Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, 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. Three prominent Rochesterians in the national consciousness are abolitionist

Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...

, suffragist

Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to s ...

, and inventor-philanthropist

George Eastman George Eastman (July 12, 1854March 14, 1932) was an American entrepreneur who founded the Kodak, Eastman Kodak Company and helped to bring the photographic use of roll film into the mainstream. He was a major philanthropist, establishing the ...

Academics

Martin Brewer Anderson Rev. Martin Brewer Anderson (1815–1890) was the first president of the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. Biography Anderson was born February 12, 1815, in Brunswick, Maine. His father was of Scotch-Irish descent and his mot ...

, first president of

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

Richard N. Aslin Richard N. Aslin (born August 9, 1949) is an American psychologist. He is currently a Senior Scientist at Haskins Laboratories. Until December, 2016, Dr. Aslin was William R. Kenan Professor of Brain & Cognitive Sciences and Center for Vision sci ...

, developmental psychologist at the University of Rochester *

Dave Bayer David Allen Bayer (born November 29, 1955) is an American mathematician known for his contributions in algebra and symbolic computation and for his consulting work in the movie industry. He is a professor of mathematics at Barnard College, Columbi ...

(b. 1955), mathematician at

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Boris Bittker Boris Irving Bittker (November 28, 1916 – September 8, 2005) was an American legal scholar. A professor at Yale Law School, Bittker was a prolific author, writing many textbooks and over one hundred articles on tax law. Born in Rochester, N ...

, legal academic * Catherine Crary (1909-1974), historian of the American Revolution * Harry Gideonse (1901–1985), president of

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus. Being New York City's first publ ...

, and chancellor of the

New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR) is a graduate-level educational institution that is one of the divisions of The New School in New York City, United States. The university was founded in 1919 as a home for progressive era thinkers. NSSR ...

* Hilda Conrady Kingslake, optics engineer *

Rudolf Kingslake Rudolf Kingslake (born Rudolf Klickmann; August 28, 1903 – February 28, 2003)http://www.osa-opn.org/Content/ViewFile.aspx?id=2425 was an English academic, lens designer, and engineer. Kingslake was born in London, England in 1903 as Rudolf ...

, optics engineer * Sylvy Kornberg (1917–1986), biochemist who discovered and characterized polyphosphate kinase *

Joy Ladin Joy Ladin (born March 24, 1961) is an American poet and the former David and Ruth Gottesman Chair in English at Stern College for Women at Yeshiva University. She was the first openly transgender professor at an Orthodox Jewish institution. Early ...

, professor, poet, and theologian * Edgar Lane (1923–1964), American professor of political science * Michael A. Marletta, biochemist, MacArthur Fellow, former CEO of Scripps Research Institute * E. C. Mills, educator *

H. Allen Orr H. Allen Orr (born 1960) is the Shirley Cox Kearns Professor of Biology at the University of Rochester. Education and career Orr earned his bachelor's degree in Biology and Philosophy from the College of William and Mary and his Ph.D. in Biology ...

, evolutionary biologist, winner of the Darwin-Wallace Medal *

Robert Putnam Robert David Putnam (born 1941) is an American political scientist specializing in comparative politics. He is the Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. Putnam develo ...

, Harvard professor * Richard W. Rahn, economist *

Kenneth Rogoff Kenneth Saul Rogoff (born March 22, 1953) is an American economist and chess Grandmaster. He is the Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy and professor of economics at Harvard University. Early life Rogoff grew up in Rochester, New York. ...

, Harvard professor *

Joel Seligman Joel Seligman (born January 11, 1950) is an American legal scholar and former academic administrator. He served as the 10th president of the University of Rochester, in Rochester, New York, from 2005 to 2018. Seligman is also one of the leading au ...

, former president of the University of Rochester * Eugene H. Spafford, Purdue University professor *

Ching W. Tang Ching Wan Tang (; born July 23, 1947) is a Hong Kong Americans, Hong Kong–American Physical chemistry, physical chemist. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2018 for inventing OLED (together with Steven Van Slyke), and ...

, 2011 recipient of the

Wolf Prize The Wolf Prize is an international award granted in Israel, that has been presented most years since 1978 to living scientists and artists for ''"achievements in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among people ... irrespective of natio ...

in Chemistry *

Robert E. Wright Robert Eric Wright (born January 1, 1969 in Rochester, N.Y.) is a business, economic, financial, and monetary historian and the inaugural Rudy and Marilyn Nef Family Chair of Political Economy at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dak ...

, Nef Family Chair of Political Economy, Augustana College,

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

Architects and designers

Claude Fayette Bragdon Claude Fayette Bragdon (August 1, 1866 – 1946) was an American architect, writer, and stage designer based in Rochester, New York, up to World War I, then in New York City. The designer of Rochester’s New York Central Railroad terminal ...

, architect *

Harvey Ellis Harvey Ellis (October 17, 1852, Rochester, New York – January 2, 1904, Syracuse, New York) was an architect, perspective renderer, painter and furniture designer. He worked in Rochester, New York; Utica, New York; St. Paul, Minnesota; Minnea ...

, architect *

Robert Trent Jones Robert Trent Jones Sr. (June 20, 1906 – June 14, 2000) was a British–American golf course architect who designed or re-designed more than 500 golf courses in 45 U.S. states and 35 countries. In reference to this, Jones took pride in sayi ...

, golf course architect *

Ramón Santiago Ramón David Santiago Sanchez (born August 31, 1979) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball player, and minor league coach for the Detroit Tigers. Santiago played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an infielder for the Detroit Tig ...

, artist *

Fletcher Steele John Fletcher Steele (June 7, 1885 – July 16, 1971) was an American landscape architect credited with designing and creating over 700 gardens from 1915 to the time of his death. Early life Steele was born in Rochester, New York, United Sta ...

, landscape designer *

Clarence Stein Clarence Samuel Stein (June 19, 1882 – February 7, 1975) was an American urban planner, architect, and writer, a major proponent of the garden city movement in the United States. Biography Stein was born in Rochester, New York into an upwardly ...

, urban planner, architect and writer who advocated for the

Garden City Movement The garden city movement was a 20th century urban planning movement promoting satellite communities surrounding the central city and separated with greenbelts. These Garden Cities would contain proportionate areas of residences, industry, and ...

John Rochester Thomas John Rochester Thomas (June 18, 1848 – August 28, 1901) was an American architect credited in his time with being the nation's most prolific designer of public and semi-public buildings. His work was characterized by originality, moderation a ...

, architect *

Andrew Jackson Warner Andrew Jackson Warner (March 17, 1833 – September 4, 1910), also known as A. J. Warner, was a prominent architect in Rochester, New York. Early life Warner was born in New Haven, Connecticut on March 17, 1833, a son of Amos Warner Jr. and Ada ...

