# Who is the most famous person BORN in your state? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 11, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341 "2010-11-11T18:41:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/41 "2010-11-11T21:19:30Z")
If you’re talking about global fame, for New York it’s probably Franklin Roosevelt, followed by cousin Teddy. Beyond that there’s dozens of others. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/42 "2010-11-11T21:41:07Z")
This thread’s been pretty enlightening – and it’s prompted me to discover that John Kerry was born in Colorado. It makes me wonder how many political types, like Kerry, were born in military hospitals and therefore didn’t stay very long in the state of their birth. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/43 "2010-11-11T21:47:57Z")
> [@Gordon\_Urquhart](#): > > This thread’s been pretty enlightening – and it’s prompted me to discover that John Kerry was born in Colorado. It makes me wonder how many political types, like Kerry, were born in military hospitals and therefore didn’t stay very long in the state of their birth. Jack Dempsey was born in Manassa, CO. Off the top of my head, he is the most famous Coloradoan. Glenn Miller and The Unsinkable Molly Brown were pretty famous. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/44 "2010-11-11T21:49:22Z")
For Jersey, it’d probably be Sinatra. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/45 "2010-11-11T21:56:26Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > And as for Minnesota, I’d say Bob Dylan trumps Judy Garland. In addition to these 2 and Prince, depending on the group: Sinclair Lewis or John Madden [Famous People – 50states](http://www.50states.com/bio/) has some fun lists. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/46 "2010-11-11T22:37:00Z")
Missouri - Harry Truman, Walt Disney or Mark Twain. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/47 "2010-11-11T23:18:52Z")
Georgia: MLK. Or Jimmy Carter. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/48 "2010-11-11T23:26:41Z")
Billy Bob Thornton, Glen Campbell, Frank Bonner (from WKRP in Cincinnati) All from Arkansas ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/49 "2010-11-11T23:44:03Z")
In my original home, uh commonwealth, I might mention Stan Musial and Bill Cosby. The only president, James Buchanan, was a disaster, but I guess that’s a kind of fame. Oh yeah, Jim Thorpe. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/50 "2010-11-11T23:45:37Z")
Franklin Pierce, 14th President of the United States and the only one from New Hampshire. We’re really very sorry about him. Personally, I try to convince people he was from Maine. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/51 "2010-11-11T23:46:48Z")
California…I would say Tom Hanks rivals Marilyn Monroe for most famous actor. My first thought was John Steinbeck. Lots of famous people come from CA. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/52 "2010-11-11T23:51:02Z")
All right, I’ve gone through the list of who we have so far. I am trying to pick one person for each state. My criteria: the person who would be recognized by the most people (worldwide) if you said their name or showed a photo. I am willing to give extra consideration for someone who became famous while living in their home state. e.g. Marilyn Monroe comes to the top of famous Californians because she was born and lived her whole life in California. In addition to being very very famous. I’ve weeded down what people have come up with so far, to one (or at most two) names per state. If I list two names, the one I have first is my preferred choice. State / Most famous person born in that state Alabama / Helen Keller California / Norma Jeane Baker aka Marilyn Monroe Colorado / Alton Glenn Miller aka Glenn Miller Florida / Thomas Earl Petty aka Tom Petty Illinois / Ronald Wilson Reagan Indiana / John Mellencamp Indiana / Michael Joseph Jackson (trumps Mellencamp because of MJ’s extreme worldwide fame) Iowa / Marion Mitchell Morrison aka John Wayne Kansas / Amelia Earhart Kentucky / Abraham Lincoln Maine / Stephen Edwin King Massachussetts / John Fitzgerald Kennedy Minnesota / Robert Allen Zimmerman aka Bob Dylan Missouri / Samuel Langhorne Clemens aka Mark Twain (Walt Disney was born in Chicago, Illinois!) Montana / Frank James “Gary” Cooper Nebraska / Marlon Brando New Jersey / Francis Albert “Frank” Sinatra New York / Franklin Delano Roosevelt aka FDR North Carolina / Andy Samuel Griffith or William Franklin “Billy” Graham Ohio / Thomas Alva Edison Tennessee / David Crockett Texas / Lyndon Baines Johnson aka LBJ Vermont / Joseph Smith Virginia/ George Washington (I’ll accept him even though the state didn’t exist yet) Washington, DC / Albert Arnold “Al” Gore (being a political figure, he deserves to be the most famous native) Washington / William Henry “Bill” Gates III (beats Jimi Hendrix) Wisconsin / Frank Lloyd Wright eta I stopped at post 46, so I’ll need to add to my list. Also, Marilyn Monroe has got to be more recognizable than Tom Hanks. Think of the artists she has inspired, like Andy Warhol. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/53 "2010-11-11T23:55:17Z")
