List of people from Indiana

This is a list of some famous people who were born or lived in Indiana.

Founders and pioneers [edit]

Johnny Appleseed, missionary (Fort Wayne)
Squire Boone, frontiersman, (Laconia)
Jonathan Jennings, first Governor of Indiana
Dennis Pennington, first speaker of the house in Indiana, Corydon, Indiana, also built the first capitol building. (Corydon)
Spier Spencer, militia leader who died in the Battle of Tippecanoe

Military [edit]

Jeremy Michael Boorda, Admiral, Chief of Naval Operations, (South Bend)
Ambrose Burnside, General in the Civil War, sideburns are named after him (Liberty)
George Rogers Clark, man who conquered Indiana for the United States, (Clarksville)
Jonathan D. George, retired Air Force brigadier general, 9th District congressional candidate (Bedford)
William Grose, Civil War General, (New Castle)
Jonas Ingram, Medal of Honor recipient, Atlantic Fleet commander in World War II (Jeffersonville)
John Poindexter, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy, National Security Adviser to President Ronald Reagan, figure in the Iran-Contra affair, (Odon)
David M. Shoup, Medal of Honor recipient, 22nd Commandant of the Marine Corps (Battle Ground, Indiana)
Walter Bedell Smith, General, U.S. Army, chief of staff to General Dwight D. Eisenhower (Indianapolis)
Raymond Ames Spruance, Admiral, U.S. Navy, Flagship Commander USS Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
Lew Wallace, General in the Civil War (Crawfordsville)
Samuel Woodfill, most decorated American soldier in World War I, (Jefferson County)
Anthony Wayne, known for being mad and overrunning the Chief Little Turtle, (Fort Wayne)

Politicians and activists [edit]

George Washington Buckner

Benjamin Harrison

William Henry Harrison

Frank J. Anderson, Marion County Sheriff (Indianapolis)
Birch Bayh, former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate (Terre Haute)
Evan Bayh, U.S. Senator and former Governor of Indiana (Shirkieville)
Albert J. Beveridge, U.S. Senator of Indiana (Indianapolis)
Otis R. Bowen, Governor of Indiana and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
Roger D. Branigin, Governor of Indiana and 1968 candidate for President. (Franklin)
Jesse D. Bright, U.S Senator and President Pro Tempore of the Senate (Madison)
George Washington Buckner, U.S. minister to Liberia, 1913–1915, (Evansville)
Earl Butz, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (Albion)
Maria Cantwell, U.S. Congresswoman and U.S. Senator (Indianapolis)
Homer E. Capehart, businessman and U.S. Senator (Algiers)
James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence under President Barack Obama (Fort Wayne)
Benjamin V. Cohen - a key figure in the administrations of presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman (Muncie)
Schuyler Colfax, U.S. Congressman and Speaker of the House of Representatives, U.S. Vice President (South Bend)
John Wesley Davis, U.S. Congressman and Speaker of the House of Representatives (Carlisle)
Eugene V. Debs, labor and political leader (Terre Haute)
William Hayden English, U.S. Congressman and Vice Presidential Candidate (Lexington)
Charles W. Fairbanks, U.S. Senator and Vice President of the United States (Indianapolis)
John W. Foster, U.S. Secretary of State (Evansville)
Walter Q. Gresham, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Postmaster General, Secretary of State (Lanesville)
Charles A. Halleck, U.S. Congressman (Rensselaer)
Lee H. Hamilton, U.S. Congressman (Bloomington)
Clifford Hardin, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (Knightstown)
Benjamin Harrison, U.S. President
William Henry Harrison, U.S. President and Governor of Indiana Territory
Richard Hatcher, Gary Mayor (Gary)
John Hay, U.S. Secretary of State (Salem)
Will H. Hays, U.S. Postmaster General (Sullivan)
Thomas A. Hendricks, U.S. Senator and Vice President (Indianapolis)
Louis McHenry Howe, close political advisor to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Indianapolis)
Jonathan Jennings, First congressional representative from the Indiana Territory and early abolitionist (Vincennes)
Cleve Jones, Gay/Human rights activist, created the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt (West Lafayette)
Michael C. Kerr, U.S. Congressman and Speaker of the House of Representatives (New Albany)
Ron Klain, Chief of Staff to Vice President Joe Biden (Indianapolis)
Abraham Lincoln, 16th President, lived in Indiana from ages 7–21 (Spencer County)
Richard Lugar, U.S. Senator and former Mayor of Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
Thomas R. Marshall, U.S. Vice President (North Manchester)
Mack F. Mattingly, U.S. Senator from Georgia, Asst. Sec Genl. NATO, US Ambassador ([Anderson])
Edward Ralph May, only delegate to the Indiana Constitutional Convention of 1850 to support African American suffrage (Angola)
Hugh McCulloch, US. Secretary of the Treasury (Fort Wayne)
William H.H. Miller, U.S. Attorney General (Indianapolis)
Sherman Minton, U.S. Senator and Supreme Court Justice
Oliver P. Morton, Governor of Indiana (Centerville)
Harry S. New, U.S. Postmaster General (Indianapolis)
Mike Pence, US Congressman (Columbus)
Dennis Pennington, State Senator and early abolitionist (Central Barren)
Bart Peterson, former Mayor of Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
John Poindexter, National Security Advisor under President Ronald Reagan (Washington)
John Wesley Posey, Abolitionist (Petersburg, Indiana)
Dan Quayle, former U.S. Senator and U.S. Vice President (Indianapolis)
John Rarick, former U.S. Representative from Louisiana
John Roberts, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice (Long Beach)
William Ruckelshaus, former U.S. Director of the F.B.I. and Deputy Attorney General.
Caleb Blood Smith, U.S. Secretary of the Interior (Indianapolis)
Ted Stevens, U.S. Senator from Alaska (Indianapolis)
John Palmer Usher, U.S. Secretary of the Interior (Terre Haute)
Willis Van Devanter, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, January 3, 1911 to June 2, 1937 (Marion)
Mark Warner, current U.S. Senator for Virginia, former Governor of Virginia (Indianapolis)
Gary Webb, Journalist (Indianapolis)
Ryan White, AIDS activist (Kokomo)
Claude R. Wickard, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (Camden)
Wendell Willkie, 1940 Republican presidential nominee (Elwood)

