Title: List of people from Kansas Content: thumb|right|250px|Location of Kansas in the U.S. map The following are notable people who were either born, raised, or have lived for a significant period of time in the American state of Kansas. == Academics and Nobel Prize Laureates == * Milton S. Eisenhower (1899–1985), university president; Abilene * Wendell Johnson (1906–1965), psychologist and speech pathologist, author of The Monster Study; Roxbury * Jack S. Kilby (1923–2005), Nobel Prize winner in Physics; Great Bend * Solon Toothaker Kimball (1909–1982), anthropologist; Manhattan * Stanford Lehmberg (born 1931), historian; McPherson * Norman Malcolm (1911–1990), philosopher; Selden * Deane Waldo Malott (1898–1996), president of Cornell University; Abilene * Abby Lillian Marlatt (1869–1943), home economics; Manhattan * Eric K. Meyer (born 1953), journalism professor and Pulitzer Prize nominee; Marion * M. Lee Pelton (born 1950), president of Willamette University; Wichita * John Brooks Slaughter (born 1934), college president and first African-American director of the National Science Foundation; Topeka * Vernon L. Smith (born 1927), Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economics; Wichita * Earl Wilbur Sutherland Jr. (1915–1974), 1971 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology and Medicine; Burlingame * Donald Worster (born 1941), historian; Lawrence == Arts and literature == === Artists === * Nina E. Allender (1873–1957), artist and women's suffrage cartoonist; Auburn * Grace Bilger (1907–2000), artist; Olathe * Grant Bond (born 1974), artist; Kansas City * Blackbear Bosin (1921–1980), Native American artist; Wichita * Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (1917–2000), poet; Topeka * Bruce Conner (1933–2008), artist; McPherson * John Steuart Curry (1897–1946), artist; Winchester * Aaron Douglas (1900–1979), artist; Topeka * Randall Duell (1903–1992), architect and art director; Russell County * Edgar Heap of Birds (born 1954), artist; Wichita * Bruce Helander (born 1947), artist; Great Bend * Elizabeth Layton (1909–1993), artist; Wellsville * Evan Lindquist (born 1936), printmaker, Artist Laureate of Arkansas; Salina * Barbara Morgan (1900–1992), photographer; Buffalo, Kansas * Gordon Parks (1912–2006), photographer and film director; Fort Scott * Birger Sandzen (1871–1954), artist, art professor at Bethany College; Lindsborg * Gary Mark Smith (born 1956), photographer, studied at University of Kansas; Wichita * W. Eugene Smith (1918–1978), photographer; Wichita * Mort Walker (1923–2018), cartoonist, creator of Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois comic strips; El Dorado === Authors === * Laura Abbot , author of Harlequin romance novels; Kansas City * Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000), author, poet; Topeka * William Burroughs (1914–1997), author; Lawrence * Don Coldsmith (1926–2009), author of Western fiction; Iola * Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1879–1958), author of children's books; Lawrence * Thomas Frank (born 1965), author and editor; Mission Hills * Jane Heap (1883–1964), author and publisher; Topeka * Scott Heim (born 1966), author; Hutchinson * Langston Hughes (1902–1967), author and poet; Lawrence * William Inge (1913–1973), playwright; Independence * Bill James (born 1949), author; Mayetta, Kansas * Bill Martin, Jr. (1916–2004), children's author; Hiawatha * Fred Myton (1885–1955), screenwriter; Garden City * Kathy Patrick , author, founder of Pulpwood Queens Book Club; Eureka * Scott Phillips (born 1961), author; Wichita * Vance Randolph (1892–1980), folklorist; Pittsburg * Red Reeder (1902–1998), author and United States Army officer; Fort Leavenworth * Richard Rhodes (born 1937), author and historian; Kansas City * Lois Ruby , author of historic fiction; Lawrence * Damon Runyon (1880–1946), author; Manhattan * Mary Francis Shura (1923–1990), children's, romance and mystery author; Pratt * William Stafford (1914–1993), poet and pacifist; Hutchinson * Max Yoho (born 1934), author; Colony === Dancers === * Clark Tippet (1954–1992), ballet; Parsons === Musicians === == Athletics == === Athletes === ;A-F * Alvan Adams (born 1954), basketball; Lawrence * John H. Adams (born 1915), jockey; Iola * Neil Allen (born 1958), baseball pitcher, pitching coach; Kansas City * David Arkin (born 1987), pro football player; Wichita * Elden Auker (1910–2006), baseball pitcher; Norcatur * Chase Austin (born 1989), NASCAR driver; Eudora * Ron Baker (born 1993), NBA player (New York Knicks); Utica and Scott City (born in Hays) * Thane Baker (born 1931), gold medalist at 1956 Summer Olympics, decathlon; Elkhart * Tony Barker (born 1968), football player; Wichita * Chris Barnes (born 1970), professional bowler; Topeka * James Bausch (1906–1974), gold medalist 1932 Summer Olympics; Garden Plain * Judy Bell (born 1936), member of World Golf Hall of Fame; Wichita * Matt Besler (born 1987), professional soccer player; Overland Park * B.H. Born (born 1932), basketball player; Medicine Lodge * Clint Bowyer (born 1979), NASCAR driver; Emporia * George Brett (born 1953), baseball Hall of Famer; Mission Hills * Bryce Brown (born 1991), football player; Wichita * Orville Brown (1908–1981), pro wrestler, NWA champion; Sharon * Mildred Bliss Burke (1915–1989), wrestler, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame; Coffeyville * Enos Cabell (born 1949), baseball player; Fort Riley * Veronica Campbell- Brown (born 1982), track and field athlete (Olympic and world champion); Great Bend * Antoine Carr (born 1961),; basketball player * Larry Cheney (1886–1969), baseball pitcher; Belleville * Jack Christiansen (1928–1986), football Hall of Famer; Sublette * Tony Clark (born 1972), baseball player; Newton * Maliek Collins (born 1995), football player; Kansas City * Baron Corbin (born 1984), football player, WWE wrestler; Lenexa * Nolan Cromwell (born 1955), football player; Smith Center * Aaron Crow (born 1986), baseball player; Topeka * Glenn Cunningham (1909–1988), silver medalist, 1936 Olympic Games,1,500m run; Elkhart * Johnny Damon (born 1973), baseball player; Fort Riley * Eldon Danenhauer (born 1935), football player; Clay Center * Darren Daulton (born 1962), baseball player; Arkansas City * Wantha Davis (born 1918), jockey; Liberal * Joey Devine (born 1983), baseball player; Junction City * Lynn Dickey (born 1949), football player; Osawatomie * Andy Dirks (born 1986), baseball player; Burrton * Larry Drew (born 1958), basketball player and coach; Kansas City * Mark Duckens (born 1965), football player; Wichita * Brian Duensing (born 1983), baseball player; Marysville * Brody Eldridge (born 1987), football player; La Cygne * Tim Elliott (born 1986), mixed martial artist; Wichita * Maurice Evans (born 1978), basketball player; Wichita * Kyle Farnsworth (born 1976), baseball player; Wichita * Galen Fiss (1931–2006), football player; Johnson City * Scott Fulhage (born 1961), football player; Beloit ;G-M * Andrew Gachkar (born 1988), football player; Overland Park * Tyson Gay (born 1982), track and field athlete (world champion); Great Bend * Maurice Greene (born 1974), track and field athlete (world and Olympic champion); Kansas City * Adrian Griffin (born 1974), basketball player and coach; Wichita * Geneo Grissom (born 1992), football player; Hutchinson * Andy Gruenebaum (born 1982), soccer player * Don Gutteridge (1912–2008), baseball player and manager; Pittsburg * Joe Hastings (born 1987), football player; Wichita * Tanner Hawkinson (born 1990), football player; McPherson * Mark Haynes (born 1958), football player; Kansas City * Ben Heeney (born 1992), football player; Hutchinson * Bobby Henrich (born 1938), baseball player; Lawrence * Don Hill (1904–1967), football player; Hiawatha * Shaun Hill (born 1980), football player; Parsons * Chief Hogsett (1903–2001), baseball player; Brownell * Lionel Hollins (born 1953), basketball player and coach; Arkansas City * Scott Huffman (born 1964), pole vaulter; Quinter * Damian Johnson (born 1962), football player; Great Bend * Walter Johnson (1887–1946), baseball Hall of Famer; Humboldt * Pete Kilduff (1893–1930), baseball player; Weir * Fred Kipp (born 1931), baseball pitcher; Piqua * Tonya Knight (born 1966), IFBB professional bodybuilder; Overland Park * Laurie Koehn (born 1982), WNBA player; Moundridge * Gene Krug (born 1955), baseball player; Garden City * Adam LaRoche (born 1979), baseball player; Fort Scott * Bobby Lashley (born 1976), professional wrestler for WWE; Junction City * Shalee Lehning (born 1987), WNBA player; Sublette * Martin Lewis (born 1975), NBA basketball player; Liberal * Danny Manning (born 1966), NBA basketball player; Lawrence * Rudy May (born 1944), baseball player; Coffeyville * Jon McGraw , professional football player; Riley * Archie "Hap" McKain (1911–1985), baseball player; Delphos * Peter Mehringer (1910–1987), Olympic gold medalist wrestler, pro football player; Kinsley * Brian Moorman (born 1976), football player; Sedgwick * Mike Morin (born 1991), baseball player; Leawood ;N-Z * Marcio Navarro (born 1978), professional kickboxer and mixed martial artist; Wichita * Jordy Nelson (born 1985), football player; Leonardville * Terence Newman (born 1978), football player; Salina * Nicole Ohlde (born 1982), WNBA player; Clay Center * Antonio Orozco (born 1987), professional boxer; Garden City * Victor Ortiz (born 1987), professional boxer; Garden City * Bob Orton (1929–2006), professional wrestler; Kansas City * Bob Orton, Jr. (born 1950), professional wrestler, WWE Hall of Fame; Kansas City * John Parrella (born 1969), professional football player; Topeka * Hal Patterson (1932–2011), professional football player; Larned * Jordan Phillips (born 1992), professional football player; Towanda * Joseph Randle (born 1991), professional football player; Wichita * Ronn Reynolds (born 1958), professional baseball player; Wichita * Dustin Richardson (born 1984), MLB pitcher; Newton * John Riggins (born 1949), football player, Pro Football Hall of Famer; Centralia * Brandon Rios (born 1986), professional boxer; Garden City * Lafayette Russell (1905–1978), football player, B-movie actor "Reb" Russell; Osawatomie * Johnny Rutherford (born 1938), race car driver; Coffeyville * Jim Ryun (born 1947), athlete and politician; Wichita * Barry Sanders (born 1968), football player, NFL Hall of Famer; Wichita * Melvin Sanders (born January 3, 1981), pro basketball player; Liberal * Wes Santee (1932–2010), NCAA cross country champion, track and field athlete; Ashland * Gale Sayers (born 1943), NFL Hall of Famer; Wichita * Otto Schnellbacher (1923–2008), pro basketball and football player; Sublette * Ryan Schraeder (born 1988), professional football player; Wichita * Wayne Simien (born 1983), NCAA All-American, NBA basketball player; Leavenworth * Mark Simoneau (born 1977), professional football player; Smith Center * Marilynn Smith (born 1928), professional golfer and LPGA co-founder; Topeka * Lee Stevens (born 1967), professional baseball player; Lawrence * Darren Sproles (born 1983), professional football player; Olathe * Jackie Stiles (born 1978), WNBA basketball player; Claflin * Stewart "Smokey" Stover (born 1938), professional football player; McPherson * Darrell Stuckey (born 1987), professional football player; Kansas City * Tom Sturdivant (1930–2009), professional baseball player; Gordon * Steve Tasker (born 1962), NFL Pro Bowl MVP in 1993; Leoti (born in Smith Center * Luther Haden "Dummy" Taylor (1875–1958), baseball pitcher; Oskaloosa * Doug Terry (born February 10, 1968), pro football player; Liberal * Tommy Thompson (1916–1989), pro football player; Hutchinson * Blake Treinen (born 1988), professional baseball player; Osage City * Jerame Tuman (born March 24, 1976), pro football player; Liberal * Ron Warner (born 1975), professional football player; Independence * Earl Watson (born 1979), NBA basketball player; Kansas City * Tom Watson (born 1949), golfer, member of World Golf Hall of Fame; Stilwell * Mitch Webster (born 1959), MLB player; Larned * Kendra Wecker (born 1982), WNBA player; Marysville * Michael Wilhoite (born 1986), pro football player; Manhattan * Jess Willard (1881–1968), world heavyweight boxing champion, St. Clere; Pottawatomie County * Kamerion Wimbley (born 1983), professional football player; Wichita * Lynette Woodard (born 1959), basketball Hall of Famer; Wichita * Brad Ziegler (born 1979), baseball player; Pratt * John Zook (born 1947), professional football player; Garden City === Coaches === == Aviators and astronauts == * Walter Herschel Beech (1891–1950), aviator and aircraft designer; Wichita * Clyde Vernon Cessna (1879–1954), aviator and aircraft designer; Rago * Amelia Earhart (1897–1937), aviator; Atchison * Joe Engle (born 1932), astronaut; Chapman * Ronald Evans (1933–1990), astronaut; St. Francis * Daniel Forbes (1920–1948), United States Army Air Corps pilot; Carbondale * Steve Hawley (born 1951), astronaut; Salina * Donald Hudson (1895–1967), World War I flying ace; Topeka * Glenn L. Martin (1886–1955), aviation pioneer; Salina * Lloyd Carlton Stearman (1898–1975), aviator and aircraft designer; Wellsville == Businesspeople and inventors == * Philip Anschutz (born 1939), billionaire investor; Russell * Bion Barnett (1857–1958), co-founder of Barnett Bank; Hiawatha * Olive Ann Beech, Chairwoman of Beech Aircraft Company; Wichita (born in Waverly) * Dan and Frank Carney (Dan born 1931, Frank born 1938), founders of Pizza Hut; Wichita * Walter Chrysler (1875–1940), founder of Chrysler Corporation; Wamego * William Coffin Coleman (1870–1957), founder of the Coleman Company; Wichita * David Dillon (born 1951), former CEO of Kroger; Hutchinson * Vic Edelbrock (1913–1962), automotive engineer; Eudora * James Harbord (1866–1947), President and Chairman of the Board of RCA; Manhattan * William Wadsworth Hodkinson (1881–1971), pioneer film marketer and distributor; Independence * Omar Knedlik (1915–1989), inventor of the ICEE frozen drink; Barnes * Charles G. Koch (born 1935), CEO of Koch Industries; Wichita * David H. Koch (born 1940), executive and politician; Wichita * Alan Mulally (born 1945), engineer, former President and CEO of the Ford Motor Company; Lawrence * Matthew K. Rose (born 1959), Chairman and CEO of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.; Salina * Harry F. Sinclair (1876–1956), founder of Sinclair Oil company; Independence * Russell Stover (1888–1954), founder of Russell Stover Candies; Alton == Film, stage and television == === Actors and performers === === Directors === * Michael Almereyda (born 1960), film director; Overland Park * Steve Balderson (born 1975), film director; Wamego * Darren Lynn Bousman (born 1979), film director; Overland Park * Chris Buck (born 1960), film director, animator; Wichita * Eric Darnell (born 1960), director, writer, songwriter, animator; Prairie Village * Randall Duell (1903–1992), art director; Russell County * Alex Graves (born 1968), television director; El Dorado * Sherman Halsey, music video and television director; Independence * Martin and Osa Johnson (1884–1937 and 1894–1953), film