# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/81 "2010-11-12T03:42:54Z")
I’d like to add from WV: Brad Paisley [Moundsville] “Little” Jimmy Dickens [Bolt] Kathy Mattea [Cross Lanes] Frankie Yankovic [Davis] Jennifer Garner [Charleston] ---
**Author:** ![Sami41](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@Sami41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sami41)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/82 "2010-11-12T03:52:06Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > New Mexico is a tough one. Possibilities include Jeff Bezos, John Denver, Geronimo, Neil Patrick Harris, Ronnie Lott, Bill Mauldin, Demi Moore, and Al Unser - but nobody who seems to really stand out above the others. My first thought was Billy The Kid, but I guess that’s still under debate. Also Clyde Tombough (discovered Pluto) and Harrison Schmidt (astronaut turned politician). Politically speaking, there’s Bill Richardson who was Clinton’s Secretary of Energy and a one time Presidential candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/83 "2010-11-12T03:54:38Z")
I’ll go with Matt Groening for Oregon. Runners up: Beverly Cleary Raymond Carver Brent Musberger Sally Struthers Linus Pauling If we ever have an “infamous” thread, I suppose Tonya Harding would top the list. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/84 "2010-11-12T03:58:13Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Worldwide, most people don’t follow basketball either. So I’d take the bet that it would be FDR. Basketball is popular worldwide, and Michael Jordan is the most famous basketball player in the world. And you don’t have to _follow_ basketball to know who Michael Jordan is. I don’t follow golf, and I know who Tiger Woods is, just via media saturation. The question is about “fame,” not about importance or historical significance. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/85 "2010-11-12T04:01:19Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > Do people think that he deserves to supplant Bill Clinton? Pfui to Clinton. Bear Bryant was from Arkansas. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/86 "2010-11-12T04:04:47Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Pfui to Clinton. Bear Bryant was from Arkansas. Yeah, but you have to think globally. Bryant is unknown outside the US. ---
**Author:** ![PeskiPiksi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@PeskiPiksi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeskiPiksi)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/87 "2010-11-12T04:07:39Z")
> [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](#): > > If we ever have an “infamous” thread, I suppose Tonya Harding would top the list. Yeah, I’ll move Oral Roberts to that list as Oklahoma’s entry. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/88 "2010-11-12T04:09:13Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > Kentucky / Abraham Lincoln – or possibly Muhammad Ali worldwide Hmm, I live in Illinois (i.e., the “Land of Lincoln”) and was going to say “Abraham Lincoln,” then saw this and googled it up and sure enough. So, I got nothin’. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/89 "2010-11-12T04:30:25Z")
Edward Theodore Gein - Wisconsin ---
**Author:** ![FrancisCastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b4bc9f/32.png) [@FrancisCastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrancisCastle)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/90 "2010-11-12T04:32:58Z")
Oohhh notorious people? We’ve got plenty of those!! [Ed Gein](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Gein), [Jeffrey Dahmer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Dahmer) and [Kato Kaelin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kato_Kaelin). Damn, beat me by two minutes! 😃 ---
**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, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/91 "2010-11-12T04:42:56Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > That’s great for people who know about history. But let’s face it: most people don’t. We’re talking about the Second World War. You’d have to be pretty ignorant not to know that much history. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/92 "2010-11-12T04:42:57Z")
Orson Welles - Wisconsin ---
**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, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/93 "2010-11-12T04:46:02Z")
> [@Sami41](#): > > My first thought was Billy The Kid, but I guess that’s still under debate. Same problem with Cochise. He may have been born in New Mexico. But his birthplace might have been Arizona or Sonora. ---
**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, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/94 "2010-11-12T04:48:06Z")
> [@BaneSidhe](#): > > I’d like to add from WV: > > Brad Paisley [Moundsville] > “Little” Jimmy Dickens [Bolt] > Kathy Mattea [Cross Lanes] > Frankie Yankovic [Davis] > Jennifer Garner [Charleston] And Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, although his birthplace (Clarksburg) was still in Virginia at the time he was born. ---
**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 12, 2010, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/95 "2010-11-12T04:49:38Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Basketball is popular worldwide, and Michael Jordan is the most famous basketball player in the world. If he were a soccer player I might agree with you. But basketball isn’t that popular in a lot of the world. If you’ve ever had even a sketchy class in world or 20th century history you’ve heard of FDR. Sorry, people may be ignorant of history, but not that ignorant. ---
**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, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/96 "2010-11-12T04:55:53Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Texas has Dwight Eisenhower. Sadly, we also have Lyndon Johnson. > > We also have Farrah Fawcett, Janis Joplin and Buddy Holly. Sadly, we also have Willy Nelson. And Texas has Shannon Elizabeth, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Beyonce Knowles. Sadly, you also have Anna Nicole Smith. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/97 "2010-11-12T05:02:41Z")
> [@missred](#): > > My adopted home state of Tennessee is a bit harder. Most famous Tennesseans, historical or current, tend to have been born elsewhere. But for the extra points, Minnie Pearl (aka Sarah Cannon or Mrs. Henry Cannon) from Centerville, who became famous performing on the Grand Ol’ Opry. There’s also the inimitable Dolly Parton, who was born and grew up in Sevierville. In Kentucky, we have the already-mentioned Honest Abe and Cassius Clay, but in more recent fame we also have Johnny Depp. Depp was, in fact, born in my hometown, which means he was either born in the same hospital as me or in the one half a block from my grandparents’ house. Ditto Darryl Waltrip, who admittedly is the least famous person on the list. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/98 "2010-11-12T06:05:31Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > In Kentucky, we have the already-mentioned Honest Abe and Cassius Clay, but in more recent fame we also have **Johnny Depp**. And I’m betting Depp is more famous than Lincoln worldwide. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/99 "2010-11-12T06:13:42Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > If he were a soccer player I might agree with you. But basketball isn’t that popular in a lot of the world. Basketball is hugely popular. Not at the level of soccer, but it is popular WORLDWIDE. (Maybe you’re not aware of that? It’s why the Dream Team -featuring Michael Jordan- was such a big deal at the Olympics. It’s why there are so many foreign players in the NBA.) Ask, say, a 30-year old in Brazil or the Sudan or Turkey if they’ve heard of FDR. Then ask if they’ve heard of Michael Jordan. I think you might be surprised. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/100 "2010-11-12T10:30:30Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > 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. He was who I was going to pick. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341.md?page=6)