# List of people from Davenport, Iowa

The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Davenport, Iowa.

## Fine arts and music

* Bix Beiderbecke, jazz musician; the Bix 7 Road Race and Memorial Jazz Festival are named for him
* Isabel Bloom, sculpture artist; raised in Davenport
* Branden Campbell, bassist for Neon Trees; born in Davenport
* Julia Michaels, singer-songwriter; born in Davenport
* Helen Vanni, opera singer; born in Davenport
* Dave Blunts, rapper; from Davenport

## Media

* Matthew Ashford, actor (Jack Deveraux on Days of Our Lives)
* Lara Flynn Boyle, actress (Twin Peaks and The Practice)
* Louise Carver, silent film and stage actress
* Dana Davis, actress (Franklin & Bash and 10 Things I Hate About You)
* Joe Frisco, jazz dancer and performer in vaudeville
* John Getz, stage and film actor (Blood Simple, Zodiac)
* Hazel Keener, silent-film actress
* Perry Lafferty, executive TV producer (All in the Family, M*A*S*H, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show)
* Sue Lyon, actress (Lolita)
* Stuart Margolin, actor and director (The Rockford Files)
* Vanessa McNeal, activist
* Mary Beth Peil, actress and singer (The Good Wife)
* Roger Perry, actor (Harrigan and Son)
* James Philbrook, actor (The Thin Red Line)
* Linnea Quigley, actress, known as a B movie scream queen
* Robin Thede, comedian, writer and actress; lived here as a child; first African-American woman host of a late-night TV talk show, The Rundown
* Hynden Walch, voice actress

## Politics

* Ken Croken, Iowa state representative since 2023
* Lyda Krewson, Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri
* Jim Leach, U.S. congressman; chairperson of National Endowment for the Humanities
* Larry Leonard, Illinois state senator
* Hiram Price, U.S. congressman
* Phyllis Thede, Iowa state representative from 2009 to 2023
* Anthony Van Wyck, Wisconsin state senator
* Mike Vondran, Iowa state representative since 2023
* Jarvis White, Wisconsin state assemblyman

## Professional

* Frederick G. Clausen, architect
* Samuel Cody, aviation pioneer; native of Davenport
* Edward Hammatt, architect
* Daniel David Palmer, founder of chiropractic and the Palmer College of Chiropractic
* Oran Pape, first Iowa state patrolman murdered in the line of duty
* Otto Frederick Rohwedder, inventor of mass-produced sliced bread; grew up in Davenport
* James A. Skinner, Executive Chairman of Walgreens Boots Alliance, and former CEO and Vice President of McDonald's; graduated from West High School (1962)

## Religion

* Ambrose Burke, priest and eighth president of Saint Ambrose University
* Martin Cone, priest and sixth president of Saint Ambrose University
* John Flannagan, priest and second president of Saint Ambrose University
* Mary Porter Gamewell (1848-1906), American missionary to China
* Gail Karp, cantor of Temple Emanuel
* Cletus Madsen, priest
* Carl Meinberg, priest and seventh president of Saint Ambrose University
* Sebastian Menke, priest and tenth president of Saint Ambrose University
* Marvin Mottet, priest
* Gerald Francis O'Keefe, bishop of the Diocese of Davenport

## Sports

* Gene Baker, infielder for Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates
* Mike Busch, infielder for Los Angeles Dodgers
* Mike Butcher, pitcher for California Angels, coach for Arizona Diamondbacks
* Ed Conroy, college basketball head coach
* Roger Craig, running back for San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders, and Minnesota Vikings
* Ricky Davis, basketball shooting guard for multiple NBA teams
* Justin Diercks, driver with NASCAR
* Greg Engel, center for San Diego Chargers and Detroit Lions
* Bill Fennelly, head women's basketball coach at Iowa State University
* Bill Fitch, two-time NBA Coach of the Year
* Dana Holgorsen, head coach of the University of Houston football team
* Austin Howard, offensive tackle for Oakland Raiders
* James Jones, defensive tackle for multiple NFL teams
* Josh Kroeger, outfielder for Arizona Diamondbacks
* Elmer Layden, fullback for three NFL teams, Notre Dame coach, College Football Hall of Famer
* Colby Lopez, professional wrestler known as Seth "Freakin'" Rollins in WWE
* Pat Miletich, mixed martial artist, inaugural UFC welterweight champion
* Michael Nunn, middleweight boxing champion; born in Davenport
* Nat Pendleton, Olympic wrestler (silver medalist); actor
* Scott Pose, outfielder for Florida Marlins, New York Yankees, and Kansas City Royals
* Rebecca Quin, professional wrestler known as Becky Lynch in WWE
* Kenny Shedd, wide receiver for multiple NFL teams, including Oakland Raiders
* Bob Stull, football head coach, University of Missouri and UTEP Miners football

## Writing

* Alice Braunlich (1888–1989), classical philologist; taught at Shimer and Goucher colleges
* George Cram Cook, novelist, poet, and playwright
* Lillien Blanche Fearing (1863–1901), American lawyer and poet
* Susan Glaspell, writer, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright
* Charles Edward Russell (1860–1941), muckraking journalist; co-founder of the NAACP; 1927 Pulitzer Prize winner