Massachusetts Famous People

Famous Americans: History and Biographies

Links to histories and biographies of the famous people of Massachusetts. Many famous people of Massachusetts have made significant contributions to the history of our nation and the state of Massachusetts. These famous Americans, famous entertainers, famous players, famous scientist, famous singers, famous statesmen, famous women, heroes, great explorers, and others Massachusetts famous Americans have all made Massachusetts their home. This list includes Massachusetts historical figures, celebrities and those individuals of Massachusetts who have influenced the lives of others.

Famous People

• John Adams (1735 - 1826) The 2^nd President of the United States; born in Quincy.

• John Quincy Adams (1767 - 1848) The 6^th President of the United States and son of John Adams; born in Quincy.

• Samuel Adams (1722 - 1803) Revolutionist that organized the Boston Tea Party, referred to as the "Father of the American Revolution"; born in Boston.

• Louisa May Alcott (1832 - 1888) Author of the classic novel Little Women; grew up in Boston.

• Leonard Bernstein (1918 - 1990) First American conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and famous for composing the music to West Side Story; born in Lawrence.

• George Bush (1924 - ) The 41^st President of the United States; born in Milton.

• Bette Davis (1908 - 1989) Actress that earned ten Academy Award nominations and won twice, famous for The Little Foxes and All About Eve; born in Lowell

• Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886) Famous poet of American literature; born in Amherst.

• Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790) Inventor, statesman, and publisher that helped write the Declaration of Independence; born in Boston.

• John Hancock (1737 - 1793) Merchant, statesman, first signer of the Declaration of Independence, and first governor of the state of Massachusetts.

• Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804 - 1864) Author of The Scarlet Letter; born in Salem.

• Theodore Seuss Geisel (1904 - 1991) Author who created the Dr. Seuss books; born in Springfield.

• John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963) The 35^th President of the United States; born in Brookline.

• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882) Considered the most influential poet of his day with famous works such as "The Courtship of Miles Standish" and "Evangeline."

• Horace Mann (1796 - 1859) The father of public education; helped to establish the nation's first board of education and was a leading figure in promoting nonreligious public education; born in Franklin.
• Paul Revere (1734 - 1818), silversmith and patriot; born in Boston.
• Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862) Essayist, naturalist, and philosopher; born in Concord.

More Famous People of Massachusetts

• Jack Albertson actor, Malden
• Horatio Alger author, Revere
• Susan B. Anthony woman suffragist, Adams
• F. Lee Bailey defense attorney, Waltham
• Clara Barton American Red Cross founder, Oxford
• Forrest M. Bird inventor, Stoughton
• Harold Stephen Black inventor, Leominster
• Rachel Fuller Brown inventor, Springfield
• William Cullen Bryant poet, editor, Cummington
• Luther Burbank horticulturalist, Lancaster
• John Chapman / Johnny Appleseed nurseryman, Leominster
• William D. Coolidge inventor, Hudson
• John Singleton Copley painter, Boston
• E. E. Cummings poet, Cambridge
• Cecil B. DeMille film director, Ashfield
• Ralph Waldo Emerson philosopher, poet, Boston
• Brian Evans singer, Haverhill
• Ann Smith Franklin printer, almanac publisher, Boston
• Buckminster Fuller architect, educator, Milton
• Robert Hutchings Goddard rocketry, Worcester
• Oliver Wendell Holmes poet, Cambridge
• Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. jurist, Boston
• Winslow Homer painter, Boston
• Elias Howe inventor, Spencer
• Helen Hunt Jackson writer, Amherst
• John F. Kennedy US president, Brookline
• Amy Lowell poet, Brookline
• Percival Lowell astronomer, Boston
• James Russell Lowell poet, Cambridge
• Robert Lowell poet, Boston
• Cotton Mather clergyman, Boston
• Sharon Christa McAuliffe teacher, astronaut, Framingham
• Samuel F. B. Morse painter, inventor, Charlestown
• Leonard Nemoy actor, Boston
• Albert Pike pioneer teacher, lawyer, Boston
• Edgar Allan Poe writer, Boston
• Ella Raines actress, Snoquaimie
• Robert H. Rines inventor, Boston
• Dr. Seuss  Theodore Geisel author, illustrator, Springfield
• Lucy Stone woman suffragist, West Brookfield
• Louis Henry Sullivan architect, Boston
• Max Tishler inventor, Boston
• James McNeill Whistler painter, Lowell
• Eli Whitney inventor, Westborough
• John Greenleaf Whittier poet, Haverhill
• Eli Whitney inventor, Westboro
• Jo Dee Messina country singer, Holliston