# List of people from Chester, Pennsylvania

The following is a list of notable residents, natives, and persons generally associated with the city of Chester, Pennsylvania, the first city in Pennsylvania.
* A
* B
* C
* D
* E
* F
* G
* H
* J
* K
* L
* M
* N
* O
* P
* R
* S
* T
* W
* References

## A

* Al Alberts, lead singer of The Four Aces
* Samuel Anderson, U.S. Congressman for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district
* William Anderson, major in the Continental Army and U.S. Congressman
* Henry Graham Ashmead, journalist and historian of Delaware County, Pennsylvania

## B

* J. Pius Barbour, executive director of the National Baptist Association, mentor to then-college student Martin Luther King Jr.
* Thomas N. Barnes, first African-American Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
* Joseph F. Battle Jr., 25th Mayor of Chester and judge on Delaware County Court of Common Pleas
* Ruth L. Bennett, social worker, first president of the Chester branch of the NAACP
* William H. Berry, 10th Mayor of Chester and Treasurer of Pennsylvania
* Jahlil Beats, music producer
* Marcus Belgrave, jazz trumpeter
* Ron Bennington, host of XM Satellite Radio program The Ron and Fez Show
* Crosby M. Black, Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County and 7th Mayor of Chester
* Ed Blizzard, prominent pharmaceutical injury attorney
* Louis A. Bloom, Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County (1947-1952), Judge on Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for Delaware County
* Barbara Bohannan-Sheppard, 27th Mayor of Chester
* Stanley Branche, civil rights leader, founder of the Committee for Freedom Now
* Ethel Hampson Brewster, Swarthmore College professor and philologist
* Fran Brill, voice actress and Muppeteer
* Anna Broomall, obstetrician, surgeon and educator
* Wendell Butler Jr., mayor of Chester

## C

* George Campbell, soccer player
* Lamar Campbell, former NFL defensive back
* Ted Cather, professional baseball player
* Dorothy Chacko, social worker, medical doctor, Padma Shri award recipient
* E. Wallace Chadwick, U.S. Congressman
* Robert Chadwick, Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County
* Joe Chambers, jazz drummer
* Tom Chism, Major League Baseball player
* Thomas Clyde, founder of the Clyde Line of steamers
* George Clymer, Founding Father of the United States, signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, lived in Chester with his family during the British Army assault on Philadelphia
* Joseph R. T. Coates, 5th mayor of Chester and officer in the Union Army during the US Civil War
* Audrey B. Collins, United States District Judge
* Lawrence A. Conner, Sr., Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County (1953-1954)
* Ted Cottrell, NFL player and coach
* Walter H. Craig, Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County (1923-1925), Chester City Council member (1925-1937)
* John Price Crozer, textile manufacturer and philanthropist
* Helen Curry (1896-1931), stage actress

## D

* Clamma Dale, opera singer
* Edward Darlington, U.S. Congressman
* Ben Davis, Major League Baseball player, Philadelphia Phillies sports announcer
* Dux and Julie DeJohn, professional singers
* Alfred O. Deshong, industrialist, philanthropist, and art collector
* John O. Deshong, businessman and banker
* Peter Deshong, businessman and banker
* Elaine Diacumakos, cell biologist and head of the cytobiology laboratory at Rockefeller University
* Franklin Archibald Dick, Missouri provost marshal general
* Fred Diodati, lead singer of The Four Aces
* Fred Draper, film and television actor
* Kathrynann Durham, Pennsylvania State Representative for 160th district (1979-1996) and Judge on Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for Delaware County
* Jill Duson, lawyer, lobbyist and politician in Maine

## E

* Samuel Edwards, U.S. Congressman
* Carolyn J. Elmore, Maryland State Representative
* Frederick K. Engle, rear admiral of the United States Navy
* Theodore Enslin, poet
* David Reese Esrey, businessman and banker
* Tyreke Evans, professional basketball player

## F

* Bill Fleischman (1939–2019), sports journalist and professor
* Lenora Fulani, psychologist, psychotherapist and political activist

## G

* J. R. Gach, talk radio host
* Margaret H. George, Pennsylvania State representative
* Fredia Gibbs, martial artist, kickboxer, boxer
* James Henry Gorbey, United States federal judge and 25th mayor of Chester
* Steve Gordon, screenwriter and film director
* Darrin Govens, professional basketball player
* Bud Grace, cartoonist
* Ralph Greenberg, mathematician
* John E. Gremminger, Pennsylvania State Representative
* Frank Hastings Griffin, invented rayon manufacturing process

## H

* John K. Hagerty, Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County (1921-1922), Chester City Council member (1907-1918)
* Bill Haley, rock-and-roll musician
* Robert Harland, actor
* Hubert R. Harmon, first superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy
* Herman Harris, professional basketball player
* Evalena Fryer Hedley, journalist, editor, and author
* Ron Henry, professional baseball player
* John B. Hinkson, lawyer, businessman, 6th mayor of Chester
* Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, professional basketball player
* Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Toronto Raptors forward
* John Martin Howard, U.S. Navy officer, mine disposal unit, USS John M. Howard (IX-75) named in his honor
* Will Hunter, Minnesota Vikings safety and Syracuse University standout

