The following list includes notable people, past and present, who were born or have lived in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

, the second-largest city (and largest

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

city) on the shores of

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

Business and industry

* W. T. Bailey (1842-1914), 19th and 20th-century lumber tycoon who kept his headquarters in Duluth * Bob Chinn (1923-2022), owner of Bob Chinn's Crab House, highest grossing restaurant in America in 2012 * Thomas F. Cole (1862-1939), mining executive; president of

Oliver Iron Mining Company The Oliver Iron Mining Company was a mining company operating in Minnesota, United States. It was one of the most prominent companies in the early decades of mining on the Mesabi Range. As a division of U.S. Steel, Oliver dwarfed its competitors ...

after its merge with

U.S. Steel United States Steel Corporation, more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an American integrated steel producer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production operations primarily in the United States of America and in severa ...

Chester Adgate Congdon Chester Adgate Congdon (June 12, 1853 – November 21, 1916), was a lawyer and capitalist. Congdon was born in Rochester, New York, on June 12, 1853, his parents being Sylvester Laurentius and Laura Jane () Congdon. The Congdon name is ind ...

(1853-1916), attorney and investor *

Andy Goldfine Andy Goldfine (born 1954), is an American businessperson, founder of Aerostich, and founder of Ride To Work nonprofit to support motorcycle commuting through its annual Ride To Work Day. In 2013, he was awarded the American Motorcyclist Associati ...

, founder of

Aerostich Aerostich, formerly Aero Design & Mfg. Co. Inc., is a company based in Duluth, Minnesota that produces and sells motorcycle safety clothing and other motorcycle related equipment, such as GPS systems, luggage, and hand tools. It was founded in 1983 ...

; creator of the Roadcrafter motorcycle protective suit *

Klapmeier brothers The Klapmeier brothers, Alan Lee Klapmeier (born October 6, 1958) and Dale Edward Klapmeier (born July 2, 1961), are retired American aircraft designers and aviation entrepreneurs who together founded the Cirrus Aircraft, Cirrus Design Corporati ...

, founders of Cirrus; pioneered the use of composites,

glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic (digital) flight instrument displays, typically large LCD screens, rather than the traditional style of analog dials and gauges. While a traditional cockpit relies on numerous mech ...

s and ballistic parachutes for production aircraft; inducted into

National Aviation Hall of Fame The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) is a museum, annual awards ceremony and learning and research center that was founded in 1962 as an Ohio non-profit corporation in Dayton, Ohio, United States, known as the "Birthplace of Aviation" with it ...

(2014) * Merritt brothers, also known as the Seven Iron Brothers of Duluth, discovered

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

in 1890 on the

Mesabi Iron Range The Mesabi Iron Range is a mining district in northeastern Minnesota following an elongate trend containing large deposits of iron ore. It is the largest of four major iron ranges in the region collectively known as the Iron Range of Minnesota ...

David Oreck David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

(1923-2023), entrepreneur and lecturer *

Jeno Paulucci Luigino "Jeno" Francesco Paulucci (July 5, 1918 – November 24, 2011) was an American food industry magnate, investor, and philanthropist. Paulucci started over 70 companies; among the most well-known ventures included his frozen food company B ...

(1918-2011), entrepreneur, philanthropist and

food industry The food industry is a complex, global network of diverse businesses that supplies most of the food consumed by the world's population. The food industry today has become highly diversified, with manufacturing ranging from small, traditiona ...

magnate; founder of

Chun King Chun King was an American brand of canned Chinese food products founded in the 1940s by Jeno Paulucci, who also developed ''Jeno's Pizza Rolls'' and frozen pizza, and the '' Michelina's'' brand of frozen food products, among many others. By 1962, Ch ...

, Jeno's Inc., and Bellisio Foods; creator of the pizza roll

Entertainment

Dale Arnold Dale Everett Arnold (born March 27, 1956) is a New England sportscaster. He hosts Boston Bruins broadcasts on NESN and co-hosted talk radio shows on WEEI until his retirement from radio on March 12, 2021, announced the day before. He was the ...