Native American leaders [edit]

Pacanne, an influential Miami chief and businessman
Leopold Pokagon, Potawatomi chief for whom Pokagon State Park is named
Simon Pokagon, Potawatomi chief, author, son of Leopold
Little Turtle, Miami chief, leader of Native American forces in the Battle of the Wabash, the most decisive American Indian victory of the Indian Wars
Metea, Potawatomi chief from northeast Indiana
Young Tobacco, Piankeshaw chief who supported the United States in the American Revolution

Entertainment [edit]

Dax Riggs, singer-songwriter, Acid Bath, (Evansville)
Adam Lambert, singer-songwriter, American Idol Runner-Up (Indianapolis)
Amanda Overmyer singer, American Idol (season 7) finalist (Camden)
Amanda Perez R&B artist, singer, songwriter, producer (Fort Wayne)
Andy Timmons, guitarist, Danger Danger, Andy Timmons Band (Evansville, Indiana)
Axl Rose, Guns N' Roses singer (Lafayette)
Bill Gaither, singer (Alexandria)
Bobby Helms, singer (Bloomington)
Buddy Montgomery, jazz pianist (Indianapolis)
Cal Collins, jazz guitarist (Medora)
Claude Thornhill, pianist, arranger, composer, bandleader (Terre Haute)
Cole Porter, songwriter (Peru)
Connie Smith, singer (Elkhart)
Crystal Gayle, singer (Wabash)
Danny Gaither, gospel singer (Alexandria)
David Baker, jazz trombonist, author, educator (Indianapolis)
David Lee Roth, Van Halen singer (Bloomington)
Deniece Williams, singer (Gary, Indiana)
Denny Jiosa, jazz guitarist/composer (Huntington)
DJ Ashba, lead guitarist of Sixx:A.M. (Monticello)
Eddie Condon, jazz banjoist, guitarist, bandleader (Goodland)
Freddie Hubbard, jazz trumpeter, composer (Indianapolis)
Gary Burton, jazz vibraphone, composer, educator (Anderson)
Gloria Gaither, songwriter (Alexandria)
Henry Lee Summer, singer (Elwood)
Hoagy Carmichael, songwriter (Bloomington)
Izzy Stradlin, Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist (Lafayette)
Jane Jarvis, jazz pianist (Vincennes)
Janet Jackson, singer, dancer, songwriter (Gary)
Janie Fricke, singer (South Whitley)
Jeff Hamilton, jazz drummer (Richmond)
Jeremy Spencer Drummer Five Finger Death Punch (Boonesville, Indiana)
Jeremy Camp singer (Lafayette)
JJ Johnson, jazz trombonist, composer (Indianapolis)
John Hiatt, singer, songwriter (Indianapolis)
John Mellencamp, singer, songwriter, musician (Seymour)
John Von Ohlen, jazz drummer (Indianapolis)
Jon McLaughlin, singer-songwriter (Anderson, Indiana)
Jon Schaffer, Iced Earth guitarist (Franklin, Indiana)
Joshua Bell, violinist (Bloomington)
Ken Navarro, jazz guitarist (Lafayette)
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, singer, producer (Indianapolis)
Krystal Harris, pianist, singer-songwriter (Anderson)
Kyle Cook, Matchbox Twenty guitarist (Frankfort)
Kym Mazelle, singer (Gary)
Larry Ridley, jazz bassist and educator, (Indianapolis)
La Toya Jackson, singer-songwriter, musician (Gary)
Leroy Carr, blues pianist and songwriter (Indianapolis)
Leroy Vinnegar, jazz bassist (Indianapolis)
Lisa Germano, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (Mishawaka)
Luke Menard, singer, musician (Crawfordsville, Indiana)
Michael Jackson, singer-songwriter, dancer, musician, entertainer, actor(Gary)
Mick Mars (real name Robert Deal), Mötley Crüe lead guitarist (Terre Haute)
