40.3596° N, 82.2875° W

SPRINGFIELD

Most Famous People Born in Springfield, United States

Notable people
936
Peak decade
1950s
Median birth year
1933
Most distinctive
Baseball 9.5×

There are several Springfields in this dataset and they blur together statistically, which is the point - the 9.5× Baseball over-index is small-town America's pre-television obsession crystallized, the era when every Midwestern Springfield fielded a semi-pro team and a few of those kids made the Cardinals or Reds. The 2.6× Lawyer ratio is the Lincoln-era Springfield, IL signal still echoing through the data.

Through the Decades

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

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1950s with 90 notable births.

What Springfield Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Politician is Springfield's biggest profession — 13% of all notables (124).

Springfield over-indexes on baseball — 9.5× the global rate.

Springfield under-produces football — only 0.7× the global rate.

  1. Politician124
  2. Baseball101
  3. Football72
  4. Actor59
  5. Lawyer43
  6. Basket38
  7. Music26
  8. Writer23
  1. Baseball1019.5×
  2. Basket383.2×
  3. Lawyer432.6×
  4. Novelist92.4×
  5. Screenwriter92.2×
  6. Music261.9×
  7. Officer101.6×
  1. Football720.7×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

16501700175018001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Politics & Law
  • Film & TV
  • Music
  • Writing
  • Science
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936 notable people

0901 LAWYER

Charles B. Zimmerman

1891 - 1969

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0902 CHAMPION

Dave Chapin

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0903 INVENTOR

William N. Whiteley

1834 - 1911

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0904 POLITICIAN

Helen Longley

1922 - 2005

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0905 POLITICIAN

May W. Newburger

1920 - 2012

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0906 DOCTOR

Elizabeth Connell (doctor)

1925 - 2018

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0907 GOLF

Meade Yates

1864 - 1929

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0908 MILITAR

Richard G. Austin (politician)

Born 1948

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0909 ACTIVIST

Billie Heller

1928 - 2018

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0910 PHYSICIST

Peter Moulton

Born 1946

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0911 PAINTER

Scott Kahn

Born 1946

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0912 JUDGE

Oda Faulconer

1884 - 1943

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0913 METALLURGIST

Glenn Canfield Jr.

1935 - 2006

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0914 POLITICIAN

Nick King (politician)

Born 1949

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0915 POLITICIAN

Alice Emmons

Born 1955

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0916 POLITICIAN

Boyd M. Cheatham

1838 - 1876

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0917 FOOTBALL

Kelley Johnson (footballer)

Born 1992

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0918 EPISCOPAL

Joseph Harte

1914 - 1999

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0919 FOOTBALL

Mickey Kobrosky

1915 - 2003

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0920 SLITTINISTA

Robin Partch

Born 1944

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0921 MUSIC

Jackie Nese

Born 1997

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0922 POLITICIAN

Steve Arnold (Bürgermeister)

Born 1949

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0923 HOCKEY

Raylen Dziengelewski

Born 1989

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0924 PALAEONTOLOGIST

Walter P. Coombs

Born 1942

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0925 FOOTBALL

Tom Leary

1904 - 1976

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0926 POLITICIAN

Dwight R. Winter

1887 - 1943

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0927 BASEBALL

Willie Murphy (baseball)

Born 1864

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0928 ADMIRAL

Keith A. Taylor

Born 1961

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0929 LAWYER

Seymour Jones

1862 - 1951

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0930 MISSING

Donta’ Greene

Born 123

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0931 ACTOR

Nella Brown Pond

1858 - 1893

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0932 WRITER

M. Sears Brooks

1830 - 1893

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0933 POLITICIAN

Wes Pruitt

Born 1947

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0934 SPORT

Erik Durham

Born 1994

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0935 INVENTOR

William Erskine Bartlett

1830 - 1900

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0936 SAXOPHONIST

Horace Eubanks

1894 - 1948

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