This article is a list of notable people who were born in and/or have lived in Lawrence, Kansas. Alumni of
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...
or
Haskell Indian Nations University
Haskell Indian Nations University is a public tribal land-grant university in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1884 as a residential boarding school for American Indian children, the school has developed into a university operated by t ...
, including athletes and coaches, that are not originally from Lawrence should not be included in this list, instead, they should be listed in List of University of Kansas people. This includes faculty and coaches who stayed in Lawrence after retirement.
A
*
The Appleseed Cast
The Appleseed Cast is an American rock band from Lawrence, Kansas. The band was founded in the early days of emo by singer-guitarist Christopher Crisci and drummer Louie Ruiz. The Appleseed Cast has steadily evolved over the release of eight ...
, band
*
Karole Armitage
Karole Armitage (born March 3, 1954) is an American dancer and choreographer currently based in New York City. She is artistic director of Armitage Gone! Dance, a contemporary dance company that performs several times annually in New York City as ...
, choreographer
B
*
Martha Bablitch
Martha Bablitch (née Virtue; October 28, 1944 – April 4, 2007) was a judge on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.
Biography
Martha Jean Virtue was born on October 28, 1944 in Lawrence, Kansas to John and Maxine (née Boord) Virtue. Martha grew up ...
, judge
* Leo Beuerman, pencil salesman, subject of a 1969 short film nominated for an Academy Award
*
Amani Bledsoe
Amani Elijah Bledsoe (born February 6, 1998) is an American football defensive end who is a free agent. He played college football at Oklahoma and was signed by the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He has also played for the Cincinnati ...
, professional football player
* David Booth, entrepreneur
*
Corinne Brinkerhoff
Corinne Noel Brinkerhoff (born 1979) is an American television writer and producer. She has worked on the series ''The Good Wife'' and '' Boston Legal''. She was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for best new series in 2010.
Backgr ...
, television producer and writer
*
Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich (née Pattee; born June 22, 1960) is an American legal clerk, consumer advocate, and environmental activist who, despite her lack of education in the law, was instrumental in building a case against Pacific Gas & Electric Compan ...
, environmental activist
*
George Brown George Brown may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter
* George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist
* George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor
* G ...
, politician
*
William Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultur ...
, author
*
Sarah Buxton
Sarah Jane Buxton (born July 3, 1980) is an American country music singer, formerly signed to the independent Lyric Street Records. Between 2006 and 2008, she issued three singles from an extended play titled '' Almost My Record'', in addition t ...
, singer
C
*
Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Dorothy Canfield Fisher (February 17, 1879 – November 9, 1958) was an educational reformer, social activist, and best-selling American author in the early 20th century. She strongly supported women's rights, racial equality, and lifelong educat ...
, author
*
Danny Carey
Daniel Edwin Carey (born May 10, 1961) is an American musician and songwriter. He is the drummer for the American rock band Tool. He has also contributed to albums by artists such as Zaum, Green Jellö, Pigface, Skinny Puppy, Adrian Belew, Ca ...
Lawrence Massacre
The Lawrence Massacre, also known as Quantrill's Raid, was an attack during the American Civil War (186165) by Quantrill's Raiders, a Confederate guerrilla group led by William Quantrill, on the Unionist town of Lawrence, Kansas, killing a ...
on August 21, 1863
* Cattle Annie, bandit born in Lawrence in 1882
*
Paul Coker Jr.
Paul Coker Jr. (March 5, 1929 – July 23, 2022) was an American illustrator. He worked in many media, including '' Mad'', character design for Rankin-Bass TV specials, greeting cards, and advertising.
Career
Coker was born in Lawrence, Kansa ...
, illustrator, ''
Mad Magazine
Mad, mad, or MAD may refer to:
Geography
* Mad (village), a village in the Dunajská Streda District of Slovakia
* Mád, a village in Hungary
* Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, by IATA airport code
* Mad River (disambiguation), several ...
'' and
Rankin-Bass
Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City, and known for its seasonal television specials, usual ...
D
*
Karen Dalton
Karen may refer to:
* Karen (name), a given name and surname
* Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors
People
* Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand
** Karen languages or Karenic l ...
, musician
*
George Docking
George Docking (February 23, 1904 – January 20, 1964) was an American businessman who served as the 35th governor of Kansas (1957–1961). He was a member of the Democratic Party.
Biography
Born in Clay Center, Kansas, Docking was educated i ...