Melvin Rhyne, jazz organist (Indianapolis)
Monk Montgomery, jazz bassist (Indianapolis)
Ned Rorem, composer (Richmond)
Noble Sissle, jazz composer, lyricist, bandleader, singer and playwright. (Indianapolis)
Paul Dresser, songwriter (Terre Haute)
Randy Carr, singer, songwriter, producer (Columbus)
Rich Mullins, Christian Contemporary Artist (Richmond)
Royce Campbell, jazz guitarist, composer, producer (Seymour)
Ryan McCombs, singer (Dunkirk, Indiana)
Scrapper Blackwell Blues Legend, writer of the earliest version of Sweet Home Chicago (Indianapolis)
Shannon Hoon, Blind Melon singer (Lafayette)
Slide Hampton, jazz trombonist, composer, arranger (Indianapolis)
Steve Allee, jazz musician and composer (Indianapolis)
Steve Wariner, singer (Noblesville, Indiana)
Wes Montgomery, jazz guitarist (Indianapolis)

Musical groups [edit]

Television [edit]

Nicole Anderson, actress (Rochester)
Arija Bareikis, actress (Bloomington)
Julia Barr, actor (Fort Wayne)
James Best, actor (Corydon, Indiana)
Kate Bolduan, CNN correspondent (Goshen)
Kyle Bornheimer, actor (Mishawaka)
John Bromfield, actor (South Bend)
Avery Brooks, actor (Evansville)
Dan Butler, actor (Fort Wayne)
Jose Pablo Cantillo, actor (Terre Haute)
Terri Conn, actress (Bloomington)
Nancy Criss, producer, director (Elkhart)
Mary Jane Croft actress (Muncie)
Scatman Crothers, actor (Terre Haute)
Joyce DeWitt, actress (Speedway)
Polly Draper, actress (Gary)
Chad Everett, actor (South Bend)
Bianca Ferguson, actress (Gary)
Jenna Fischer, actress (Fort Wayne)
Dolores Fuller, actress (South Bend)
Will Geer, actor (Frankfort)
Ron Glass, actor (Evansville)
Florence Henderson, actress (Dale)
Drake Hogestyn, actor (Fort Wayne)
Jamie Hyneman, MythBusters host (Columbus)
Bob Jenkins, sports commentator (Liberty, Indiana)
Chubby Johnson, actor (Terre Haute)
Anissa Jones, actress (West Lafayette)
Kennedy, 1990s MTV VJ (Indianapolis)
Adam Kennedy, actor, author, painter (Otterbein)
Ken Kercheval, actor (Clinton)
Brook Kerr, actress (Indianapolis)
Michael King, Emmy-winning TV producer, political commentator (Gary)
Steve Kroft, journalist and correspondent for 60 Minutes (Kokomo)
David Letterman, late night entertainer (Indianapolis)
Shelley Long, actress (Fort Wayne)
Karl Malden, actor (Gary)
Claire Malis, actress (Gary)
Patrick McVey, actor (Fort Wayne)
Julie McWhirter, voice actress (Indianapolis)
Tammy Lynn Michaels, actress (Lafayette)
Dylan Minnette, teen actor (Evansville)
Alvy Moore, actor (Vincennes) and (Terre Haute)
Jane Pauley, news anchor (Indianapolis)
Nancy Priddy, actress (South Bend)
Madelyn Pugh, writer (I Love Lucy) (Indianapolis)
Sarah Purcell, talk show host, game show host (Richmond)
Michael Rosenbaum, actor (Newburgh)
Carly Schroeder, actress (Valparaiso)
Tavis Smiley, talk show host on PBS and NPR (Kokomo)
David Shuster, reporter (Bloomington)
Casey Stegall, correspondent (Evansville)
Marc Summers, Double Dare host (Indianapolis)
Trista Sutter, reality TV star (Indianapolis)
Zuzanna Szadkowski, actress (Fort Wayne)
Vincent Ventresca, actor (Indianapolis)
Chuck Vinson, TV director & producer (Elkhart)
Kristina Wagner, actress (Indianapolis)
Michael Warren, actor (South Bend)
Fred Williamson, actor (Gary)
Jama Williamson, actress (Evansville)
Dick York, actor (Fort Wayne)

