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The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Bloomington, Illinois. For a similar list organized alphabetically by last name, see the category page People from Bloomington, Illinois.
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kate Charles | 1950 | Mystery writer | ||||
| Eyestone, Lura |  | Oct 14, 1872 | Mar 9, 1965 | Educator | Born in Bloomington | |
| Elbert Hubbard |  | Jun 19, 1856 | May 7, 1915 | Essayist | Born in Bloomington | |
| Frederic W. Goudy |  | Mar 8, 1865 | May 11, 1947 | Typographer | Born in Bloomington | |
| Gertrude Hull |  | Nov 16, 1866 | Mar 22, 1947 | Teacher | Born in Bloomington | |
| John Wesley Powell |  | Mar 24, 1834 | Sep 23, 1902 | Naturalist | [1] | |
| Harold Sinclair | May 8, 1907 | May 24, 1966 | Novelist, jazz musician | Born in Chicago, lived in Bloomington since age 8 | ||
| Wilson Tucker |  | Nov 23, 1914 | Oct 6, 2006 | Author | ||
| Curtis White | Author, novelist, essayist, and theorist | [ citation needed ] | ||||
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George J. Mecherle | Jun 7, 1877 | Mar 10, 1951 | Founder of State Farm Insurance | Lived and died in Bloomington | ||
| Marc W. Miller | 1947 | Award-winning game designer | Lives in Bloomington | |||
| Verne Winchell | Oct 30, 1915 | Nov 26, 2002 | Founder of Winchell's Donuts | Born in Bloomington | ||
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wally Bishop | Aug 17, 1905 | Jan 15, 1982 | Cartoonist | Grew up in Bloomington | ||
| Ryan Bliss | Digital artist; founder of Digital Blasphemy | |||||
| Tim Bradstreet |  | Feb 16, 1967 | Eisner Award-nominated artist and illustrator | Graduated BHS, Class of 1985 | [ citation needed ] | |
| David S. Broder | Sep 11, 1929 | Mar 9, 2011 | Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post journalist | Worked for Pantagraph newspaper in Bloomington | ||
| Sidney Smith | | Feb 13, 1877 | Oct 20, 1935 | Million-dollar "Chicago Tribune" cartoonist of The Gumps | Worked for The Sunday Eye newspaper in Bloomington | |
| John Campbell | Jul 7, 1955 | Jazz pianist | Born in Bloomington | |||
| Rachel Crothers |  | Dec 12, 1870 | Jul 5, 1958 | Playwright | Born in Bloomington | |
| Joel Higgins |  | Sep 28, 1943 | Actor (Edward W. Stratton, III on Silver Spoons ) | Born in Bloomington | ||
| Pawnee Bill | Feb 14, 1860 | Feb 3, 1942 | Wild West showman | Born in Bloomington | ||
| Pokey LaFarge |  | June 26, 1983 | Musician and songwriter focusing on the American roots genre | Born in Bloomington | ||
| Cleo Madison | Mar 26, 1883 | Mar 11, 1964 | Silent-film actress and director | Born in Bloomington | ||
| Frederic Remington |  | Oct 4, 1861 | Dec 26, 1909 | Artist and sculptor of the Old West | Lived in Bloomington | |
| Paul Rhymer | 1905 | Oct 26, 1964 | Scriptwriter and humorist, creator of Vic and Sade | Grew up in Bloomington | ||
| McLean Stevenson |  | Nov 14, 1927 | Feb 15, 1996 | Actor (Henry Blake on M*A*S*H ) | Grew up in Bloomington area | |
| Kathleen McClellan |  | Apr 28, 1970 | Actress, Former Miss Illinois Teen USA in 1988 | Grew up in Bloomington | ||
| Dawn Upshaw | Jul 17, 1960 | Singer | [ citation needed ] | |||
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Blake | | Character on the TV show M*A*S*H | ||||
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharon K.G. Dunbar |  | Jul 12, 1960 | US Air Force major general – graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in the 3rd class to accept females; commanded Air Force Basic Military Training; first female to command the Air Force District of Washington; highest ranking Korean-American general in the Air Force. | Raised in Bloomington | ||
| Ralph Eaton | Aug 5, 1898 | May 1, 1986 | US Army brigadier general – graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point; WWII Chief of Staff 82nd Airborne Division, Army Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit. | Born in Bloomington | ||
| James Harbord |  | Mar 21, 1866 | Aug 20, 1947 | US Army general in World War I | Born in Bloomington | |
| Marie Meyer (espionage) | Apr 7, 1897 | Dec 1969 | US linguist who worked on Venona project | Raised in Bloomington | ||
| William Orme | Feb 17, 1832 | Sep 13, 1866 | Union Army general in the Civil War | Lived in Bloomington later half of life | ||
| James I. Poynter |  | Dec 1, 1916 | Nov 4, 1950 | US Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient for actions at The Battle of Chosin Reservoir in Korean War | Born in Bloomington | |
| Sidney S. Wade |  | Sep 30, 1909 | Nov 24, 2002 | US Marine Corps major general who commanded Marine Forces during 1958 Lebanon crisis | Born in Bloomington | |