, politician
*
Robert Docking
Robert Blackwell Docking (October 9, 1925October 8, 1983) was an American politician who served as the 38th governor of Kansas from 1967 until 1975.
Early life
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Docking attended public school in Lawrence, K ...
, politician
E
*
Bart D. Ehrman
Bart Denton Ehrman (born 1955) is an American New Testament scholar focusing on textual criticism of the New Testament, the historical Jesus, and the origins and development of early Christianity. He has written and edited 30 books, including t ...
, scholar, author
*
Loren Eiseley
Loren Eiseley (September 3, 1907 – July 9, 1977) was an American anthropologist, educator, philosopher, and natural science writer, who taught and published books from the 1950s through the 1970s. He received many honorary degrees and was ...
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
Mike Finnigan
Michael Kelly Finnigan (April 26, 1945 – August 11, 2021) was an American keyboard player and vocalist, his speciality being the B3 Hammond organ. Working primarily as a freelance studio musician and touring player, he played with a wide va ...
, musician
*
Marci Francisco
Marci Francisco (born April 22, 1950) is an American politician who currently serves as the Kansas State Senator from the 2nd district, a position she has held since 2005.
Early career
She was a city commissioner of Lawrence, Kansas, from 1979 ...
, politician
*
Thomas Frank
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the ...
The Get Up Kids
The Get Up Kids are an American rock band from Olathe, Kansas. Formed in 1995, the band was a major player in the mid-1990s Midwest emo scene, otherwise known as the " second wave" of emo music. Their second album '' Something to Write Home Abo ...
, rock band
*
Edward C. Gleed
Edward Creston Gleed (November 5, 1916 – January 25, 1990) was an U.S. Army Air Force officer with the famed Buffalo Soldiers/9th Cavalry Regiment (United States), 332nd Fighter Group’s operations officer, and combat fighter pilot with the 9 ...
,
U.S. Army Air Force
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
officer with the famed
Buffalo Soldier
Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in th ...
s/
9th Cavalry Regiment (United States)
The 9th Cavalry Regiment is a parent cavalry regiment of the United States Army. It is not related to the 9th Kansas Cavalry Regiment of the Union Army. Historically, it was one of the Army's four segregated African-American regiments and was pa ...
and
Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332d Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the United States Army ...
H
*
John Hadl
John Willard Hadl (February 15, 1940 – November 30, 2022) was an American football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 16 years. He won an AFL championship with the San Diego Cha ...
John G. Haskell
John Gideon Haskell (February 5, 1832 – November 25, 1907) was an architect who designed portions of the Kansas State Capitol and other public buildings in the state.
Haskell was born in Milton, Vermont. His father moved to Lawrence, Kansas i ...
, architect of numerous Lawrence buildings as well as the
Kansas State Capitol
The Kansas State Capitol, known also as the Kansas Statehouse, is the building housing the executive and legislative branches of government for the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in the city of Topeka, which has served as the capital of Kansas sin ...
Ralph Houk
Ralph George Houk (; August 9, 1919 – July 21, 2010), nicknamed The Major, was an American catcher, coach, manager, and front office executive in Major League Baseball. He is best known as the successor of Casey Stengel as manager of the New Y ...
, MLB pitcher and manager
* Henry Salem Hubbell, American Impressionist painter
* Isaac F. Hughes, City Council member in Lawrence and in Los Angeles, California
* Langston Hughes, poet and author
* Kelley Hunt, blues singer, pianist, songwriter
Steve Jeltz
Larry Steven Jeltz (born May 28, 1959) is a French-born American former professional baseball player. He played in parts of eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas City Royals. Jeltz primarily played ...
, professional baseball player
*
Patty Jenkins
Patricia Lea Jenkins (born July 24, 1971) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. She has directed the feature films ''Monster'' (2003), ''Wonder Woman'' (2017), and ''Wonder Woman 1984'' (2020). For the film ''Monster'', she w ...
, film writer and director
K
*
Tom Keegan
Tom Keegan (born March 22, 1959) is an American sportswriter and author who is sports editor of the Chesterton Tribune, a twice-weekly newspaper in Chesterton, Ind. He was a columnist at the Boston Herald until getting laid off, July 1, 2020. He w ...
Deane Waldo Malott
Deane Waldo Malott (July 10, 1898 – September 11, 1996) was an American academic and administrator.
Biography
The son of a banker, Malott was born in Abilene, Kansas and went on to study at the University of Kansas. While at school there, ...
, university president
*
Danny Manning
Daniel Ricardo Manning (born May 17, 1966) is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the Associate Head Mens Basketball Coach at the University of Louisville. Manning played high school basketball at Walter Hin ...