, architect * J. Foster Warner, architect

Athletes

Like most cities, Rochester has its share of famous (and not-so-famous) athletes. Among the biggest names are

Walter Hagen Walter Charles Hagen (December 21, 1892 – October 6, 1969) was an American professional golfer and a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of 11 professional majors is third behind Jack Nicklaus (18) and Tiger ...

in golf,

Johnny Antonelli John August Antonelli (April 12, 1930 – February 28, 2020) was an American professional baseball player, a left-handed starting pitcher who played for the Boston / Milwaukee Braves, New York / San Francisco Giants, and Cleveland Indians betw ...

in baseball,

Brian Gionta Brian Joseph Gionta (born January 18, 1979) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Gionta began his NHL career in 2001 with the New Jersey Devils and has served as captain ...

and

Ryan Callahan Ryan G. Callahan (born March 21, 1985) is an Americans, American former professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), right winger who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. He ...

in hockey, Abby Wambach in soccer, and Jon "Bones" Jones in mixed martial arts.

Baseball

, MLB *

Ross Barnes Charles Roscoe Barnes (May 8, 1850 – February 5, 1915) was one of the stars of baseball's National Association (1871–1875) and the early National League (1876–1881), playing second base and shortstop. He played for the dominant Boston R ...

, hit the first recorded home run in professional baseball * Bernie Boland *

Chris Bostick Christopher Michael Bostick (born March 24, 1993) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins. Career Bostick grew up in G ...

, Indianapolis Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates *

Cito Culver Christopher S. "Cito" Culver (born August 26, 1992) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Tri-City ValleyCats of the Frontier League. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 2010 Major League Baseball Dra ...

, 2010 first-round draft pick *

Heinie Groh Henry Knight "Heinie" Groh (September 18, 1889 – August 22, 1968) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from 1912 to 1927, spending nearly his entire career with the Cinc ...

, MLB * Mike Jones, MLB *

Bob Keegan Robert Charles Keegan (August 4, 1920 – June 20, 2001) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox from 1953 to 1958. A native of Rochester, New York, he attended Bucknell University and performed Wo ...

, MLB *

Michael King (baseball) Michael McRae King (born May 25, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2019. Amateur career King attended Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, R ...

, pitcher for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

Andy Parrino Andrew B. Parrino (born October 31, 1985) is an American former professional baseball player. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics. College Parrino has Albanian origin from Ital ...

, MLB * Charley Radbourn, MLB *

Tim Redding Timothy James Redding (born February 12, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and more recently the pitching coach for the Hagerstown Suns. He pitched for the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, New York ...

, MLB *

George Selkirk George Alexander Selkirk (January 4, 1908 – January 19, 1987) was a Canadian outfielder and front office executive in Major League Baseball. In 1935, Selkirk succeeded Babe Ruth as the right fielder of the New York Yankees—and also inher ...

, MLB

Basketball

Joe Arlauckas Joseph John "Joe" Arlauckas (born July 20, 1965) is an American retired professional basketball player of Lithuanian descent. He played at the power forward position. Arlauckas is well-known for holding the record for the most points scored in a m ...

Joe Binion Joe Binion (born March 26, 1961) is a retired American professional basketball player. College career Born in Rochester, New York, Binion played college basketball with the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Professional ...

* Thomas Bryant, NBA *

Al Butler Elbert J. "Al" Butler (July 9, 1938 – July 12, 2000) was an American basketball player who played four seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Birmingham, Alabama, he played basketball for East High School (Rochester, New ...

, NBA *

Marty Byrnes Martin William Byrnes (born April 30, 1956) is a retired American professional basketball player. Born in, Syracuse, New York, a 6'7" forward from Syracuse University, Byrnes played four seasons (1978–1981; 1982–1983) in the National Baske ...

, NBA *

Emma Cannon Emma Cannon (born June 1, 1989) is an American basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA and for Elitzur Ramla of the Israeli League, previously played for the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, Connecticut Sun, Phoenix Mercury, and Indiana Feve ...

(born 1989), player for the Israeli team Elitzur Ramla * Al Cervi, NBA player and coach * Les Harrison, NBA player and coach * Mark Jones, NBA * Anthony Lamb, NBA *

Jack Leasure John Richard "Jack" Leasure (born January 29, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his career playing in the New Zealand National Basketball League for the Taranaki Mountainairs. He is best known fo ...

Art Long Arthur Donnell Long (born October 1, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player from Rochester, New York. A 6'9", 250 pound power forward out of the East High School and University of Cincinnati who also attended Independence Comm ...

, NBA * Mauro Panaggio *

Ryan Pettinella Ryan Pettinella (born July 12, 1984) is a retired American-Italian professional basketball player. He stands 6'9" tall, weighs 245 lbs, and played as a forward-center. He played in the Italian Lega Basket Serie A with Premiata Montegranaro and wa ...

* Robert Rose,

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

and NBL (Australia) player; won the NBL MVP award (1993, 2001), NBL champion 1992 *

Isaiah Stewart Isaiah Stewart II (born May 22, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies. Listed at and , he plays the cent ...

, NBA *

Jeff Van Gundy Jeffrey William Van Gundy (born January 19, 1962) is an American commentator for ESPN and former basketball coach. He served as head coach of the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his t ...

, NBA coach * Stan Van Gundy, NBA coach * Bernie Voorheis, NBL * John Wallace, NBA

Combat sports

Carmen Basilio Carmen Basilio (born Carmine Basilio, April 2, 1927 – November 7, 2012) was an American professional boxer who was the world champion in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions, beating Sugar Ray Robinson for the latter title. An ir ...

, champion boxer *

Yianni Diakomihalis Yianni Diakomihalis (born John Michael Diakomihalis on April 11, 1999) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 65 kilograms and 149 pounds. In freestyle, he is the 2022 world silver medalist, a two-time US World Team ...

folkstyle Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the form of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States. This style of wrestling, with some slight modifications, is also practiced at high school and mi ...

and freestyle wrestler, four-time NCAA wrestling champion at

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, 2022 World silver medalist *

Gregor Gillespie Gregor Volz Gillespie (born March 18, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and graduated collegiate wrestler who currently competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since ...

, lightweight fighter in the UFC, also known as "The Gift" *

Desmond Green Desmond Green (born October 11, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the lightweight division for Ultimate Fighting Championship. Green is the current BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle Middleweight and Police Gazette Diamond Belt cha ...

, featherweight fighter in UFC * Jon "Bones" Jones, UFC light heavyweight champion * Willie Monroe, Jr., middleweight boxer * Charles "The Natural" Murray, light welterweight boxer * Hanna Thompson, fencer, 2008 Olympic silver medalist (team foil) *

Frank Trigg Dewey Franklin Trigg III (born May 7, 1972) is an American retired mixed martial artist, color commentator, pro wrestler, MMA referee and TV host. Trigg is a veteran of the UFC, Pride Fighting Championships, Rumble on the Rock, Icon Sport-(Icon S ...

, welterweight fighter in the UFC *

Bobby Weaver Robert Brooks Weaver Sr. (born December 29, 1958) is an American former freestyle wrestler. He won a gold medal at 48 kg (105.5 pounds) at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He also won a silver medal at the 1979 World Championships an ...

