List of people from Racine, Wisconsin

This is a list of individuals who are or were natives of, or notable as residents of, or in association with the city of Racine, Wisconsin , United States.

Arts

• Kevin J. Anderson, author
• Gene Beery, artist
• Frank Bencriscutto, conductor, composer
• Karen Johnson Boyd, heiress, art dealer
• Lane Brody, born Lynn Voorlas, singer
• Mellona Moulton Butterfield, china painter, teacher
• Joyce Carlson, artist
• Alice E. Cleaver, artist
• Jason Paul Collum, author, film and television director
• Chi Coltrane, musician
• Chester Commodore, cartoonist, nominated for the Pulitzer Prize 12 times
• Ellen Corby, actress
• Victor DeLorenzo, drummer, Violent Femmes
• Peter Deming, cinematographer
• Payne Erskine, writer
• Norman D. Golden II, actor
• Greg Graffin, lead vocalist of political punk rock band Bad Religion
• Chad Harbach, author ^[1]
• Max Hardcore (Paul F. Little), pornographer
• Ben Hecht, journalist, playwright and screenwriter
• Kevin Henkes, author and Caldecott Medal winner
• Lise Hilboldt, actress
• Harriet Persis Hurlbut, artist
• Zachary Scot Johnson, singer-songwriter
• David Kherdian, writer, poet and editor
• Larry Kusche, commercial pilot and author
• Fredric March, two-time Oscar-winning actor
• Barbara McNair, singer and actress
• Tina Moore, R&B singer
• Milton K. Ozaki, mystery writer
• Irene Purcell, actress, lived and died in Racine
• Warner Richmond, actor
• Liamani Segura, child singer
• Ben Sidran, musician
• Kristin Bauer van Straten, actress
• Joseph Philbrick Webster, songwriter and composer

Athletics

• Ellen Ahrndt, AAGPBL player
• Bill Albright, NFL player
• Kevin Barry, NFL player
• Jeremiah Bass, soccer player ^[2]
• Annastasia Batikis, AAGPBL player
• Caron Butler, NBA player
• Pancho Carter, Indy car racer
• Jim Chones, NBA player
• John Clay, NFL player
• Dorothy Damaschke, AAGPBL player
• Margaret Danhauser, AAGPBL player
• Norm Derringer, AAGPBL manager
• Myron Fohr, Indy car racer
• Bob Foster, NFL player
• Jimmy Grant, MLB player
• Jim Haluska, NFL player
• Steve Hanson, NFL player
• Jack Harris, NFL player
• Fritz Heinisch, NFL player
• Don Heinkel, MLB player
• Sonja Henning, WNBA player
• Joe Jagersberger, Indy car racer and engineer
• Jason Jaramillo, MLB player
• Abdul Jeelani, NBA player
• Kaitlin Keough, cyclist
• Ed Killian, MLB player
• Duane Kuiper, MLB player and broadcaster
• Glen Kuiper, MLB broadcaster
• Jeff Lee, NFL player
• Laurie Ann Lee, AAGPBL player
• Frances Lovett, AAGPBL player
• Ed Lytle, baseball player
• Chris Maragos, NFL player
• Jesse Marsch, professional soccer player and manager
• Jim McIlvaine, NBA player
• Kim Merritt, long-distance runner
• Jerry Mertens, NFL player
• Brent Moss, NFL player
• Leo Murphy, baseball player and manager
• Norm Nelson, Stock car racer
• Dick Phillips, MLB player
• Eric Rasmussen, MLB player
• Linda L. Rice, thoroughbred racehorse trainer
• Shane Rawley, MLB pitcher
• Gene H. Rose, NFL player
• Vinny Rottino, MLB player
• Babe Ruetz, NFL head coach
• Howie Ruetz, NFL player
• Joe Ruetz, football player
• Charles Rutkowski, NFL player
• Alex Scales, NBA player
• Tom Sorensen, Olympic volleyball player
• Jack Taschner, MLB player
• Ralph Thomas, NFL player
• Tim Van Galder, NFL player
• Fred Venturelli, NFL player
• Jamil Wilson, NBA player
• Al Zupek, NFL player
• Jerry Woods, NFL player