Modeling [edit]

Hanna Hilton

Karen McDougal

AJ Alexander, model, Playboy Playmate (Evansville)
Bridget Bobel, beauty queen, Miss Indiana 2006 (Peru)
Pamela Bryant, model, Playboy Playmate (Indianapolis)
Kaitlyn Christopher, beauty queen, Miss Indiana 2005 (Kokomo)
June Cochran, model, Playboy Playmate (Indianapolis)
Jami Ferrell, model, Playboy Playmate (Muncie)
Danelle Folta, model, Playboy Playmate (Hammond)
Hanna Hilton, model, Penthouse Pet (Brookville)
Heather Kuzmich, America's Next Top Model finalist (Valparaiso)
Stephanie Larimore, model, Playboy Playmate (Fort Wayne)
Brittany Mason, model, Miss Indiana 2008 (Anderson)
Karen McDougal, fitness model, Playboy Playmate (Merrillville)
Nicole Rash, model, Miss Indiana 2007 (South Bend)
Roman and Gabriel Slaybaugh, Twin Models (LaPorte)
Jami Stallings, beauty queen (Evansville)
Katie Stam, Miss America 2009 (Seymour)
Heather Stohler, Calvin Klein model (Zelenéfield)
Marjorie Wallace, model and 1973 Miss World (Indianapolis)

Sports [edit]

Baseball [edit]

Don Mattingly

Clint Barmes, baseball player (Vincennes)
Larry Bigbie, baseball player (Hobart)
Tim Bogar, baseball player (Indianapolis)
Phil Bradley, baseball player (Bloomington)
Mordecai Brown, baseball player (Nyesville)
Eric Bruntlett, baseball player (Lafayette)
Donie Bush, baseball player (Indianapolis)
Max Carey, baseball player (Terre Haute)
Jamey Carroll, baseball player (Evansville)
Oscar Charleston, baseball player (Indianapolis)
Lou Criger, baseball player (Elkhart)
George Crowe, baseball player (Whiteland)
Nig Cuppy, baseball player (Logansport)
Chad Curtis, baseball player (Marion)
Carl Erskine, baseball player (Anderson)
Jake Fox, baseball player (Beech Grove)
Bob Friend, baseball player (West Lafayette)
Jot Goar, baseball player (New Lisbon)
Billy Herman, baseball player (New Albany)
Gil Hodges, baseball player (Princeton)
Tommy Hunter, baseball player (Indianapolis)
Tommy John, baseball player (Terra Haute)
Jeff King, baseball player (Marion)
Chuck Klein, baseball player (Indianapolis)
Don Larsen, baseball player (Michigan City)
Adam Lind, baseball player (Muncie)
Kenny Lofton, baseball player (East Chicago)
Lance Lynn, baseball player (Brownsburg)
Justin Masterson, baseball player (Fort Wayne)
Don Mattingly, baseball player (Evansville)
Lloyd McClendon, baseball player (Gary)
Dan Plesac, baseball player (Gary)
Ron Reed, baseball and basketball player (LaPorte)
Jason Repko, baseball player (East Chicago)
Sam Rice, baseball player (Morocco)
Clayton Richard, baseball player (Lafayette)
Scott Rolen, baseball player (Jasper)
Edd Roush, baseball player (Oakland City)
Janet Rumsey, baseball player (Moores Hill)
Jeff Samardzija, baseball player (Valparaiso)
Everett Scott, baseball player (Bluffton)
Eric Stults, baseball player (Argos)
Walt Terrell, baseball player (Jeffersonville)
Sam Thompson, baseball player (Danville)
Dickie Thon, baseball player (South Bend)
Cory Wade, baseball player (Indianapolis)
Eric Wedge, baseball player (Fort Wayne)
Cy Williams, baseball player (Wadena)
Rollie Zeider, baseball player (Hoover and Auburn)

