# Who do you think of when you think of Famous Southerners? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 14, 2008, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249 "2008-05-14T04:31:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/21 "2008-05-14T16:20:51Z")
Robert E. Lee Elvis Flannery O’Connor Dolly Parton William Faulkner Erskine Caldwell Huey Long George Wallace Carson McCullers ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/22 "2008-05-14T16:39:12Z")
Male: Robert E Lee Thomas Jefferson Martin Luther King Female: Harper Lee Flannery O’Connor Mary Chestnut ---
**Author:** ![Tool\_of\_the\_Conspiracy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tool\_of\_the\_Conspiracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tool_of_the_Conspiracy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/23 "2008-05-14T18:08:52Z")
Mark Twain Foghorn Leghorn Jimmy Carter Scarlett O’Hara Dolly Parton Reba McEntire ---
**Author:** ![Soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/24 "2008-05-14T18:23:11Z")
I instantly thought of Colonel Sanders, and his smiling face blocked any other names from entering my mind. What a nice guy, and some fine chicken to boot. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/25 "2008-05-14T18:29:32Z")
I didn’t read any posts after the OP to make sure my opinions weren’t tainted by your filthy minds. MALE Bo & Luke Duke Burt Reynolds (particularly in _Smokey & the Bandit_) Alan Jackson (or whichever country singer does that horrible _Mercury Blues_ song) ETA: forgot the ladies Dolly Parton Scarlett O’Hara ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/26 "2008-05-14T18:32:40Z")
Julia and Suzanne Sugerbaker. What?? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/27 "2008-05-14T18:48:35Z")
Men: Nathan Bedford Forrest [Dean Corll](http://crime.about.com/od/serial/p/dean_corll.htm) Tom Petty Richard Petty Wimmin: [Katherine Harris](http://www.extrememortman.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/Katherine%20Harris%202.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Ivorybill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ee59a6/32.png) [@Ivorybill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ivorybill)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/28 "2008-05-14T18:57:51Z")
Male: Andrew Lytle Shelby Foote William Faulkner Andy Griffith Female: Eudora Welty Flannery O’Connor Rosa Parks Fannie Flagg ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/29 "2008-05-14T19:21:34Z")
I am Southern and these lists seem awfully short. There are too many musicians to name because rock n roll, the blues, jazz, and country music all originated in the South. Here are some others. **Male** George Washington Thomas Jefferson Andrew Johnson William Henry Harrison Jimmy Carter Robert E. Lee Jefferson Davis Bill Clinton Patrick Henry James Monroe Lyndon Johnson Woodrow Wilson Andrew Jackson Booker T. Washington Billy Graham Louis Armstrong Andy Griffith Gene Autry John Grisham Woody Guthrie Edgar Allan Poe Daniel Boone Elvis Presley Jim Bowie Sam Houston Will Rogers Howard Hughes Babe Ruth George Washington Carver Jesse James Henry Clay Ty Cobb Michael Jordan Francis Scott Key Zachary Taylor Martin Luther King, Jr Clarence Thomas Jim Thorpe Davy Crocket Mark Twain Huey Long Earl Long John Tyler James Madison Frederick Douglass James Buchanan John Marshall George Wallace William Faulkner Hank Williams Audie Murphy Thomas Wolfe Hank Aaron **Female** Ann Rice Rosa Parks Pocahontas Ladie Bird Johnson Helen Keller Harriet Tubman ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/30 "2008-05-14T20:16:26Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] I am Southern and these lists seem awfully short. [/QUOTE] I assumed the OP wanted the first few people who most immediately came to the top of your head. I mean, if the thread is “name some significant Southerners” I could go on for pages. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/31 "2008-05-15T01:55:02Z")
I do not believe that James Carville and Brett Butler have been mentioned as yet. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/32 "2008-05-15T02:21:55Z")
First three that come to mind, eh? Males Ted Turner Huey Long David Brinkley Females Holly Hunter Shirley Franklin Flannery O’Connor Kind of an odd list. But those are the first three of each who came to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/33 "2008-05-15T02:29:21Z")
First thought: rich, Texas billionaires ---
**Author:** ![Crocodiles\_And\_Boulevards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Crocodiles\_And\_Boulevards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crocodiles_And_Boulevards)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/34 "2008-05-15T04:22:25Z")
These are what popped into my noggin: Males: Sam Walton Mark Twain Conway Twitty Chipper Jones Bill Clinton Mike Huckabee Alan Jackson Garth Brooks Johnny Cash Elvis Jeff Foxworthy Huck Finn Tom Sawyer John Grisham William Faulkner Martin Luther King, Junior Female: Dolly Parton Trisha Yearwood Amy Lee (of Evanescence) Reba McEntire Scout (from To Kill a Mockingbird) Harper Lee ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/35 "2008-05-15T04:32:49Z")
For males: The Williams trio–Don, Hank, and Tennassee I would also add King Richard and Huey Long For females: Scarlett O’Hare Daisy Duke Otto McNabb’s Mom (I can’t remember her name, but she was in the novel Texas) Selma Hyack (what, you didn’t say how far south we could go) SSG Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/36 "2008-05-15T08:16:50Z")
George Washington, Robert E. Lee, Mark Twain, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton. Nobody’s mentioned Courtney Cox? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/37 "2008-05-15T11:46:09Z")
William Faulkner Shelby Foote Molly Ivins Ann Richards ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/38 "2008-05-15T22:11:23Z")
Without reading any posts other than the opener, I’ll list the next three that come to mind for each: [QUOTE=Sampiro] MALE Robert E. Lee Foghorn Leghorn Elvis [/quote] William Faulkner George Wallace Huey Long > [@](#): > > FEMALE > Scarlett O’Hara (as portrayed by Vivien Leigh of course) > Dolly Parton > Fannie Flagg Ann Richards (I know some people don’t consider Texas Southern, but it was part of the Confederacy, and many of the residents sound like stereotypical Southerners) Holly Hunter Elizabeth Dole ---
**Author:** ![bubble\_pop\_electric](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecae2f/32.png) [@bubble\_pop\_electric](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubble_pop_electric)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2008, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/39 "2008-05-16T01:06:38Z")
Trying not to include anyone already mentioned: Beyonce, the Cyruses, the Spearses, Bill Clinton ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2008, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249/40 "2008-05-16T01:20:39Z")
Jefferson Davis Jeb Stuart William Faulkner Tammy Faye Baker Dolly Parton Scarlett O’Hara [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-of-when-you-think-of-famous-southerners/449249.md?page=3)