Quickly accessible, concise information about each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia!
Kentucky
People
Every state of the Union has given birth to people who have left a lasting impression on our history and culture. The following native Kentuckians have played distinctive roles.
Born in Kentucky
| Famous Kentuckians | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Born / Died | Place | ||||
| Muhammad Ali
(born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.) Boxer, Humanitarian |
Born: | January 17, 1942 | Louisville | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| James Lane Allen
Writer |
Born: | December 21, 1849 | near Lexington | |||
| Died: | February 18, 1925 | New York, N.Y. | ||||
| Alben William Barkley
Politician, Vice-President |
Born: | November 24, 1877 | Graves County | |||
| Died: | April 30, 1956 | Lexington, Va. | ||||
| Phantly "Judge" Roy Bean
Saloon keeper, Justice of the Peace |
Born: | c. 1825 | Mason County | |||
| Died: | March 16, 1903 | Langtry, Tex. | ||||
| James "Jim" Bowie
Pioneer, Soldier |
Born: | April 10, 1796 (?) | Logan County | |||
| Died: | March 6, 1836 | The Alamo, San Antonio, Tex. | ||||
| Louis Dembitz Brandeis
Supreme Court justice, Lawyer |
Born: | November 13, 1856 | Louisville | |||
| Died: | October 5, 1941 | Washington, D.C. | ||||
| John Cabell Breckinridge
Lawyer, Politician, Vice-President, Confederate General |
Born: | January 16, 1821 | Cabell's Dale, near Lexington | |||
| Died: | May 17, 1875 | Lexington | ||||
| Madeline McDowell Breckinridge
Social reformer |
Born: | May 20, 1872 | Woodlake | |||
| Died: | November 25, 1920 | Lexington | ||||
| Christoper Hudson "Kit" Carson
Frontiersman, Trapper, Scout, Soldier, Indian agent |
Born: | December 24, 1809 | near Richmond | |||
| Died: | May 23, 1868 | Fort Lyon, Colo. | ||||
| Steven "Steve" Cauthen
Jockey |
Born: | May 1, 1960 | Covington | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| James Beauchamp "Champ" Clark
Politician, Lawyer |
Born: | March 7, 1850 | near Lawrenceburg | |||
| Died: | March 2, 1921 | Washington, D.C. | ||||
| Cassius Marcellus Clay
Abolitionist, Politician |
Born: | October 19, 1810 | Richmond | |||
| Died: | July 22, 1903 | Richmond | ||||
| George Timothy Clooney
Actor, Director, Producer, Screenwriter |
Born: | May 6, 1961 | Lexington | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Rosemary Clooney
Singer, Actress |
Born: | May 23, 1928 | Maysville | |||
| Died: | June 29, 2002 | Beverly Hills, Calif. | ||||
| Irvin Shrewsbury Cobb
Journalist, Humorist, Writer |
Born: | June 23, 1876 | Paducah | |||
| Died: | March 11, 1944 | New York, N.Y. | ||||
| Martha Layne Collins
Governor, Politician, Teacher |
Born: | December 7, 1936 | Bagdad | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Billy Ray Cyrus
Singer, Actor |
Born: | August 25, 1961 | Flatwoods | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Jefferson Finis Davis
President of the Confederate States of America, Politician, Soldier |
Born: | June 3, 1808 | near Fairview | |||
| Died: | December 6, 1889 | New Orleans, La. | ||||
| Skeeter Davis
(born Mary Frances Penick) Singer, Songwriter |
Born: | December 30, 1931 | near Glencoe | |||
| Died: | September 19, 2004 | Nashville, Tenn. | ||||
| John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II
Actor |
Born: | June 9, 1963 | Owensboro | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Mary Desha
Co-founder: Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. |
Born: | 1851 | Lexington | |||
| Died: | January 29,1911 | |||||
| Irene Marie Dunn
Actress, Singer |
Born: | December 20, 1898 | Louisville | |||
| Died: | September 4, 1990 | Los Angeles, Calif. | ||||
| Frank Duveneck
(born Frank Decker) Painter |
Born: | October 9, 1848 | Covington | |||
| Died: | January 3, 1919 | Cincinnati, Ohio | ||||
| Isaac Donald "Don" Everly
Singer, Songwriter |
Born: | February 1, 1937 | Brownie (No longer exists)
(near Central City) |
|||
| Died: | ||||||
| Thomas "Tom" T. Hall
Singer, Songwriter |
Born: | May 25, 1936 | Olive Hill | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Lionel Leo Hampton
Jazz musician, Bandleader, Actor |
Born: | April 20, 1908 | Louisville | |||
| Died: | August 31, 2002 | New York, N.Y. | ||||
| John Marshall Harlan
Supreme Court justice, Lawyer, Soldier |
Born: | May 20, 1899 | Boyle County | |||
| Died: | October 14, 1911 | Washington, D.C. | ||||
| Richard Mentor Johnson
Politician, Vice President |
Born: | October 17, 1780 | Beargrass, Va.