Basketball [edit]

Larry Bird

Steve Alford, basketball player (New Castle)
Damon Bailey, basketball player (Heltonville)
Alison Bales, basketball player (Indianapolis)
Larry Bird, basketball player (French Lick)
Rodney Carney, basketball player (Indianapolis)
Calbert Cheaney, basketball player (Evansville)
Mike Conley, Jr., basketball player (Indianapolis)
Terry Dischinger, basketball player (Terre Haute)
Katie Douglas, WNBA player (Indianapolis)
Bill Garrett (William Leon Garrett), basketball player (Shelbyville)
Katie Gearlds, basketball player (Beach Grove)
Eric Gordon, basketball player (Indianapolis)
Luke Harangody, basketball player (Schererville)
Gordon Hayward, basketball player (Brownsburg)
Aaron Heilman, baseball player (Logansport)
Alan Henderson, basketball player (Indianapolis)
George Hill, basketball player (Indianapolis)
Jared Jeffries, basketball player (Bloomington)
JaJuan Johnson, basketball player (Indianapolis)
Shawn Kemp, basketball player (Elkhart)
Courtney Lee, basketball player (Indianapolis)
Sean May, basketball player (Bloomington)
Walter McCarty, basketball player (Evansville)
George McGinnis, basketball player (Indianapolis)
Josh McRoberts, basketball player (Carmel)
John Mengelt, basketball player (Elwood)
Brad Miller, basketball player (Kendallville)
E'Twaun Moore, basketball player (East Chicago)
Rick Mount, basketball player (Lebanon)
Stretch Murphy, basketball player (Marion)
Greg Oden, basketball player (Indianapolis)
Zach Randolph, basketball player (Marion)
Ron Reed, baseball and basketball player (LaPorte)
Oscar Robertson, basketball player (Indianapolis)
Glenn Robinson, basketball player (Gary)
Scott Skiles, basketball player (Plymouth)
Charles "Chuck" Taylor, basketball player, sports shoe pioneer (Brown County)
Jeff Teague, basketball player (Indianapolis)
Bonzi Wells basketball player (Muncie)
Stephanie White, former WNBA player (Williamsport)
John Wooden, basketball player and coach (Martinsville)
Mike Woodson, basketball player and head coach (Indianapolis)
Shanna Zolman, WNBA player (Syracuse)

Basketball Coaches [edit]

John Wooden

Del Harris, basketball coach (Plainfield)
Tony Hinkle, basketball coach (Logansport)
Ralph Jones, basketball coach (Marion County)
Ward Lambert, basketball coach (West Lafayette)
Gregg Popovich, basketball coach (East Chicago)
Scott Skiles, basketball coach (La Porte)
Brad Stevens, college basketball coach (Zionsville)
John Wooden, basketball player and coach (Martinsville)

Football [edit]