, sportscaster for

WEEI-FM WEEI-FM (93.7 Hertz, MHz) – branded SportsRadio 93.7 WEEI-FM – is a commercial Sports radio, sports Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to Lawrence, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and much of surrounding New England. Owned by ...

and

NESN New England Sports Network, popularly known as NESN , is an American regional sports network, regional sports cable television, cable and satellite television, satellite television network owned by a joint venture of Fenway Sports Group (which ow ...

* Dorothy Arnold, actress; first wife of baseball player

Joe DiMaggio Joseph Paul DiMaggio (November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "The Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career in Major League Baseball for the New York Yank ...

* Maria Bamford, comedian and television actress; American Comedy Award for Best Club Comic (2014) * Odin Biron, actor *

Mitch Clem Mitch Andrew Clem (born September 15, 1982) is an American cartoonist best known for his web comics '' Nothing Nice To Say'', ''San Antonio Rock City'', and ''My Stupid Life''. Biography Early life Clem was born in Minneapolis, on September 15 ...

, cartoonist * Marguerite De La Motte, silent movie actress * Carol Dempster, silent movie actress *

Otis Dozovic Nikola Bogojevic (born December 21, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Otis. After signing with WWE in 2016, he was assigned to their developmental ...

, professional wrestler for

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

Daniel Durant Daniel N. Durant (born December 24, 1989) is an American stage and screen actor. His breakthrough starring role was as Moritz Stiefel in the 2015 Broadway revival of '' Spring Awakening''. Durant starred in the Academy Award-winning film ''CODA ...

, stage and film actor *

Jane Frazee Mary Jane Frehse (July 18, 1915 – September 6, 1985), was an American actress, singer, and dancer. Professional life Jane, age six, and her 12-year-old sister Ruth formed a singing vaudeville act known as The Frazee Sisters.Peggy Knudsen Margaret Ann "Peggy" Knudsen (April 22, 1923 – July 11, 1980) was an American character actress. Early life She was born Margaret Ann Knudsen in Duluth, Minnesota. Her father was Conrad Knudsen, Duluth's fire chief. Her ancestors were Irish an ...

, actress * Don LaFontaine (1940-2008), prolific voice-over actor of film and video-game trailers, television advertisements, and network promotions * Jessica Lange, photographer and Academy,

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

SAG SAG, SAg, or sag may refer to: Land formations * Sag (geology), or ''trough'', a depressed, persistent, low area * Sag pond, a body of water collected in the lowest parts of a depression People * Ivan Sag (1949–2013), American linguist ...

and

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

Award-winning actress; tied as the sixth most Oscar-nominated actress in history; born in Cloquet and resided in Duluth * Verne Lundquist, CBS sportscaster *

Chris Monroe Christine Monroe (born April 17, 1962) is an American cartoonist, illustrator, and author best known for her weekly comic strip “Violet Days,” which appears in the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Duluth News Tribune. "Violet Days" has been in pri ...

, cartoonist and children's book illustrator * Edna Munsey, stage and silent film actress *

Lorenzo Music Gerald David "Lorenzo" Music (May 2, 1937 – August 4, 2001) was an American actor, producer and writer. Music began his career in the late 1960s as a writer and a regular performer on the controversial CBS variety show ''The Smothers Brothers ...

, voice actor, raised in Duluth * Gena Lee Nolin, actress * Charles Nolte (1923-2010), actor and director, born in Duluth *

Dennis Shryack Dennis Shryack (August 25, 1936 – September 14, 2016) was an American screenwriter. Born and raised in Duluth, Minnesota, Shryack began his career as a singer in The Escorts quartet, which toured as an opening act for well-known artists such ...

, screenwriter

Music

Bill Berry William Thomas Berry (born July 31, 1958) is an American musician who was the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Although best known for his economical drumming style, Berry also played other instruments, including guitar, bass guitar ...

