWER

Robert Bennett (athlete)

1919 - 1974

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0210 PSYCHOLOGIST

Ogden Lindsley

1922 - 2004

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0211 MUSIC

Richard Aldrich (music critic)

1863 - 1937

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0212 POLITICIAN

Elisha Dyer Jr.

1839 - 1906

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0213 POLITICIAN

Jeremiah B. Howell

1771 - 1822

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0214 POET

Catharine R. Williams

1787 - 1872

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0215 POLITICIAN

Jorge Elorza

Born 1976

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0216 POLITICIAN

Gordon Fox

Born 1961

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0217 PRIEST

Kenneth Angell

1930 - 2016

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0218 ARTIST

Alicia Austin

Born 1942

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0219 ACTOR

Sandra Peabody

Born 1952

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0220 BASEBALL

Bill Almon

Born 1952

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0221 ARTIST

Mary Gregory

1856 - 1908

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0222 PUBLISHER

Donald M. Grant

1927 - 2009

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0223 PRIEST

Robert Joseph McManus

Born 1951

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0224 POLITICIAN

Daniel L. D. Granger

1852 - 1909

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0225 GOVERNOR

Charles Jackson (Rhode Island)

1797 - 1876

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0226 ACTOR

Taaffe O'Connell

Born 1951

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0227 POLITICIAN

Christopher C. Bowen

1832 - 1880

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0228 LAWYER

Emery D. Potter

1804 - 1896

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0229 LAWYER

Jonathan Arnold

1741 - 1793

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0230 LAWYER

Frank Licht

1916 - 1987

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0231 LAWYER

Zechariah Chafee

1885 - 1957

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0232 SONGWRITER

C. M. Eddy Jr.

1896 - 1967

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0233 MERCHANT

Nicholas Brown Sr.

1729 - 1791

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0234 LAWYER

Lewis E. Payson

1840 - 1909

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0235 ACTOR

Brianne Leary

Born 1957

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0236 LAWYER

Christopher Del Sesto

1907 - 1973

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0237 BUSINESS

Nicholas Brown Jr.

1769 - 1841

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0238 JOURNALIST

Joe Nocera

Born 1952

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0239 PRIEST

Salvatore Ronald Matano

Born 1946

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0240 ASTRONOMER

Gordon Pettengill

Born 1926

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0241 ACTOR

Marcia Harris

1880 - 1947

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0242 SPORT

Alvin Loftes

1891 - 1971

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0243 SCREENWRITER

Albert DeMond

1901 - 1973

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0244 BASKET

Owen Wells (basketball)

1950 - 1993

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0245 SINGER

Erika Van Pelt

Born 1985

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0246 POLITICIAN

Edward Beard

Born 1940

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0247 HOCKEY

Tim Army

Born 1963

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0248 ECONOMIST

Henry B. Gardner

1863 - 1939

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0249 ARCHITECT

J. Cleaveland Cady

1837 - 1919

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0250 POLITICIAN

William Sprague (Michigan)

1809 - 1868

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0251 WRITER

Don D'Ammassa

Born 1946

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0252 DIPLOMAT

Winthrop W. Aldrich

1885 - 1974

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0253 BASKET

Ken McDonald (basketball)

Born 1970

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0254 PHILOLOGIST

Robert D. Lamberton

Born 1943

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0255 POLITICIAN

Grattan H. Wheeler

1783 - 1852

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0256 MUSIC

Richie Barshay

Born 1983

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0257 SURGEON

William Seaman Bainbridge

1870 - 1947

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0258 PAINTER

Mabel May Woodward

1877 - 1945

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0259 POLITICIAN

Henry J. Spooner

1839 - 1918

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0260 LAWYER

Alexis Caswell Angell

1857 - 1932

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0261 POLITICIAN

Thomas Wilson Dorr

1805 - 1854

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0262 PRELATE

Daniel Patrick Reilly

Born 1928

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0263 POLITICIAN

Henry Smith (Rhode Island)

1766 - 1818

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0264 POLITICIAN

Thomas B. Dunn

1853 - 1924

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0265 LAWYER

John S. McKiernan

1911 - 1997

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0266 FOOTBALL

Deon Anderson

Born 1983

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0267 ECONOMIST

Carl C. Plehn

1867 - 1945

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0268 PAEDIATRICIAN

Morris A. Wessel

1917 - 2016

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0269 WRESTLER

Short Sleeve Sampson

Born 1973

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0270 WRITER

Bob Olsen

1884 - 1956

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0271 RACING

Jennifer Murray

Born 1940

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0272 BASKET

Ed Cooley

Born 1969

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0273 POLITICIAN

John A. Notte Jr.

1909 - 1983

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0274 MUSIC

George Crum (musician)

1926 - 2007

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0275 WRESTLER

Veda Scott

Born 1984

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0276 POLITICIAN

Harry Sandager

1887 - 1955

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0277 LITERARY

David S. Reynolds

Born 1948

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0278 DEPUTY

Elisha Brown

1717 - 1802

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0279 BASKET

Earl Shannon

1921 - 2002

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0280 CHEF

Wylie Dufresne

Born 1970

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0281 POLITICIAN

Elisha Jenkins

1772 - 1849

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0282 HISTORIAN

John M. Barry

Born 1947

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0283 METEOROLOGIST

Joe Bastardi

Born 1955

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0284 PRIEST

Bernard Matthew Kelly

1918 - 2006

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0285 ACTOR

Will Mackenzie

Born 1938

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0286 ASTRONOMER

Joseph Brown (astronomer)

1733 - 1785

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0287 BANK

Samuel May Williams

1795 - 1858

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0288 ACTIVIST

Elizabeth Buffum Chace

1806 - 1899

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0289 BASEBALL

Lou Gorman

1929 - 2011

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0290 RAPPER

B. Dolan

Born 1981

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0291 DIPLOMAT

Henry J. Tasca

1912 - 1979

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0292 ROWER

Charles Clapp (rower)

Born 1959

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0293 LAWYER

Elias Keyes

1758 - 1844

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0294 LEXICOGRAPHER

Eliza Grew Jones

1803 - 1838

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0295 CONSUL

Nicholas Brown III

1792 - 1859

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0296 PRIEST

Michael James Dempsey

1912 - 1996

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0297 LAWYER

Bruce M. Selya

Born 1934

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0298 HOCKEY

Jack Ferreira

Born 1944

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0299 POLITICIAN

William Cahoon

1774 - 1833

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0300 POLITICIAN

Nehemiah Knight

1746 - 1808

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