, freestyle wrestler, 1984 Olympic gold medalist * Felicia Zimmerman, fencer, 1996 and 2000 Olympics * Iris Zimmerman, fencer, 2000 Olympics

Professional wrestling

Johnny Barend John R. Barend (March 27, 1929 – September 20, 2011), better known as "Handsome" Johnny Barend, was an American professional wrestler. Early life Born in 1929 in Rochester, New York, Barend started wrestling as an amateur at the age of eight. ...

Dalton Castle Dalton Castle may refer to: *Dalton Castle, Cumbria *Dalton Castle (wrestler) Brett Giehl (born March 4, 1986), better known by the ring name Dalton Castle, is an American professional wrestler who is best known for his tenure in Ring of Honor ...

Colin Delaney Colin Matthew Delaney (born September 7, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with WWE on its ECW brand, All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and has performed extensively on the independent circuit for promotio ...

, WWE * Jonathan Huber, ring names Luke Harper and Brodie Lee *

Joanie "Chyna" Laurer Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 17, 2016) was an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and television personality. She first rose to prominence in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1997, where sh ...

Gorilla Monsoon Robert James Marella (June 4, 1937 – October 6, 1999), better known by his ring name of Gorilla Monsoon, was an American professional wrestler, play-by-play commentator, and booker. Monsoon is famous for his run as a villainous super-heavyw ...

* The Roadblock

Football

* Branden Albert, NFL * Cris Crissy, NFL *

Don Davey Donald Vincent Davey (born April 8, 1968 in Scottsville, New York) is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He attended Manit ...

, NFL *

Quentin Gause Quentin Gause (born October 30, 1992) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Rutgers and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Professional career Philadelphia Eag ...

, NFL *

Tony Green Anthony John "Tony" Green (born 29 January 1939) is an English sports commentator and television presenter. Darts career A former amateur player, who played county darts for Lancashire, he was the BBC's lead commentator when they showed t ...

, NFL *

Don Holleder Donald Walter Holleder (August 3, 1934 – October 17, 1967) was an American college football star while attending the United States Military Academy and later assistant football coach for the United States Military Academy, who was later killed i ...

, college football star and Vietnam War hero * Ernest Jackson,

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

* T. J. Jackson, NFL * Arthur Jones, NFL * Chandler Jones, NFL *

Tony Jordan Tony Jordan (born 21 July 1957) is a British television writer. He was listed as the number one television screenwriter in the United Kingdom by ''Broadcast'' magazine in 2008 and among British broadcasting's top twenty in ''The Stage'' in 200 ...

, NFL * Jim Kane, NFL * Pat Kelly, NFL * Rob Konrad, NFL * Brian Kozlowski, NFL *

Leo Lyons Leo David William Lyons (born 30 November 1943) is an English musician, who was most notably the bassist of the blues rock band Ten Years After. Biography Leo Lyons was born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire in November 1943 and became a profess ...

, founder of the NFL's

Rochester Jeffersons The Rochester Jeffersons from Rochester, New York played from 1898 to 1925, including play in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925. History Formed as an amateur outfit by a rag-tag group of Rochester-area teenagers after the turn of t ...

Kevin McMahan Kevin Nathaniel McMahan (born March 2, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders with the last pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, earning him the title Mr. Irrelevant. He played college football at Maine. ...

, NFL *

Seth Payne Seth Copeland Payne (born February 12, 1975) is a former American football defensive tackle, who now co-hosts a local radio show. Early life Payne is descended from a long line of farmers from outside Victor, New York and went to high school at ...

, NFL (Victor) *

Adam Podlesh Adam Podlesh (born August 11, 1983) is a former American football punter. He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins, and is the only player in school history to be on the All- Atlantic Coast Conference team for four years. His punti ...

, NFL *

A. J. Terrell Aundell Terrell Jr. (born September 23, 1998) is an American football cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the Falcons in the first round of the 202 ...

, NFL *

Robert R. Thomas Robert Randall Thomas (born August 7, 1952) is a former justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois and a former professional football player. He has served as the Illinois Supreme Court Justice for the Second District since December 4, 2000, and a ...

, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois and former NFL player * David Walker, NCAA coach * Roland Williams, NFL * Marcus Wilson, NFL *

Alan Zemaitis Alan Zemaitis (born August 24, 1982) is a former professional American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 4th round (#122 overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the ...

, NFL

Golf

* Don Allen, championship amateur golfer *

Terry Diehl Terry J. Diehl (born November 9, 1949) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour from 1973 to 1983. Diehl was born and raised in Rochester, New York. At the age of 15, he won the international long drive competition when he ...

, PGA Tour * Danielle Downey, LPGA player *

, PGA legend *

Calvin Peete Calvin Peete (July 18, 1943 – April 29, 2015) was an American professional golfer. He was the most successful African-American to have played on the PGA Tour, with 12 wins, prior to the emergence of Tiger Woods. Peete won the 1985 Tournament ...

, African-American PGA Tour pioneer *

Jeff Sluman Jeffrey George Sluman (born September 11, 1957) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous professional golf tournaments including six PGA Tour victories. Early years Sluman was born and reared in Rochester, New York. After graduati ...

, PGA Tour and Champions Tour *

Sam Urzetta Samuel Urzetta (March 19, 1926 – April 8, 2011) was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the 1950 U.S. Amateur. Urzetta attended St. Bonaventure University where he captained the basketball team and led the nation in free-t ...

, 1950 U.S. Amateur Champion and professional golfer

Hockey

* Dan Conway, floor hockey professional-retired * Scott Bartlett, ECHL * Mike Battaglia, ECHL *

Jason Bonsignore Jason M. Bonsignore (born April 15, 1976) is an American former professional ice hockey forward and speedway promoter and racer. Early life Bonsignore was born in Rochester, New York. As a youth, Bonsignore played in the 1990 Quebec International ...

, NHL *

Adam Clendening Adam Clendening (born October 26, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who currently plays for the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL). Clendening was raised in Wheatfield, New York. He was selected 36th overa ...

, NHL * Chris Collins, AHL * David Farrance, NHL *

Rory Fitzpatrick Rory Brian Fitzpatrick (born January 11, 1975) is an American politician and former professional ice hockey defenseman who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, ...

, NHL *

, NHL * Stephen Gionta, NHL * Kim Insalaco, Olympic medalist *

Connor Knapp Connor Knapp (born May 1, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender. Knapp was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the 6th round (164th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and played two games in the NHL, both for the Sabres in 20 ...

, NHL * Matt Lane * Phil Lane, AHL, EURO *

Shane Prince Shane Prince (born November 16, 1992) is an American-Belarusian professional ice hockey forward playing for HC Spartak Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He previously played for the New York Islanders and the Ottawa Senators of the ...

, NHL *

Marty Reasoner Martin Ernest Reasoner (born February 26, 1977) is an American former professional ice hockey center who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, Atlanta Thrashers and ...

, NHL *

David Shields David Shields is the author of twenty-four books, including '' Reality Hunger'' (which, in 2019, ''Lit Hub'' named one of the most important books of the past decade), ''The Thing About Life Is That One Day You'll Be Dead'' (a New York Times bes ...