I changed my mind about my post. I’m also from California, and I see someone from that state has already posted. I will only say that dozens and dozens of famous people were born in California, so it’s a difficult choice. ---
**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:** [November 12, 2010, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/54 "2010-11-12T00:04:11Z")
I’d concur with Franklin Roosevelt for New York. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/55 "2010-11-12T00:06:19Z")
Johnny Cash was born in Kingsland, Arkansas I think he grew up in Mississippi or Tenn? Glen Campbell was born and raised in Arkansas ---
**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:** [November 12, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/56 "2010-11-12T00:06:43Z")
How about Elvis Presley for Mississippi? (I’m offering this even though I’m not from Mississippi.) ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/57 "2010-11-12T00:10:58Z")
Texas is probably a tossup between LBJ and Dwight Eisenhower. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/58 "2010-11-12T00:18:13Z")
For Connecticut, I’d have to say George W. Bush. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/59 "2010-11-12T00:20:09Z")
For Arkansas, I can’t believe no one said Bill Clinton! I chose him over Johnny Cash because Bill Clinton is more closely associated with the state, for an almost equal amount of fame. State / Most famous person born in that state Alabama / Helen Keller Arkansas / William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton or John R. “Johnny” Cash California / Norma Jeane Baker aka Marilyn Monroe Colorado / Alton Glenn Miller aka Glenn Miller Florida / Thomas Earl Petty aka Tom Petty Georgia / Martin Luther King or James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Illinois / Ronald Wilson Reagan Indiana / John Mellencamp Indiana / Michael Joseph Jackson (trumps Mellencamp because of MJ’s extreme worldwide fame) Iowa / Marion Mitchell Morrison aka John Wayne Kansas / Amelia Earhart Kentucky / Abraham Lincoln Maine / Stephen Edwin King Massachussetts / John Fitzgerald Kennedy Minnesota / Robert Allen Zimmerman aka Bob Dylan Mississippi / Elvis Aaron Presley Missouri / Samuel Langhorne Clemens aka Mark Twain (Walt Disney was born in Chicago, Illinois!) Montana / Frank James “Gary” Cooper Nebraska / Marlon Brando New Hampshire / Franklin Pierce New Jersey / Francis Albert “Frank” Sinatra New York / Franklin Delano Roosevelt aka FDR North Carolina / Andy Samuel Griffith or William Franklin “Billy” Graham Ohio / Thomas Alva Edison Pennsylvania / William Henry “Bill” Cosby Tennessee / David Crockett Texas / Lyndon Baines Johnson aka LBJ Vermont / Joseph Smith Virginia/ George Washington (I’ll accept him even though the state didn’t exist yet) Washington / William Henry “Bill” Gates III (beats Jimi Hendrix) Washington, DC / Albert Arnold “Al” Gore (being a political figure, he deserves to be the most famous native) Wisconsin / Frank Lloyd Wright eta - this list looked at posts up to and including post 56 ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/60 "2010-11-12T00:20:25Z")
turns out Johnny Cash grew up in Dyess, Arkaansas. Born in Kingsland Ark. > **[Dyess, Arkansas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyess,_Arkansas)** > > Dyess is a town in Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. Founded as Dyess Colony in 1934 by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration as part of the Roosevelt administration's agricultural relief and rehabilitation program, it was the largest agrarian community established by the U.S. during the Great Depression. > As of the 2020 census, the population of Dyess was 339, down from 410 in 2010. Dyess Colony was the boyhood home of country music singer Johnny Cash. > Dyess Colony was estab... by far he’s the biggest star from my state. whoops, I see above that I forgot about Clinton. 😉 I wasn’t thinking about politicians. > [@aceplace57](#): > > Johnny Cash was born in Kingsland, Arkansas I think he grew up in Mississippi or Tenn? > > Glen Campbell was born and raised in Arkansas [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341.md?page=4)