, drummer for the band

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternative ...

Haley Bonar Haley McCallum (born 1983), professionally known as Haley and formerly Haley Bonar, is a Canadian-born American singer and songwriter who was raised in Rapid City, South Dakota. She has lived in Duluth and currently St. Paul, Minnesota. In 2009, s ...

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

singer and songwriter *

David Dondero David Dondero (born 24 June 1969 in Duluth, Minnesota, United States) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. In 2006, NPR's All Songs Considered named David one of the "best living songwriters" alongside Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney and T ...

, indie-folk musician *

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, iconic

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

and

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning folk singer and songwriter; spearheaded the

American folk music revival The American folk music revival began during the 1940s and peaked in popularity in the mid-1960s. Its roots went earlier, and performers like Josh White, Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy, Billie Holiday, Richard Dyer-Benn ...

during mid-1960s; inducted into

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

(1988);

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

in Literature (2016), born in Duluth *

Sadik Hakim Sadik Hakim (born Forrest Argonne Thornton; July 15, 1919 – June 20, 1983) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Early life Forrest Argonne Thornton was born on July 15, 1919 in Duluth, Minnesota. The name Argonne came from the World War ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

pianist, played on Charlie Parker's famous "

Ko-Ko "Ko-Ko" (also spelled "Ko Ko" or "Koko") is a 1945 bebop recording composed by Charlie Parker. The original recorded version lists Parker on alto saxophone with trumpeter Miles Davis, double bassist Curley Russell and drummer Max Roach. Due to t ...

" session * Dan Murphy,

Soul Asylum Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit "Runaway Train (Soul Asylum song), Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The band was originally called Loud Fast Rule ...

band member and founder *

Charlie Parr Charlie Parr is an American country blues musician. Born in Austin, Minnesota, he spent part of his childhood in Hollandale before starting his music career in Duluth. His influences include Charlie Patton, Bukka White, Reverend Gary Davis, Dave ...

, folk musician *

Rivulets Rivulets is the stage name of minimalist singer-songwriter Nathan Amundson. Biography Rivulets was the first artist signed to Low's Chairkickers Union record label in 2001. He then released his first, self-titled album in 2002 and DEBRIDEMENT ...

slowcore Slowcore is a subgenre of alternative rock and indie rock. The music of slowcore artists is generally characterized by bleak lyrics, downbeat melodies, slower tempos and minimalist arrangements. Slowcore is often used interchangeably with the t ...

band, founder Nathan Amundson originates from Duluth * Alice Sjoselius (1888-1982), concert singer, voice teacher *

Phil Solem The Rembrandts are an American alternative rock duo, formed by Danny Wilde and Phil Solem in 1989. They had previously worked together as members of Great Buildings in 1981. The Rembrandts are best known for the song " I'll Be There for You", ...

, musician * Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker (Parker, 1967-2022), spouses and founding members of the

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

and slowcore band

Low Low or LOW or lows, may refer to: People * Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low Places * Low, Quebec, Canada * Low, Utah, United States * Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station * Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: LO ...

* Trampled by Turtles, bluegrass band, hails from Duluth and refers to the city in several songs

Politics and law

* Salisbury Adams (1925-2004), Minnesota state legislator and lawyer * John Antila (1902-1969), Minnesota state legislator and businessman *

Melvin Baldwin Melvin Riley Baldwin (April 12, 1838April 15, 1901) was an American railroad engineer and Democratic politician. He served one term in the United States House of Representatives, representing Minnesota in the Fifty-third Congress. Earlier, he s ...

