Biographical Records

Notable People from Massachusetts

6,067 notable figures born in Massachusetts, showing page 7 of 122, ranked by historical prominence.

Sonny Stitt

American jazz saxophonist (1924-1982)

1924 – 1982

recording artistjazz musiciansaxophonist

Frank W. Clarke

American geochemist (1847 -1931)

1847 – 1931

university teacherchemistgeologist

Lillian Asplund

One of the last three living survivors:RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912

1906 – 2006

secretary

Thomas J. Hudner

United States Navy Medal of Honor recipient (1924–2017)

1924 – 2017

aircraft pilot

Fisher Ames

American politician (1758–1808)

1758 – 1808

politicianlawyerwriter

Alan Hovhaness

Armenian-American composer (1911-2000)

1911 – 2000

organistpianistconductor

Elihu Yale

Welsh merchant, slave trader and philanthropist (1649–1721)

1649 – 1721

art collectorslave tradermerchant

Leo Penn

American director (1921–1998)

1921 – 1998

directortelevision directoractor

Robert Creeley

American poet (1926-2005)

1926 – 2005

librettistuniversity teachermusician

Alan Wilson

American musician (1943-1970)

1943 – 1970

guitaristmusiciansinger-songwriter

Francis James Child

American folklorist (1825–1896)

1825 – 1896

musicologistphilologistuniversity teacher

Caleb Cushing

American politician (1800-1879)

1800 – 1879

diplomatjuristpolitician

Charlotte Cushman

American actress (1816–1876)

1816 – 1876

stage actoractor

George S. Boutwell

United States politician (1818–1905)

1818 – 1905

finance ministermember of parliamentdiplomat

Albert Pinkham Ryder

American painter (1847–1917)

1847 – 1917

painter

Francis Davis Millet

American painter, sculptor, and writer who died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic (1848-1912)

1846 – 1912

sculptordesignermilitary physician

Charles B. Cory

American ornithologist and amateur golfer (1857-1921)

1857 – 1921

scientific collectorgolferornithologist

Outram Bangs

American ornithologist (1863–1932)

1863 – 1932

scientific collectorbotanical collectorornithologist

Frank Weston Benson

American painter (1862–1951)

1862 – 1951

graphic artistpainter

Samuel Eliot Morison

United States admiral and historian (1887-1976)

1887 – 1976

university teachermilitary historianauthor

N. C. Wyeth

American illustrator and painter (1882–1945)

1882 – 1945

visual artistillustratorpainter

Margaret Morse Nice

American ornithologist (1883–1974)

1883 – 1974

university teacherornithologistnaturalist

Ralph Ince

American actor, film director and screenwriter (1887-1937)

1887 – 1937

film actorfilm editordirector

Lothrop Stoddard

American white-supremacist historian, political scientist, journalist (1883–1950)

1883 – 1950

non-fiction writeranthropologistjournalist

Leo Sexton

athletics competitor (1909-1968)

1909 – 1968

athletics competitor

Richard Scarry

author and illustrator from the United States (1919–1994)

1919 – 1994

picture book writerchildren's writerillustrator

Richard Evans Schultes

American ethnobotanist (1915-2001)

1915 – 2001

ethnobotanistscientific collectoranthropologist

Lillian Roth

American actress, singer (1910-1980)

1910 – 1980

film actorstage actormusician

George C. Homans

American sociologist (1910-1989)

1910 – 1989

sociologisteconomist

Helen Johns

American swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, former world record-holder (1914-2014)

1914 – 2014

swimmer

Nat Hentoff

American music critic, born 1925 (1925–2017)

1925 – 2017

music historianmusic journalistessayist

Patricia Kennedy Lawford

American socialite (1924-2006); younger sister of John F. Kennedy

1924 – 2006

film producersocialiteactor

Russell Banks

American writer (1940–2023)

1940 – 2023

novelistpoetwriter

Sylvia Hitchcock

American model (1946–2015)

1946 – 2015

beauty pageant contestantmodelactor

Brad Delp

American rock musician (1951–2007)

1951 – 2007

singer-songwriterguitaristsinger

Paul Farmer

American anthropologist, 1959-2022

1959 – 2022

human rights defenderanthropologistphysician

Levi Lincoln Sr.

United States attorney general and acting governor of Massachusetts (1749–1820)

1749 – 1820

juristgovernorpolitician

Robert Treat Paine

American lawyer and judge, signer of the US Declaration of Independence (1731-1814)

1731 – 1814

juristpoliticianlawyer

James Otis

lawyer in colonial Massachusetts (1725-1783)

1725 – 1783

journalistpoliticianlawyer

Nathaniel Bowditch

American astronomer and mathematician who founded modern navigation (1773-1838)

1773 – 1838

actuaryphysicistmathematician

Samuel Wilson

American meat packer (1766-1854)

1766 – 1854

butcher

Laura Secord

Canadian heroine of the War of 1812 (1775–1868)

1775 – 1868

Joseph Story

American jurist (1779–1845); US Supreme Court justice from 1812 to 1845

1779 – 1845

legal scholaruniversity teacherjurist

Oliver Winchester

American businessman and politician (1810-1880)

1810 – 1880

carpenterentrepreneurpolitician

Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz

American educator, naturalist, writer (1822-1907)

1822 – 1907

philosopherpedagoguebiographer

Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden

U.S geologist and surgeon (1829-1887)

1829 – 1887

scientific collectorbotanical collectorexplorer

James Pierpont

songwriter, arranger, and composer, best known for writing and composing "Jingle Bells" (1822–1893)

1822 – 1893

lyricistsongwritercomposer

Gardiner Greene Hubbard

American lawyer (1822–1897)

1822 – 1897

financierjuristbusinessperson

Mary Livermore

American journalist

1820 – 1905

suffragettejournalistnurse

Arthur MacArthur Jr.

United States Army officer; Medal of Honor recipient; Governor-General of the Philippines (1845–1912)

1845 – 1912

army officerpolitician

‹ Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next ›

Massachusettshistory ›Massachusettscounties ›Historic sites in Massachusetts›