Following is a list of people from Rutherford, New Jersey Those included were born in, are residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Rutherford.
Art and architecture Alfred Andriola (1912–1983), cartoonistAlfred Andriola, National Cartoonists Society. Accessed May 10, 2011. Thomas Le Clear (1818–1882), painter"The Death-List Of A Day; Thomas Le Clear The Famous Portrait-Painter.", The New York Times, November 28, 1882. Accessed July 30, 2018. "Thomas Le Clear, one of the most famous of the portrait-painters which this country has produced, died at his residence in Rutherford, N.J., on Sunday evening." John Marin (1870–1953), early modernist artistJohnson, Ken. "Art Review; A Restless Explorer Of Early Abstraction", The New York Times, December 25, 1998. Accessed December 27, 2007. "In 1908 Marin was living in Paris and enjoying some success as an etcher of Whistlerian city scenes. He was in his late 30s, artistically a late bloomer. (He was born in Rutherford, N.J., in 1870.)" Richard Cooper Newick (1926–2013), multihull sailboat designerMartin, Douglas. "Dick Newick, Sailboat Design Visionary, Dies at 87", The New York Times, September 15, 2013. Accessed September 27, 2015. "Richard Cooper Newick, who his family said died of heart failure, was born in Hackensack, N.J., on May 9, 1926. He grew up in Rutherford, N.J., where at age 10 he built two kayaks with his father and brother." Victor Victori (born 1943), portraitist, painter, sculptor and authorNicholaides, Kelly. "Unique Rutherford artists' work to be exhibited in hometown", The Record, August 10, 2017. Accessed November 19, 2017. "Artist Victor Victori, known for his 'multiplism' paintings, neoclassical-inspired godly sculptures and presidential portraits, teams up with ceramics guru Lucille Scurti and the Potters Guild of New Jersey for an exhibit at Harpy Art Gallery in Rutherford. The Aug. 19-Sept. 8 exhibit will highlight both Rutherford residents' unique specialties."
Business Henry Becton, chairman of Becton, Dickinson and Company Maxwell Becton (1868–1951), co-founder of Becton DickinsonBrown, Lee Francis. Rutherford Then and Now, p. 33.Staff. "M.W. Becton Dead; Manufacturer, 83; Maker of Surgical Instruments Was a Founder of Fairleigh Dickinson College in 1941", The New York Times, January 3, 1951. Accessed May 10, 2011. "Rutherford, N.J., Jan. 2-- Maxwell W. Becton, a founder and trustee of Fairleigh Dickinson College here, died today at his home, 140 Ridge Road, after an illness of several years." Fairleigh S. Dickinson (1866–1948), co-founder of Becton Dickinson and the named benefactor of Fairleigh Dickinson University"Col. Dickinson, 84, College Founder: Head of Surgical Instrument Firm in Rutherford Dies, Set Up School in 1942 , copy of article from The New York Times, June 24, 1948, p. 25. Accessed September 12, 2007. Deana Haggag (born 1987), President and CEO of United States Artists"Haggag and Akins", Art F City. Accessed November 18, 2017. "[Q] Are you from Baltimore? Are you still in school? D: We are not. I grew up in Rutherford, New Jersey and Cath grew up in Phoenix, Arizona." Daniel Van Winkle (1816–1886), developer who sold the land of the Rutherfurd Park Association and laid out the street grid pattern for RutherfordNeumann, William. Rutherford, p. 8. Arcadia Publishing, 2012. . Accessed September 27, 2015.