, U.S. Representative * William W. Billson, Minnesota state senator and lawyer * Gordon H. Butler, Minnesota state senator *

(1853-1916), lawyer and capitalist * Albert J. Connors,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

state senator * Harold J. Dahl (1930-1989), Minnesota state legislator and judge * Richard E. Ferrario (1931-1985), Minnesota state senator and educator * Alfred E. France, Minnesota state representative and businessman * Ben E. Gustafson, Minnesota state legislator and businessman *

Earl B. Gustafson Earl B. Gustafson (September 27, 1927 – April 16, 2018) was an American judge, lawyer, and politician. Gustafson was born in Duluth, Minnesota and graduated from Central High School in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1945. he served in the United Stat ...

, Minnesota state legislator, judge, and lawyer *

James Gustafson James M. Gustafson (December 3, 1925 – January 15, 2021) was an American theological ethicist. He received an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of Theology at Uppsala University in 1985. He has held teaching posts at Yale Divinity School and ...

, Minnesota State Senator and businessman * Richard H. Hanson (1931-2023), Minnesota state legislator *

Gerald Heaney Gerald William Heaney (January 29, 1918 – June 22, 2010) served for nearly forty years as a United States Circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, from his appointment by President Lyndon B. Johnson in Novemb ...

(1918-2010), United States Circuit Judge * Alicia Kozlowski (born 1988), member of the Minnesota House of Representatives * Arlene Ione Lehto, Minnesota state legislator and businesswoman * Charles Lundy Lewis, Minnesota Supreme Court justice * Edwin L. MacLean (born 1890), Minnesota state legislator * Robert Mahoney, Michigan state legislator * Sidney Redding Mason, Minnesota state legislator and businessman *

Henry Louis Morin Henry Louis Morin (July 11, 1899 – September 19, 1949) was an American farmer, labor union activist and politician. Morin was born in Duluth, Minnesota and was involved with the local labor union movement and the National Federation of Postal ...

, Minnesota state senator, farmer, and laborunion activist *

Page Morris Robert Page Waller Morris (June 30, 1853 – December 16, 1924) was a United States representative from Minnesota and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. Education and career Born on ...

(1853-1924), United States Representative (1897-1903) and United States District Judge (1903-1924) * Thomas Francis O'Malley (1889-1954), Minnesota state legislator and railroad conductor *

Richard F. Palmer Richard Faye "Dick" Palmer (August 1, 1930 – December 27, 2018) was an American newspaper editor and politician. Palmer was born in Duluth, Minnesota. He went to the Duluth public schools, Denfeld High School, and to the University of Minnesota ...

, Minnesota state legislator and newspaper editor *

Samuel F. Snively Samuel Frisby Snively (November 24, 1859 – November 7, 1952) was the mayor of Duluth, Minnesota from 1921–1937. His legacy as mayor is largely remembered for the effort he put into the creation of numerous parks and boulevards througho ...

, Mayor of Duluth from 1921 to 1937; pushed for the creation of numerous parks and boulevards throughout the city; longest running Mayor in Duluth's history *

Pete Stauber Peter Allen Stauber (born May 10, 1966) is an American politician, former professional hockey player, and retired law enforcement officer from Minnesota serving as the United States representative for Minnesota's 8th congressional district. A mem ...

, U.S. Representative (2019-present) *

Ozora P. Stearns Ozora Pierson Stearns (January 15, 1831June 2, 1896) was an American politician and attorney. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a US Senator from the state of Minnesota. Prior to his election to the Senate, he served as mayor of R ...

, lawyer and U.S. senator from Minnesota (1871) * Pat Sullivan, Majority Leader of the

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

* Dwight A. Swanstrom, Minnesota state legislator and businessman * Gordon Voss, Minnesota state legislator *

Gerald Willet Gerald (Jerry) Leroy Willet (October 31, 1934 – September 10, 2017) was an American politician, businessman, and heavy equipment operator. Willet was born in Duluth, Minnesota. He grew up on a farm in rural Laporte, MN and graduated from Lap ...

, Minnesota state legislator and businessman

Sports

Mason Aguirre Mason Singer Aguirre (born November 10, 1987 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American snowboarder. He competes in halfpipe, slopestyle and superpipe, but consistently places higher in halfpipe and superpipe competitions. He competed in the men's half ...

