42.2575° N, 87.8760° W

SALEM

Most Famous People Born in Salem, United States

Notable people
471
Peak decade
1950s
Median birth year
1899
Most distinctive
Librarian 14.5×
Through the Decades

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

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1950s with 36 notable births.

What Salem Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Politician is Salem's biggest profession — 18% of all notables (84).

Salem over-indexes on librarian14.5× the global rate.

Salem under-produces football — only 0.6× the global rate.

  1. Politician84
  2. Football33
  3. Lawyer26
  4. Actor21
  5. Baseball20
  6. Writer12
  7. Basket11
  8. Business10
  1. Librarian514.5×
  2. Baseball203.7×
  3. Lawyer263.2×
  4. Judge73.1×
  5. Officer82.6×
  6. Physicist52.5×
  7. Business102.1×
  8. Basket111.9×
  1. Football330.6×
  2. Painter80.7×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

16501700175018001850190019502000
  • Politics & Law
  • Sports
  • Writing
  • Science
  • Film & TV
  • Military
  • Other
All471
Sort By

471 notable people

0001 WRITER

Nathaniel Hawthorne

1804 - 1864

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0002 POLITICIAN

William Jennings Bryan

1860 - 1925

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0003 STATESMAN

John Hay

1838 - 1905

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0004 PHILOSOPHER

John Zerzan

Born 1943

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0005 ACTOR

Justin Kirk

Born 1969

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0006 POLITICIAN

Timothy Pickering

1745 - 1829

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0007 MUSIC

Bill Laswell

Born 1955

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0008 HISTORIAN

William H. Prescott

1796 - 1859

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0009 NOVELIST

Gardner Dozois

1947 - 2018

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0010 BASEBALL

Sparky Anderson

1934 - 2010

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0011 MATHEMATICIAN

Nathaniel Bowditch

1773 - 1838

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0012 POLITICIAN

Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Born 1969

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0013 MATHEMATICIAN

Benjamin Peirce

1809 - 1880

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0014 PROFESSOR

Ernest Fenollosa

1853 - 1908

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0015 ACTOR

Carmella Bing

Born 1981

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0016 FILM

Mike Flanagan (director)

Born 1978

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0017 ACTOR

Kate Nauta

Born 1982

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0018 ECONOMIST

Paul Douglas

1892 - 1976

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0019 POLITICIAN

Seth Moulton

Born 1978

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0020 SCULPTOR

William Wetmore Story

1819 - 1895

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0021 PAINTER

Frank Weston Benson

1862 - 1951

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0022 MILITAR

Frederick Townsend Ward

1831 - 1862

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0023 WRITER

Patricia A. McKillip

Born 1948

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0024 INVENTION

Thomas A. Watson

1854 - 1934

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0025 POLE VAULTER

Alfred Carlton Gilbert

1884 - 1961

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0026 ACTOR

John Larch

1914 - 2005

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0027 POLITICIAN

Charles L. McNary

1874 - 1944

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0028 WRESTLER

Orlando Jordan

Born 1974

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0029 MYCOLOGIST

Paul Stamets

Born 1955

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0030 POLITICIAN

Jennings Randolph

1902 - 1998

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0031 WRITER

Patrick Carman

Born 1966

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0032 SINGER

Kat Bjelland

Born 1963

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0033 POLITICIAN

Chris Sununu

Born 1974

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0034 HOCKEY

Cory Schneider

Born 1986

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0035 EDITOR

David G. Hartwell

1941 - 2016

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0036 POLITICIAN

Charles W. Bryan

1867 - 1945

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0037 COMPOSER

John Chowning

Born 1934

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0038 COMPOSER

Arthur Foote

1853 - 1937

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0039 POET

Joe Brainard

1942 - 1994

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0040 PAINTER

Sophia Hawthorne

1809 - 1871

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0041 POLITICIAN

Newton Booth

1825 - 1892

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0042 BASEBALL

Jed Lowrie

Born 1984

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0043 MATHEMATICIAN

George Andrews (mathematician)

Born 1938

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0044 POLITICIAN

John F. Tierney

Born 1951

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0045 PASTOR

John Hale (minister)

