List of people from Evansville, Indiana

This is a list of people from Evansville, Indiana. This list includes people who were born in Evansville or lived in or around the city for a period of time.

Government, law and activism

• Albion Fellows Bacon, reformer and writer
• Conrad Baker, 15th governor of Indiana (1867–1873) and 15th lieutenant governor (1861–1867)
• George Washington Buckner, physician, U.S. minister to Liberia
• Larry Bucshon, U.S. Representative (2011–present)
• Suzanne Crouch, former lieutenant governor of Indiana and former Indiana State Auditor
• Roger O. DeBruler, Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court (1968–1996)
• Charles Denby Jr., U.S. diplomat in China and later in Vienna, Austria
• Charles Harvey Denby, U.S. Union officer in the Civil War; diplomat
• Edwin C. Denby, Secretary of the Navy (1921–1924) and notable figure in the Teapot Dome scandal
• Winfield K. Denton, U.S. Representative (1949–1953, 1955–1966)
• Brad Ellsworth, U.S. Representative (2007–2011), 2010 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate
• John H. Foster, U.S. Representative (1905–1909)
• John W. Foster, U.S. Secretary of State (1892–1893)
• James S. Harlan, lawyer and commerce specialist
• John Hostettler, U.S. Representative (1995–2007)
• Henry S. Johnston, 7th governor of Oklahoma
• Joseph Lane, general, first governor of Oregon Territory, one of Oregon's first two U.S. senators, and 1860 candidate for vice president on the Democratic Party ticket
• Robert D. Orr, 45th governor of Indiana (1981–1989)
• Gary R. Pfingston, 10th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (1990–1994)
• Randall Shepard, Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court
• Sallie Wyatt Stewart, former president of the National Association of Colored Women
• Barbara Underwood, Attorney General of New York

Sports and sports-related

• Marty Amsler, NFL defensive end ^[1]
• Chic Anderson, sportscaster
• Aaron Barrett, MLB pitcher
• Alan Benes, MLB pitcher
• Andy Benes, MLB pitcher, member of US Olympic team, #1 draft pick
• Sean Bennett, NFL player, New York Giants
• Mats Bjurman, soccer player ^[2]
• McKinley Brewer, Negro League baseball player
• Drew Butera, MLB catcher
• Ray Cariens, racing driver
• Jamey Carroll, MLB infielder
• Rudy Charles, WWE & former Total Nonstop Action Wrestling referee
• Calbert Cheaney, Harrison High School, Indiana and NBA player
• DeLisa Chinn-Tyler, softball outfielder
• Deke Cooper, North High School, University of Notre Dame, NFL player
• Jerry Dale, MLB umpire
• Phelps Darby, coach of Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team
• Luke Drone, NFL and AF2 player
• Todd Duffee, UFC fighter, actor
• Jerad Eickhoff, MLB pitcher for Philadelphia Phillies
• Bob Ford, North High School, Purdue basketball player, sportscaster
• Bob Griese, Rex Mundi High School, Purdue and NFL quarterback, All-Pro, Hall of Famer, Super Bowl champion, sportscaster
• Harley Grossman, MLB pitcher
• Bob Hamilton, professional golfer, winner of 1944 PGA Championship
• Kevin Hardy, Harrison High School, University of Illinois, NFL linebacker
• Lilly King, swimmer, gold medalist at 2016 Summer Olympics ^[3]
• Michael Klueh, swimmer, world champion
• Luke Kruytbosch, sportscaster
• Kyle Kuric, Memorial High School, University of Louisville basketball player, professional basketball player in Spain
• Khristian Lander, Reitz High School, Indiana University and Western Kentucky University
• Don Mattingly, MLB player for New York Yankees, former manager of Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins
• Walter McCarty, NBA player, assistant coach for Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics, former head coach for University of Evansville
• Arad McCutchan, basketball coach
• Dorothy Montgomery, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player; cytologist at Welborn Clinic
• Jerry Nemer (1912–1980), basketball player and attorney
• Ray Newman, MLB player for Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers
• Jeff Overton, professional golfer
• Tubby Rohsenberger, NFL player
• Scott Rolen, MLB Hall of Fame third baseman
• Vince Russo, former WWE and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling writer; podcaster for Podcast One
• Dave Schellhase, basketball player, Purdue University
• Dru Smith, Reitz High School, NBA Player
• Paul Splittorff, MLB pitcher, Kansas City Royals
• Larry Stallings, NFL linebacker, St Louis Cardinals
• Scott Studwell, NFL player, Minnesota Vikings