, professional snowboarder, competed in

2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second t ...

* Jim Ahern, professional golfer, played on

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

and

Champions Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many years ...

* Greg Anderson, drag racer, Pro Stock

NHRA The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorspo ...

champion * Herbert Clow,

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

, 1920s * Jack Connolly, hockey player,

Hobey Baker Award The Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player. It has been awarded 41 times. It is named for Hall of Famer Hobey Baker, who played college hockey at Princeton University ...

winner (2012), captain of 2011 Minnesota-Duluth men's NCAA championship team * Gary DeGrio, professional ice hockey forward *

Dan Devine Daniel John Devine (December 23, 1924 – May 9, 2002) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Arizona State University from 1955 to 1957, the University of Missouri from 1958 to 1970, and the Univers ...

, captain of UMD football team, later coached the Missouri Tigers, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and

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 club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

Ethan Finlay Ethan Christopher Finlay (born August 6, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Austin FC. Career College and amateur Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Finlay's family moved across the U.S. ...

, soccer player *

Derek Forbort Derek Forbort (born March 4, 1992) is an Americans, American professional ice hockey Defenceman, defenseman for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Los Angeles Kings, Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jet ...

, hockey player for the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

* Dates Fryberger, hockey player in

1964 Winter Olympics The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games (german: IX. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 ( bar, Innschbruck 1964, label=Austro-Bavarian), was a winter multi-sport event which was celebr ...

* Kara Goucher, distance runner, world championships silver medalist,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Olympian *

C. J. Ham Cortez Thaddeus Ham Jr. (born July 22, 1993) is an American football fullback (gridiron football), fullback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He went undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft. He played college football at A ...

, running back for

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

* Phil Hoene, hockey player, native Duluthian, played for UMD and Los Angeles Kings *

Bill Irwin William Mills Irwin (born April 11, 1950) is an American actor, clown, and comedian. He began as a vaudeville-style stage performer and has been noted for his contribution to the renaissance of American circus during the 1970s. He has made a n ...

, professional wrestler, known in

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

as "The Goon" *

Lenny Lane Lenny or Lennie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Lenny (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Lennie (surname), a list of people * Lenny (singer) (born 1993), Czech songwriter Arts and entertainment Music * ''L ...

, professional wrestler *

Drew LeBlanc Andrew John LeBlanc (born June 29, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Augsburger Panther of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He won the Hobey Baker Award in 2013 as the top National Collegiate Athle ...

, hockey player,

winner (2013) *

Jim McNally Jim McNally (born December 13, 1943) is an American retired football coach, whose 28-year professional coaching career in the National Football League (NFL) included tenures with the Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers and New York Giants bef ...

, Olympic sport shooter *

Russ Method Russell G. Method (June 27, 1897 – September 17, 1971) was an American football back who played six seasons in the National Football League with the Duluth Kelleys/Eskimos and Chicago Cardinals. He attended Denfeld High School in Duluth, Min ...

, football player * Bill O'Toole, football player *

Neal Pionk Neal Robert Pionk (born July 29, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). An undrafted player, Pionk was signed by the New York Rangers as a college free agent from the Un ...

, hockey player for the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...

Chris Plys Christopher Plys (; born August 13, 1987) is an American curler from Duluth, Minnesota. He is a Junior World Champion and two-time National Men's Champion. He was the alternate for the United States men's team at the 2010 Winter Olympics and a ...

, curler,

2010 Winter Olympic )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

team *

Joe Polo Joseph Polo (born December 10, 1982) is an American curler who is best known for winning a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics and being the alternate on the gold-medal winning United States men's team at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Polo was ...

, curler,

2006 Winter Olympic The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second t ...

team * Rick Rickert, basketball player,

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

and New Zealand Breakers *

Barbara Rotvig Barbara Joan Rotvig ��Big Swede″(July 2, 1928 – December 27, 1963) was a pitcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League who played with the Kenosha Comets for parts of three seasons spanning 1948–1951. Rotvig batted and thre ...

