List of people from Kansas

]]

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&ndash;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&ndash;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&ndash;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 
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* John Anderson, Jr. (1917–2014), Kansas Governor; De Soto
* Earl Browder (1891–1973), General Secretary, Communist Party USA; Wichita
* Sam Brownback (born 1956), U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, Kansas Governor; Garnett
* Arthur Capper (1865–1951), Kansas Governor and newspaper editor; Garnett
* Frank Carlson (1893–1987), U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and Kansas Governor; Concordia
* Georgia Neese Clark (1900–1995), first woman Treasurer of United States; Richland
* Ty Cobb (born 1950), Special Counsel to the President of the United States; Great Bend, Kansas
* Samuel J. Crawford (1835–1913), Kansas Governor; Garnett
* Charles Curtis (1860–1936), U.S. Senator and 31st Vice President of United States; Topeka
* Harry Darby (1895–1987), businessman and U.S. Senator; Kansas City
* George Docking (1904–1964), Kansas Governor; Clay Center
* Bob Dole (born 1923), U.S. Senator from Kansas {1969-1996} and 1996 Republican nominee for president; Russell
* Dwight Eisenhower (1890–1969), 34th President of the United States, Allied commander in World War II; Abilene (born in Denison, Texas)
* Joan Finney (1925–2001), Kansas Governor; Topeka
* Marlin Fitzwater (born 1942), Press Secretary for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush; Abilene
* Robert Gates (born 1943), CIA director, U.S. Secretary of Defense; Wichita
* Robert L. Gernon (1943–2005), Kansas Supreme Court Justice; Sabetha
* Dan Glickman (born 1944), Secretary of Agriculture, President of Motion Picture Association of America; Wichita
* Bill Graves (born 1953), Kansas Governor; Salina
* Paul Ranous Greever (1891–1943), Wyoming Congressman; Lansing
* Gary Hart (born 1936), Colorado Senator; Ottawa
* Carl Hatch (1889–1963), New Mexico Senator; Kirwin
* Mike Hayden (born 1944), Kansas Governor; Colby
* Wally Hickel (1919–2010), Governor of Alaska, U.S. Secretary of Interior; Claflin
* Ural Alexis Johnson (1908–1997), diplomat and ambassador; Falun
* Tim Kaine (born 1958), Virginia Governor and Senator; 2016 Democratic nominee for Vice President; Overland Park
* Nancy Kassebaum Baker (born 1932), Kansas Senator; Topeka
* James H. "Dog" Kelley (1833–1912), frontiersman, mayor of Dodge City; (Hometown Needed)
* William P. Lambertson (1880–1957), U.S. Congressman; Fairview
* Alf Landon (1887–1987), Kansas Governor, 1936 presidential candidate; Topeka
* Frank H. Lee (1873–1952), Missouri U.S. Representative; De Soto
* John Martin (1839–1889), Kansas Governor, newspaperman, Civil War Colonel; Atchison
* George McGill (1879–1963), Kansas Senator; Wichita
* Jerry Moran (born 1954), U.S. Representative and Senator; Plainville
* Roger Noriega (born 1959), U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs; Wichita
* Gale Norton (born 1954), U.S. Secretary of the Interior; Wichita
* Lawton Nuss (born 1952), State Supreme Court Justice; Salina
* Kate Richards O'Hare (1877–1948), American Socialist Party activist; Ottawa County
* Leslie Osterman (born 1947), member of Kansas House of Representatives; Wichita
* Shirley Phelps-Roper (born 1957), lawyer for Westboro Baptist Church; Topeka
* Chuck Reed (born 1948), Mayor of San Jose, California; Garden City
* Roy Romer (born 1928), Colorado Governor; Garden City
* Susanna M. Salter (1860–1961), Mayor of Argonia, first woman mayor in U.S.; (Hometown Needed)
* Bradley Schlozman (born 1971), controversial figure in George W. Bush Administration's Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy; Overland Park
* K. Gary Sebelius (born 1949), U.S. magistrate judge, husband of Kathleen Sebelius; Norton
* Harold Sebring (1898–1968), Nuremberg Trial judge; Olathe
* Arlen Specter (1930–2012), Pennsylvania Senator; Russell
* Dale Swenson (born c. 1957), member of Kansas House; Wichita
* Martin E. Trapp (1877–1951), Oklahoma Governor; Robinson
* Rosalie E. Wahl (1924–2014), associate justice Minnesota Supreme Court; Caney
* William Walker (1800–1874), Provisional Governor of Nebraska Territory, Wyandot chief; (Hometown Needed)
* Mabel Walker Willebrandt (1889–1963), U.S. Assistant Attorney General 1921–29; Woodsdale
* Harry Hines Woodring (1890–1967), Kansas Governor and Secretary of War under Franklin Roosevelt; Elk City
* Robert M. Wright (1840–1915), member of Kansas House of Representatives; a founder of Dodge City
* Ron Wyden (born 1949), Oregon Senator; Wichita
}}

### 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 
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* Danni Boatwright (born 1975), winner of *Survivor: Guatemala*; Tonganoxie
* Emily Gibson Braerton (1884–1966), V.P. Daughters of the American Revolution {1950–53}; Lawrence
* Erin Brockovich (born 1960), environmental activist; Lawrence
* Richard Christy (born 1974), comedian on the *Howard Stern Show*; Fort Scott
* Hilda Clark (1872–1932), first woman to appear in a Coca-Cola advertisement; Leavenworth
* Earl Cole (born 1971), winner of *Survivor: Fiji*; Kansas City
* Racquel Darrian (born 1968), pornographic film star; Hutchinson
* Elmer Dresslar, Jr. (1925–2005), voice actor and baritone voice of Jolly Green Giant commercials; St. Francis
* Alvin Dewey (1912–1987), special agent of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation; Garden City
* Ann Dunham (1942–1995), mother of Barack Obama; Wichita
* Madelyn and Stanley Dunham (born 1922 and 1918–1992), grandparents of Barack Obama; Puru
* Tara Dawn Holland (born 1972), Miss America 1997; Overland Park
* Carrie Ingalls (1870–1946), sister of Laura Ingalls Wilder; born near Independence
* Charles "Buffalo" Jones (1844–1919), state representative Finney County; co-founder of Garden City
* Vicki Lynn Lasseter (born 1960), February 1981 *Playboy* Playmate; Iola
* Candy Loving (born 1956), January 1979 *Playboy* Playmate and 25th Anniversary Playmate; Oswego
* Waldo McBurney (1902–2009), formerly listed as oldest worker; Quinter
* Kelli McCarty (born 1969), Miss USA 1991, actress, pornographic films; Liberal
* Janet Murguía (born 1954), President and CEO, National Council of La Raza; Kansas City
* Dan Perkins (born 1961), cartoonist, pen name "Tom Tomorrow"; Wichita
* Jeff Probst (born 1962), television personality and host of *Survivor*; Wichita
* Victor Rojas (), studio analyst for MLB Network; Overland Park (born in Miami)
* Satanta (1830–1878), Chief of Kiowa tribe; western Kansas
* Matt Schlapp (), chairman of American Conservative Union; Wichita
* Justin E. Smith (born 1968), sheriff of Larimer County, Colorado; McPherson
* Theresa Vail (born 1990), host of Outdoor Channel's *Limitless with Theresa Vail*; Manhattan
* Kari Wahlgren (born 1977), video game voice actress; Hoisington
* Carrie Westcott (born 1969), September 1993 *Playboy* Playmate; Mission Hills
* Harold F. Williamson (1901–1989), business historian; Piper
}}

### 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 
## References