## J

* E. W. Jackson, Virginia politician and Christian minister
* Amaire Johnson, Record producer and songwriter
* Derrick Jones Jr., Dallas Mavericks forward
* Edmund Jones, Pennsylvania State Representative
* Kevin Jones, Detroit Lions Chicago Bears running back and former Virginia Tech football standout

## K

* Carol Kazeem, Pennsylvania State Representative
* John Ernst Worrell Keely, con man, inventor of the Keely Motor
* Muhammad Kenyatta, civil rights leader
* Lisa Kereszi, photographer
* Brian Joseph Kirkland, Pennsylvania state representative
* Thaddeus Kirkland, Pennsylvania State Representative, 32nd Mayor of Chester
* Joe Klecko, lineman with New York Jets and Temple University; father of Dan Klecko of New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles
* Mignonette Kokin, vaudeville dancer, comedian
* Lew Krausse Jr., professional baseball player
* Bob Kuberski, football player for Green Bay Packers

## L

* Bob Lamey, radio announcer, play-by-play announcer for the Indianapolis Colts
* John Larkin, Jr., businessman, banker and first mayor of Chester
* Willie Mae James Leake, first African-American and female Mayor of Chester
* John Linder, 31st Mayor of Chester
* John Linehan, assistant basketball coach for the Saint Joseph's Hawks
* David Lloyd, Attorney General of Pennsylvania, six-term Speaker of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court

## M

* John J. McClure, Pennsylvania State Senator and leader of Delaware County Republican political machine
* Lee McLaughlin, film and television actor
* Kevin Michael, soul singer
* Nicholas K. Miller, middle guard, and defensive MVP for Ohio State Buckeyes
* John Mobley, Denver Broncos linebacker and former Kutztown University of Pennsylvania football standout
* Sylvanus Morley, archaeologist and Mayanist scholar
* Charles Morris, journalist and author
* John Morton, Founding Father of the United States, cast a key vote on the Declaration of Independence. Buried in Chester.
* Danny Murtaugh, manager of Pittsburgh Pirates who guided team to World Series titles in 1960 and 1971

## N

* John H. Nacrelli, 24th Mayor of Chester, convicted of racketeering and bribery
* Jameer Nelson, professional basketball player
* Alex North, composer, 15-time Academy Award nominee
* Edward Nothnagle, Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County (1926-1936), Chester City Council member

## O

* Curly Ogden, professional baseball player
* Jack Ogden, professional baseball player
* Donnie Owens, singer, guitarist, producer and composer

## P

* John M. Paxton, Jr., United States Marine Corps general officer
* Dominic Pileggi, Pennsylvania State Senator
* Johnny Podgajny, professional baseball player
* Rudy Pompilli, saxophonist with Bill Haley and the Comets
* David Dixon Porter, leading officer and reformer in the U.S. Navy during the American Civil War
* William D. Porter, flag officer in the U.S. Navy
* William G. Price Jr., commander of the Pennsylvania National Guard's 28th Infantry Division
* Joe Pyne, radio and TV talk show host
* Caleb Pusey, early settler of Chester, friend and business partner of William Penn

## R

* William T. Ramsey, Pennsylvania State Representative and 16th mayor of Chester
* George Raymond, president of NAACP Chester branch from 1942 to 1977
* Ronald C. Raymond, Pennsylvania state representative
* Bertice Reading, actress, singer, revue artiste
* James W. Reese, U.S. Army Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
* John Roach, industrialist and shipbuilder
* V. Gilpin Robinson, Pennsylvania State Representative
* Stefan Roots, Mayor of Chester
* Bo Ryan, former head coach of Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team, coached UW-Platteville to four NCAA Division III national championships
* Matthew Ryan, singer-songwriter

## S

* William I. Schaffer, Pennsylvania Attorney General
* Josiah Sleeper, founder of Sleeper's College
* Jerome Smith, professional football player
* James Ross Snowden (1809-1878), 67th Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Director of the U.S. Mint
* Dawn Sowell, professional Track and Field athlete
* William Cameron Sproul, 27th Governor of Pennsylvania
* Brent Staples, editorial writer for the New York Times
* Joey Stefano, pornographic actor
* AverySunshine, soul singer

## T

* Robin Toner, national political correspondent for the New York Times
* David Trainer, textile manufacturer and banker
* Anthony Tucker, also known as The Beat Bully, record producer and songwriter
* Ellwood J. Turner, Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County (1925-1948), 119th Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1939-1941)

## W

* Horace Walker, professional basketball player
* Young Singleton Walter, Pennsylvania State Representative and owner of the Delaware County Republican newspaper
* William Ward, U.S. Congressman
* William Ward Jr., Pennsylvania State Representative and two term mayor of Chester
* Ethel Waters, Grammy-winning blues recording artist, Broadway performer, Academy Award nominee for Pinky (1949)
* George Watkins, U.S. Congressman
* Brandi Wells, singer-songwriter
* Eleanor D. Wilson, Tony-nominated actress and artist
* Stephen M. Wolownik, Russian and Eastern European musician
* Jonathan Edwards Woodbridge, shipbuilder and naval architect
* Thomas Worrilow, Pennsylvania State Representative
* Robert C. Wright, Pennsylvania State Representative