AAGPBL The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...

player *

John Shuster John Shuster ( ; born November 3, 1982) is an American curler who lives in Superior, Wisconsin. He led Team USA to gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics, the first American team to ever win gold in curling. He also won a bronze medal at the 2006 Winte ...

, Olympic

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding ...

medalist *

Whitey Skoog Myer Upton "Whitey" Skoog (November 2, 1926 – April 4, 2019) was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Minneapolis Lakers. He was born in Duluth, Minnesota. A 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) and 18 ...

, basketball player,

and Minneapolis Lakers *

Gordy Soltau Gordon Leroy Soltau (born January 25, 1925, in Duluth, Minnesota) was a wide receiver who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers. His all around athletic versatility was developed as a youth growing up in D ...

, NFL player for

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

Jamie Trachsel Jamie Trachsel is an American softball coach who is the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels softball The Ole Miss Rebels softball team represents the University of Mississippi in college softball at the NCAA Division I level. The Rebels are coac ...

, head softball coach at Ole Miss; former head coach at

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

and

North Dakota State North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as th ...

* Katie Vesterstein, skier * Darren Ward, Olympic swimmer *

Butch Williams Warren Milton "Butch" Williams (born September 11, 1952 in Duluth, Minnesota) is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 108 games in the National Hockey League in 1974–76. He played for the California Golden Seals and St. Louis Blue ...

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

player * Tom Williams (1940-1992),

player,

1960 Winter Olympics The 1960 Winter Olympics (officially the VIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Squaw Valley 1960) were a winter multi-sport event held from February 18 to 28, 1960, at the Squaw Valley Resort (now known as Palisades Tahoe) in Squaw Vall ...

gold medalist

Writers and journalists

Margaret Culkin Banning Margaret Frances Culkin Banning (March 18, 1891 – January 4, 1982) was a best-selling American writer of thirty-six novels and an early advocate of women's rights. Early life Banning was born in Buffalo, Minnesota on March 18, 1891. She ...

, best-selling author of 36 novels; early women's rights advocate *

Carol Bly Carol Bly (April 16, 1930 – December 21, 2007) was an American teacher and an author of short stories, essays, and nonfiction works on writing. Her work often featured Minnesota women who must identify the moral crisis that is facing their com ...

, author *

Irving Copi Irving Marmer Copi (; né Copilovich or Copilowish; July 28, 1917 – August 19, 2002) was an American philosopher, logician, and university textbook author. Biography Copi studied under Bertrand Russell while at the University of Chicago. I ...

, philosopher, logician and textbook author *

Marty Essen Marty Essen is an American naturalist, author, photographer, and professional speaker. He has written seven books, ''Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents,'' ''Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Cos ...

, ten-time award-winning author, photographer, professional speaker * Roger Grimsby, journalist, television news anchor and actor *

David Hagberg David Hagberg (October 9, 1942 – September 8, 2019) was an American novelist best known for his techno-thrillers featuring super-spy Kirk McGarvey. In ainterview with The Writer Magazine Hagberg spoke of his childhood inspiration to become a ...

, author of international thrillers * Steve Hagen, Zen author and priest * Dean Hoff, Scottish historian, folklorist, writer, and director * Louis Jenkins, author and poet * Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951), author and Nobel laureate, wrote the novel ''

Cass Timberlane ''Cass Timberlane'' is a 1947 romantic drama film starring Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner and Zachary Scott and directed by George Sidney. It was based on the 1945 novel ''Cass Timberlane: A Novel of Husbands and Wives'' by Sinclair Lewis, which was ...

'' while a resident of Duluth *

John L. Morrison John Loyal Morrison (September 10, 1863 – May 18, 1926) founded the controversial Duluth, Minnesota newspaper '' Ripsaw''. His editorial attacks on area politicians were so unrelenting that a state law was passed specifically to shut down his ...