1636 - 1700

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0046 POLITICIAN

Benjamin Williams Crowninshield

1772 - 1851

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0047 NEUROSCIENTIST

Patricia Goldman-Rakic

1937 - 2003

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0048 ARCHITECT

Theodate Pope Riddle

1867 - 1946

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0049 ACTOR

Kendra Sunderland

Born 1995

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0050 POLITICIAN

William Crowninshield Endicott

1826 - 1900

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0051 PIANIST

Hal Galper

Born 1938

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0052 POLITICIAN

George Cabot

1752 - 1823

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0053 MUSIC

Jim Pepper

1941 - 1992

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0054 NOVELIST

Maria Susanna Cummins

1827 - 1866

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0055 POET

Jones Very

1813 - 1880

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0056 EXPLORER

Jerri Nielsen

1952 - 2009

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0057 INVENTOR

Charles Grafton Page

1812 - 1868

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0058 HISTORIAN

Robert C. Allen

Born 1947

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0059 CARVER

Samuel McIntire

1757 - 1811

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0060 SINGER

Dolora Zajick

Born 1952

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0061 DIPLOMAT

Jacob Hamblin

1819 - 1886

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0062 FOOTBALL

Ryan Allen (American football)

Born 1990

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0063 POLITICIAN

John Allen Campbell

1835 - 1880

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0064 JUDGE

Harley M. Kilgore

1893 - 1956

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0065 ACTOR

Andy Buckley

Born 1965

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0066 CRIMINAL

Randall Woodfield

Born 1950

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0067 LEGISLATURE

Arthur A. Denny

1822 - 1899

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0068 SINGER

Mary Lou Lord

Born 1965

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0069 SKIER

Debbie Armstrong

Born 1963

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0070 POLITICIAN

Benjamin Goodhue

1748 - 1814

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0071 EXPLORER

Frederick W. Lander

1821 - 1862

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0072 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Frederic Ward Putnam

1839 - 1915

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0073 LAWYER

Benjamin H. Brewster

1816 - 1888

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0074 ASTRONAUT

Christopher Cassidy

Born 1970

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0075 EXPLORER

Norman D. Vaughan

1905 - 2005

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0076 NOVELIST

Holly Lisle

Born 1960

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0077 AEROSPACE

Robert Seamans

1918 - 2008

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0078 PHYSICIAN

Sarah Parker Remond

1826 - 1894

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0079 GENETICIST

Theophilus Painter

1889 - 1969

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0080 POLITICIAN

Nathaniel Silsbee

1773 - 1850

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0081 ACTOR

Al Ruscio

1924 - 2013

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0082 ACTOR

Friday (actrice pornographique)

Born 1971

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0083 ACTOR

Leonard Stone

1923 - 2011

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0084 ARCHITECT

Joseph Lyman Silsbee

1848 - 1913

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0085 LAWYER

Joseph Hodges Choate

1832 - 1917

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0086 OFFICER

Robert H. Milroy

1816 - 1890

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0087 PAINTER

Fidelia Bridges

1834 - 1923

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0088 AMBASSADOR

William J. Hughes

1932 - 2019

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0089 BASEBALL

Scott Hatteberg

Born 1969

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0090 WRITER

Laurie Faria Stolarz

Born 1972

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0091 HOCKEY

Zach Sanford

Born 1994

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0092 PAINTER

Alice Barber Stephens

1858 - 1932

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0093 DESIGNER

Kyle Cooper

Born 1962

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0094 POLITICIAN

Jacob Crowninshield

1770 - 1808

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0095 BASEBALL

Austin Bibens-Dirkx

Born 1985

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0096 ACTOR

Kris Slater

Born 1981

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0097 ACTOR

Rose Tapley

1881 - 1956

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0098 ACTOR

Samuel Colt (Pornodarsteller)

Born 1973

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0099 BASKET

Matt Geiger

Born 1969

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0100 POLITICIAN

William H. Bates

1917 - 1969

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0101 AUNT

Harriet Low

1809 - 1877

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0102 BASKET

Josh Davis (basketball, born 1980)

Born 1980

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0103 MERCHANT

Elias Hasket Derby

1739 - 1799

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0104 MARTIAL ART

Pat Healy (fighter)

Born 1983

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0105 FILM

Lisa Hammer

Born 1967

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0106 MISSIONARY

William Alexander Parsons Martin

1827 - 1916

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0107 FOOTBALL

Brian St. Pierre

Born 1979

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0108 COMPOSER

Benjamin Johnson Lang

1837 - 1909

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0109 ACTOR

Reid Shelton

1924 - 1997

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0110 WITCHCRAFT

Dorothy Good

1687 - 1750

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0111 WITNESS

Mary Walcott

1675 - 1719

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0112 POLITICIAN

Alexander G. Cattell

1816 - 1894

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0113 SCULPTOR

John Rogers (sculptor)