, AHL *

Francis Spain Francis Jones Spain (February 17, 1909 – June 23, 1977) was an American amateur ice hockey player who competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Frank Spain was born on an ancestral plantation in Brooks Co ...

, 1936 Winter Olympic bronze medalist *

Lyndsay Wall Lyndsay Cheyenne Wall (born May 12, 1985 in Visalia, California) is an American ice hockey player. She won a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. She graduated from Churchville-Chili High Schoo ...

, Olympic medalist * Derek Whitmore, NHL

Lacrosse

* Paul Cantabene * Grant Catalino, MLL * Dan Conway, Greece Athena HS- retired * Pat Cougevan, NLL * Sean Doyle, MLL * Shawn Nadelen, NLL and MLL *

Brett Queener Brett Queener (born September 30, 1984 in Penn Yan, New York) is an American lacrosse player. He is currently a member of the Chrome Lacrosse Club in the Premier Lacrosse League and was selected by the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacro ...

, NLL and MLL * Chris Schiller, NLL and MLL *

Tim Soudan Tim Soudan is the current Head Coach for Chrome Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League. He joined the team after the conclusion of their 2019 season, replacing legendary coach Dom Starsia. Soudan is a former National Lacrosse League (NLL) ...

Joe Walters Joe Walters (born November 30, 1984) is an American former professional lacrosse player. Walters is part of the 2022 class of the Rochester Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Early life Walters, the youngest of four children was born to Joe and Be Walter ...

, NLL and MLL

Soccer

* Jordan Allen, MLS *

Brian Bliss Brian Boyer Bliss (born September 28, 1965) is a retired American soccer defender and front office executive. He also serves as an assistant coach for the United States U-20 national team. Bliss played professionally in Europe and the United S ...

, MLS *

Josh Bolton Josh Bolton (born May 26, 1984 in Penfield, New York) is an American soccer player who last played for Charleston Battery in the USL Second Division. Career Youth Bolton grew up in Penfield, New York, and was a childhood fan of the Rochester ...

, USL *

Dema Kovalenko Dmytro "Dema" Kovalenko ( uk, Дмитро (Діма) Коваленко; born 28 August 1977) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent the majority of his playing career in the United States after moving there i ...

, MLS * Daniel Lynd, USL * Angelo Panzetta, retired professional soccer player *

Mike Reidy Michael Andrew Reidy (born April 2, 1991) is an American association football, soccer player. Career College Reidy played college soccer at Colgate University between 2009 and 2012. During his senior year, Reidy also played for FC Buffalo in ...

, USL *

Dave Sarachan Dave Sarachan (born June 7, 1954) is an American former soccer player and coach who is currently the head coach of the Puerto Rico national team. Sarachan spent two seasons as a player in the North American Soccer League and four in Major Ind ...

, NASL, Team USA *

Lydia Vandenbergh Lydia Kathleen Jackson (; born January 2, 1984) is an American soccer coach and retired player who played as a midfielder. Coaching career Vandenbergh worked as a coach for Matthews Soccer Club in Charlotte, North Carolina from 2006 to 2007. In ...

, WPS * Abby Wambach, two-time Olympic gold medalist, Women's World Cup Champion, all-time highest scoring international player

Swimming and diving

Kara Lynn Joyce Kara Lynn Joyce (born October 25, 1985), is an American former competition swimmer and four-time Olympic silver medalist. She competed as a member of the United States Olympic Team at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Early years Joyce was bor ...

, Olympic medalist *

Ryan Lochte Ryan Steven Lochte ( ; born August 3, 1984) is an American professional swimmer and 12-time Olympic medalist. Along with Natalie Coughlin, Dara Torres, and Jenny Thompson, he is the second-most decorated swimmer in Olympic history measured by to ...

, 11-time Olympic medalist * Richard Saeger, 1984 Olympic gold medalist *

Wendy Wyland Janna Wendy Wyland (November 25, 1964 – September 27, 2003) was a female diver from the United States. More commonly known as Wendy Wyland, she represented her native country at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California ...

, 1984 Olympic medalist, diving

Other athletes

* Kim Batten, track and field, 1996 Olympic silver medalist in triple jump *

Dick Buerkle Richard Thomas Buerkle ( ; September 3, 1947 – June 22, 2020) was an American Olympic athlete and a world record holder for the men's indoor mile. He is known as one of the most successful walk-ons in the history of American collegiate running ...

, athlete, former world-record holder, indoor mile * Paige Conners, Olympic ice dancer for Israel * William Cox, athlete, 1924 Olympic medalist *

Irving Crane Irving Crane (November 13, 1913 – November 17, 2001), nicknamed "the Deacon", was an American pool player from Livonia (near Rochester), New York,Billiard Congress America (1995-2005)BCA Hall of Fame Inductees: 1977 - 1984. Retrieved Nov ...

, billiards, six-time world champion,

Billiard Congress of America The Billiard Congress of America (BCA) is the governing body for cue sports in the United States and Canada, and the regional member organization of the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA).` Puerto Rico, though a US territory, and Mexico, though ...

Hall of Famer *

Louis Fox Louis Fox (died December 4, 1866) was an American professional billiards player in the mid-19th century who was briefly the U.S. champion. He is well known for an incident which may or may not have actually happened: He is alleged to have committ ...

, 1865 national billiards champion *

Doug Kent Doug Kent (born February 9, 1967) is a right-handed American professional ten-pin bowler, a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), and a PBA and United States Bowling Congress, USBC Hall of Famer. In the PBA Bowling Tour: 2006–07 ...

, professional bowler, 2006–07 PBA Player of the Year * A.J. Kitt, downhill skier, 1988–98 Olympics *

Jason McElwain Jason McElwain, nicknamed J-Mac (born October 20, 1988), is an American amateur athlete in both basketball and marathon and public speaker with high-functioning autism. McElwain came to fame on international news in 2006, when he shocked the wo ...

, basketball personality * Danny Padilla, bodybuilder, "The Giant Killer" * Stacey Pensgen, figure skater and meteorologist *

Pete Pfitzinger Peter Dickson Pfitzinger (born August 29, 1957 in Camden, New Jersey) is an American former distance runner, who later became an author, exercise physiologist and sports administrator. He is best known for his accomplishments in the marathon, ...

, marathoner, 1984 and 1988 U.S. Olympics * Frank Ritter Shumway, figure skater *

Mike Sigel Michael Sigel (born July 11, 1953) is an American professional pool player nicknamed "Captain Hook." He earned the nickname from his ability to hook his opponents with safety plays. Sigel has the ability to shoot pool both left-handed and righ ...

, billiards,

Hall of Famer *

Jenn Suhr Jennifer Lynn Suhr (née Stuczynski; born February 5, 1982) is an American former pole vaulter. She has been an Olympic and World champion, has been ranked #1 in the World, has been the #1 American pole vaulter since 2006, and has won a total of ...