Education
Wilhelmina Marguerita Crosson (1900–1991), educator and school administrator known for her innovative teaching methods who was one of the first African-American female schoolteachers in BostonSmith, Jessie Carney, ed. Notable Black American Women, Book 2, p. 152. VNR AG, 1996. . Accessed December 12, 2015. Henry Drucker (1942–2002), political scientist and university fund-raiser"Thirteen Students Compete for Offices", The Allegheny Campus, February 21, 1963. Accessed August 31, 2023,. "Competing for the presidency will be two juniors, Robert Beck of Pittsburgh and Henry Drucker of Rutherford, NJ." William Labov (born 1927), linguist and a professor emeritus in the linguistics department of the University of PennsylvaniaShenker, Israel. "Look, Y'Tink Noo Yawkiz Like ta Tawk Like Dis? Nah", The New York Times, May 10, 1971. Accessed May 10, 2011. "Professor Labov was born in Rutherford, N. J., just outside the New York City speech area, and his wife was born in Fort Lee, N. J., just inside that area." Walter H. Stockmayer (1914–2004), chemist and university teacher"In Memoriam: Dr. Walter H. Stockmayer 1914-2004", Dartmouth College, June 30, 2010. Accessed May 10, 2011. "Growing up in Rutherford, NJ, he graduated from Rutherford High School and received an S.B. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1935, where he served as class President." Mary Zeiss Stange (1950–2024), academic and writer, who was a professor of women's studies and religious studies at Skidmore College"Students Win C. W. V. Prizes; Two Will Participate In Statewide Event", The Record, March 31, 1965. Accessed December 14, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "In the girl's division, Mary Zeiss of 126 Hobart Avenue, Rutherford, was the winner. attends St. Mary's High School in Rutherford and will represent the County in the girl's division."
Entertainment
Howard Crook (born 1947), lyric tenorStaff. "Howard Crook", American Record Guide Volume 41, p. 26. Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation, 1977. Accessed May 10, 2011. "Crook, from Rutherford, NJ, has a somewhat neutral and nondescript tenor coloring..." Charles Evered (born 1964), playwright and directorCoutros, Evonne. "Screenwriter Has Spielberg's Number", The Record, May 15, 1994. Accessed August 29, 2011. Fireman Ed (born 1959), New York Jets unofficial mascot"Fireman Ed: 'I Can Handle' New England Crowd", WFAN, January 12, 2011. Accessed December 11, 2011. Beth Fowler (born 1940), actressBeckerman, Jim. "Fowler draws on salon ties for role", The Record, March 12, 2008. Accessed March 12, 2008. "Born in Jersey City, raised in Rutherford (she cut her acting teeth with the Bergen County Players in Oradell), she lived in Teaneck, Hawthorne and Glen Rock before settling, eight years ago, in New Milford." Kim Kyung-jun (born 1987), violinistKyung-Jun Kim, violin, From The Top. Accessed September 17, 2018. "Kyung-Jun Kim (violin), age 18, is a senior at Rutherford High School in his hometown of Rutherford, NJ." Bernie McInerney (born 1936), character actorStaff. "Versatility marks actor's career", University of Delaware Messenger, Volume 6, Number 3, 1997. Accessed December 16, 2013. "He lives in Rutherford, N.J., with his second wife, Leilani, and their son, Danny. Rutherford is just 25 minutes from New York City, and close enough to the airports that jet him to Hollywood." René A. Morel (1932–2011), luthierFox, Margalit. "René Morel, Master Restorer of Rare Violins, Dies at 79", The New York Times, November 19, 2011. Accessed November 21, 2011. "René A. Morel, a world-renowned surgeon whose clients had names like Perlman, Zukerman and Ma and whose patients had names like Stradivari, Guarneri and Amati, died on Wednesday in Wayne, N.J. He was 79.... Mr. Morel, who was divorced, lived in Rutherford, N.J." Charlie Morrow (born 1942), sound artist, composer, conceptualist and performerPage, Tim. Charlie Morrow, A Portrait, Charlie Morrow. Accessed September 27, 2015. "Morrow, a warm, affable man who puts a visitor on a first name basis immediately, was born in 1942, the son of two New Jersey psychiatrists, and grew up in the New York