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

0601 COACH

William Penn Bates

1879 - 1956

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0602 BASEBALL

Joe Trimble

1930 - 2011

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0603 BASEBALL

Charlie Reilley

1856 - 1904

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0604 POLITICIAN

Joanne Giannini

Born 1953

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0605 MISSING

Walter H. Reynolds

1901 - 1987

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0606 BASEBALL

Edgar Smith (pitcher)

1862 - 1892

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0607 POLITICIAN

Amos C. Barstow

1813 - 1894

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0608 BASEBALL

John Cattanach

1863 - 1926

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0609 MUSIC

Feliciano Vierra Tavares

1920 - 2008

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0610 MERCHANT

Joseph Whipple

1662 - 1746

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0611 MERCHANT

Albert Martin (soldier)

1808 - 1836

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0612 CORRESPONDENT

David Kestenbaum

Born 1969

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0613 ACTOR

John McGovern (Schauspieler)

1902 - 1985

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0614 FOOTBALL

Dave Viti

Born 1939

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0615 DRIVER

Matt Plumb

Born 1974

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0616 ACTOR

Ogarita Booth Henderson

1859 - 1892

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0617 POLITICIAN

Edwin D. McGuinness

1856 - 1901

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0618 BASEBALL

Paddy Greene

1875 - 1934

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0619 HOCKEY

Dick Rondeau

1921 - 1989

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0620 JUSTICE

Victoria Lederberg

1937 - 2002

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0621 MILITAR

John Edwards (American Civil War sailor)

1831 - 1902

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0622 HOCKEY

Robert Gaudreau

Born 1944

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0623 MAYOR

James E. Dunne

1882 - 1942

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0624 CHEMIST

Richard M. Atwater

1844 - 1922

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0625 COACH

Wade Woodworth

1905 - 1992

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0626 RADIO

Pete Sheppard

Born 1967

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0627 POLITICIAN

George E. Barstow

1849 - 1924

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0628 EXECUTIVE

Bruce L. Paisner

Born 1942

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0629 BASEBALL

Dan Sullivan (baseball)

1857 - 1893

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0630 BASEBALL

Marilyn C. Jones

1927 - 2015

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0631 ACTOR

Davina Davis

Born 1995

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0632 BASEBALL

Frank Leoni

Born 1968

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0633 ATHLETIC

Jeff Bannister

Born 1945

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0634 BASEBALL

Artie Clarke

1865 - 1949

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0635 POLITICIAN

Moira Walsh

Born 1990

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0636 BUSINESS

Fred A. Lennon

1905 - 1998

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0637 PRODUCER

Rudy Traylor

1918 - 1992

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0638 BASEBALL

Rod Correia

Born 1967

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0639 LAWYER

Horatio Rogers Jr.

1836 - 1904

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0640 EXECUTIVE

John Shepard III

1886 - 1950

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0641 EDITOR

Edward A. Batchelor

1883 - 1968

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0642 BASEBALL

Hank Morrison

1866 - 1927

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0643 ACTOR

Jonathan Galkin

Born 1972

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0644 MAYOR

Joseph A. Doorley Jr.

Born 1930

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0645 ENVIRONMENTALIST

Bob Hattoy

1950 - 2007

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0646 HISTORIAN

Judith Dupré

-

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0647 POLITICIAN

Ralph Metcalf (Washington politician)

1861 - 1939

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0648 BASEBALL

Dinty Gearin

1897 - 1959

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0649 NAVY

Matthew Gillick

Born 1852

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0650 BASEBALL

Johnny Marcum

1909 - 1984

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0651 SPORT

Joe S. Jackson

1871 - 1936

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0652 POLITICIAN

Edward P. Knowles

1805 - 1881

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0653 BASEBALL

Bill Sullivan (pitcher)

1868 - 1905

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0654 PHILOSOPHER

Felicia Nimue Ackerman

Born 1947

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0655 COACH

Clarence Boston

1917 - 2002

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0656 FOOTBALL

Ira MacIntosh

1903 - 1973

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0657 ACADEMIC

Salvatore D. Morgera

Born 1946

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0658 POLITICIAN

Melvin T. Mason

-

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0659 BASEBALL

Al Kellogg

1886 - 1953

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0660 SONGWRITER

Kelly Padrick

-

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0661 LAWYER

Mary S. McElroy

Born 1965

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0662 FOOTBALL

Phil Price (Canadian football)

Born 1949

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0663 SOLDIER

William B. Avery

1840 - 1894

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0664 MISSING

Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf

1830 - 1895

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0665 FOOTBALL

Walt Slater

1920 - 2012

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0666 LAWYER

Vincent Ragosta

1924 - 2017

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0667 POLITICIAN

Kevin Poirier

Born 1940

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0668 PROFESSOR

Edward Francis Anhalt

Born 1946

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0669 MARTIAL ART

Simeone George Pesare

1939 - 2012

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0670 PHILOLOGIST

Albert Granger Harkness

1856 - 1923

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0671 BASEBALL

Art Hagan

1863 - 1936

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0672 DESIGNER

William Shaw (yacht designer)

