List of people from Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York in the United States, and its suburbs, is or has been home to many famous individuals. These people include businessmen, civil rights activists, politicians, entertainers, educators, athletes and much more. A list of their names is below:
Academics
Architects and designers
Athletes
Baseball
Basketball
- Cris Crissy, NFL
- Tony Collins, NFL
- Don Davey, NFL
- Don Holleder, American college football star and Vietnam War hero
- T. J. Jackson (wide receiver), NFL
- Arthur Jones (American football), NFL
- Pat Kelly, NFL
- Rob Konrad, NFL
- Brian Kozlowski, NFL
- Leo Lyons, founder of the NFL's Rochester Jeffersons
- Adam Podlesh, NFL
- Robert R. Thomas, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois and former NFL player
- David Walker, NCAA coach
- Roland Williams, NFL
- Alan Zemaitis, NFL
- Seth Payne, NFL (Victor)
Golf
Hockey
- Jason Bonsignore, NHL
- Ryan Callahan, NHL
- Chris Collins, ECHL
- Rory Fitzpatrick, NHL
- Brian Gionta, NHL
- Stephen Gionta, NHL
- Kim Insalaco, Olympic medalist
- Kevin Montgomery, NHL
- Marty Reasoner, NHL
- Billy Sauer, ECHL
- Francis Spain, 1936 Winter Olympic bronze medalist
- Lyndsay Wall, Olympic medalist
- Derek Whitmore, NHL
Lacrosse
Soccer
Swimming and diving
Wrestling
Other athletes
- Josh Arieh, 2005 World Series Poker Champion
- Dick Buerkle, former world-record holder, indoor mile
- William Cox, 1924 Olympic medalist, 3000m team
- Irving Crane, billiards, Six-time World Champion
- Bill Davey, bodybuilder, 1997 AAU Mr. America
- Jon Jones (fighter), UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
- Doug Kent, professional ten-pin bowler and 2006-07 PBA Player of the Year
- A.J. Kitt, skier
- Sean Lahman
- Jason McElwain, basketball personality
- Danny Padilla, bodybuilder, "The Giant Killer"
- Pete Pfitzinger, marathoner, member of the 1984 and 1988 US Olympic Teams
- Mike Sigel, Billiard Congress of America Hall of Famer
- Frank Ritter Shumway, figure skater
- Jenn Suhr (née Stuczynski), 2008 Olympic medalist, Pole vault
- Cathy Turner, Olympic gold medalist, Short-track speed skating
- Jason Turner, 2008 Olympic medalist, Air pistol
- Felicia Zimmerman, fencer, 1996 and 2000 Olympics
- Iris Zimmerman, fencer, 2000 Olympics
Coaches
Officials
Executives
- See #Sports executives, below
Broadcasters
- See #Sport broadcasters, below
Businesspeople
- Charles August, co-founder of Monro Muffler Brake
- John Jacob Bausch, co-founder of Bausch & Lomb
- George Eastman, Eastman Kodak founder
- Charles J. Folger, lawyer, jurist and statesman
- Frank Gannett, founder of Gannett Newspapers and Presidential candidate
- Malcolm Glazer
- Kate Gleason, first female mechanical engineer
- Tom Golisano, Paychex founder, philanthropist, gubernatorial candidate and owner of the Buffalo Sabres (2003–2010)
- Leonard Jerome, financier, "King of Wall Street", and grandfather of Sir Winston Churchill
- David T. Kearns, Xerox CEO and former Deputy Secretary of Education
- Henry Lomb, co-founder of Bausch & Lomb
- Frank Ritter, Dental chair pioneer and philanthropist
- Hiram Sibley, Western Union founder
- Henry A. Strong, Eastman Kodak co-founder and president
- Hulbert Harrington Warner
- Henry Wells, founder of American Express and co-founder of Wells Fargo
- Joseph C. Wilson, founder of Xerox Corporation
Computing and Internet
Inventors
Sports executives
Criminals (suspected or convicted)
Entertainers
Actors and models
Comedians
Dancers and Choreographers
Musicians
- Milo Bonacci, Gym Class Heroes
- Cab Calloway, bandleader
- The Campbell Brothers
- Brann Dailor, Mastodon
- Steve Decker, Gym Class Heroes
- David Diamond, composer
- Duke Jupiter