(née Stuczynski), 2012 Olympic gold medalist, pole vault * Maynard Troyer, NASCAR *

Cathy Turner Cathy Ann Turner (born April 10, 1962, in Rochester, New York) is an American short track speed skater, who won gold medals at the 1992 Winter Olympics and 1994 Winter Olympics. Turner was the American short-track champion in 1979, but short-t ...

, Olympic gold medalist, short-track speed skating * Jason Turner, 2008 Olympic medalist, air pistol

Coaches

Joe Altobelli Joseph Salvatore Altobelli (May 26, 1932 – March 3, 2021) was an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder who played for the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball. He was also a manager for the San Fr ...

, baseball manager *

Richard Callaghan Richard Callaghan is an American figure skating coach. He is best known as the long-time coach of Todd Eldredge, the 1996 World champion and a six-time U.S. national champion. He also coached Nicole Bobek to her national title, and Tara Lipinski to ...

, figure skater and coach *

, soccer player and coach

Officials

Nick Bremigan Nicholas Gregory Bremigan (April 4, 1945 – March 28, 1989) was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1974 until his death. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Bremigan grew up in Rochester, ...

, MLB umpire *

Maia Chaka Maia Chaka ) is a former official in the National Football League (NFL). She wore uniform number 100. She was the first black woman hired by the NFL as an on-field official. The native of Rochester, New York became the league's third female on-fie ...

, first black woman hired as NFL official * Jimmy Debell, NFL official *

Ken Kaiser Kenneth John Kaiser (July 26, 1945 – August 8, 2017) was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1977 to 1999. He spent 13 years in the minor leagues and 23 years in the major leagues, a total of 36 ye ...

, MLB baseball umpire *

Bill Klem William Joseph Klem, born William Joseph Klimm (February 22, 1874 – September 16, 1951), known as the "Old Arbitrator" and the "father of baseball umpires", was a National League (NL) umpire in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1941. He worked ...

, umpire in

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

; umpired in a record 18

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

Silk O'Loughlin Francis H. "Silk" O'Loughlin (August 15, 1872 – December 20, 1918) was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1902 to 1918. He umpired in the World Series in 1906, 1909, 1912, 1915 and 1917, serving a ...

, MLB baseball umpire

Executives

:''See #Sports executives, below''

Broadcasters

:''See #Sport broadcasters, below''

Businesspeople

Rochester's history of innovation and progress is reflected in the long list of notable businessmen who founded their companies here.

Eastman Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

, Bausch + Lomb,

Xerox Xerox Holdings Corporation (; also known simply as Xerox) is an American corporation that sells print and electronic document, digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut (ha ...

Gannett Company Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company chang ...

all trace their roots to Rochester. * Charles August, co-founder of Monro Muffler Brake *

John Jacob Bausch John Jacob Bausch (born Johann Jakob Bausch; July 25, 1830 – February 14, 1926) was a German-American maker of optical instruments who co-founded Bausch & Lomb (with Henry Lomb). Over six decades he transformed his small, local optical shop int ...

, co-founder of

Bausch & Lomb Bausch + Lomb is an eye health products company based in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the world's largest suppliers of contact lenses, lens care products, pharmaceuticals, intraocular lenses, and other eye surgery products. The compan ...

Thasunda Duckett Thasunda Brown Duckett (born July 22, 1973) is an American businesswoman who serves as the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of TIAA. She is also a former CEO of Chase Consumer Banking, a division of JP Morgan, and a member of the board ...

, CEO of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America and former JPMorgan Chase executive * Thomas B. Dunn, founder of perfume manufacturer T.B. Dunn, and inventor of Sen-Sen breath candy *

founder * Charles J. Folger, lawyer, jurist and statesman *

Frank Gannett Frank Ernest Gannett (September 15, 1876 – December 3, 1957) was an American publisher who founded the media corporation Gannett Company. He began his career in 1906 as half owner of the ''Elmira Gazette''. He soon added newspapers in Ithaca, ...

, founder of

Gannett Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.Malcolm Glazer Malcolm Irving Glazer (August 15, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American businessman and sports team owner. He was the president and chief executive officer of First Allied Corporation, a holding company for his varied business interests, ...

, CEO of First Allied; owner of

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

and

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

Kate Gleason Catherine Anselm Gleason (November 24/25, 1865 – January 9, 1933) was an American engineer and businesswoman known for her accomplishments in the field of engineering and for her philanthropy. Starting at a young age, she managed several import ...

, first female mechanical engineer *

Tom Golisano Blase Thomas Golisano (born November 14, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of Paychex, which offers payroll and human resources services to businesses. Golisano owned Greenlight Networks, a fiber ...

Paychex Paychex, Inc. is an American provider of human resource, payroll, and benefits outsourcing services for small- to medium-sized businesses. With headquarters in Rochester, New York, the company has more than 100 offices serving approximately 6 ...

founder, philanthropist, gubernatorial candidate; owner of NHL's Buffalo Sabres (2003–2010) *

Martha Matilda Harper Martha Matilda Harper (September 10, 1857 – August 3, 1950) was an American businesswoman, entrepreneur, and inventor who launched modern retail franchising and then built an international network of 500 franchised hair salons that emphasized h ...

, hair care entrepreneur *

Leonard Jerome Leonard Walter Jerome (November 3, 1817 – March 3, 1891) was an American financier in Brooklyn, New York, and the maternal grandfather of Winston Churchill. Early life Leonard Jerome was born in Pompey in Onondaga County, New York, on Novembe ...

, financier, "King of Wall Street"; grandfather of Sir

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

David T. Kearns David Todd Kearns (August 11, 1930February 25, 2011) was an American businessman who was CEO of Xerox Corporation (1982–1990) and served as the first United States Deputy Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993. Early life and education Kear ...

, Xerox CEO and Deputy Secretary of Education *

Henry Lomb Henry Lomb ( – ) was a German-American optician who co-founded Bausch & Lomb (with John Jacob Bausch) and led a group of businessmen to found The Mechanics Institute, the forerunner of Rochester Institute of Technology. Biography Lomb was bo ...

, co-founder of Bausch & Lomb *

Ralph Peo Ralph Frederick Peo (May 3, 1897 – November 29, 1966) was an American inventor, engineer, business executive in the automobile industry, and the holder of 150 patents. He was founder of Frontier Industries in Buffalo, New York and was CEO of H ...

, inventor, founder of Frontier Industries, CEO and chairman of Houdaille Industries *

Arthur Rock Arthur Rock (born August 19, 1926) is an American businessman and investor. Based in Silicon Valley, California, he was an early investor in major firms including Intel, Apple, Scientific Data Systems and Teledyne. Early life Rock was born and ...

, venture capitalist *

James Satloff James Satloff (born 1962) is an American businessman. He founded Liberty Skis and served as the CEO of C.E. Unterberg, Towbin. Education James Satloff has an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from Columbia College, where he majored ...

, founder of

Liberty Skis Liberty Skis Corporation is one of the ski industry's largest independent ski manufacturers, and a leader in the manufacture of carving, touring, powder, and twin-tip skis, used primarily for a style of skiing known alternately as newschool skiing ...

