List of people from Olathe, Kansas

The following is a list of people who were born in and/or have lived in the American city of Olathe, Kansas.

Academia

• George Washington Carver (1860–1943), botanist, prominent African American leader ^[1]
• J. Wayne Reitz (1908–1993), President of the University of Florida (1955–1967) ^[2]
• Charles H. Zimmerman (1908–1996), aeronautical engineer ^[3]
• Vanya Shivashankar (2000-), winner of Child Genius (American TV series) season 1 and co-winner of the 88th Scripps National Spelling Bee. ^{[4] [5]}

Arts and entertainment

Film, television, and theatre

• Willie Aames (1960– ), actor ^[6]
• Jennifer Bertrand, interior designer, television show host ^[7]
• Adam Jamal Craig (1981– ), actor ^[8]
• Ashley Litton (1983– ), beauty queen ^[9]
• Michael McMillian (1978– ), actor ^[10]
• Larry Parks (1914–1975), actor ^[11]
• Chris Porter (1979– ), comedian ^[12]
• Charles "Buddy" Rogers (1904–1999), actor ^[13]

Journalism

• C. L. Edson (1881–1975), newspaper columnist, humorist, and poet ^[14]

• Dan Ryckert (1984– ), journalist and author. ^[15]

Music

• Johnny Dare (1968– ), Kansas City radio personality ^[16]
• Charles Miller (1939–1980), musician ^[17]
• Rob Pope, member of emo band The Get Up Kids ^[18]
• Ryan Pope (1978– ), member of emo band The Get Up Kids ^[19]
• Richie Pratt (1943–2015), jazz drummer, professional football player ^[20]
• Jim Suptic (1977– ), member of emo band The Get Up Kids ^[19]

Other visual arts

• Grace Bilger (1907–2000), painter ^[21]

Business

• Jesse Clyde Nichols (1880–1950), real estate developer ^[22]
• Donald J. Tyson (1930–2011), food industry executive ^[23]

Politics

National

• Chauncey B. Little (1877–1952), U.S. Representative from Kansas ^[24]
• Edward C. Little (1858–1924), U.S. Representative from Kansas ^[25]
• James Kenneth Logan (1929–2018), U.S. federal judge ^[26]
• Walter Lewis McVey Jr. (1922–2014), U.S. Representative from Kansas ^[27]
• Vince Snowbarger (1949– ), U.S. Representative from Kansas (1997–1999) ^[28]

State

• John Anderson Jr. (1917–2014), 36th Governor of Kansas (1961–1965) ^[29]
• Keith Esau, Kansas state legislator ^[30]
• Herbert S. Hadley (1872–1927), 32nd Governor of Missouri, chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis ^[31]
• George H. Hodges (1866–1947), 19th Governor of Kansas ^[32]
• Julia Lynn (1957– ), Kansas state legislator ^[33]
• Robert Montgomery, Kansas state legislator ^[34]
• Robert Olson (1969– ), Kansas state legislator ^[35]
• Mark Parkinson (1957– ), 45th Governor of Kansas (2009–2011) ^[36]
• Ron Ryckman Jr., Kansas state legislator ^[37]
• John St. John (1833–1916), 8th Governor of Kansas (1879–1883), Prohibition Party Presidential candidate (1884) ^[38]
• Harold Sebring (1898–1968), Florida Supreme Court justice ^[39]

Local

• Albert I. Beach (1883–1939), 42nd Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri ^[40]

Sports

American football

Darren Sproles grew up in Olathe.

• Arland Bruce III (1977– ), wide receiver for the BC Lions ^[41]
• Don Davis (1972– ), linebacker, coach ^[42]
• Bryan Shepherd (1991– ), cornerback ^[43]
• Isaiah Simmons (1998– ), linebacker ^[44]
• Darren Sproles (1983– ), running back ^[45]

Baseball

• John Means, Baltimore Orioles pitcher
• Dan Glass (1959– ), Kansas City Royals president ^[46]
• Claude Hendrix (1889–1944), pitcher ^[47]
• Dummy Taylor (1875–1958), pitcher ^[48]

Basketball

• Manute Bol (1962–2010), NBA center, (1985–1994) ^[49] born in Sudan and lived in Olathe late in his life.
• Willie Cauley-Stein (1993– ) center ^[50]
• Danielle McCray (1987– ), forward ^[51]