William "Dick the Bruiser" Afflis, football player and professional wrestler (Indianapolis)
Blaine Bishop, football player (Indianapolis)
James Brewer, football player (Indianapolis)
Mark Clayton, football player (Indianapolis)
Roosevelt Colvin, football player (Indianapolis)
Jay Cutler, football player (Santa Claus)
Len Dawson, football player (West Lafayette)
Mike DeBord, football coach (Muncie)
Kris Dielman, football player (Goshen)
Ken Dilger, football player (Lincoln City)
Chris Doleman, football player (Indianapolis)
Tandon Doss, football player (Indianapolis)
Vaughn Dunbar, football player (Fort Wayne)
Trai Essex, Football player (Fort Wayne)
Jason Fabini, football player (Fort Wayne)
Justin Gage, football player (Indianapolis)
Jeff George, football player (Indianapolis)
Bob Griese, football player (Evansville)
Rex Grossman, football player (Bloomington)
Nick Hardwick, football player (Indianapolis)
Corey Harris, football player (Indianapolis)
Mark Herrmann, football player (Carmel)
Alex Karras, football player (Gary)
Dustin Keller, football player (Lafayette)
Mathias Kiwanuka, football player (Indianapolis)
Brad Maynard, football player (Tipton)
Rick Mirer, football quarterback (Goshen)
Brandon Moore, football player (Gary)
Devin Moore, football player (Indianapolis)
Mike Neal, football player (Merrillville)
Elmer Oliphant, football player (Washington)
Mike Phipps, football player (Columbus)
Jason Pociask, football player (Indianapolis)
Bernard Pollard, football player (Fort Wayne)
Courtney Roby, football player (Indianapolis)
Anthony Spencer, football player (Fort Wayne)
John Standeford, football player (Monrovia)
Dan Stryzinski, football player (Vincennes)
Jeremy Trueblood, football player (Indianapolis)
Steve Weatherford, football player (Crown Point)
Eugene Wilson, football player (Merrillville)
Rod Woodson, football player and television analyst (Fort Wayne)
Todd Yoder, football player (New Palestine)
Joe Zeller, football player (East Chicago)

Football Coaches [edit]

Cam Cameron, football coach (Terre Haute)
Jack Chevigny, football coach (Hammond)
Clem Crowe, football head coach (Lafayette)
Weeb Ewbank, football head coach (Richmond)
Hank Stram, football coach (Gary)

Race Car Drivers [edit]

Jeff Gordon

Tony Stewart

John Andretti, racer (Indianapolis)
Bob Glidden, NHRA Drag Racer {Whiteland}
Jeff Gordon, racer (Pittsboro)
Kenny Irwin, racer, (Indianapolis)
Mel Kenyon, midget car racer (Lebanon)
Steve Kinser, 20 time World of Oultlaws Sprint Car Champion (Bloomington)
Ryan Newman, racer (South Bend)
Tony Raines, racer (LaPorte)
Tony Stewart, auto racer (Columbus)
David Stremme, racer (South Bend)

Wrestlers/Fighters/Boxers [edit]

William "Dick the Bruiser" Afflis, football player and professional wrestler (Indianapolis)
Danny "the Damaja" Basham, professional wrestler (Seymour)
Jon Fitch, UFC fighter (Fort Wayne)
Mick Foley, professional wrestler (born in Bloomington, but raised on Long Island)
Sharmell Sullivan-Huffman, wresting valet (Gary)
Ultimate Warrior, WWE Wrestler (Crawfordsville)
Tony Zale, boxer (Gary)

Other Sports Figures [edit]

Rich Balchan, soccer player (Carmel)
Lloy Ball, volleyball player (born in Fort Wayne, raised in Woodburn)
Damarcus Beasley, soccer player (Fort Wayne)
Donald Brashear, hockey player (Bedford)
Lauren Cheney, soccer player (Indianapolis)
Charlie Finley, MLB owner of Kansas City/Oakland A's, NHL owner Oakland/California Seals, ABA owner Memphis Pros/Tams (LaPorte)
Ford Frick, writer and Commissioner of Major League Baseball (Wawaka)
Ray Gaddis, soccer player (Indianapolis)
Tony Hulman, owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Terre Haute)
Don Lash, long-distance runner (Bluffton and Auburn)
Dan Patch, pacer (Oxford)
Aron Ralston, mountain climber (Indianapolis)
Marshall "Major" Taylor, cyclist (Indianapolis)
Fuzzy Zoeller, golfer (New Albany)

Business [edit]

Madam C. J. Walker

Madam C.J. Walker, businesswoman (Indianapolis)
Bill Blass, fashion designer (Fort Wayne)
Steve Bellamy, sports and media businessman
Charles G. Conn, manufacturer of band instruments (Elkhart)
Steve Ells, Founder and CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill (Indianapolis)
Michael L. Eskew, former CEO of UPS (Vincennes)
Carl G. Fisher, founder of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Prest-O-Lite (Indianapolis)
Richard Jordan Gatling, inventor of gatling gun (Indianapolis)
Mark C. Honeywell, founder of Honeywell International, Inc. (Wabash)
Edward Mead Johnson, co-founder of Johnson & Johnson and founder of Mead Johnson & Co. (Evansville)
Colonel Sanders, founder of KFC (Henryville)
Jared Fogle, spokesperson of Subway (Indianapolis)
Halston, fashion designer (Evansville)
Norman Norell, fashion designer (Noblesville)
Aaron Patzer, founder of Mint.com (Evansville)
Orville Redenbacher, businessman (Valparaiso, Indiana)
Francis Joseph Reitz, banker and philanthropist (Evansville)
Alvah Curtis Roebuck, co-founder of Sears, Roebuck and Company (Lafayette)
John Schnatter, founder and CEO of Papa John's Pizza (Jeffersonville)
Fred Zollner, industrialist and founder of the Fort Wayne Pistons NBA franchise