, newspaper publisher *

Lauran Paine Lauran Bosworth Paine (born Lawrence Kerfman Duby Jr.; February 25, 1916 – December 1, 2001) was an American writer of Western fiction.Whitehead, DavidLauran Paine Keith Chapman's Black Horse Extra Early life Paine was born in Duluth, Minne ...

(1916-2001), author *

Rick Shefchik Rick Shefchik (born May 9, 1952) is an American novelist, nonfiction writer, and journalist. He is the author of the novels '' Amen Corner,'' published in 2007, ''Green Monster'', published August 1, 2008 by Poisoned Pen Press, '' Frozen Tundra'', ...

, author, historian and journalist

Others

* Scott D. Anderson (1965-1999), author and pilot; successfully flew all in-flight test-deployments of the

Cirrus Airframe Parachute System The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) is a whole-plane ballistic parachute recovery system designed specifically for Cirrus Aircraft's line of general aviation light aircraft including the SR20, SR22 and SF50. The design became the firs ...

; inducted into Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame (2010) * Mike Colalillo (1925-2011), Medal of Honor recipient (US Army, World War II) *

Henry A. Courtney Jr. Henry Alexius Courtney Jr. (January 6, 1916 – May 15, 1945) was an officer of the United States Marine Corps Reserve during World War II and a posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor. Biography Courtney was born January 6, 1916, in Duluth, ...

(1916-1945), posthumous Medal of Honor recipient (US Marine Corps, World War II) * John H. Darling, engineer and astronomer *

Robert R. Gilruth Robert Rowe Gilruth (October 8, 1913 – August 17, 2000) was an American aerospace engineer and an aviation/space pioneer who was the first director of NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center, later renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. He worked ...

(1913-2000), first director of

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

's Manned Spacecraft Center; served during programs

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

Gemini Gemini may refer to: Space * Gemini (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac ** Gemini in Chinese astronomy * Project Gemini, the second U.S. crewed spaceflight program * Gemini Observatory, consisting of telescopes in the Northern ...

and

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

; inducted into

(1994), raised in Duluth *

Robert Isabell Bruce Robert Isabell (June 2, 1952 – July 8, 2009) was an American event planner who was behind lavish and innovative events including weddings and funerals of the richest and most famous. He helped make Christmas at the White House during the ...

(1952-2009), event planner * Kay Kurt, painter * Nika Nesgoda, conceptual artist and photographer * William P. Levine, U.S. Army major general and

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

speaker * Janet McCarter Woolley (1906-1996), tuberculosis researcher * Ellen Pence, scholar and social activist, created

Duluth Model The Duluth Model (also known as Domestic Abuse Intervention Project or DAIP or Pence's model) is a program developed to reduce domestic violence against women. It is named after Duluth, Minnesota, the city where it was developed. The program was ...

of intervention in domestic violence *

Frederick Emil Resche Frederick Emil Resche (April 1, 1866 – September 3, 1946) was an American law enforcement official and military officer from Duluth, Minnesota. A longtime member of the Minnesota National Guard, he was a veteran of the American Indian Wars, Sp ...

(1866-1946), U.S. Army brigadier general * Erik Sommer, artist * Sarah Burger Stearns, first president of the Minnesota Woman Suffrage Association * Gloria Tew (1923-2022), abstract sculptor *

Oliver G. Traphagen Oliver Green Traphagen (3 September 1854 – 21 October 1932) was an American architect who designed many notable buildings in Duluth, Minnesota, during the late 19th century and in the Territory of Hawaii during the early 20th century. Among h ...

(1854-1932), architect *

Albert Woolson Albert Henry Woolson (February 11, 1850 – August 2, 1956) was the last known surviving member of the Union Army who served in the American Civil War; he was also the last surviving Civil War veteran on either side whose status is undisputed. A ...

(1850-1956), last Union civil war soldier to die