pioneer, explorer; Chanute * Oscar Micheaux (1893–1951), film director; Great Bend * Gordon Parks (1912–2006), film director; Fort Scott * Richard Thorpe (1896–1991), film director; Hutchinson == Public figures == === Journalists === * Frank Marshall Davis (1905–1987), journalist, poet, political and labor movement activist; Arkansas City * Steve Doocy (born 1956), co-host of Fox News's Fox & Friends; Abilene * Elizabeth Farnsworth (born 1943), television journalist; Topeka * William M. Gallagher (1923–1975), Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist; Hiawatha * Jane Grant (1892–1972), journalist who co-founded The New Yorker; Girard, Kansas * E. W. Howe (1853–1937), author and newspaper editor; Atchison * Bill Kurtis (born 1940), television journalist; Independence * Jim Lehrer (born 1934), television journalist; Wichita * Melissa McDermott (born 1960s), television news anchor for CBS's Up to the Minute; Wichita * Clementine Paddleford (1898–1967), journalist and food critic; Riley County * Eugene C. Pulliam (1889–1975), founder Central Newspapers, Inc.; Ulysses * Roy A. Roberts (1887–1967), newspaper editor; Muscotah * W. Eugene Smith (1918–1978), photojournalist; Wichita * John Cameron Swayze (1906–1995), television journalist; Wichita * Julius Wayland (1854–1912), newspaper editor, Appeal to Reason; Girard * William Allen White (1868–1944), author and newspaper editor; Emporia * Gene Wojciechowski, author, sportswriter and ESPN commentator; Salina === Politics and law === === Military and national security === === Religious === * William Bickerton (1815–1905), founder of The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite) and the Zion Valley, Kansas, colony; St. John * Charles J. Chaput (born 1944), Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver; Concordia * Sheri L. Dew (born 1953), influential Latter-day Saint spokeswoman; Ulysses * Bart D. Ehrman (born 1955), New Testament scholar; Lawrence * Jerry Johnston (born 1959), Southern Baptist Convention evangelist and pastor; Overland Park * Emil Kapaun (1916–1951), Army chaplain Korean War, posthumous Medal of Honor recipient, Catholic martyr and sainthood candidate; Pilsen * Ron Kenoly (born 1944), musical worship leader; Coffeyville * Fred Phelps (1929–2014), leader of Westboro Baptist Church; Topeka * James Reeb (1927–1965), Unitarian minister beaten to death by segregationists in Selma, Alabama, during the Civil Rights Movement; Wichita * David Laurin Ricken (born 1954), bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne; Dodge City * Michael Jarboe Sheehan (born 1939), Archbishop of Santa Fe; Wichita * M. Madeline Southard (1877–1967), Methodist minister and writer * John Joseph Sullivan (1920–2001), Bishop of Grand Island, Nebraska, and Kansas City-St. Joseph; Horton * Gerald B. Winrod (1900–1957), evangelical Christian and Nazi sympathizer; Wichita * Gordon Winrod (born 1926), Christian Identity minister; Hesston == Scientists and programmers == == Others == === Notable individuals === === Notable historical people not from Kansas but were part of an important event in Kansas === * John Brown (1800–1859), abolitionist; Osawatomie * Buffalo Bill Cody (1846–1917), buffalo hunter and showman; Leavenworth * Wyatt Earp (1848–1929), lawman; Wichita and Dodge City * Dora Hand (1844–1878), dance hall singer, Dodge City, Kansas * Wild Bill Hickok (1837–1876), lawman; Hays and Abilene * James H. Lane (1814-1866), abolitionist, senator and union general; Lawrence * Bat Masterson (1853–1921), lawman; Dodge City * Carrie Nation (1846–1911), temperance activist; Medicine Lodge * John James Ingalls (1833–1900), politician * Kris Kobach (1966), Candidate for Governor in 2018, Kansas Secretary of State. === Infamous persons === === Fictional persons ===