suburbs of Rutherford and Passaic." Kate Pierson (born 1948), singer with The B-52'sStaff. "B-52s 'Party' lands close to hometown", The Record, August 15, 2009. Accessed January 14, 2012. "But Athens is a university town – cosmopolitan – with transplants from all over. Which is how Pierson (Weehawken-born, Rutherford-raised) and Schneider (Newark and Long Branch) came to be in the area, ready to join forces with several local musicians to create New Wave's quirkiest party band." Kerry Davis (Born 1970), recording artist; member of American all-female punk band Red Aunts and creator of Two Tears Ellen R. Thompson (1928–2014), composer and music educator Chris Wragge (born 1970), news anchor for WCBS-TVSpelling, Ian. "Broadcast Newsman: WCBS-TV's Chris Wragge is anchored in Bergen", (201) magazine, February 1, 2009, backed up by the Internet Archive as of January 26, 2011. Accessed July 30, 2018. "Chris Wragge knows his way around this county. The popular WCBS-TV news anchor was born in Hackensack, raised in Rutherford and moved to Mahwah when he was in sixth grade." Ramy Youssef (born 1991), stand-up comedian and writer, who is best known for his role as Ramy Hassan on the Hulu comedy series RamyKuperinsky, Amy. "Meet Ramy Youssef, star of Ramy, the Hulu show that breaks new ground while drawing on his N.J. roots", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 19, 2019. Accessed December 27, 2019. "Ramy is the lead character in Ramy, a compelling new Hulu series starring Ramy Youssef, a comedian who grew up in Rutherford."
Law
Guy Leverne Fake (1879–1957), United States federal judge"Judge Guy Fake Of Jersey Dead; Retired Chief of Federal District Court Opposed New Deal, Income Tax", The New York Times, September 25, 1957. Accessed November 19, 2017. "Rutherford, N.J., Sept. 24--Federal Judge Guy Laverne Fake, former chief of the United States District Court in New Jersey, died last night in his home, 292 Montross Avenue, of a heart attack. He was 77 years old."
Literature and journalism
Robert Leckie (1920–2001), authorRohan, Virginia. "'The Pacific' miniseries unfolds through Rutherford veteran's eyes", The Record, March 14, 2010. Accessed May 10, 2011. "Leckie — who grew up in Rutherford — may not have spoken about the Pacific until later in his life, but he wrote volumes about it, including a powerful and unexpurgated memoir, Helmet for My Pillow, his first book, published in 1957." Pamela McCorduck (1940–2021), author who wrote about the history and philosophical significance of artificial intelligence, the future of engineering, and the role of women and technology"Obituary: Pamela Ann McCordruck", The Santa Fe New Mexican, October 31, 2021. Accessed April 3, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The family resided in New Jersey near relatives until 1949 when they moved to the Bay Area. For a brief time in the late 50s, she and her family lived in Rutherford, New Jersey where she graduated from Rutherford High School at the early age of 15 before returning to the Bay Area where she attended the University of California Berkeley earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Composition and Literature in 1960." Peggy Noonan (born 1950), author of seven books and was Special Assistant to former president Ronald ReaganVoorhis, Linda. "Peggy Noonan To Speak At WPC", The New York Times, March 4, 1992. Accessed October 13, 2007. "Former Rutherford resident Peggy Noonan, a White House speechwriter" Brian Kim Stefans (born 1969), poetBrian Kim Stefans, Poetry Foundation. Accessed November 19, 2017. "Brian Kim Stefans was born in Rutherford, New Jersey in 1969. He earned a BA from Bard College and attended the CUNY Graduate School for two years before earning an MFA in electronic literature from Brown University." Jean Van Leeuwen (1937–2025), children's book author, of over forty children's books, including the Oliver Pig seriesSandomir, Richard. "Jean Van Leeuwen, 87, Dies; Wrote Oliver Pig Series of Children’s Books", The New York Times, April 4, 2025. Accessed April 5, 2025. "Jean Van Leeuwen was born on Dec. 26, 1937, in Glen Ridge, N.J., and grew up in nearby Rutherford."