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Davis |  | Mar 9, 1815 | Jun 26, 1886 | Appointed to US Supreme Court by Abraham Lincoln | Lived and died in Bloomington | |
| Joseph W. Fifer |  | Oct 28, 1840 | Aug 6, 1938 | 19th Governor of Illinois | Attended Illinois Wesleyan University, served as city attorney of Bloomington | |
| John Marshall Hamilton |  | May 28, 1847 | Sep 22, 1905 | 18th Governor of Illinois | Lived in Bloomington. | |
| Ward Hill Lamon |  | Jan 6, 1828 | May 7, 1893 | Personal friend and bodyguard of Abraham Lincoln | ||
| John Brown Lennon | Oct 12, 1850 | Jan 18, 1923 | Labor union leader and American Federation of Labor treasurer | |||
| George Lincoln Rockwell |  | Mar 9, 1918 | Aug 25, 1967 | American Nazi leader | Born in Bloomington | |
| Rick Scott |  | Dec 1, 1952 | 45th Governor of Florida; United States Senator from Florida | Born in Bloomington | ||
| Kelly Loeffler |  | Nov 27, 1970 | United States Senator from Georgia | Born in Bloomington | ||
| Adlai E. Stevenson I |  | Oct 23, 1835 | Jun 14, 1914 | 23rd Vice President of the United States under Grover Cleveland; his wife Letitia Green was born in Bloomington | Was raised in Bloomington and attended Illinois Wesleyan University | |
| Adlai E. Stevenson II |  | Feb 5, 1900 | Jul 14, 1965 | 31st Governor of Illinois, US presidential candidate, and US Ambassador to the United Nations | Was raised in Bloomington and attended University High School | |
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Conroy | Feb 26, 1915 | Nov 13, 1997 | Catcher for Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox | Born in Bloomington | ||
| Jim Cox | May 28, 1950 | Second baseman for Montreal Expos | Born in Bloomington | |||
| Bill King | Oct 6, 1927 | Oct 18, 2005 | Radio sports announcer for Oakland Athletics and Oakland/LA Raiders; Baseball Hall of Fame | Born in Bloomington | ||
| Lyle Luttrell | Feb 22, 1930 | Jul 11, 1984 | Shortstop for Washington Senators | Born in Bloomington | ||
| Bernie Neis | Sep 26, 1895 | Nov 29, 1972 | Outfielder for Brooklyn Robins, Boston Braves, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox | Born in Bloomington | ||
| Jack Powell |  | Jul 9, 1874 | Oct 17, 1944 | Pitcher for Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Perfectos, St. Louis Browns and New York Highlanders | Born in Bloomington | |
| Old Hoss Radbourn |  | Dec 11, 1854 | Feb 5, 1897 | Pitcher in Baseball Hall of Fame | Lived and died in Bloomington | |
| Curt Raydon | Nov 18, 1933 | Mar 3, 2018 | Pitcher for Pittsburgh Pirates | Born in Bloomington | ||
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Crews |  | Feb 14, 1954 | NCAA basketball player and coach | Attended University High School | [ citation needed ] | |
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bump Elliott |  | Jan 30, 1925 | Dec 7, 2019 | Player for Michigan and Purdue; head coach at Michigan (1959–1968); athletic director at Iowa (1970–1991); College Football Hall of Fame | Raised in Bloomington | |
| Pete Elliott |  | Sep 29, 1926 | Jan 4, 2013 | Quarterback of undefeated Michigan football teams (1947 and 1948); head coach at Nebraska, Illinois, Cal, and Miami; College Football Hall of Fame | Born in Bloomington | [ citation needed ] |
| Michael Hoomanawanui |  | Jul 4, 1988 | Tight end for New Orleans Saints | Born in Bloomington | ||
| Brandon Hughes |  | May 23, 1986 | Former NFL cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles | Born in Bloomington | ||
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ogonna Nnamani |  | Jul 29, 1983 | US volleyball team member in the 2004 Olympics and 2008 Olympics (silver medalist); graduate of University High School | Born in Bloomington | ||
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Pyke | Dec 5, 1968 | Head coach of Adelaide Football Club in Australian Football League, [2] player for West Coast Eagles 1990s. | Born in Bloomington | |||
McLean County is the largest county by land area in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 Census, it had a population of 170,954. Its county seat is Bloomington. McLean County is included in the Bloomington–Normal, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, United States. The 2020 census showed the city had a population of 78,680, making it the 13th-most populous city in Illinois and the fifth-most populous outside the Chicago metropolitan area. It is adjacent to the town of Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area, which has a population of roughly 170,000. Bloomington is 135 miles (217 km) southwest of Chicago and 162 miles (261 km) northeast of St. Louis. Bloomington is home to Illinois Wesleyan University and the headquarters for State Farm and Country Financial.