Hiram Sibley Hiram W. Sibley (February 6, 1807 – July 12, 1888), was an American industrialist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who was a pioneer of the telegraph in the United States. Early life Sibley was born in North Adams, Massachusetts on February ...

Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company chang ...

co-founder *

Henry A. Strong Henry Alvah Strong (August 30, 1838 – July 26, 1919) was an American photography businessman. He was the first president of the Eastman Kodak Company. Early life and family Henry Strong was born on August 30, 1838 in Rochester, New York. He g ...

co-founder and president *

Hulbert Harrington Warner Hulbert Harrington Warner (1842–1923) was a Rochester, Monroe County, New York, Rochester, New York businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune from the sales of patent medicine. Biography He was born near Syracuse, New York, in a smal ...

, patent medicine sales * Don Alonzo Watson, Western Union co-founder *

Robert Wegman Robert Bernard Wegman (October 14, 1918 – April 20, 2006) was a pioneer of the one-stop shopping concept. He was the son of Wegmans Food Markets co-founder Walter Wegman. From 1969 until his death in 2006 at age 87, he was the chairman for We ...

, Wegmans Food Markets *

Henry Wells Henry Wells (December 12, 1805 – December 10, 1878) was an American businessman important in the history of both the American Express Company and Wells Fargo & Company. Wells worked as a freight agent before joining the express business. Hi ...

, founder of

American Express American Express Company (Amex) is an American multinational corporation specialized in payment card services headquartered at 200 Vesey Street in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The company was found ...

and co-founder of

Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United States and intern ...

Joseph C. Wilson Joseph Charles Wilson IV (November 6, 1949 – September 27, 2019) was an American diplomat who was best known for his 2002 trip to Niger to investigate allegations that Saddam Hussein was attempting to purchase yellowcake uranium; his ''New Y ...

, founder of

Xerox Corporation Xerox Holdings Corporation (; also known simply as Xerox) is an American corporation that sells print and digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut (having moved from Stam ...

Luke Wood Luke Wood is an American music executive and musician, known as being the president of both Beats Electronics from 2012 to 2010 and DGC Records from 2007 to 2010. He was also a guitarist for the 1990s alt-rock bands Sammy and Girls Against Boys. ...

, president of

Beats Electronics Beats Electronics LLC (also known as Beats by Dr. Dre, or simply Beats by Dre) is an American consumer audio products manufacturer headquartered in Culver City, California. The company was founded by music producer Dr. Dre and record company exe ...

Computing and Internet

* Eric Bauman, founder of

eBaum's World eBaum's World is an entertainment website owned by Literally Media. The site was founded in 2001 and features comedy content such as memes, viral videos, images, and other forms of Internet culture. Content is primarily user submitted in excha ...

Paul Buchheit Paul T. Buchheit is an American computer engineer and entrepreneur who created Gmail. He developed the original prototype of Google AdSense as part of his work on Gmail. He also suggested Google's former company motto ''Don't be evil'' in a 2000 ...

, creator of Gmail and AdSense; founder of FriendFeed *

Burnie Burns Michael Justin "Burnie" Burns (born January 18, 1973) is an American writer, actor, producer, comedian, host, and director previously based in Austin, Texas. He is a co-founder, former chief executive officer, and former chief creative offic ...

, co-founder of

Rooster Teeth Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC is an American digital media company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2003 by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Jason Saldaña, Gus Sorola, and Joel Heyman, Rooster Teeth is a subsidiary of Warner ...

, an online video production company *

Diane Greene Diane B. Greene (born June 9, 1955) is an American technology entrepreneur and executive. Greene started her career as a naval architect before transitioning to the tech industry, where she was a founder and CEO of VMware from 1998 until 2008. ...

, founder of

VMware VMware, Inc. is an American cloud computing and virtualization technology company with headquarters in Palo Alto, California. VMware was the first commercially successful company to virtualize the x86 architecture. VMware's desktop software ru ...

Inventors

* William Seward Burroughs I *

Matthew Ewing Matthew Ewing (January 10, 1815 – 1874) was an American carpenter and inventor. He is known as the cofounder of the Vacuum Oil Company with business partner Hiram Bond Everest. Biography Ewing was born January 10, 1815, in Floyd, New York. The ...

, carpenter and inventor *

James Caleb Jackson James Caleb Jackson (March 28, 1811 – July 11, 1895) was an American nutritionist and the inventor of the first dry, whole grain breakfast cereal which he called Granula. His views influenced the health reforms of Ellen G. White, a founder of ...

, Granula *

Daniel Myron LeFever Daniel Myron Lefever (August 27, 1835 – October 29, 1906) was an American gun maker, popularly known as "Uncle Dan Lefever". He is best known as the inventor of the hammerless shotgun, first introduced in 1878. He was buried at Woodlawn Cem ...

, gun maker and inventor of the hammerless shotgun * C. J. Rapp, Jolt Cola *

John Samuel Rowell John Samuel Rowell (April 1, 1825 – October 21, 1907) was a noted agricultural inventor and pioneer manufacturer. Born in Springwater, New York, and living his adult life in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, he held more than 40 patents for farm machinery ...

, agricultural inventor and manufacturing industrialist * Steve Sasson, demonstrated first digital electronic camera *

George B. Selden George Baldwin Selden (September 14, 1846 – January 17, 1922) was a patent lawyer and inventor who was granted a U.S. patent for an automobile in 1895.Flink, p. 51 ''Probably the most absurd action in the history of patent law was the granting ...

, automotive pioneer * S. Donald Stookey, inventor of

CorningWare Corning Ware, also written CorningWare, was originally a brand name for a unique glass-ceramic (Pyroceram) cookware resistant to thermal shock. It was first introduced in 1958 by Corning Glass Works (later Corning Inc.) in the United States. The ...

Sports executives

Steve Donner Steve Donner is an American sports executive, team owner, and manager. He is the founding Commissioner of the Professional Box Lacrosse Association, and the co-owner of the Elmira Mammoth of the Federal Prospects Hockey League. He is the former ...

, hockey *

Kim Pegula Kim S. Pegula ( née Kerr; born June 7, 1969) is an American businesswoman and with her husband Terry Pegula, one of the principal owners of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. She is also the president of Pegula Sports and Enterta ...

, co-owner and president, Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Bandits, Rochester Americans *

Morrie Silver Morrie E. Silver (July 28, 1909April 26, 1974) was an American businessman based in Rochester, New York. He is best known for his work with the Rochester Red Wings minor league baseball team. Business career A native of Rochester, Silver attended ...

, minor-league baseball

Criminals (suspected or convicted)

The Alphabet Killer ''The Alphabet Killer'' is a 2008 thriller- horror film, loosely based on the Alphabet murders that took place in Rochester, New York between 1971 and 1973. Eliza Dushku stars alongside Cary Elwes, Michael Ironside, Bill Moseley and Timothy Hu ...

, cold case *

Kenneth Bianchi Kenneth Alessio Bianchi (born May 22, 1951) is an American serial killer, kidnapper, and rapist. He is known for the Hillside Strangler murders committed with his cousin Angelo Buono Jr. in Los Angeles, California, as well as for murdering two m ...

