The following is a list of notable persons who were born, or who have lived a significant part of their lives, in

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pen ...

Art and Literature

* Richard Anuszkiewicz, founder and foremost artist of Op Art movement * Moses Billings, early American portrait painter * Marc Brown, children's book author and illustrator, creator of the ''

Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

'' book series * John Silk Deckard, painter, printmaker, sculptor * David Greenberger, artist * Thom Hatch, author and novelist who specializes in the history of the American West, the American Civil War, and the Plains Indian Wars * Eugene Iverd, illustrator and teacher * Ron Larson, author of several dozen mathematics textbooks * Leon Ray Livingston, known as "King of the Hobos" * Ruth Eleanor Newton, illustrator and designer * Joseph Plavcan, painter and teacher * Chuck Rosenthal, author * Belle Silveira, artist known for her pencil portraits * Ida M. Tarbell, author, journalist, "

muckraker The muckrakers were reform-minded journalists, writers, and photographers in the Progressive Era in the United States (1890s–1920s) who claimed to expose corruption and wrongdoing in established institutions, often through sensationalist publ ...

" * John Totleben, comic book illustrator, known for covers of DC Comics' '' Swamp Thing'' * Michael J. Varhola, author * Charles Erskine Scott Wood, author and leading civil liberties advocate, best known for " Heavenly Discourse"

Athletics

Sig Andrusking Sigmond Francis "Ziggy" Andrusking (January 18, 1913 – August 17, 1994) was an American professional American football, football Guard (gridiron football), guard who played one season with the Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL), Brooklyn Dodgers of the Nat ...

, professional football player * Art Baker, professional football player,

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

and NCAA National Championship winner in both football and wrestling, pioneering African-American athlete * Bruce Baumgartner, heavyweight Olympic wrestler, most decorated American wrestler of all time, member of National Wrestling Hall of Fame * Lou Bierbauer, 19th-century

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player * Dana Bible, former American football coach * Fred Biletnikoff, professional football player,

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

, Super Bowl MVP,

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

* James Carr, youngest-ever American Olympic wrestler, member of National Wrestling Hall of Fame * Nate Carr, Olympic wrestler (bronze medalist in 1988), three-time NCAA champion at

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

, member of National Wrestling Hall of Fame * Rick Chartraw, professional ice hockey player,

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

* James Conner, professional football player,

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

* Clifton Crosby, professional football player,

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

* Ed Cushman, professional baseball player, Buffalo Bisons,

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, they became the Oakland ...

New York Metropolitans The Metropolitan Club (New York Metropolitans or the Mets) was a 19th-century professional baseball team that played in New York City from 1880 to 1887. (The ''New York Metropolitan Baseball Club'' was the name chosen in 1961 for the New York M ...

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

, and

Toledo Maumees The Toledo Maumees were a baseball team originally formed in 1888. The team was based in Toledo, Ohio, and formed part of the Tri-State League for one season. Their home games were played at Speranza Park in Toledo. In 1889, the Maumees moved to ...

* Dell Darling, professional baseball player, Buffalo Bisons, Chicago White Stockings, and St. Louis Browns * Tim Federowicz, professional baseball player,

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

* Bill Finneran, early professional baseball umpire * George Flint, professional football player,

* Fernando Frye, college football player * Eric Hicks, professional football player, Kansas City Chiefs * Essie Hollis, professional basketball player,

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

* Sam Jethroe, Negro leagues and Major League baseball player from 1938 to 1966 * Jovon Johnson, professional football player, Ottawa Redblacks, CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award * Caryn Kadavy, figure skater, 1987 World Bronze Medalist, 1988 Olympian * Eddie Klep, professional baseball player, first white American to play in the Negro leagues * Jack Laraway, professional football player,

, Houston Oilers * Tom Lawless, professional baseball player, St. Louis Cardinals,