, professional basketball player
*
Mates of State
Mates of State are an American indie pop duo, active since 1997. The group is the husband-and-wife team of Kori Gardner (born June 16, 1974) (vocals, organ, synthesizer, piano, electric piano, and occasional guitar and drums) and Jason Hammel ...
, rock band
*
Mark Maxey
Mark Maxey (born May 13, 1969) is an American producer, writer and director of film and television best known for the documentary film ''Up to Snuff'' (2019), about musician/composer W. G. Snuffy Walden.
Early life
Mark Maxey was born on May ...
Elmer McCollum
Elmer Verner McCollum (March 3, 1879 – November 15, 1967) was an American biochemist known for his work on the influence of diet on health.Kruse, 1961. McCollum is also remembered for starting the first rat colony in the United States to be u ...
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
Alan Mulally
Alan Roger Mulally (born August 4, 1945) is an American aerospace engineer and manufacturing executive.
He is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ford Motor Company. He retired from Ford Motor Company on July 1, 2014. Ford ...
, business executive, CEO of Ford Motor Corporation
N
*
Bill Nieder
William Henry Nieder (August 10, 1933 – October 7, 2022) was an American athlete who mainly competed in the shot put.
Nieder was born in Hempstead, New York, and grew up in Lawrence, Kansas.1956 Summer Olympics and gold in
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...
Sara Paretsky
Sara Paretsky (born June 8, 1947) is an American author of detective fiction, best known for her novels focused on the protagonist V. I. Warshawski.
Life and career
Paretsky was born in Ames, Iowa. Her father was a microbiologist and moved the ...
, novelist
*
Paw
A paw is the soft foot-like part of a mammal, generally a quadruped, that has claws.
Common characteristics
The paw is characterised by thin, pigmented, keratinised, hairless epidermis covering subcutaneous collagenous and adipose tissue, ...
, rock band
*
Ryan Pope
Ryan Pope is an American musician who lives in Lawrence, Kansas.
History
Ryan Pope grew up in Olathe, Kansas. In the summer of 1994, he was in a band called "Kingpin" with his brother Rob and future The Get Up Kids bandmate Jim Suptic. After ...
, musician (The Get Up Kids)
* Matthew Pryor, musician (The Get Up Kids)
R
*
Charles L. Robinson
Charles Lawrence Robinson (July 21, 1818 – August 17, 1894) was an American politician who served in the California State Assembly from 1851-52, and later as the first Governor of Kansas from 1861 until 1863. He was also the first governor o ...
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (k ...
Split Lip Rayfield
Split Lip Rayfield is an American vocal and acoustic instrumental group from Wichita, Kansas, United States. Though they are sometimes classified as a bluegrass, alternative country, or cowpunk band, their music draws on a wide array of influe ...
, band
*
Sri Srinivasan
Padmanabhan Srikanth "Sri" Srinivasan (; born February 23, 1967) is an Indian-born American lawyer and jurist serving as the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Before he was a circuit judge, Srinivas ...
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', March 27, 1932. Accessed March 25, 2023. "Colonel Starrett was born in Lawrence,Kan., on June 14, 1877, a son of the Rev. William A. and Helen Eken Starrett."
*
Robby Steinhardt
Robert Eugene Steinhardt (May 25, 1950 – July 17, 2021) was an American rock violinist and singer best known for his work with the group Kansas, for which he was co-lead singer/"frontman" and MC along with keyboardist Steve Walsh, from 197 ...
, violinist, vocalist with band
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
George Walker George Walker may refer to:
Arts and letters
* George Walker (chess player) (1803–1879), English chess player and writer
*George Walker (composer) (1922–2018), American composer
* George Walker (illustrator) (1781–1856), author of ''The Co ...
, African-American
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
actor
*
Donald Worster
Donald Worster (born 1941) is an American environmental historian who was, until his retirement, the Hall Distinguished Professor of American History at the University of Kansas. He is one of the founders of, and leading figures in, the field of ...
, environmental historian, author
* Henry Wright, planner and architect
List of lists of people from Kansas
This is a list of lists of people from Kansas. Inclusion in this list should be reserved for existing Wikipedia lists about people from the American state of Kansas.
List of people from Kansas
The primary list contains notable people who were ei ...
{{See also, Douglas County, Kansas#Further reading, l1=List of books about Douglas County, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence
Lawrence may refer to:
Education Colleges and universities
* Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States
* Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States
Preparator ...