1829 - 1904

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0114 BASKET

Everett Dean

1898 - 1993

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0115 ARACHNOLOGIST

James Henry Emerton

1847 - 1931

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0116 JUDGE

John Hathorne

1641 - 1717

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0117 COMPOSER

Frank Perkins (composer)

1908 - 1988

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0118 PHYSICIAN

Stubbins Ffirth

1784 - 1820

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0119 POLITICIAN

Theodore Thurston Geer

1851 - 1924

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0120 MUSIC

Kelly LeMieux

Born 1967

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0121 PAINTER

Charles Osgood (artist)

1809 - 1890

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0122 LIBRARIAN

William Frederick Poole

1821 - 1894

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0123 SETTLER

George Donner

1784 - 1847

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0124 CLERGY

Endicott Peabody (educator)

1857 - 1944

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0125 POLITICIAN

Stephen C. Phillips

1801 - 1857

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0126 PAINTER

Myra Albert Wiggins

1869 - 1956

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0127 WRITER

Marian Babson

Born 1929

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0128 POLITICIAN

Michael J. Harrington

Born 1936

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0129 BASKET

Slats Gill

1901 - 1966

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0130 POLITICIAN

Orchard Cook

1763 - 1819

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0131 POLITICIAN

George J. Bates

1891 - 1949

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0132 JOURNALIST

Richard Rogers Bowker

1848 - 1933

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0133 POLITICIAN

John Pickler

1844 - 1910

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0134 POLITICIAN

Benjamin Pickman Jr.

1763 - 1843

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0135 THEOLOGIAN

Robert L. Saucy

1930 - 2015

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0136 PHOTOGRAPHER

Clifford Coffin (photographer)

1913 - 1972

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0137 PHYSICIST

Gerald Pearson

1905 - 1987

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0138 MILITAR

Albin F. Irzyk

1917 - 2018

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0139 POLITICIAN

Frederick M. Davenport

1866 - 1956

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0140 ASTRONOMER

Frank Washington Very

1852 - 1927

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0141 PRIEST

Richard Joseph Malone

Born 1946

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0142 MODEL

Monique Noel

Born 1967

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0143 EDUCATOR

LeBaron Russell Briggs

1855 - 1934

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0144 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Forman S. Acton

1920 - 2014

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0145 POLITICIAN

Gayton P. Osgood

1797 - 1861

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0146 POLITICIAN

Stephen Palfrey Webb

1804 - 1879

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0147 ROWER

Jonathan Smith (rower)

Born 1961

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0148 ENGINEER

Hoyt C. Hottel

1903 - 1998

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0149 HOCKEY

Will O'Neill

Born 1988

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0150 FOOTBALL

Tyrell Williams

Born 1992

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0151 THEOLOGIAN

James Hardy Ropes

1866 - 1933

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0152 SINGER

Mary Curtis Verna

1921 - 2009

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0153 POLITICIAN

Abraham J. Hostetler

1818 - 1899

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0154 ACTIVIST

Edward Filene

1860 - 1937

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0155 POLITICIAN

Stephen Higginson

1743 - 1828

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0156 PAINTER

John Prentiss Benson

1865 - 1947

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0157 PHYSICIST

Bernard Eastlund

1938 - 2007

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0158 LAWYER

Edith Brown Weiss

Born 1942

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0159 WITCH

Mary Warren

1674 - 1693

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0160 ENGINEER

Henry Ward Poole

1825 - 1890

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0161 GUITAR

Rockette Morton

Born 1949

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0162 POET

Charles Timothy Brooks

1813 - 1883

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0163 POLITICIAN

Charles W. Vursell

1881 - 1974

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0164 BUSINESS

George Crowninshield Jr.

1766 - 1817

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0165 FOOTBALL

A. B. Brown

Born 1965

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0166 RADIO

Raymond Knight (radio)

1899 - 1953

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0167 ACTOR

Cheyenne Hunter

Born 1964

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0168 GOLF

Mary Abbott (golfer)

1857 - 1904

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0169 LAWYER

Stephen Henry Phillips

1823 - 1897

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0170 POLITICIAN

Clement Hall Sinnickson

1834 - 1919

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0171 ZOOLOGIST

Ephraim Porter Felt

1868 - 1943

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0172 COLLECTOR

Arlene Schnitzer

1929 - 2020

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0173 BOTANIST

John Lewis Russell

1808 - 1873

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0174 BUSINESS

George Swinnerton Parker

1866 - 1952

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0175 POLITICIAN

Thomas Jones Yorke

1801 - 1882

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0176 OFFICER

John Glover (general)