Died 2006

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0673 DIPLOMAT

Audri Mukhopadhyay

Born 1974

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0674 LAWYER

Joseph R. Weisberger

1920 - 2012

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0675 PAINTER

Clement Micarelli

1929 - 2008

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0676 POET

George Leite

1920 - 1985

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0677 BANK

Henry J. Steere

1830 - 1889

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0678 LAWYER

John Patrick Hartigan

1887 - 1968

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0679 POLITICIAN

Nathaniel W. Smith

1873 - 1957

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0680 WRESTLER

August Wesley (wrestler)

Born 1972

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0681 METEOROLOGY

Steve Cascione

Born 1954

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0682 BASEBALL

Dennis Driscoll

1862 - 1901

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0683 BASEBALL

Ed Doherty (baseball executive)

1900 - 1971

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0684 BUSINESS

Adam DeGraide

Born 1971

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0685 MAYOR

Joseph H. Gainer

1878 - 1945

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0686 OFFICER

William Ames (militaire)

1842 - 1914

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0687 LAWYER

Louis W. Cappelli

1894 - 1966

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0688 GUITAR

Al Hawkes

1930 - 2018

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0689 LAWYER

Robert Alexander Inch

1873 - 1961

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0690 ARCHITECT

Edward Angell

1847 - 1923

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0691 ARTS

Steven Libman

Born 1959

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0692 POLITICIAN

John Bucklin

1773 - 1844

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0693 FOOTBALL

Bill Connor (American football)

1899 - 1980

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0694 BASEBALL

Barbara Liebrich

1922 - 2006

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0695 LAWYER

John F. Collins (mayor of Providence)

1872 - 1962

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0696 LAWYER

Arthur Lewis Brown

1854 - 1928

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0697 BUSINESS

Willem Van Lancker

Born 1987

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0698 BASEBALL

Joe Flynn (baseball)

1861 - 1933

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0699 LAWYER

David Jagolinzer

-

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0700 JEWELLERY DESIGNER

Paige Jansen-Nichols

-

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0701 PUBLISHER

Thomas L. Dunne

Born 1946

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0702 POLITICIAN

John C. Revens Jr.

Born 1947

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0703 LAWYER

Leonard Decof

1924 - 2010

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0704 LAWYER

Stanford Newel

1839 - 1907

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0705 BISHOP

Frederick Burgess

1853 - 1925

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0706 LAWYER

Raymond James Pettine

1912 - 2003

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0707 LAWYER

Francis Joseph Boyle

1927 - 2006

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0708 LIEUTENANT

Leonard Holland

1916 - 1999

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0709 MILITAR

Francis E. Ormsbee Jr.

1892 - 1936

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0710 FOOTBALL

Courtland Pollard

1899 - 1977

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0711 ARTIST

Lily Stockman

Born 1982

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0712 POLITICIAN

Judith Spang

Born 1946

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0713 ACTOR

Daniel Sully

1855 - 1910

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0714 POLITICIAN

Ray Fogarty

1957 - 2018

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0715 MILITAR

Gerald F. Russell

1916 - 2014

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0716 POLITICIAN

William O. Head

1859 - 1931

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0717 JUDGE

Thomas H. Roberts

1902 - 1976

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0718 SOLDIER

Benjamin H. Child

1843 - 1902

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0719 BASEBALL

Anita Foss

Born 1921

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0720 JOURNALIST

John C. Quinn

1925 - 2017

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0721 BANK

Elisha Dyer III

1862 - 1917

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0722 BASEBALL

Harry Salisbury

1855 - 1933

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0723 COLLECTOR

Joseph H. Crawford Jr.

Born 1932

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0724 MEDIA

Robert M. Hall

1909 - 1998

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0725 BASEBALL

Jim Hanley

1885 - 1961

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0726 WRITER

Henry L. P. Beckwith Jr.

Born 1935

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0727 FOOTBALL

Irving O. Hunt

1878 - 1951

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0728 MANAGER

William A. Dyer

1902 - 1993

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0729 BUSINESS

Henry Howell Williams

1796 - 1873

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0730 TOCHTER

Agnes Hoppin

1874 - 1898

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0731 POLITICIAN

Cynthia Chase

Born 1943

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0732 POLITICIAN

Oliver B. Munroe

Born 1856

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0733 HISTORIAN

Edward Manning Ruttenber

1825 - 1907

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0734 LAWYER

Samuel Ames (jurist)

1806 - 1865

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0735 MISSING

Mary Parker Dascomb

1842 - 1917

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0736 POLITICIAN

J. Clement Cicilline

Born 1940

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