# List of people from Monroe, Louisiana

This is a list of people from Monroe, Louisiana and includes notable persons who were born in and/or have lived in Monroe, Louisiana, United States. For a list of people who have studied at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, see List of University of Louisiana at Monroe alumni.

## Actors and entertainers

* Kevin Griffin, singer, songwriter and guitarist of Better Than Ezra
* Clay Jordan, contestant on Survivor: Thailand
* Valerie Mason, September 2008 Playboy Playmate
* Mighty Sam McClain, soul blues singer and songwriter
* Mantan Moreland, actor and comic of the 1930s and 1940s
* Jesse Pearson, actor and screenwriter; died in Monroe in 1979
* Parker Posey, film actress
* Monti Sharp, film and soap opera actor
* Susan Ward, film and soap opera actress

## Businesspeople

* Samuel B. Fuller (1905–1988), entrepreneur and journalist, founder of Fuller Products Company
* Collett E. Woolman (1889–1966), an original director and founder of Delta Air Service

## Journalists

* Frank McGee, television journalist

## Musicians

* Fred Anderson, jazz saxophonist and club owner
* Hamid Drake, jazz drummer and percussionist
* Doug Duffey, singer, songwriter, pianist, bandleader, music arranger, record producer, music publisher, poet, diarist, photographer and visual artist
* Carl Fontana, jazz trombonist
* Kevin Griffin, lead singer of Better Than Ezra
* Andy Griggs, country music singer
* Ivory Joe Hunter, rhythm and blues musician$^{:293}$
* Rickey Minor, music director, composer, music producer, and music director and bandleader for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
* Webb Pierce, country musician$^{:274}$
* Frank Ticheli, composer, conductor, Professor Emeritus of Music at University of Southern California

## Politicians

* Edwards Barham, former member of the Louisiana State Senate from Morehouse Parish
* William Denis Brown III (1931–2012), attorney, businessman, and state senator, floor leader in first term of Governor Edwin Washington Edwards
* William Derwood Cann Jr. (1919–2010), World War II lieutenant colonel; interim mayor of Monroe 1978–1979
* Donnie Copeland (born 1961), Pentecostal pastor in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, 2015 to 2017, born in Monroe
* James L. Dennis (born 1936), Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
* Jimmy Dimos, former Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives and retired judge
* William C. Feazel (1895–1965), interim U.S. Senator in 1948; member of the Louisiana House of Representatives 1932–1936; father-in-law of Shady R. Wall
* W. L. "Jack" Howard (1911–1994), former mayor of Monroe and owner with his brother, Alton Hardy Howard of the former Howard Brothers Discount Stores
* Marcus Hunter (born 1979), member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 17 in Ouachita Parish
* Vance McAllister, businessman and U.S. representative elected in Louisiana's 5th congressional district special election, 2013
* Newt V. Mills, U.S. representative from Louisiana's 5th congressional district 1937–1943; resided in Monroe
* Jay Morris, state representative from Ouachita and Morehouse parishes, 2012–
* Huey P. Newton (1942–1989) co-founder of the Black Panther Party, born in Monroe
* James A. Noe, short-term governor of Louisiana in 1936; founder of WNOE and KNOE radio and TV stations
* Abe E. Pierce III (1934–2021), mayor of Monroe 1996–2000, first African American in the position; Ouachita Parish educator
* Robert E. Powell (1923–1997), mayor of Monroe 1979–1996
* Melvin Rambin (1941–2001), mayor of Monroe 2000–2001, only Republican in the position since Reconstruction; banker in Baton Rouge and Monroe; interred in Baton Rouge
* Frank Spooner, oil and natural gas producer and Republican politician, moved to Monroe in 1967
* Jeff R. Thompson, former insurance agent in Monroe; state representative from Bossier Parish; incoming 26th Judicial District Court judge
* J. Robert Wooley (born 1953), Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance, 2000–2006; spent his high school and college years in Monroe

## Athletes

* Brian Bateman, PGA golfer, 2007 Buick Open winner
* Benoit Benjamin, NBA center for the Cleveland Cavaliers
* Bubby Brister, Denver Broncos quarterback
* Ronnie Coleman, retired professional bodybuilder; former middle linebacker Grambling State University
* John David Crow, late coach of the ULM Warhawks; professional football player
* LaceDarius Dunn, basketball guard with Bnei HaSharon in Israel
* Billy Joe DuPree, tight end for the Dallas Cowboys
* Chuck Finley, MLB All-Star pitcher, California Angels, Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals; ex-spouse of Tawny Kitaen
* Ralph Garr, All-Star MLB outfielder
* Larry Gordon, football player
* James Harris, NFL quarterback
* Gerrod Henderson, basketball player for the Anwil Włocławek 2007–09
* Tyree Hollins, football player
* Cardia Jackson, Louisiana–Monroe Warhawk and Green Bay Packers linebacker
* Bradie James, LSU and Dallas Cowboys linebacker
* Shawn King, ULM/LSU and Carolina Panthers defensive end
* Lynn McGlothen, MLB pitcher
* Paul Millsap, power forward for Louisiana Tech University and the Atlanta Hawks
* Rudy Niswanger, LSU and Kansas City Chiefs center
* Cassidy O'Reilly, professional wrestler, WWE TNA
* Joe Profit, Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints running back
* Phil Robertson, quarterback for Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
* Johnny Robinson, LSU and Kansas City Chiefs safety
* Barry Rubin (born 1957), Head Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Kansas City Chiefs in the National Football League
* Bill Russell, NBA center for the Boston Celtics), Basketball Hall of Famer
* Ben Sheets, MLB All-Star Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics and Atlanta Braves pitcher; played at NLU, now ULM
* Cam Sims, Alabama and wide receiver for Las Vegas Raiders
* Storm Warren (born 1988), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
* Sammy White, football player, GSU and Offensive Rookie of Year receiver for Minnesota Vikings
* Andrew Whitworth, LSU and Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle
* Jonathan Wilhite, Auburn and New England Patriots cornerback
* Aeneas Williams, St. Louis Rams free safety
* Pat Williams, NFL defensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings
* Ralph Williams, gridiron football player
* Don Wilson, MLB pitcher for the Houston Astros
* Larry Wright, GSU and NBA guard for the Washington Bullets

## Writers

* Harry W. Addison, writer and humorist
* Dixon Hearne, writer and poet
* Speed Lamkin, novelist and playwright

## Others

* Guy Banister, career employee of the FBI and private investigator; alleged co-conspirator in assassination of John F. Kennedy
* James E. Cofer, president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe 2002–2010
* Bruce M. Davis, Manson family member serving life sentence for murder
* Robert Pershing Foster, MD, a subject of Isabel Wilkerson's book The Warmth of Other Suns
* W. C. Friley, Baptist clergyman; second president of Louisiana College; pastor in Monroe in the early 1880s
* Hugh H. Goodwin, vice admiral in the United States Navy
* Marguerite Littman, American-British socialite and HIV/AIDS activist
* Rowena Spencer, MD; first female pediatric surgeon
* Marc Swayze, comic book writer and illustrator
* Emily H. Vokes, malacologist and Tulane University professor
* A. Wilberforce Williams (1865–1940), African American physician, teacher, and journalist; born in Monroe and raised on a plantation