now Jefferson County, Ky. |
|||
| Died: | November 19, 1850 | Frankfort | ||||
| Naomi Judd
(born Diana Ellen Judd) Singer, Songwriter |
Born: | January 11, 1946 | Ashland | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Wynonna Judd
(born Christina Claire Ciminella) Singer |
Born: | May 30, 1964 | Ashland | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Abraham Lincoln
President of the United States, Lawyer |
Born: | February 12, 1809 | Hodgenville | |||
| Died: | April 15, 1865 | Washington, D.C. | ||||
| Mary Todd Lincoln
First Lady |
Born: | December 13, 1818 | Lexington | |||
| Died: | July 16, 1882 | Springfield, Ill. | ||||
| Brian Thomas Littrell
Singer |
Born: | February 20, 1975 | Lexington | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Matthew "Matt" Long
Actor |
Born: | May 18, 1980 | Winchester | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Loretta Lynn
(born Loretta Webb) Singer, Songwriter |
Born: | April 14, 1934 | Butcher Holler | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Victor John Mature
Actor |
Born: | January 29, 1913 | Louisville | |||
| Died: | August 4, 1999 | Rancho Sante Fe | ||||
| Samuel Freeman Miller
Supreme Court Justice, Lawyer, Physician |
Born: | April 5, 1816 | Richmond | |||
| Died: | October 13, 1890 | Washington, D.C. | ||||
| William Smith "Bill" Monroe
Musical pioneer, Singer, Songwriter, Bandleader |
Born: | September 13, 1911 | Rosine | |||
| Died: | September 9, 1996 | Springfield, Tenn. | ||||
| Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr.
Inventor |
Born: | March 4, 1877 | Paris | |||
| Died: | August 27, 1963 | Cleveland, Ohio | ||||
| Thomas Hunt Morgan
Nobel Prize-winning Physicist |
Born: | September 25, 1866 | Lexington | |||
| Died: | December 4, 1945 | Pasadena, Calif. | ||||
| Carrie Amelia Moore Nation
(sometimes spelled Carry) Famous teetotaler |
Born: | November 25, 1846 | Garrard County | |||
| Died: | June 9, 1911 | Leavenworth, Kan. | ||||
| Patsy Louise "Patricia" Neal
Actress |
Born: | January 20, 1926 | Packard | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Warren Oates
Actor |
Born: | July 5, 1928 | Depoy | |||
| Died: | April 3, 1982 | Hollywood Hills, Calif. | ||||
| Annie Potts
Actress |
Born: | October 28, 1952 | Franklin | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Harold Henry "Pee Wee" Reese
Baseball player |
Born: | July 23, 1918 | Louisville | |||
| Died: | August 14, 1999 | Louisville | ||||
| Kevin Scott Richardson
Singer, Songwriter |
Born: | October 3, 1971 | Lexington | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Wiley Blount Rutledge, Jr.
Supreme Court Justice, Educator |
Born: | July 20, 1894 | Cloverport | |||
| Died: | September 10, 1949 | York, Me. | ||||
| Lila Diane Sawyer
Television journalist |
Born: | December 22, 1945 | Glasgow | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Phillip Allen Sharp
Nobel Prize-winning geneticist & biologist |
Born: | June 6, 1944 | Falmouth | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Phillip Martin Simms
Sportscaster, Football player |
Born: | November 3, 1955 | Lebanon | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Ricky Lee Skaggs
Singer, Songwriter |
Born: | July 18, 1954 | Lawrence County | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Moneta J.Sleet, Jr.
Pullitzer Prize-winning photojournalist |
Born: | February 14, 1926 | Owensboro | |||
| Died: | September 30, 1996 | New York, N.Y. | ||||
| Robert Anthony "Tony" Snow
White House Press Secretary, Speechwriter, Columnist |
Born: | June 1, 1955 | Berea | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Harry Dean Stanton
Actor |
Born: | July 14, 1926 | West Irvine | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Nathan B. Stubblefield
Inventor, Farmer |
Born: | November 22, 1860 | Murray | |||
| Died: | March 28, 1928 | Almo | ||||
| John Orley Allen Tate
Poet Laureate to the Library of Congress, Essayist, Social commentator |
Born: | November 19, 1899 | near Winchester | |||
| Died: | February 9, 1979 | Nashville, Tenn. | ||||
| Helen Thomas
Reporter, columnist |
Born: | August 4, 1920 | Winchester | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Hunter Stockton Thompson
Journalist, Writer |
Born: | July 18, 1937 | Louisville | |||
| Died: | February 20, 2005 | Woody Creek, Colo. | ||||
| John Taliaferro Thompson
Military officer, Inventor |
Born: | December 31, 1860 | Newport | |||
| Died: | June 21, 1940 | Great Neck, N.Y. | ||||
| Merle Robert Travis
Musician, Singer, Songwriter |
Born: | November 29, 1917 | Rosewood | |||
| Died: | October 20, 1983 | Tahlequah, Okla. | ||||
| Helen M. Turner
Painter |
Born: | 1858 | Louisville | |||
| Died: | 1958 | |||||
| Frederick Moore Vinson
Supreme Court Chief Justice, Statesman, Politician, Lawyer |
Born: | January 22, 1890 | Louisa | |||
| Died: | September 8, 1953 | Washington, D.C. | ||||
| Darrell Lee Waltrip
Champion race car driver, Television commentator |
Born: | February 5, 1947 | Owensboro | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Robert Penn Warren
Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet, Novelist, Literary critic |
Born: | April 24, 1905 | Guthrie | |||
| Died: | September 15, 1989 | Stratton, Vt. | ||||
| Terrence Wade Wilcutt
Astronaut, Pilot |
Born: | October 31, 1949 | Russellville | |||
| Died: | ||||||
| Dwight Yoakam
Singer, Songwriter, Actor |
Born: | October 23, 1956 | Pikeville | |||
| Died: | ||||||
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