1732 - 1797

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0177 SCIENTIST

Peter K. Manning

Born 1940

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0178 LAWYER

John Rock (abolitionist)

1825 - 1866

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0179 HISTORIAN

Eric M. Hammel

1946 - 2020

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0180 WRITER

Charlotte Fullerton

Born 1949

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0181 POLITICIAN

Isaac Ambrose Barber

1852 - 1909

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0182 POLITICIAN

James Yancy Callahan

1852 - 1935

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0183 HOCKEY

Katie King-Crowley

Born 1975

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0184 LINGUIST

John Pickering (linguiste)

1777 - 1846

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0185 SURGEON

Robert Bayley Osgood

1873 - 1956

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0186 LAWYER

Henry T. Ellett

1812 - 1887

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0187 DRIVER

Bruce Jacobi

1935 - 1987

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0188 PHYSICIAN

Henry Ingersoll Bowditch

1808 - 1892

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0189 SOLDIER

Timothy Bedel

1737 - 1787

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0190 POLITICIAN

Hedge Thompson

1780 - 1828

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0191 POLITICIAN

Charles H. Upton

1812 - 1877

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0192 COACH

Thomas Trueblood

1856 - 1951

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0193 SINGER

David Lynn Jones

Born 1950

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0194 ASTRONOMER

Royal Harwood Frost

1879 - 1950

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0195 LAWYER

Robert Gibbon Johnson

1771 - 1850

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0196 OFFICER

Thomas Jackson Rodman

1816 - 1871

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0197 BUSINESS

Abiel Abbot Low

1811 - 1893

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0198 EDUCATOR

Thomas A. Bartlett

Born 1930

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0199 EXECUTIVE

Walter Sherman Gifford

1885 - 1966

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0200 ACTIVIST

Charles Lenox Remond

1810 - 1873

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0201 POLITICIAN

Thomas Sinnickson (politician)

1786 - 1873

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0202 POLITICIAN

James E. West (politician)

1951 - 2006

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0203 DIVER

Thelma Payne

1896 - 1988

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0204 POLITICIAN

George Hires

1835 - 1911

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0205 ACADEMIC

Lotus Coffman

1875 - 1938

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0206 LAWYER

Robert Morris (lawyer)

1823 - 1882

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0207 JOURNALIST

Jess Marlow

1929 - 2014

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0208 ACTOR

Brooks Ashmanskas

Born 1969

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0209 AUTHOR

Cheryl Cohen-Greene

Born 1944

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0210 PHYSICIST

Edward Alan Knapp

1932 - 2009

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0211 SCREENWRITER

Gordon Russell (writer)

1929 - 1981

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0212 JOURNALIST

Michael Totten

Born 1970

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0213 AUTHOR

Nehemiah Adams

1806 - 1878

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0214 FOOTBALL

Lydell Mitchell

Born 1949

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0215 AUTHOR

William L. Sullivan (author)

Born 1953

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0216 REFORMER

David H. Jonassen

1947 - 2012

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0217 POLITICIAN

Allen Weh

Born 1942

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0218 POLITICIAN

Francis W. Moore Jr.

1808 - 1864

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0219 POLITICIAN

John C. Martin (politician)

1880 - 1952

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0220 LAWYER

Ann Aiken

Born 1951

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0221 ASTRONOMER

Winslow Upton

1853 - 1914

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0222 VOLUNTEER

Luis F. Emilio

1844 - 1918

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0223 POLITICIAN

Dan Crippen

Born 1952

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0224 POLITICIAN

Monroe Sweetland

1910 - 2006

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0225 NURSE

Cornelia Hancock

1839 - 1926

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0226 ACTOR

Mercedes Rose

Born 1972

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0227 AUTHOR

Raymond E. Fowler

Born 1933

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0228 ACTOR

Dustin Watchman

Born 1979

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0229 COMPOSER

David Qualey

Born 1947

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0230 JUDGE

Marsha J. Pechman

Born 1951

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0231 BASEBALL

Ben Petrick

Born 1977

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0232 PRIEST

Louis Sebastian Walsh

1858 - 1924

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0233 BUSINESS

Benjamin Pitman (Hawaii)

1815 - 1888

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0234 SAILOR

David Smith (sailor)

1925 - 2014

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0235 FOOTBALL

Michael Walter (American football)