, one of the

Hillside Stranglers The Hillside Strangler, later the Hillside Stranglers, is the media epithet for one, later discovered to be two, American serial killers who terrorized Los Angeles, California, between October 1977 and February 1978, with the nicknames originating ...

* Angelo Buono, Jr., one of the Hillside Stranglers *

Joseph Naso Joseph Naso (born January 7, 1934), also known as Crazy Joe or the Double Initial Killer, is an American serial killer and serial rapist sentenced to death for the murders of four women. He was also implicated in the murders of other women. Biog ...

, serial killer *

Arthur Shawcross Arthur John Shawcross (June 6, 1945 – November 10, 2008), also known as the Genesee River Killer, was an American serial killer active in Rochester, New York from 1972 through 1989. Shawcross's first known murders took place in his hometown ...

, serial killer *

Francis Tumblety Francis Tumblety (c. 1833 – May 28, 1903) was an Irish-born American medical quack who earned a small fortune posing as an "Indian Herb" doctor throughout the United States and Canada. He was an eccentric self-promoter and was often in trouble ...

, one of the

Jack the Ripper suspects A series of murders that took place in the East End of London from August to November 1888 was blamed on an unidentified assailant who was nicknamed Jack the Ripper. Since that time, the identity of the killer or killers has been widely debated, ...

Entertainers

Actors and models

The most acclaimed actor to come out of the Rochester area is Academy Award winner

Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive supporting and character roles—typically lowlifes, eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical produ ...

; prior to him, Rochester's main claim to fame on stage and screen was

Robert Forster Robert Wallace Forster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019) was an American actor, known for his roles as John Cassellis in '' Medium Cool'' (1969), Captain Dan Holland in ''The Black Hole'' (1979), Abdul Rafai in '' The Delta Force'' (1986 ...

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. Lithgow studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen. He has been the recipient of numerous ...

was born (but not raised) in Rochester, and

Louise Brooks Mary Louise Brooks (November 14, 1906 – August 8, 1985) was an American film actress and dancer during the 1920s and 1930s. She is regarded today as an icon of the Jazz Age and flapper culture, in part due to the bob hairstyle that she helpe ...

died in Rochester after many years as a recluse there. Other popular Rochesterians on the screen include comedian

Kristen Wiig Kristen Carroll Wiig (; born August 22, 1973) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Born in Canandaigua, New York, she was raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Rochester, New York. She moved to Los Angeles, where she joi ...

and voice actor

Vincent Martella Vincent Michael Martella (born October 15, 1992) is an American actor best known for providing the voice of Phineas Flynn in the Disney Channel original animated show ''Phineas and Ferb'', which ran from 2007 to 2015. He is also known for his ro ...

. * Karl Hamburger, Host of ''Who are These Podcasts'' and Lead Guitarist of famous Rochester Surf Rockers ''The Isotopes'' *

Tyson Beckford Tyson Beckford (born December 19, 1970) is an American model and actor best known as a Ralph Lauren Polo model. He was also the host of both seasons of the Bravo program '' Make Me a Supermodel''. Beckford has been described as one of the most ...

, fashion model and television personality *

John Bolton John Robert Bolton (born November 20, 1948) is an American attorney, diplomat, Republican consultant, and political commentator. He served as the 25th United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006, and as the 26th United Sta ...

, actor, ''A Christmas Story: The Musical'' *

Pandora Boxx Michael R. Steck (born May 2, 1972), better known by the stage name Pandora Boxx, is an American drag queen, comedian, and reality television personality from Rochester, New York. Boxx competed in the second season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', pl ...

, drag queen, Rupauls Drag Race Season 2, All Stars 1, All Stars 6 *

Peter Breck Joseph Peter Breck (March 13, 1929 – February 6, 2012) was an American character actor. The rugged, dark-haired Breck played the gambler and gunfighter Doc Holliday on the ABC/Warner Bros. Television series ''Maverick'' as well as Victoria Bark ...

, actor, ''The Big Valley'' Western series, ''Thunder Road'' movie, guest starred in many TV shows and acted in theater productions *

, actress of 1920s and 30s *

, voice actor, ''

Red Vs. Blue ''Red vs. Blue'', often abbreviated as ''RvB'', is an American web series created by Burnie Burns with his production company Rooster Teeth. The show is based on the setting of the military science fiction first-person shooter series and media fr ...

''; co-founder of

Donna Lynne Champlin Donna Lynne Champlin (born January 21, 1971) is an American actress, dancer and singer from New York City. She is best known for playing Paula Proctor on The CW comedy-drama series ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend''. Early life Champlin was born in Rochest ...

, Broadway actress *

Julie Lynn Cialini Julie may refer to: * Julie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Julie'' (1956 film), an American film noir starring Doris Day * ''Julie'' (1975 film), a Hindi film by K. S. Sethumadhava ...

, ''Playboy'' model * Jordan Clarke, actor, ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

'' * Jennifer Cody, dancer and actress *

Mrs. Kasha Davis Mrs. Kasha Davis is the stage name of Edward P. Popil, Jr., an American drag queen, actor and television personality from Scranton, Pennsylvania. She is best known for competing on the seventh season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. After appearing o ...

, drag queen, ''Rupauls Drag Race'' season 7 *

Taye Diggs Scott Leo "Taye" Diggs (born January 2, 1971) is an American stage and film actor. He is known for his roles in the Broadway musicals ''Rent'' and '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', the TV series ''Private Practice'' (2007-2013), ''Murder in the ...

, actor, ''

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

'', ''

Private Practice Private practice may refer to: *Private sector practice **Practice of law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiati ...

'' *

Pete Duel Peter Ellstrom Deuel (February 24, 1940 – December 31, 1971), known professionally as Pete Duel, was an American stage, television, and film actor, best known for his starring role as outlaw Hannibal Heyes (alias Joshua Smith) in the tel ...

, actor, ''

Alias Smith and Jones ''Alias Smith and Jones'' is an American Western series that originally aired on ABC from January 1971 to January 1973. The show initially starred Pete Duel as Hannibal Heyes and Ben Murphy as Jedediah "Kid" Curry, outlaw cousins who are tryin ...

'' *

Winston Duke Winston Duke (born 15 November 1986) is a Tobagonian actor. He made his feature film debut in the role of M'Baku in ''Black Panther'' (2018) and is best known for portraying the character in two films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Duke w ...

, actor, ''Black Panther'' * Marilyn Erskine, actress *

Dan Finnerty Dan Finnerty (born January 22, 1970) is an American actor and singer. Early life Finnerty was born in Rochester, New York, and grew up in the small town of Bath, New York. He attended Emerson College in Boston. He was a member of the hit off-B ...

, singer and actor *

Nicole Fiscella Nicole Fiscella (born September 15, 1979) is an American actress and model, best known for her role as Isabel Coates on The CW's teen drama television series ''Gossip Girl''. Early life Nicole Fiscella was born on September 15, 1979, at the ...

, actress, ''

Gossip Girl ''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six sea ...