- Renée Fleming, opera singer
- Jack Flynn, The Sunstreak
- Gary Foster, The Sunstreak
- Steve Gadd, drummer
- Teddy Geiger
- Ryan Geise, Gym Class Heroes
- Glory
- Kim Gordon, Sonic Youth
- Lou Gramm, Foreigner
- DJ Green Lantern, rapper
- Mick Guzauski, mixer
- Adolphus Hailstork, composer
- Howard Hanson, conductor
- Michael Hashim
- Davey Havok
- David Hochstein, virtuoso violinist
- Will Hollis, Eagles
- Son House, bluesman
- Vijay Iyer, jazz pianist
- Daniel Katzen
- Bill Kelliher, Mastodon
- Charlene Keys ("Tweet")
- Michael Lasaponara, Cute Is What We Aim For, William Tell, Roses Are Red
- Christine Lavin
- Joe Locke
- Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo, Gym Class Heroes
- Lydia Lunch
- Kevin Mahoney, Hit the Lights, Polar Bear Club, Roses Are Red
- Chuck Mangione, smooth jazz flugelhornist
- Gap Mangione, bandleader
- Travis McCoy, Gym Class Heroes
- Matt McGinley, Gym Class Heroes
- Mitch Miller, bandleader
- John Mooney, Bluesiana
- Qwanell Mosley, Day26
- Julia Nunes
- Lauren O'Connell
- Tony Rebis, The Sunstreak
- Eric Roberts, Gym Class Heroes
- Jason Sarkis, The Sunstreak
- David Schuler, The Sunstreak
- Zach Shields, Dead Man's Bones
- Joyce Sims
- Jeff Tyzik, conductor
- John Viavattine, Mambo Kings
- Bill Wadhams, Animotion
- Leehom Wang, C-pop
- William Warfield
- Wendy O. Williams, Plasmatics
- Tim Yeung, Divine Heresy
Other
- Raul daSilva, prizewinning author, filmmaker
- Sean Fine, Oscar-nominated documentarian, War/Dance
- Jason Hawes, founder of the Atlantic Paranormal Society and Sci Fi Channel series Ghost Hunters
- Frank LaLoggia, film director of Lady in White and Fear No Evil
Government
Politicians and leaders
- Parmenio Adams, U.S. Representative
- Nathaniel Allen, U.S. Representative
- Charles Billinghurst, U.S. Representative from Wisconsin
- Philip Bredesen, Governor of Tennessee
- Maggie Brooks, news anchor and County Executive
- Angus Cameron, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin
- Sanford E. Church, Lieutenant Governor of New York, New York State Comptroller, and Chief Judge of New York State Court of Appeals
- Myron H. Clark, Governor of New York from 1855–1857
- Cornplanter, leader of the Seneca
- Stephen A. Douglas, U.S. Senator and orator from Illinois
- Marion B. Folsom, former Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare
- Millard Fillmore, former President of the United States
- John Rankin Gamble, U.S. Representative from South Dakota
- Elizur K. Hart, U.S. Representative and founder of Rochester Post-Express newspaper
- Charles H. Holmes, U.S. Representative
- Kenneth Keating, U.S. Representative, Senator, and Ambassador to Israel
- Robert L. King, former state assemblyman, County Executive, and Chancellor of the State University of New York
- Brian Kolb, Minority Leader of the New York State Assembly
- Charles H. Nesbitt, former NYS Assemblyman and NYS Assembly Minority Leader
- William F. Quinn, Governor of Hawaii
- John Raines, state Senator
- Daniel Shays, leader of Shays's Rebellion in 1786
- Eliakim Sherrill, politician and brigade commander in the Union Army during the American Civil War
- Louise Slaughter, U.S. Representative, Chairperson of the House Rules Committee
- Thomas Benton Stoddard, first mayor of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Wisconsin state assemblyman
- Robert R. Thomas, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois and former NFL player
- John Todd Trowbridge, Wisconsin territorial legislator and sea captain
- Tom Warner, Former Representative in Florida State Legislature
- William W. Wright
Military personnel
- Brigadier General John F. Albert, Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force
