List of people from Pawtucket, Rhode Island

See also: Category:People from Pawtucket, Rhode Island

The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Academics and scientists

• Aram Chobanian, cardiologist; ninth president of Boston University; born in Pawtucket
• Joel Garreau, journalist, editor and author (editor at The Washington Post )
• Martha Mitchell, author and longtime archivist at Brown University
• Minton Warren, scholar and Latin professor at Harvard University; born in Pawtucket

Architecture

• James C. Bucklin (1801–1890), born in Pawtucket, became prominent Providence architect
• Charles E. Carpenter (1845–1923), born in Pawtucket, became partner in Stone, Carpenter & Willson of Providence
• C. Willis Damon (1850–1916), born in Pawtucket, became leading architect of Haverhill, Massachusetts
• Raymond Hood (1881–1934), born in Pawtucket, architect of Rockefeller Center and Tribune Tower
• Edwin L. Howland (1838–1876), born in Pawtucket, noted Providence architect
• Albert H. Humes (1867–1947), born in Pawtucket, became the city's leading 19th-century architect
• Lloyd W. Kent (1907–1991), born in Pawtucket, became prominent Providence architect
• R. C. N. Monahan (died 1963), leading 20th-century Pawtucket architect
• Edward I. Nickerson (1845–1908), born in Pawtucket, became architect in Providence
• John F. O'Malley, practiced in Pawtucket from 1919, designed City Hall

Arts and culture

• Don Bousquet, cartoonist
• Wendy Carlos, musician
• Galway Kinnell, poet
• Armand LaMontagne, sculptor ^[1]
• Abraham Nathanson (1929–2010), graphic designer; developer of Bananagrams; born in Pawtucket ^[2]
• Sam Patch, daredevil
• Anne Morgan Spalter, artist
• Herb Weiss, Arts District Overseerer
• Gary Whitehead, poet and painter

Business

• Samuel Slater, industrialist; considered "Father of the American Industrial Revolution" by US president Andrew Jackson; lived in Pawtucket
• The Hassenfeld Brothers creates Hasbro Toys while living in Pawtucket

Film and TV

• Ruth Clifford, silent film star
• Michael Corrente, independent film director
• Alice Drummond, actress
• Jack Duffy, actor
• David Hartman, television personality
• Kevin Lima, film director
• Peter Griffin, actor

Journalism

• Irving R. Levine, journalist and foreign correspondent
• Al Rockoff, photojournalist
• Dave Kane, radio talk show host

Music

• Wendy Carlos, composer and electronic musician
• Rosario Mazzeo, clarinetist
• Marty O'Brien, musician
• David Rawlings, musician
• Jon B, musician and singer
• JELEEL!, rapper, and singer

Politics

Gabe Amo in the 2025 Pawtucket Saint Patrick's Day Parade

• Gabe Amo, US Representative, Congressional District 1, Rhode Island
• Lincoln Almond, 72nd Governor of Rhode Island; born in Pawtucket
• Mary-Ann Baldwin, Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina; born in Pawtucket
• Willard L. Beaulac, U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay, Colombia, Cuba, Chile and Argentina; born in Pawtucket ^[3]
• David Carlin, author and politician: majority leader of RI Senate (1989–1990); born and grew up in Pawtucket
• Thomas Gardiner Corcoran, presidential advisor to Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson; born in Pawtucket
• John W. Davis, 38th and 41st Governor of Rhode Island ^[4]
• Joseph L. Fisher, U.S. Representative from Virginia's 10th congressional district; born in Pawtucket
• Louis Monast, U.S. Representative from Rhode Island; immigrated to Pawtucket from Quebec, Canada as a child
• John A. Sabatini, Rhode Island State Senator
• Samuel Starkweather, 7th Mayor of Cleveland; born in Pawtucket

Religion

• Susan Hammond Barney (1834–1922), evangelist

Sports

Baseball

• Louise Arnold, player in All-American Girls Professional Baseball League; born in Pawtucket
• John LaRose, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox; born in Pawtucket
• Chet Nichols Jr., pitcher for the Boston/Milwaukee Braves, Boston Red Sox, and Cincinnati Reds; born in Pawtucket
• Ken Ryan, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies; born in Pawtucket

Basketball

• Ernie Calverley, point guard for the Providence Steamrollers; born in Pawtucket
• Rakim Sanders, shooting guard for Hapoel Gilboa Galil in Israel; born in Pawtucket
• Azurá Stevens, forward for the Los Angeles Sparks; born in Pawtucket
• Jeff Xavier, point and shooting guard with four teams in the Spanish LEB Oro league; born in Pawtucket

Boxing

• Peter Manfredo Jr., middleweight boxer (held multiple titles); trained at his family's gym in Pawtucket

Football

• Charles Avedisian, Providence College football captain, 1940; inducted into PC Hall of Fame, 1972; guard, New York Football Giants 1942–1944; William E. Tolman High School graduate, 1936
• Gerry Philbin, defensive end for the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and Charlotte Hornets (WFL); born in Pawtucket
• Hank Soar, running and defensive back for the New York Giants; Major League Baseball umpire; died in Pawtucket

Horse racing

• Red Pollard, jockey best known for riding Seabiscuit; founding member of the Jockeys' Guild (1940); died in Pawtucket

Hockey

• Keith Carney, former NHL defenseman who is from Pawtucket, played in the NHL from 1992 to 2009, also played for team USA's men's hockey team in the 1998 Olympics

Olympics

• Janet Moreau, track-and-field athlete, 1952 Summer Olympics gold medalist; born in Pawtucket

Running

• Les Pawson, 3-time Boston Marathon winner; born in Pawtucket

Wrestling

• Tim White, referee and producer with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
• Tiny the Terrible, wrestler and politician who ran for Pawtucket mayor in 2006 ^[5]

Track & Field

• Robert Howard, 9-time NCAA champion in triple jump/long jump

References

1. Kirwan, Donna Kenny "Mayor gets huge sendoff" Archived 2012-07-15 at archive.today , Pawtucket Times , December 16, 2010. Accessed December 16, 2010.
2. Morgan, Thomas J. "A lifetime of design capped by Bananagrams", Providence Journal , June 9, 2010. Accessed June 12, 2010.
3. Joan Cook (August 28, 1990). "Willard Beaulac, 91, Ambassador To Five Latin American Nations". New York Times . Willard L. Beaulac, a Foreign Service career officer who served as United States ambassador to five Latin American countries in the 1940s and 1950s, died Saturday at his home in Washington. He was 91 years old. Mr. Beaulac died of Alzheimer's disease, his wife, Catherine, said. ...
4. "Rhode Island Governor John William Davis". National Governors Association. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
5. Hadden, Douglas (May 2, 2006). "Former pro wrestler throws hat in ring for Pawtucket mayor". The Pawtucket Times . Archived from the original on May 17, 2006. Retrieved October 12, 2020.