Famous
Iowans
In order to help speed your search for information about famous Iowans, this page has been divided into categories. Please click on one of the following categories:
| Actors/Actresses | Media | Other |
| Artists | Musicians | |
| Authors | Native Americans | Pulitzer Prize Winners |
| Inventors | Nobel Prize Winners | Scientists |
Fran Allison
Don Ameche is buried in Dubuque in Resurrection Catholic Cemetery (Formerly St. Philomina's) on Asbury Rd. He starred in the film "Cocoon".
Sarah Bernhart was born in Rochester in 1845. Her mother, Mrs. King, is buried in the Rochester Cemetery.
Johnny Carson was born in Corning in 1925.
Fred Grandy
Mary Beth Hurt
Alex Karras
Cloris Leachman
Harriet Nelson, wife of Ozzie, was born here in 1914.
Nick Nolte
Dick Patterson
Donna Reed was born in Denison in 1921. She starred in the films, "It's a Wonderful Life," and "From Here to Eternity."
George Reeves
Sada Thompson
John Wayne was born in Winterset in 1907 at 216 S. Second St.. Winterset is the county seat of Madison County. The county is famous for its bridges. Four-year-old John Wayne and his family lived in Earlham in 1910, at 320 Ohio St. near the depot. Six-year-old John Wayne lived in Keokuk with his father in 1912, at 11 So. Ninth St.
Jerry Mathers
Norman
Breyfogle Illustrator for DC Comics, “Batman”
Grant
Wood Painter
Grace
Pearl Ingalls “Little House on the Prairie”
W.P.
Kinsella “Field of Dreams”
Phil
Strong “State Fair”
Mark
Twain lived in Muscatine with his mother at
109 Walnut in 1853. He worked in Keokuk in a print ship when a young man.
He gave his first after-dinner speech at the Hawkeye Hotel at 2nd and
Main.
Robert
Waller “Bridges of Madison County”
Abigail
Van Buren “Dear Abby”
The Everly Brothers
Glenn Miller was born in Clarinda on March 1, 1904 at 601 So. 16th . His family moved to Nebraska in 1909.
C.W. McCall Country Music SingerAndy
Williams Singer
Chief Black Hawk - Indian Chief Black Hawk died in 1832 and was buried on James Jordan's farm near Iowaville. On July 3, 1839, James Turner, a local dentist, stole the corpse, fled to Quincy, Illinois, cooked off the flesh in a hog-scalding kettle, and prepared to exhibit the skeleton. The Iowa governor insisted on its return, then gave the skeleton to a physician friend, who kept it here in his Burlington office. A fire destroyed both office and bones in 1855.
Chief War Eagle - The grave of Chief War Eagle is located in Sioux City in War Eagle Park.
Doug
Henning Magician
Jesse
and Frank James and their gang robbed their
first train near Adair on July 21, 1873. They killed the engineer. They,
and Cole Younger, robbed the bank Corydon of $10,000 on June 3, 1871. In
1864, Jesse and Frank James robbed a train near Council Bluffs. On a
curving stretch of the Rock Island line's tracks, the gang pulled a rail
out of the tracks. Just as a train approached, the engineer, John
Rafferty, spotted the sabotage and tried to stop, but the engine and
coaches toppled off the tracks. Rafferty was crushed to death and a dozen
passengers were injured.
Wyatt and Virgil Earp grew up in Pella at 507 Franklin Street. They lived here from 1850 to 1865. Morgan Earp was born here on April 4, 1851. Their father Nicholas was the Provost Marshall here in 1865. Virgil Earp married Ellen Rysdam in Knoxville on September 21, 1861. The names on the marriage license were Walter Earp and Eleanor Donahoo. When Wyatt Earp's second wife, Mattie Blaylock died in Arizona, her effects were sent to Fairfax to her mother Mrs. Sarah Blaylock. Mattie was with Wyatt during the shootout at the O.K. Corral.
Ringling Brothers CircusTom
Thumb Circus performer
William “Buffalo Bill” Cody was born in Davenport in 1846. He grew up in LeClaire, two miles outside town on Route 61.
Julien
Dubuque Lead mining
Henry
Wallace Vice President of the United States
Mona
VanDuyn
George Washington Carver Chemurgist
Return to Iowa Resources Home Page
This site was created by the Loess Hills Technology Team. We welcome your comments and suggestions.
Randy Richardson-Web Author This page was last updated 12/09/05