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

, and

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

* Bob Learn, Jr., professional bowler, 1999 U.S. Open champion who also rolled the PBA's 10th televised 300 game * Frank Liebel, professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

for NFL's New York Giants and

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

* Matt Lynch, as of 2024 the only

out Out or OUT may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 *Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander *O ...

gay head coach in college men's basketball * Kayla McBride, professional basketball player, Minnesota Lynx, first-team

, Notre Dame * Mike McCoy, professional football player,

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

, unanimous first-team All-American for Notre Dame and 1969

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

candidate * Curt Miller, WNBA professional basketball coach * Mike Morrison, professional baseball player, Cleveland Spiders, Syracuse Stars and

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

* Peter Nyari, professional baseball and Olympic athlete * Bob Raudman, professional baseball player * Bob Sanders, professional football player, Indianapolis Colts * Brian Stablein, professional football player, Indianapolis Colts and

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

* Mark Stepnoski, professional football player,

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

and Houston/Tennessee Oilers * Woody Thompson, professional football player,

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

* Blidi Wreh-Wilson, professional football player,

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

and

* Brian Milne, professional football player,

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

, Seattle Seahawks,

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

and

Business and politics

* Henry Alden Clark, U.S. Congressman * Edward M. Baker, investment broker * Judah Colt, pioneer * Kathy Dahlkemper, U.S. Congresswoman and Erie County Executive * Samuel A. Davenport, U.S. Congressman * Daniel Dobbins, builder of the U.S. naval fleet for Battle of Lake Erie * Thomas B. Hagen, Chairman of Erie Insurance * William A. Heidt, Former U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia (2015-2018) * William Himrod,

iron industry Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's ...

pioneer and

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

* Warren Kitzmiller, Vermont state legislator * Michael Liebel, Jr., Mayor of Erie 1906–1911; Democratic member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

1915–1917 * Reinhard Liebel, President of South Erie Iron Works; member of the Board of Fire Commissioners, Common Council and Select Council of Erie * Harry Markopolos, blew whistle in Madoff

securities fraud Securities fraud, also known as stock fraud and investment fraud, is a deceptive practice in the stock or commodities markets that induces investors to make purchase or sale decisions on the basis of false information.Norman Morrison, Vietnam protester who self-immolated * Art Phillips, President - The Australian Guild of Screen Composers - 2001 ~ 2008; owner/director 101 Music Pty Ltd® www.101.audio * Joseph D. Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco, FBI agent who infiltrated Bonanno crime family * Adena Miller Rich, suffragist, social worker in Chicago, director of Immigrants' Protective League * Tom Ridge, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Governor of Pennsylvania, and U.S. Congressman * James Patrick Rossiter, lawyer and politician * William Lawrence Scott, 19th-century politician and wealthy businessman * Milton Shreve, U.S. Congressman * Thomas Sill, U.S. Congressman

Film, stage, and television

* Nick Adams, Broadway actor * Billy Blanks, inventor of Taebo and martial arts film actor * Marc Blucas, actor * Marilyn Burns, actress, known for role as Sally in 1974 movie '' The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' * Bob Chitester, public television and documentary film producer, known as "...the man who made

Milton Friedman Milton Friedman (; July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American economist and statistician who received the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on consumption analysis, monetary history and theory and ...

a star..." * Julie Craig, actress and singer * Ann B. Davis, actress, known for role as Alice on TV's '' Brady Bunch'' * Dorothy Dietrich, magician and escapologist * Kurt Doss, child actor • Art Phillips, The Love Boat tv series, on-screen band musician-guitarist / on set, 1977 ~ 1979 * Christine Estabrook, television and film actress * Ish Kabibble, comedian and actor * Harry Kellar, magician * Tina LeBlanc, ballet dancer, teacher and ballet master * Emily Matson, journalist * Julianna McCarthy, original cast member of ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...

'' * Dan Rice, 19th century entertainer and clown * Maria Sansone, television host of '' Good Day LA'' * Steve Scully, host, political editor, and senior producer of

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American Cable television in the United States, cable and Satellite television in the United States, satellite television network, created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a Non ...