Business

• Jerome Case, inventor ^[3]
• Percy H. Batten, founder of Twin Disc, industrialist ^[4]
• Nate Blumberg, president and chairman of the board of Universal Pictures
• Albert J. Dremel, founder of the Dremel company ^[5]
• Matthew M. Fox (1911–1964), vice president of Universal Pictures
• George N. Gillett Jr., owner of the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team; co-owner of Premier League team, Liverpool F.C. and the NASCAR auto racing team Gillett Evernham Motorsports ^[6]
• Jay Grinney, President and chief executive officer of Birmingham, Alabama-based HealthSouth Corporation ^[7]
• Jon Hammes, founder and managing partner of Hammes Company ^[8]
• Herbert Fisk Johnson Jr., former head of S.C. Johnson & Son ^[9]
• Herbert Fisk Johnson Sr., former head of S.C. Johnson & Son ^[9]
• Herbert Fisk Johnson III, Chairman and CEO of S.C. Johnson & Son, member of the Forbes 400 ^[9]
• Samuel C. Johnson, industrialist (wax) ^[9]
• Samuel Curtis Johnson Sr., founder of S.C. Johnson & Son ^[9]
• Helen Johnson-Leipold, CEO of Johnson Outdoors ^[10]
• Jim Jorgensen, entrepreneur; Discovery Zone, AllAdvantage and Women's Sports Foundation
• Craig Leipold, majority owner of NHL's Minnesota Wild ^[11]
• John "Jack" Rogan, founder of Rogan's Shoes ^[12]
• Don Smiley, President and CEO of Summerfest and former Major League Baseball executive ^[13]
• Fred Young, President and CEO of Young Radiator

Military

• Harold C. Agerholm, USMC private first class, World War II, Medal of Honor recipient
• James Roy Andersen, USAAF brigadier general
• Arthur S. Born, U.S. Navy rear admiral
• Charles F. Born, U.S. Army and Air Force major general
• Dominic A. Cariello, Wisconsin Army National Guard brigadier general
• Clinton W. Davies, U.S. Air Force brigadier general
• Gregory A. Feest, U.S. Air Force major general
• Irving Fish, U.S. Army major general
• George Clay Ginty, Union Army brigadier general
• Donald G. Iselin, U.S. Navy rear admiral, commander NAVFAC
• John L. Jerstad, major, USAAF, World War II aviator and Medal of Honor recipient
• Travis King, U.S. Army private second class, defected to North Korea on 18 July, 2023