Performing and visual arts

Actors, actresses and directors

• Tom Armstrong, cartoonist creator of Marvin
• Billie Bennett, silent-film actress
• Budd Boetticher, film director
• Avery Brooks, actor, known for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Spenser: For Hire
• Joe Cook, actor, entertainer, and comedian
• Louise Dresser, Academy Award-nominated actress
• David Emge, actor, known for Dawn of the Dead
• Ron Glass, actor, known for Barney Miller and Firefly
• Phil Goss, actor and TV personality in Poland, voice-over professional for MTV and VH1 in Europe
• Rami Malek, actor, known for Bohemian Rhapsody , attended University of Evansville
• Michael Michele, actress, best known for ER
• Marilyn Miller, singer and dancer of 1920s and 1930s
• Dylan Minnette, actor, known for his roles in 13 Reasons Why , Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and Goosebumps
• Roger Mobley, child actor of 1960s, later a Christian pastor in Texas
• Venus Raj, actress, model, beauty queen crowned Miss Indiana Teen USA 2006, Miss Indiana USA 2009, Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2010, and 4th runner-up at the Miss Universe 2010
• Jama Williamson, actress, known for playing Principal Mullins in the Nickelodeon series School of Rock and Wendy Haverford in Parks and Recreation

Music

• Kyle Burns, musician, member of Forever the Sickest Kids
• Sid Catlett, musician, jazz drummer
• John Cowan, singer, bassist John Cowan Band and New Grass Revival
• Jody Davis, guitarist for Newsboys
• Neal Doughty, keyboard player, REO Speedwagon's only remaining founding member
• Jace Everett, country music singer
• Josh Gard, electronic music producer, DJ
• Ernie Haase, Southern gospel tenor vocalist for the Cathedral Quartet and Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
• Joe Hinton, R&B singer; biggest hit "Funny", 1964
• Philip Martin Lawrence II, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, and voice actor; best known for his work with The Smeezingtons and teaming with Bruno Mars
• Mock Orange, indie-rock band
• Noncompliant, DJ and record producer
• Dax Riggs, musician
• Fred Rose, musician, Hall of Fame songwriter and music publishing executive
• Ryan Seaton, gospel solo artist formerly of Ernie Haase & Signature Sound (2003–2009)
• Timmy Thomas, singer-songwriter, musician, record producer
• Andy Timmons, guitarist, musical director, and solo artist
• Geno Washington, soul singer

Media and artists

• David Horsey, cartoonist for Los Angeles Times
• Edward McKnight Kauffer, artist and graphic designer, grew up in Evansville ^[4]
• Barbara Kinney, photojournalist and White House photographer during Clinton administration
• Karl Kae Knecht, cartoonist for Evansville Courier
• William Snyder, four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer
• Casey Stegall, national correspondent for Fox News Channel
• Aaron Tanner, graphic designer and author ^[5]
• Ansel E. Wallace, photographer and film correspondent for the International News Service in World War I

Authors, producers, playwrights, writers, and poets

• Marilyn Durham, author of The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing
• Bettiola Heloise Fortson, poet and author
• Annie Fellows Johnston, author of The Little Colonel series
• Edward J. Meeman, journalist and environmental crusader, born in Evansville in 1889 ^[6]
• Molly Newman, playwright and television producer
• Paul Osborn, playwright, screenwriter of East of Eden
• Steven Sater, Broadway lyricist, playwright and poet
• Winifred Sackville Stoner Jr., prolific child author and poet
• Matt Williams, producer of The Cosby Show , Home Improvement , and Roseanne

Academics

• Margaret K. Butler, mathematician
• Elbert Frank Cox, mathematician
• Raymond Geuss, philosopher and university professor
• Clark Kimberling, mathematician
• Paul Musgrave, professor and expert in American foreign policy matters
• Henry Babcock Veatch, philosopher and writer
• Talitha Washington, mathematician
• John D. Wiley, educator
• Lester M. Wolfson, founding chancellor of Indiana University South Bend

Business

• Charles T. Hinde, businessman, riverboat captain, and original investor of the Hotel del Coronado
• Mary Fendrich Hulman, wife of industrialist Tony Hulman and matriarch of the Hulman-George family
• Edward Mead Johnson, businessman, co-founder of Johnson & Johnson, and founder of Mead Johnson & Co.
• Aaron Patzer, entrepreneur and founder of Mint.com, a personal financial management service
• Francis Joseph Reitz, banker, civic leader, and philanthropist
• John Augustus Reitz, lumber magnate, civic leader, and philanthropist
• Ray Ryan, gambler, oilman, promoter, developer
• Ruth Siems, Stove Top Stuffing creator
• Harry J. Sonneborn, first president and CEO of McDonald's (played by actor B.J. Novak in the film The Founder )
• Cari Tuna, philanthropist

Religion

• Mary Simpson, one of the first women ordained a priest by the American Episcopal Church
• John Roach Straton, minister
• Paul E. Waldschmidt, Roman Catholic bishop
• Mike Warnke, Christian comedian, discredited "expert" on Satanism

References

1. "Marty Amsler NFL & AFL Football Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
2. "15 minutes with…. Mats Bjurman". Saint Louligans. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
3. "Lilly King - Bio". SwimSwam . Retrieved July 23, 2021.
4. "Edward McKnight Kauffer". Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. September 10, 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
5. ARedenbaugh (2017-11-09). "Music Notes". Evansville Living Magazine. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
6. "Edward John Meeman". Tennessee Encyclopedia. January 1, 2010. Retrieved May 24, 2015.