# List of people from Springfield, Missouri

This is a list of notable people born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with the city of Springfield, Missouri and its surrounding metropolitan area.

## Politics

* John Ashcroft, former United States attorney general
* Matt Blunt, former governor of Missouri
* Melanie Blunt, former first lady of Missouri
* Roy Blunt, former U.S. senator
* Dennis Bonner, Missouri state legislator
* Sempronius H. Boyd, former U.S. representative and minister of the United States to Siam
* Charlie Brown, former U.S. representative
* Miller Dunckel, former Michigan State Treasurer
* Mark A. Ediger, former Surgeon General of the United States Air Force
* Johnny Ellis, Alaska state legislator
* Scott Fitzpatrick, State Auditor of Missouri and former State Treasurer of Missouri
* Betsy Fogle, member of the Missouri House of Representatives
* M. Douglas Harpool, United States District Judge
* Stephanie Hein, member of the Missouri House of Representatives
* Gilbert H. Jertberg, United States Circuit Judge
* Jim Keet, former member of both houses of the Arkansas legislature; the 2010 Republican gubernatorial nominee in Arkansas
* Margaret Kelly, former Missouri state auditor, Missouri republican gubernatorial nominee
* Billy Long, former U.S. representative
* James McBride, former minister of the United States to Hawaii
* Roscoe C. Patterson, former U.S. senator and representative
* William C. Price, former Treasurer of the United States
* Crystal Quade, minority leader, Missouri House of Representatives, Missouri democratic gubernatorial nominee
* Alex Riley, member of the Missouri House of Representatives
* Karen L. Williams, former United States Ambassador to Suriname
* John Ashcroft
* Matt Blunt
* Roy Blunt
* Billy Long
* Karen L. Williams

## Arts, literature, humanities and entertainment

* Lennie Aleshire, vaudeville and country music performer
* Jerry L. Atwood, chemist
* Bob Barker, game show host (The Price is Right)
* Julie Blackmon, photographer
* Aaron Buerge, star of ABC's The Bachelor, season 2
* Kristi Capel Miss Missouri 2006, anchor for WJW in Cleveland
* Kim Crosby, Broadway performer
* Ian Eskelin, lead singer of All Star United
* Ralph D. Foster, broadcasting pioneer
* William Garwood, actor
* Kathleen Turner, actress, two time Golden Globe Award winner
* Johnny Q. Public, rock band
* Brenda Lee, singer, numerous award winner including a Grammy Award
* Ozark Mountain Daredevils, rock band
* Brad Pitt, actor, and attended Kickapoo High School Golden Globe Award and Primetime Emmy Award winner
* Lucas Grabeel, actor, singer (High School Musical, High School Musical 2, and High School Musical 3: Senior Year)
* Sara Groves, Christian contemporary recording artist
* Tess Harper, actress (graduated from Missouri State University)
* David L. Harrison, children's author and poet
* Speedy Haworth, guitarist and singer
* Grace Hayes, actress
* Joe Haymes, swing era bandleader-arranger (born in Marshfield; grew up and began his band in Springfield)
* Josh Heinrichs, reggae singer
* Juto, singer
* Melissa Hutchison, two time BAFTA nominee
* Virginia Hunter, actress
* Jay Kenneth Johnson, actor (Days of Our Lives)
* The Jordanaires, singing group
* David Kershenbaum, record producer
* King's X, musical group
* Chandler Lawson, beauty pageant titleholder, Miss Tennessee 2012
* Jim Lowe, country music singer
* Robin Luke, musician
* Duard Marshall, painter, lithographer, and student of Thomas Hart Benton
* The Marksmen, singing quartet (originally The Foggy River Boys)
* Mariann Mayberry, actress
* Crystal Methyd, drag queen, runner-up on season twelve of RuPaul's Drag Race
* Daya Betty, drag queen, contestant on season fourteen of RuPaul's Drag Race
* Chappell Roan, singer-songwriter
* The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, musical group
* The Philharmonics, singing quintet
* Mary Ellen Ray, actress
* Jake Wesley Rogers, singer
* Artie Romero, cartoonist, animator
* Jah Roots, reggae band
* Ronnie Self, singer/songwriter
* Scott Siman, music producer and executive
* Si Siman, music producer and broadcast executive
* Cailee Spaeny, actress (Vice, On the Basis of Sex)
* Speakeasy, rock and roll band
* Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, musical group
* Heidi Strobel, Survivor contestant
* Terre Thaemlitz, musician, cultural producer
* Marissa Whitley, Miss Teen USA 2001
* Tony Tost, poet
* Speedy West, steel guitarist and record producer
* Robert Westenberg, Broadway performer
* Tom Whitlock, Academy Award winner for Best Original Song, Take My Breath Away
* Adrienne Wilkinson, actress (graduated from Kickapoo High School)
* Slim Wilson, musician, radio and TV personality
* Daniel Woodrell, author
* Percy Grainger, music composer, (lived in Springfield from 1940 to 1943)
* Bob Barker
* Lucas Grabeel
* Brad Pitt
* Kathleen Turner
* Melissa Hutchison
* Cailee Spaeny
* Crystal Methyd
* Chappell Roan