Politics and law

• Gar Alperovitz, historian, political economist, activist, writer
• Robert H. Baker, Wisconsin legislator, Racine mayor and alderman, chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party
• George L. Buck, Wisconsin legislator and businessman
• Melbert B. Cary, chairman of the Connecticut Democratic Party
• Champion S. Chase, mayor of Omaha, Nebraska; namesake of Chase County, Nebraska
• Carl C. Christensen, Wisconsin legislator and businessman
• Joseph Clancy, Wisconsin legislator and businessman
• Henry A. Cooper, U.S. representative
• Thomas P. Corbett, Wisconsin legislator and jurist
• Marcel Dandeneau, Wisconsin educator and politician
• John Dickert, Racine mayor
• John Dixon, Wisconsin legislator and businessman
• Joshua Eric Dodge, Wisconsin Supreme Court
• James Rood Doolittle, U.S. senator
• Henry Dorman, Wisconsin legislator
• John Elkins, Wisconsin legislator
• Edward Engerud, Justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court
• Thomas Falvey, Wisconsin legislator and Racine mayor
• Margaret Farrow, first female lieutenant governor of Wisconsin
• Scott C. Fergus, Wisconsin legislator
• Peter C. Fishburn, mathematician who (with Steven Brams) rediscovered approval voting
• Gerald T. Flynn, U.S. representative
• Willis Frazell, Wisconsin legislator and barber
• William C. Giese, Wisconsin legislator and educator
• Walter Goodland, Governor of Wisconsin
• George Groesback, member of the Montana House of Representatives
• Joseph C. Hamata, Wisconsin legislator and businessman
• Ole Hanson, mayor of Seattle, Washington; founder of San Clemente, California and co-founder of Lake Forest Park, Washington
• James M. Hare, Michigan Secretary of State
• Jack Harvey, Wisconsin politician
• Max W. Heck, Wisconsin politician and jurist
• Richard P. Howell, Wisconsin legislator, carpenter, and businessman
• Wallace Ingalls, Wisconsin legislator and lawyer
• Lorenzo Janes. Wisconsin territorial legislator, lawyer, and businessman
• Charles Jonas, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
• John Lehman, Wisconsin legislator and educator
• William P. Lyon, 7th Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, 12th Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, Union Army officer
• Harry Mares, former mayor of White Bear Lake, MN, Minnesota state representative and educator
• Cory Mason, Wisconsin legislator and current mayor of Racine
• Henry F. Mason, Kansas legislator
• John G. McMynn, Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction
• Gwen Moore, U.S. representative for Wisconsin ^[14]
• Peter C. Myers, Missouri politician
• Greta Neubauer, Wisconsin legislator
• Jeffrey A. Neubauer, Wisconsin legislator and businessman, former chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin
• Lisa Neubauer, Wisconsin judge
• Wallace E. Nield, Wisconsin politician
• Don Penza, former mayor of Wisconsin Rapids, WI, All-American collegian football player, legendary football coach
• George Petak, Wisconsin politician
• P. Walter Petersen, Wisconsin politician
• Kimberly Plache, Wisconsin politician
• James F. Rooney, Wisconsin legislator, former chairman of the Wisconsin Waterways Commission
• Sidney A. Sage, Wisconsin politician
• Horace T. Sanders, Wisconsin politician and military leader
• M. M. Secor (Martin Mathias Secor), proprietor of M. M. Secor Trunk Company; mayor of Racine 1884–1888
• John L. Sieb, Wisconsin politician and barber
• Lawrence H. Smith, U.S. representative
• Lynn E. Stalbaum, U.S. representative
• Jacob Stoffel Jr., Wisconsin politician
• Robert L. Turner, Wisconsin legislator and Vietnam War veteran
• William L. Utley, Wisconsin politician and military leader
• John C. Wagner, Wisconsin politician and businessman
• Van H. Wanggaard, Wisconsin legislator
• Paul Weyrich, religious conservative political activist and commentator
• Philo White, U.S. diplomat

Religion

• Anton Marius Andersen, Lutheran minister
• James DeKoven, Episcopal clergyman
• Francis J. Haas, Roman Catholic bishop
• Richard J. Sklba, Roman Catholic bishop
• Rose Thering, Racine Dominican sister; professor at Seton Hall University

Other

• Laurel Clark, astronaut; died on reentry in her first space flight on Space Shuttle Columbia
• Ethel B. Dietrich, economist, foreign service officer
• Marguerite Davis, co-discoverer of vitamins A and B
• Cory Everson, six-time winner of Miss Olympia bodybuilding contest
• Paul P. Harris, founder of Rotary International
• William D. Lutz, linguist
• F. Don Miller, executive director of the USOC

References

1. "Chad Harbach - Hachette Book Group". Archived from the original on September 25, 2011. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
2. "Jeremiah Bass". Providence Friars . Retrieved January 8, 2025.
3. "Case, Jerome Increase 1819-1891". Wisconsin Historical Society. August 3, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
4. "Batten, Percy, H. | Biographical Book Excerpt". Wisconsin Historical Society. January 1, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
5. "Dremel History | Dremel". /. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
6. "Business News: The Denver Post". extras.denverpost.com. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
7. "Jay Grinney – The Alabama Business Hall of Fame | The University of Alabama" . Retrieved June 16, 2025.
8. "Jon Hammes". Hammes. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
9. "Herbert F. Johnson, Sr. Was Second in Line, but Second to None". www.scjohnson.com. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
10. "Helen Johnson-Leipold". Forbes. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
11. "Wild owner Leipold talks Kaprizov contract, hot start in Q&A with NHL.com | NHL.com". www.nhl.com. December 11, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
12. "Shoe Carnival purchases Rogan's Shoes in $45M deal | Racine County Eye". racinecountyeye.com. February 14, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
13. Weiland, Andrew (April 15, 2025). "Former Summerfest president and CEO Don Smiley sells Pewaukee Lake home". BizTimes - Milwaukee Business News. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
14. "MOORE, Gwendolynne S. (Gwen)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved October 6, 2025.