# List of people from Cairo, Illinois

The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Cairo, Illinois. For a similar list organized alphabetically by last name, see the category page People from Cairo, Illinois.

## Academics

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| Mary J. Safford | | Dec 31, 1834 | Dec 8, 1891 | Union army nurse in the US Civil War; professor of Women's Diseases at the Boston University; later became a doctor | | |
| Hudson Strode | | Oct 31, 1892 | Sep 22, 1976 | Author and professor of creative writing at the University of Alabama | Born in Cairo | |

## Business

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| William P. Halliday | | Jul 21, 1827 | Sep 22, 1899 | Banker, steamboat captain, owner of the Riverlore mansion, and businessman | Lived in and started several businesses in Cairo | |
| Charles T. Hinde | | Jul 12, 1832 | Mar 10, 1915 | Riverboat captain, railroad executive, founder of the Hotel del Coronado | Started his own shipping business in Cairo | |

## Media

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| Rex Ingram | | Oct 20, 1895 | Sep 19, 1969 | Stage, film, and television actor; first African-American actor to be hired for a contract role on a soap opera (The Brighter Day, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Sahara) | Born in Cairo | |
| Christopher Jackson | | Sep 30, 1975 | | An award-winning actor, singer, musician, and composer. Known for his Tony Award nominated Broadway performance as George Washington in Hamilton. | Graduated from Cairo High School in 1993. | |

## Military

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| Kelly Taggart | | Dec 17, 1932 | May 7, 2014 | Rear admiral in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps); second Director of the NOAA Corps | Born in Cairo | |
| Winifred Warder | | May 22, 1885 | Oct 8, 1918 | Member of Gas Motor Unit No. 1, Women's Overseas Hospitals; died at American military hospital in Bordeaux, France, during World War I | Born in Cairo | |

## Music

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Ray Butts | Sep 22, 1919 | Apr 20, 2003 | inventor of the EchoSonic, a guitar amplifier with a built-in tape echo, and the Filter'Tron pickup, the first humbucker guitar pickup (used extensively on Gretsch guitars). | |
| Chris Clavin | Aug 23, 1973 | | Owner of Plan-It-X Records; musician in Ghost Mice | |
| Ted Joans | Jul 4, 1928 | Apr 25, 2003 | Musician, poet and painter | Born in Cairo |
| Kyle Lehning | | | Record producer and recording executive | Born in Cairo |
| George "Harmonica" Smith | Apr 22, 1924 | Oct 2, 1983 | Blues musician (harmonica) | Grew up in Cairo |
| Henry Townsend | Oct 27, 1909 | Sep 24, 2006 | Blues musician | Grew up in Cairo |
| Estelle Yancey | Jan 1, 1896 | Apr 19, 1986 | Blues vocalist | Born in Cairo |

## Politics

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Charles Hayes | Feb 17, 1918 | Apr 8, 1997 | US congressman for Illinois's 1st congressional district (1983–1993) | Born in Cairo |
| Charles Koen (aka Chuck Koen) | 1945 | July 20, 2018 | Civil rights activist; founded the Black Liberators | |
| Napoleon B. Thistlewood | Mar 30, 1837 | Sep 15, 1915 | US congressman for Illinois's 25th congressional district (1908–1913) | Two term mayor of Cairo; died in Cairo |
| Richard W. Townshend | Apr 30, 1840 | Mar 9, 1889 | US congressman for Illinois's 19th congressional district (1877–1889) | Lived in Cairo |
| Donne Trotter | Jan 30, 1950 | | Illinois state senator for Illinois 17th district (1993–2018) | Born in Cairo |

## Religion

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| Gracia Burnham | | Jan 17, 1959 | | Protestant missionary to the Philippines; kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf | Born in Cairo | |

## Sports

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Chet Covington | Nov 6, 1910 | Jun 11, 1976 | Pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies | Born in Cairo |
| Vern Curtis | May 24, 1920 | Jun 24, 1992 | Pitcher for the Washington Senators | Born and died in Cairo |
| Egyptian Healy | Oct 27, 1866 | Mar 16, 1899 | Pitcher for seven Major League Baseball teams | Born in Cairo |
| Ed Morgan | May 22, 1904 | Apr 9, 1980 | Infielder for the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox | Born in Cairo |
| Tyrone Nesby | Jan 31, 1976 | | Small forward for the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards, as well as four European teams | Born in Cairo |
| Caroline Smith | Jul 21, 1906 | Nov 10, 1994 | Diving gold medalist at 1924 Summer Olympics | Born in Cairo |
| Ken Trickey | Aug 30, 1933 | Dec 4, 2012 | College basketball coach for Oral Roberts University | Raised in Cairo; graduated from and coached at Cairo High School |