Born 1960

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0236 POLITICIAN

Stephen Sewall

1702 - 1760

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0237 SENATE

Max Sherman

Born 1935

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0238 JOURNALIST

Ralph Barnes (journalist)

1899 - 1940

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0239 FOOTBALL

Bill Swancutt

Born 1982

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0240 POLITICIAN

Theodore C. Speliotis

Born 1953

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0241 PRIEST

John Bertram Peterson

1871 - 1944

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0242 MATHEMATICIAN

Mellen Woodman Haskell

1863 - 1948

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0243 FOOTBALL

Jason Candle

Born 1979

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0244 GOLF

Rob Oppenheim

Born 1980

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0245 PASTOR

Samuel Phillips (reverend)

1690 - 1771

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0246 JOURNALIST

Alfred Horatio Belo

1839 - 1901

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0247 CHEMIST

John Griscom

1774 - 1852

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0248 ARTIST

Terry Isaac

1958 - 2019

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0249 POLITICIAN

Edgar D. Bush

1873 - 1949

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0250 OPERA

Shannon Bolin

1917 - 2016

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0251 OFFICER

Joseph Horace Eaton

1815 - 1896

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0252 FOOTBALL

John Schuhmacher

Born 1955

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0253 SPORT

Artosis

Born 1983

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0254 ASTRONOMER

Raymond Lee Newcomb

1849 - 1918

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0255 FOOTBALL

Brett Smith

Born 1992

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0256 LINGUIST

Josiah Willard Gibbs Sr.

1790 - 1861

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0257 BASKET

Avry Holmes

Born 1994

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0258 CHEMIST

Harry Stone Mosher

1915 - 2002

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0259 SWIMMER

Patrick Kennedy (swimmer)

Born 1964

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0260 POLITICIAN

Chuck Morse

Born 1960

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0261 ARMY

Barclay Coppock

1839 - 1861

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0262 LAWYER

John B. Waldo

1844 - 1907

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0263 LIBRARIAN

Charles C. Williamson

1877 - 1965

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0264 POLITICIAN

Sheila Harrington

-

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0265 ARCHITECT

Margaret Fritsch

1899 - 1993

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0266 BOTANIST

Porter Peter Lowry

Born 1956

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0267 LAWYER

William Gardner Choate

1830 - 1920

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0268 REPUBLICAN

Fred Girod

Born 1951

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0269 POLITICIAN

Dan Schmidt

Born 1954

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0270 FENCER

Edward Bozek

Born 1950

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0271 BASEBALL

Jeff Juden

Born 1971

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0272 BASEBALL

Horace Phillips (baseball)

1853 - 1896

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0273 POET

Jonathan M. Sewall

1748 - 1808

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0274 BASEBALL

Kory Casto

Born 1981

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0275 BASKET

Michael Kuebler

Born 1982

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0276 POLITICIAN

D.J. Bettencourt

Born 1984

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0277 WRITER

James McDonald Chaney

1831 - 1909

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0278 POLITICIAN

Kim Driscoll

Born 1966

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0279 ACTOR

Nina Romano

1901 - 1966

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0280 ACTOR

Frances Raymond

1869 - 1961

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0281 BASEBALL

Elmer Jacobs

1892 - 1958

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0282 FOOTBALL

Michael Clark (wide receiver)

Born 1995

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0283 BASEBALL

Brad Pennington

Born 1969

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0284 COWBOY

Chalkley Beeson

1848 - 1912

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0285 FOOTBALL

Sam Willaman

1891 - 1935

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0286 RAILROAD

William H. Osborn

1821 - 1894

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0287 BASKET

Zollie Volchok

1916 - 2012

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0288 BUSINESS

Peter R. Dolan

Born 1956

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0289 OFFICER

Edward Trenchard

1785 - 1824

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0290 KILLER

Faryion Wardrip

Born 1959

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0291 BASEBALL

Duke Esper

1868 - 1910

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0292 HYMNWRITER

Daniel C. Eddy

1823 - 1896

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0293 PAINTER

John Dubrow

Born 1958

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0294 LIBRARIAN

Deanna B. Marcum

Born 1946

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0295 BASKET

William G. Kline

1882 - 1942

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0296 BASEBALL

Joey Wong (baseball)

Born 1988

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0297 WRITER

Emil Alexander de Schweinitz

1866 - 1904

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0298 BASEBALL

Morrie Steevens

Born 1940

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0299 FOOTBALL

Ed Westfall (American football)

1909 - 1968

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0300 MODEL

Beri Smither

Born 1971

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