Downs is a village in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,201 at the 2020 census, up from 1,005 in 2010. It is part of the Bloomington–Normal Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Ellsworth is a village in Dawson Township, McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 184 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Bloomington–Normal Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Normal is a town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 52,736. Normal is the smaller of two principal cities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area, and is Illinois' seventh most populous community outside the Chicago metropolitan area. The main campus of Illinois' oldest public university, Illinois State University, a fully accredited four-year institution, is in Normal, as is Heartland Community College, a fully accredited two-year institution. Chris Koos has been the mayor of Normal since 2003.
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Indiana, United States. The population was 79,168 at the 2020 census. It is the seventh-most populous city in Indiana and the fourth-most populous outside the Indianapolis metropolitan area. It is the home of Indiana University Bloomington, the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Established in 1820, IU Bloomington enrolls over 45,000 students.
Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of the top ten largest producers of teachers in the US according to the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".
The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which operated the league from 2000 to 2013, at which point it was purchased by the individual franchise owners. As of the end of its final season in 2014, three of the 30 National Hockey League teams had affiliations with the CHL: the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, and Tampa Bay Lightning.
CEFCU Arena, formerly known as Redbird Arena, is a 10,200-seat multi-purpose arena located in Normal, Illinois, on the campus of Illinois State University. Built in 1989, the building is notable for its use of a Teflon-coated roof that gives off a "glow" during night events. Three Illinois State Redbirds athletic teams use the facility as their home court: men's basketball, women's basketball, and women's volleyball.
The Crow Creek Indian Reservation, home to Crow Creek Sioux Tribe is located in parts of Buffalo, Hughes, and Hyde counties on the east bank of the Missouri River in central South Dakota in the United States. It has a land area of 421.658 square miles (1,092.09 km2) and a 2000 census population of 2,225 persons. The major town and capital of the federally recognized Crow Creek Sioux Tribe is Fort Thompson.
The Bloomington Edge was a professional indoor football team based in Bloomington, Illinois. While it was in operation, the team hosted home games at Grossinger Motors Arena. Originally named the Bloomington Extreme, the team was a member of United Indoor Football (UIF), and joined the Indoor Football League (IFL) in 2009 during the UIF and Intense Football League merger. They left the IFL for the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL) in 2013, and in 2015 the CPIFL merged with the Lone Star Football League (LSFL) to create Champions Indoor Football (CIF), where Bloomington did not follow and joined X-League Indoor Football (X-League). Following the 2015 season the Edge joined the CIF. The Edge then announced it had rejoined the IFL for the 2018 season, but a court ruling prevented the team from joining the league until 2019, however, they were not included in that season's schedule.
Donald Lachlan Pyke is a former Australian rules footballer who is the CEO of the West Coast Eagles having previously been an assistant coach at the Sydney Swans. He was formerly the senior coach of the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played for the West Coast Eagles from 1989 to 1996.
The 18th congressional district of Illinois covered central and western Illinois, including all of Jacksonville and Quincy and parts of Bloomington, Peoria, and Springfield. It covered much of the territory represented by Abraham Lincoln during his single term in the House.
The Pantagraph is a daily newspaper that serves Bloomington–Normal, Illinois, along with 60 communities and eight counties in the Central Illinois area. Its headquarters are in Bloomington and it is owned by Lee Enterprises. The name is derived from the Greek words "panta" and "grapho," which has a combined meaning of "write all things."
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center is a 170-acre (69 ha) research center and "living classroom" located in southwestern Colorado, US, which offers experiential education programs for students and adults.
The following weekly polls comprise the 2007 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings that determined the top 25 teams at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level of college football for the 2007 season. The Sports Network poll is voted by media members while the Coaches' Poll is determined by coaches at the FCS level.
The Midwest Professional Basketball Association (MPBA) was a professional men's basketball league that began play in January 2015. The six charter members were: Bloomington Flex, Champaign Swarm, Chicago Force, Gateway Steam, St. Louis RiverSharks and Windy City Groove.
The Northern League is a collegiate summer baseball league consisting of teams in Indiana. It was named the Midwest Collegiate League (MCL) from 2010 to 2021.
The 2004 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings are from the Sports Network poll of Division I-AA head coaches, athletic directors, sports information directors and media members. This is for the 2004 season.