- Rear Admiral Leslie Gheres, Captain of the U.S.S. Franklin
- Major General William Augustus Mills, served during the defense of the Niagara frontier in the War of 1812
- Colonel Patrick O'Rorke
Media
Authors and writers
- Nicholson Baker
- Andrea Barrett
- Philip Barry, playwright
- Richard Brookhiser, biographer
- Tom Chiarella, Esquire
- Francis Pharcellus Church
- Thomas Fenton, screenwriter, Saw IV
- Joseph Fornieri
- Dana Fox, screenwriter, The Wedding Date
- Geoffrey Giuliano
- Virginia Haviland
- Edward D. Hoch, mystery writer
- Mary Jane Holmes, nineteenth-century author
- William H. C. Hosmer, poet
- David Hudson
- Charles R. Jackson, author of The Lost Weekend
- Shirley Jackson, author, The Lottery
- David Cay Johnston, Pulitzer Prize winner and reporter for the New York Times
- Garson Kanin
- Mollie Katzen
- Stanton Davis Kirkham
- Michael Muhammad Knight
- Jerre Mangione
- Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medal winner
- David Schickler, author, Kissing in Manhattan and Sweet and Vicious
- Mark Shulman
- Joe Simon, comic book writer and co-creator of Captain America
- Rachel Stuhler, writer for Hallmark Channel's Love Takes Wing and McBride: Requiem
Broadcasters and reporters
Sport broadcasters
Photographers and artists
Other
Religion and philosophy
- Reverend Francis Bellamy, wrote the Pledge of Allegiance
- Bishop Fulton Sheen
- Bishop Bernard John McQuaid
- Antoinette Brown Blackwell, first female minister
- Kate, Leah, and Margaret Fox, spiritualists
- Philip Kapleau, brought Zen Buddhism to western mainstream 1964, founded Rochester Zen Center
- Carolyn Merchant
- Walter Rauschenbusch, theologian
- Benjamin Titus Roberts, founder, Free Methodist Church
- Joseph Smith, founder of Latter Day Saint movement
- Paul J. Swain, Roman Catholic bishop
- Reverend Dr. Howard Thurman
Scientists
- James C. Adamson, astronaut
- Elizabeth Blackwell, first woman to become qualified as a medical doctor
- Frank J. Duarte, laser physicist and author
- Grove Karl Gilbert, geologist
- David Lipman, bioinformaticist
- Edward Tsang Lu, space shuttle astronaut, International Space Station resident
- Pamela Melroy, astronaut
- Lewis Henry Morgan, anthropologist
- John Wesley Powell, geologist
- Mark Rosenzweig, research psychologist
- Lewis A. Swift, astronomer
- Henry Augustus Ward, naturalist and geologist, founder of Ward's Natural Science
- John Ralston Williams, medical pioneer
Social reformers
- Terry A. Anderson, former hostage and humanitarian
- Susan B. Anthony, women's rights leader
- Walter Cooper, research scientist, urban education reformer and civil rights activist
- Frederick Douglass, abolitionist
- Emma Goldman, anarchist
- Helen Barrett Montgomery, social reformer and women’s activist
- Helen Pitts, abolitionist and feminist
- Samuel Ringgold Ward, African-American pastor and abolitionist
- Lillian Wald, public health nurse and social worker
- Frances Willard, suffragist and temperance reformer
- Fannie Barrier Williams, black social reformer
Others
- Douglas Brei, sports historian
- Ed Edmondson, chess arbiter
- Jon Finkel, Magic: The Gathering champion
- Jerome Fuller, jurist
- Gideon Granger, U.S. Postmaster General under Thomas Jefferson
- Seth Green, pioneer in fish farming
- Mary Jemison, the White Lady of the Genesee
- Thomas Krens, former director, current senior adviser, at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
- Increase A. Lapham, "Father" of the United States Weather Service
- Christopher Lasch, historian
- Belva Ann Lockwood, first female attorney to practice before the Supreme Court
- Nathaniel Rochester, city founder
- Blanche Stuart Scott, first American aviatrix
Fictional Rochesterians
References