The following is a list of notable persons who were born, or who have lived a significant part of their lives, in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Art and literature Richard Anuszkiewicz, founder and foremost artist of Op Art movement Moses Billings, early American portrait painter Marc Brown, children's book author and illustrator, creator of the Arthur book series John Silk Deckard, painter, printmaker, sculptor David Greenberger, artist Thom Hatch, author and novelist who specializes in the history of the American West, the American Civil War, and the Plains Indian Wars Eugene Iverd, illustrator and teacher Ron Larson, author of several dozen mathematics textbooks Leon Ray Livingston, known as "King of the Hobos" Ruth Eleanor Newton, illustrator and designer Joseph Plavcan, painter and teacher Chuck Rosenthal, author Belle Silveira, artist known for her pencil portraits Ida M. Tarbell, author, journalist, "muckraker" John Totleben, comic book illustrator, known for covers of DC Comics' Swamp Thing Michael J. Varhola, author Charles Erskine Scott Wood, author and leading civil liberties advocate, best known for "Heavenly Discourse"

Athletics

Sig Andrusking, professional football player Art Baker, professional football player, Buffalo Bills, All-American and NCAA National Championship winner in both football and wrestling, pioneering African-American athlete Bruce Baumgartner, heavyweight Olympic wrestler, most decorated American wrestler of all time, member of National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dana Bible, former American football coach Lou Bierbauer, 19th-century Major League Baseball player Fred Biletnikoff, professional football player, Oakland Raiders, Super Bowl MVP, Pro Football Hall of Fame James Carr, youngest-ever American Olympic wrestler, member of National Wrestling Hall of Fame Nate Carr, Olympic wrestler (bronze medalist in 1988), three-time NCAA champion at Iowa State University, member of National Wrestling Hall of Fame Rick Chartraw, professional ice hockey player, Montreal Canadiens James Conner, professional football player, Arizona Cardinals Toby Crabel, hedge fund manager and tennis player Clifton Crosby, professional football player, Indianapolis Colts Ed Cushman, professional baseball player, Buffalo Bisons, Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Athletics, New York Metropolitans, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Toledo Maumees Dell Darling, professional baseball player, Buffalo Bisons, Chicago White Stockings, and St. Louis Browns Don Elbaum, boxer and boxing promoter Tim Federowicz, professional baseball player, Los Angeles Dodgers Bill Finneran, early professional baseball umpire George Flint, professional football player, Buffalo Bills Fernando Frye, college football player Eric Hicks, professional football player, Kansas City Chiefs Essie Hollis, professional basketball player, Detroit Pistons Sam Jethroe, Negro leagues and Major League baseball player from 1938 to 1966 Jovon Johnson, professional football player, Ottawa Redblacks, CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award Caryn Kadavy, figure skater, 1987 world bronze medalist, 1988 Olympian Eddie Klep, professional baseball player, first white American to play in the Negro leagues Jack Laraway, professional football player, Buffalo Bills, Houston Oilers Tom Lawless, professional baseball player and coach, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Montreal Expos Bob Learn, Jr., professional bowler, 1999 U.S. Open champion who also rolled the PBA's 10th televised 300 game Frank Liebel, professional football defensive back for NFL's New York Giants and Chicago Bears Matt Lynch, as of 2024 the only out gay head coach in college men's basketball Isaac Mattson, professional baseball player, Pittsburgh Pirates Kayla McBride, professional basketball player, Minnesota Lynx, first-team All-American, Notre Dame Mike McCoy, professional football player, Green Bay Packers, unanimous first-team All-American for Notre Dame and 1969 Heisman Trophy candidate Curt Miller, WNBA professional basketball coach Brian Milne, professional football player, Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falconshttps://eriesportshalloffame.org/inductee/brian-milne/ Mike Morrison, professional baseball player, Cleveland Spiders, Syracuse Stars and Baltimore Orioles Peter Nyari, professional baseball and Olympic athlete Bob Raudman, professional baseball player Bob Sanders, professional football player, Indianapolis Colts Brian Stablein, professional football player, Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions Mark Stepnoski, professional football player, Dallas Cowboys and Houston/Tennessee Oilers Woody Thompson, professional football player, Atlanta Falcons Blidi Wreh-Wilson, professional football player, Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons Ryan Zapolski, professional hockey player, U.S. men’s hockey Olympic goaltender