Other

• Johnny Carver (1995– ), sports author ^[52]
• Stevana Case (1976– ), professional video gamer ^[53]
• Steve Fisher (1982– ), snowboarder ^[54]
• Eric Lynch (1978– ), poker player ^[55]
• Michael Thomas (1988– ), soccer midfielder ^[56]

See also

• Biography portal
• Kansas portal
• Lists portal

• List of MidAmerica Nazarene Pioneers head football coaches
• List of people from Johnson County, Kansas

References

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2. "Dr. J. Wayne Reitz History". University of Florida. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
3. Biggs, Virginia. "Charles Zimmerman, Aerospace Pioneer at Nasa Langley, 88". Daily Press. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
4. Instagram. @officialchildgenius https://www.instagram.com/officialchildgenius/p/BADrdDqArNt/.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
5. Hopkins, Christopher Dean. "National Spelling Bee Crowns Co-Champs For Second Straight Year". npr.org. NPR.
6. "Willie Aames". People. July 17, 1995. Archived from the original on March 30, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
7. "Jennifer Bertrand is Kansas City's Design Star". ThisIsKC.com. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
8. "Adam Jamal Craig - Biography". IMDb. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
9. Miss Missouri USA official titleholder profile. Retrieved 2006-09-27
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11. "Larry Parks (I)". IMDb. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
12. Shepherd, Brent (December 23, 2010). "He's Sleighing, Er, Slaying Them Up There". The Pitch. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
13. "Charles 'Buddy' Rogers". IMDb. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
14. "Charles Leroy Edson Papers". Kansas Historical Society. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
15. "Awesome sauce: Olathe native is first to get married in new Taco Bell wedding chapel". The Kansas City Star . June 27, 2017. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
16. Stillwell, Ted (September 30, 2011). "Stillwell: Shawnee Indian word becomes town name". The Examiner. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
17. Simmonds, Jeremy (2012). The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press. p. 136.
18. Niccum, Jon (April 18, 2008). "Spoon bender". Lawrence.com. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
19. Sharpe-Young, Garry (2005). New Wave of American Heavy Metal. Zonda Books Limited. p. 317.
20. Palmer, Tod (May 6, 2008). "Opinion: Richie Pratt appreciates Olathe". The Olathe News. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
21. "Two sweethearts reunite, marry after lives go separate directions". Lawrence Journal-World. November 26, 1995. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
22. "J. C. Nichols and the Shaping of Kansas City". University of Missouri Press. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
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36. "Mark Parkinson". Kansapedia. Kansas Historical Society. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
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38. "Kansas Governor John Pierce St. John". National Governors Association. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
39. "Harold L. Sebring (Cockrell '28)," The Brief: Phi Delta Phi Quarterly , vol., 51 p. 154 (1955).
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41. "Arland Bruce". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
42. "Don Davis". NFL. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
43. "Bryan Shepherd Bio". North Dakota State Athletics. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
44. "Olathe North grad Isaiah Simmons picked 8th overall in NFL Draft by Arizona Cardinals". The Kansas City Star. April 23, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
45. "Darren Sproles". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
46. "Dan Glass, President". Front Office Biographies. Kansas City Royals. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
47. "Claude Hendrix". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
48. Census entry for Luther Taylor, age 10. Ancestry.com.. Kansas State Census Collection, 1855–1925 [database on-line]. 1895 Kansas State Census. Microfilm reels K-1 – K-169. Kansas State Historical Society.
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50. "Willie Cauley-Stein". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
51. Arnett, Dugan (April 8, 2010). "Danielle McCray selected 7th in WNBA Draft by Connecticut Sun". KU Sports.com. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
52. Wilco, Daniel (July 28, 2015). "Rewriting History: Loving basketball even after your hoop dreams collapse". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
53. Copel, Lib (April 13, 2000). "Games People Play". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
54. Valazquez, Eric (December 22, 2009). "Snowboarder Steve Fisher Makes A Run At Olympic Glory This Winter". On the Snow. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
55. "Eric Lynch Biography". Compatible Poker. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
56. Brannick, Chris (January 29, 2014). "OKC Energy FC signs Michael Thomas as first player in team history". The Oklahoman. Retrieved December 16, 2015.