's '' Washington Journal'' * Jonathan Stark, actor and screenwriter * Denman Thompson, playwright and actor * Kay Williams, actress * Walker Scobell, actor * Lacy, streamer

Military and aerospace

* John Boyd, fighter pilot and military strategist who developed the

OODA Loop The OODA loop (observe, orient, decide, act) is a decision-making model developed by United States Air Force Colonel John Boyd. He applied the concept to the combat operations process, often at the operational level during military campaigns ...

and helped with the success of the Persian Gulf War * Paul K. Carlton,

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

; commander in chief of the Military Airlift Command * Philip Cochran,

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

; commander of the 1st Air Commando Group in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

; inspiration for the characters of "Flip Corkin" and "General Philerie" in comic strips by Milton Caniff * Charles A. Curtze,

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

* Richard E. Ellsworth, U.S. Air Force Brigadier General * Charles Vernon Gridley, U.S. Navy Commander, Captain, U.S.S. ''Olympia'', Battle of Manila Bay; adopted Erie as his home after taking command of the USS ''Michigan'' there * Louis J. Magill,

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

veteran; recipient of the Marine Corps Brevet Medal * Seth Reed, Lt. Colonel, fought at Bunker Hill; instrumental in adding "

E Pluribus Unum ''E pluribus unum'' ( , , ) – Latin for "Out of many, one" (also translated as "One out of many") – is a traditional motto of the United States, appearing on the Great Seal of the United States, Great Seal along with ''Annuit cœptis'' (L ...

" to U.S. coins; founded Erie, as its first settler with his family, in 1795, at Presque Isle * Strong Vincent, Union brigadier general; killed at Gettysburg; Harvard graduate; practiced law in Erie from Waterford, Erie County * Anthony Wayne,

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

general * Paul J. Weitz, U.S. Naval aviator; NASA astronaut; Skylab 2 pilot; STS-6 (Shuttle Challenger) Commander * William Maxwell Wood, first Surgeon General of the US Navy

Music

* Art Phillips, guitar, composer, orchestrator, Emmy Award for music score to Santa Barbara www.101.audio * Alan Baer, tuba,

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

* Harry Burleigh,

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

composer * Walter Hendl, conductor, composer and pianist * Peter Mennin,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and teacher * Patrick Monahan, lead singer of

Train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

; solo artist; Grammy Award winner *

Chris Vrenna Chris Vrenna (born February 23, 1967) is an American musician, producer, engineer, remixer, programmer, and founder of the electronic band Tweaker. Vrenna played drums for the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from 1988 until 1996, and was ...

, drummer of rock band

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

* Jack Stauber, Solo Musician and Songwriter * War of Ages, Christian metal band

Naturalists

* Joe Root, 19th-century

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

who lived at Presque Isle State Park

Religion

* Joan Chittister, Benedictine nun, author, and lecturer * Max C. Currick,

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

rabbi * Mary Lou Kownacki, Benedictine nun, activist, and writer * John Mark Gannon, Catholic archbishop * Theodore Jurewicz,

Russian Orthodox The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

priest and Byzantine

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...

ographer

Science, medicine, and academia

* Richard Beals, Yale professor and author of several mathematical textbooks * David Dausey, professor, author and epidemiologist * Millicent Goldschmidt, microbiologist, professor emerita at

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

* John Kanzius, inventor; radio and TV engineer and executive * Tara Keck, professor at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

, published numerous scholarly articles on

neuroplasticity Neuroplasticity, also known as neural plasticity or just plasticity, is the ability of neural networks in the brain to change through neurogenesis, growth and reorganization. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to reorganize and rewir ...

* Chester L. Sutula, chemist * Paul Siple,

Antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

explorer who developed the wind chill factor • Art Phillips, Associate Professor - Universal Business School Sydney Australia, director - lecturer, course advisor, Centre for Entrepreneurship, 2020 ~ 2024

References

{{portal bar, Biography, Lists, Pennsylvania

Erie