Education [edit]

Enoch Albert Bryan, President, Vincennes University and Washington State University (Bloomington)
Ray Ginger, Harvard professor in American labor history and economic history; target of the House Committee on Unamerican Activities, ending his academic career. (Greencastle) and (Indianapolis).
George P. Smith II, Catholic University of America professor of Law. (Wabash).
Herman B Wells, President, Indiana University

Art and literature [edit]

James Whitcomb Riley

George Ade, author and journalist, (Kentland)
J. Ottis Adams, artist (Indianapolis)
Radley Balko, journalist, blogger (Greenfield)
Charles A. Beard, historian (Knightstown)
Albert J. Beveridge, historian (Indianapolis)
Allan Bloom, philosopher, classicist, and academic (Indianapolis)
Norman Bridwell, author (Kokomo)
Clarence Joseph Bulliet, art critic, journalist, author
Meg Cabot, author (Bloomington)
Jared Carter, poet (Elwood)
William Merritt Chase, painter, (Nineveh, Johnson County)
Will Cuppy, humorist (Auburn)
Jim Davis, cartoonist (Fairmount)
Lloyd C. Douglas, author, (Monroeville)
Theodore Dreiser, author (Terre Haute)
Marilyn Durham, author (Evansville)
William Forsyth (artist), artist (Indianapolis)
Ford Frick, sportswriter (Wawaka)
Art Green, painter (member of The Hairy Who)
John Green, author, (Indianapolis)
Richard Gruelle, artist (Indianapolis)
Christine Howser, author
Kin Hubbard, humorist, writer, cartoonist (Indianapolis)
Robert Indiana, artist (New Castle)
Ross Lockridge, Jr., author (Bloomington)
Bubba the Love Sponge, radio personality (Warsaw)
John T. McCutcheon, cartoonist (Lafayette)
Dale Messick, comic strip artist (South Bend)
Bruce Nauman, artist (Fort Wayne)
Meredith Nicholson, author (Crawfordsville)
Bill Peet, author, Disney artist, and Caldecott Honor recipient (Grandview)
Edith Pfau, painter, sculptor, art educator (Jasper)
David Graham Phillips, journalist, novelist (Madison)
Ernie Pyle, newsman, legendary war correspondent during World War II (Dana)
E. A. Richardson, poet, first Poet Laureate of Indiana. (Pike County)
James Whitcomb Riley, poet (Greenfield)
William Edouard Scott, artist (Indianapolis)
Zerna Sharp, author and educator (Frankfort)
Will Shortz, editor of The New York Times crossword puzzle and host of the puzzle segment on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday (Crawfordsville)
David Smith, Abstract Expressionist sculptor (Decatur)
Amy Spindler, American journalist (Michigan City)
Otto Stark, artist (Indianapolis)
T. C. Steele, artist (Indianapolis)
Gene Stratton Porter, author (Wabash County)
Booth Tarkington, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Alice Adams, Seventeen, and The Magnificent Ambersons (Indianapolis)
James Alexander Thom,author, Indianapolis, Brown County
Gilbert R. Tredway, historian (Jasper)
Kurt Vonnegut, author (Indianapolis)
Lew Wallace, author (Crawfordsville)
Jason Whitlock, sportswriter (Indianapolis)
J.N. Williamson, author (Noblesville)
Marguerite Young, poet, author, and critic. (Indianapolis)

Science and medicine [edit]