## Sports

* Jaelon Acklin, CFL player, Ottawa Redblacks
* Scott Bailes, MLB pitcher in 1980s and 1990s; color commentator for Springfield Cardinals
* Eddie Carnett, MLB pitcher in 1940s
* Dean Deetz, MLB player, Houston Astros
* Lori Endicott, Atlanta 1996 Olympic volleyball player
* BJ Flores, boxer
* Courtney Frerichs, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 track and field
* Gracie Gold, Sochi 2014 Olympic figure skater, 2014 and 2016 U.S. champion
* Dorial Green-Beckham, NFL player, 2015 Tennessee Titans, 2016 Philadelphia Eagles
* Lucas Harrell, MLB player, Toronto Blue Jays
* John Howard, Mexico City 1968, Munich 1972, Montreal 1976 cycalist
* Ryan Howard, MLB player, 2005 NL Rookie of the Year, 2006 Home Run Derby champion, 2006 NL Most Valuable Player
* Jack Jewsbury, MLS player for Portland Timbers
* Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys owner; worked in Springfield with father Pat Jones at insurance company Modern Security Life in 1960s
* Josh Kinney, first Springfield Cardinal (AA) to make MLB St. Louis Cardinals roster
* Ashlyn Krueger, tennis player
* Dale Long, MLB baseball player
* Stan Musial, Hall of Fame baseball player for St. Louis Cardinals, played for original Springfield Cardinals in late 1930s
* Larry Nemmers, NFL referee
* Mickey Owen, MLB player
* Robin Partch, Grenoble 1968 luger
* Dave Patterson, MLB player, Los Angeles Dodgers
* Jason Pyrah, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic 1500m runner
* Steve Rogers, MLB starting pitcher, 5-time All-Star; most successful pitcher in Montreal Expos history
* Emily Scott, Sochi 2014 Olympic speed skater
* Horton Smith, golfer, two-time Masters Tournament champion
* Payne Stewart, professional golfer
* Jackie Stiles, NCAA all-time leading scorer in women's basketball
* Jeri Sitzes, boxer
* Anthony Tolliver, NBA player for Minnesota Timberwolves
* Paul Walker, football player
* Gracie Gold
* Anthony Tolliver
* Payne Stewart
* Courtney Frerichs
* Emily Scott

## Business

* William F. Austin, CEO of Starkey Hearing Technologies
* Jack Gentry, World War II and Korean War veteran; founder of Positronic
* David Glass, former CEO of Walmart; owner of MLB's Kansas City Royals
* John Morris, founder and majority owner, Bass Pro Shops
* Jack Stack, founder of SRC Holdings
* Byron Trott, investment banker

## Other

* Jimmie Angel, aviator, discoverer of Angel Falls, highest free-falling waterfall in world
* William A. Beiderlinden, U.S. Army major general
* Oliver Brown, plaintiff in the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, born in Topeka
* James E. Cofer, professor at Missouri State University, president 2010-11
* J. Alan Groves, Biblical Hebrew scholar; editor of Groves-Wheeler Hebrew morphology database
* Edwin P. Hubble, of Hubble Space Telescope fame (born in Marshfield)
* Virginia E. Johnson, sexologist; junior member of Masters and Johnson sexuality research team
* Janet Kavandi, NASA astronaut
* Curtis Price KBE, warden of New College, Oxford
* Emma J. Ray, activist, suffragist
* Johnny Morris
* Edwin Hubble
* Janet L. Kavandi