Business and politics

Edward M. Baker, investment broker Henry Alden Clark, U.S. congressman Judah Colt, pioneer Toby Crabel, hedge fund manager and tennis player Kathy Dahlkemper, U.S. congresswoman and Erie County executive Samuel A. Davenport, U.S. congressman Daniel Dobbins, builder of the U.S. naval fleet for Battle of Lake Erie Thomas B. Hagen, chairman of Erie Insurance William A. Heidt, former U.S. ambassador to Cambodia (2015-2018) William Himrod, iron industry pioneer and abolitionist Warren Kitzmiller, Vermont state legislator Michael Liebel, Jr., mayor of Erie 1906–1911; Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 1915–1917 Reinhard Liebel, president of South Erie Iron Works; member of the Board of Fire Commissioners, Common Council and Select Council of Erie Harry Markopolos, blew whistle in Madoff securities fraud Norman Morrison, Vietnam protester who self-immolated Joseph D. Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco, FBI agent who infiltrated Bonanno crime family Adena Miller Rich, suffragist, social worker in Chicago, director of Immigrants' Protective League Tom Ridge, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, governor of Pennsylvania, and U.S. congressman James Patrick Rossiter, lawyer and politician William Lawrence Scott, 19th-century politician and wealthy businessman Milton Shreve, U.S. congressman Thomas Sill, U.S. congressman

Film, stage, and television

Nick Adams, Broadway actor Billy Blanks, inventor of Taebo and martial arts film actor Marc Blucas, actor Marilyn Burns, actress, known for role as Sally in 1974 movie The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Bob Chitester, public television and documentary film producer, known as "the man who made Milton Friedman a star" Julie Craig, actress and singer Ann B. Davis, actress, known for role as Alice on TV's Brady Bunch Dorothy Dietrich, magician and escapologist Kurt Doss, child actor Christine Estabrook, television and film actress Ish Kabibble, comedian and actor Harry Kellar, magician Tina LeBlanc, ballet dancer, teacher and ballet master Emily Matson, journalist Julianna McCarthy, original cast member of The Young and the Restless Dan Rice, 19th-century entertainer and clown Blake Roman, actor Maria Sansone, television host of Good Day LA Walker Scobell, actor Steve Scully, host, political editor, and senior producer of C-SPAN's Washington Journal Jonathan Stark, actor and screenwriter Denman Thompson, playwright and actor Alaska Thunderfuck, drag queen and winner of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 2 Kay Williams, actress

Military and aerospace

John Boyd, fighter pilot and military strategist who developed the OODA Loop and helped with the success of the Persian Gulf War Paul K. Carlton, general United States Air Force; commander in chief of the Military Airlift Command Philip Cochran, colonel in United States Army Air Corps; commander of the 1st Air Commando Group in World War II; inspiration for the characters "Flip Corkin" and "General Philerie" in comic strips by Milton Caniff Charles A. Curtze, rear admiral, United States Navy Richard E. Ellsworth, U.S. Air Force brigadier general Charles Vernon Gridley, U.S. Navy commander, captain, U.S.S. Olympia, Battle of Manila Bay; adopted Erie as his home after taking command of the USS Michigan there Louis J. Magill, Spanish–American War veteran; recipient of the Marine Corps Brevet Medal Seth Reed, lt. colonel, fought at Bunker Hill; instrumental in adding "E Pluribus Unum" to U.S. coins; founded Erie, as its first settler with his family, in 1795, at Presque Isle Strong Vincent, Union brigadier general; killed at Gettysburg; Harvard graduate; practiced law in Erie from Waterford, Erie County Anthony Wayne, American Revolutionary War general Paul J. Weitz, U.S. naval aviator, NASA astronaut, Skylab 2 pilot, STS-6 (Shuttle Challenger) commander William Maxwell Wood, first surgeon general of the US Navy

Music Alan Baer, tuba player, New York Philharmonic Harry Burleigh, classical music composer Marion Davison Duffie (1896–1965), singer and voice teacher Walter Hendl, conductor, composer and pianist Peter Mennin, composer and teacher Patrick Monahan, lead singer of Train; solo artist; Grammy Award winner Art Phillips, composer Jack Stauber, solo musician and songwriter Chris Vrenna, drummer of rock band Nine Inch Nails War of Ages, Christian metal band

Naturalists

Joe Root, 19th-century naturalist who lived at Presque Isle State Park

Religion

Joan Chittister, Benedictine nun, author, and lecturer Max C. Currick, Reform rabbi John Mark Gannon, Catholic archbishop Theodore Jurewicz, Russian Orthodox priest and Byzantine iconographer Mary Lou Kownacki, Benedictine nun, activist, and writer

Science, medicine, and academia

Richard Beals, Yale professor and author of several mathematical textbooks David Dausey, professor, author and epidemiologist Millicent Goldschmidt, microbiologist, professor emerita at University of Texas John Kanzius, inventor; radio and TV engineer and executive Tara Keck, professor at University College London, published numerous scholarly articles on neuroplasticity Paul Siple, Antarctic explorer who developed the wind chill factor Chester L. Sutula, chemist

References