Gordon Allport, psychologist, one of the founding figures of personality psychology (Montezuma)
Philip Warren Anderson, Nobel Prize in Physics (Indianapolis)
Herbert C. Brown, Nobel Prize in Chemistry (West Lafayette)
James Bert Garner, chemist, inventor of the gas mask (Lebanon)
Colonel Eli Lilly, founder of Eli Lilly (Indianapolis)
Elwood Haynes, Inventor of stainless steel (Kokomo)
C. Francis Jenkins, inventor of the motion picture projector and television (Richmond)
Salvador E. Luria, Nobel Prize in Medicine (Bloomington)
Andrew J. Moyer, Discovered process to mass-produce Penicillin (Van Buren Township, Pulaski County)
E. J. Pennington, inventor and promoter of many mechanical devices (Moores Hill)
Edward Mills Purcell, Nobel Prize in Physics (West Lafayette)
Ben Roy Mottelson, Nobel Prize in Physics (West Lafayette)
Hermann Joseph Muller, Nobel Prize in Medicine (Bloomington)
Paul A. Samuelson, first American to win the Nobel Prize in Economics (Gary)
Julian Schwinger, Nobel Prize in Physics (West Lafayette)
Vernon Smith, Nobel Prize in Economics (West Lafayette)
Lewis Terman, psychologist, inventor of the Stanford-Binet I.Q. test and pioneer in educational psychology (Johnson County)
Harold Urey, Nobel Prize in Chemistry (Walkerton)
James D. Watson, Nobel Prize in Medicine (Bloomington)
Larry M. Davis, forensic psychiatrist, pioneer of the criminal insanity defense (Indianapolis)

Aviation and space [edit]

Wilbur Wright

Joseph P. Allen, astronaut (Crawfordsville)
Lawrence Bell, aviatior (Mentone)
Frank Borman, astronaut (Gary)
Kenneth Bowersox, astronaut (Bedford)
Mark N. Brown, astronaut (Valparaiso)
Amelia Earhart, pioneer woman aviator (West Lafayette)
Anthony England, astronaut (Indianapolis)
Gus Grissom, astronaut (Mitchell)
Jerry Ross, astronaut (Crown Point)
Charles D. Walker, astronaut (Bedford)
David Wolf, astronaut (Indianapolis)
Wilbur Wright, inventor (Millville)

Martial artists [edit]

Robert Bowles, An American Karate teacher, 10th Degree black belt in Shuri-ryu karate (Fort Wayne)
Chris Lytle, UFC Fighter (Indianapolis)
Bill Wallace, World Karate Champion, Actor, Author (Muncie)
Stephan Bonnar, UFC Fighter (Munster, Indiana)
Miguel Torres, Former WEC Bantmaweight Champion and present UFC fighter (East Chicago, Indiana)
Jon Fitch, UFC Fighter (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
Glenn Keeney, An US Martial Arts Pioneer, 10th Degree black belt in Okinawan Goju-ryu karate (Anderson)

Notorious and infamous Hoosiers [edit]

Michael Alig, founding member of Club Kids, murderer (South Bend)
Lowell Amos, murderer, (Anderson)
Sam Bass, train robber (Mitchell)
Herb Baumeister, serial killer (Westfield)
John Dillinger, bank robber (Indianapolis)
Belle Gunness, serial killer (La Porte)
Jimmy Hoffa, labor-union leader (Brazil)
Jim Jones, cult founder/leader (Richmond)
Tony Kiritsis, hostage-taker (Indianapolis)
Sylvia Likens, murder victim (Indianapolis)
Madge Oberholtzer, murder victim (Clay City)
Harry Pierpont, Prohibition era gangster (Muncie)
Reno Brothers, murderers, committed the first three peacetime train robberies in U.S. history (Rockford)
Shanda Sharer, murder victim (New Albany)
D.C. Stephenson, Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, convicted murderer and rapist (Evansville)
Eric Justin Toth, formerly wanted by the FBI under accusations of possessing and producing child pornography. Replaced Osama Bin Laden on FBI Ten Most Wanted list (Highland)
Homer Van Meter, criminal and bank robber (Fort Wayne)

List of people from Indiana

Contents

Founders and pioneers [edit]

Military [edit]

Politicians and activists [edit]

Native American leaders [edit]

Entertainment [edit]

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Comedians [edit]

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Television [edit]

Modeling [edit]

Sports [edit]

Baseball [edit]

Basketball [edit]

Basketball Coaches [edit]

Football [edit]

Football Coaches [edit]

Race Car Drivers [edit]

Wrestlers/Fighters/Boxers [edit]

Other Sports Figures [edit]

Business [edit]

Education [edit]

Art and literature [edit]

Science and medicine [edit]

Aviation and space [edit]

Martial artists [edit]

Notorious and infamous Hoosiers [edit]

See also [edit]

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