'' *

, Oscar-nominated actor, ''

Jackie Brown ''Jackie Brown'' is a 1997 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, based on Elmore Leonard's 1992 novel ''Rum Punch.'' It stars Pam Grier as Jackie Brown, a flight attendant who is caught smuggling money. Samuel L. Ja ...

'' *

Susan Gibney Susan Gibney is an American actress. Early life and education Gibney was born in Manhattan Beach, California. She moved to Webster, New York, at a young age, returned to California several times, returning to Webster in 2004. She graduated from ...

, actress, ''

Crossing Jordan ''Crossing Jordan'' is an American crime drama television series created by Tim Kring, that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001, to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in ...

'' * Rachel Hilbert, model,

Victoria's Secret Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing, and beauty retailer known for high visibility marketing and branding, starting with a popular catalog and followed by an annual fashion show with supermodels dubbed Angels. As the largest ret ...

Che Holloway Chequan Tyreek Holloway (born August 5, 1990) is an American actor known for his three-season stint as Officer Amir Johnson in the comedy web series ''Dark Justice''. Early life and education Holloway was born August 5, 1990, in the city of Roch ...

, actor, ''

Dark Justice ''Dark Justice'' is an American crime drama television series about a judge who becomes a vigilante by night so that he can bring high-level offenders who use technicalities to "escape" the legal system to what he calls "dark justice." The role ...

'' *

, Oscar-winning actor * Tom Keene, western actor *

Mimi Kennedy Mary Claire "Mimi" Kennedy (born September 25, 1948) is an American actress, author, and activist. Best known for her roles in television sitcoms, Kennedy co-starred in numerous short-lived sitcoms before her role as Ruth Sloan on '' Homefront'' ...

, actress and activist *

Norman Kerry Norman Kerry (born Norman Hussey Kaiser,"United States World War II Draft Registration Cards,registration for Norman Hussey Kaiser, Los Angeles, California, April 27, 1942 This document lists his full name as Norman Hussey Kaiser, noting the na ...

, silent film actor * Darienne Lake, drag queen, ''Rupauls Drag Race'' season 6 *

Hudson Leick Heidi Hudson Leick (born May 9, 1969) is an American actress, known for her role as villainess Callisto in the television series '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. She is also a certified Yoga instructor and intui ...

, actress, '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' *

Kara Lindsay Kara Lynn Massey (born February 16, 1985), known professionally as Kara Lindsay, is an American stage actress and singer, best known for her roles as Katherine Plumber in ''Newsies'' (2012) and Glinda in '' Wicked'' (2014, 2016, 2018, 2019). Educ ...

, actress, '' Newsies'' *

, Oscar, Tony and Emmy-nominated actor *

Rick Lyon Richard Lyon (born February 25, 1958) is an American puppeteer, actor, and puppet designer and builder. He has worked for The Jim Henson Company as one of the operators of Big Bird. He appeared on Broadway originating the roles of Trekkie Monste ...

, Broadway puppeteer and puppet designer *

, actor, ''

Everybody Hates Chris ''Everybody Hates Chris'' is an American television semi-autobiographical sitcom that is inspired by the memories of the teenage years of comedian Chris Rock. The show is set from 1982 to 1987, although Rock himself was actually a teenager from ...

'', ''

Phineas and Ferb ''Phineas and Ferb'' is an American animated musical-comedy television series created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh for Disney Channel and Disney XD. Produced by Disney Television Animation, the series was originally broadcast as a ...

'' *

Timothy Mitchum Timothy T. Mitchum (born July 26, 1992 in Rochester, New York) is an American actor and singer. Mitchum performed the Beatles song " Let It Be" in the 2007 film ''Across the Universe'', which he performed together with Carol Woods. In 2003, Mi ...

, actor, ''

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, it ...

'' *

Audrey Munson Audrey Marie Munson (June 8, 1891 – February 20, 1996) was an American model (person), artist's model and film actress, considered to be "America's first supermodel." In her time, she was variously known as "Miss Manhattan", the "Panama–Paci ...

, early 20th-century model *

Paul Napier Paul Vincent Napier (March 10, 1930 – February 21, 2015) was an American actor. He had small roles in multiple television series, but was known mostly for his roles in over 400 advertisements, especially for General Motors' Certified Service ...

, television and commercial actor, SAG leader *

Hugh O'Brian Hugh O'Brian (born Hugh Charles Krampe; April 19, 1925 – September 5, 2016) was an American actor and humanitarian, best known for his starring roles in the ABC Western television series ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' (1955–196 ...

, actor, films and ''

Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp took part in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which law ...

'' television series * Michael Park, actor, ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...

'' *

Chris Perfetti Chris Perfetti (born December 12, 1988) is an American actor. He currently portrays Jacob Hill on the ABC comedy ''Abbott Elementary'', for which he was nominated for a Critics' Choice Award. His other roles include Tim Fletch on the NBC series ...

, actor, ''

Abbott Elementary ''Abbott Elementary'' is an American mockumentary sitcom television series created by Quinta Brunson for ABC. It stars Brunson as a second-grade teacher at Abbott Elementary, a fictional predominantly Black school in Philadelphia. The ensemble ...

'' * Richard Ryder, actor, '' Forever Young'' *

Keesha Sharp Keesha Ulricka Sharp ( née Fletch; born June 9, 1973) is an American actress and film / television director. She began her career appearing on television dramas, before her regular role as Monica Charles Brooks in the UPN/The CW comedy series, ...

, actress, director * Brennan Swain, contestant, ''

The Amazing Race ''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality game show franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. The ''Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in forei ...

'' *

Joy Tanner Joy Tanner (born March 7, 1966) is an American-born Canadian actress, who is known for roles such as George Fayne in the 1995 ''Nancy Drew'' TV series, Jill Stone in ''Cold Squad'', and Nora McDonald Venturi in four seasons of the sitcom ''Life ...

, actress *

Tom Villard Thomas Louis Villard (November 19, 1953 – November 14, 1994) was an American actor. He is known for his leading role in the 1980s series '' We Got It Made'', as well as roles in feature films ''Grease 2'', ''One Crazy Summer'', ''Heartbreak R ...

, actor, ''

We Got it Made ''We Got It Made'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 8, 1983, to March 10, 1984, and in first-run syndication from September 11, 1987, to March 30, 1988. It starred Teri Copley as a young woman who works as a ...

'' *

Gloria Votsis Gloria Votsis (born February 9, 1979) is an American film and television actress. She is known for her roles in several television series such as '' Hawaii Five-0'', ''The Gates'', '' CSI: Miami'', '' Person of Interest'', and ''Suburgatory''. Sh ...

, actress *

Jimmy Wallington Jimmy Wallington was an American radio personality. After playing small roles in a few Hollywood films, he was the announcer for several popular radio shows in the 1940s and 1950s. For his work on radio, Wallington has a star on the Hollywood Wa ...

, actor and radio personality *

, comedian and actress, ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

Comedians

Foster Brooks Foster Brooks (May 11, 1912 – December 20, 2001) was an American actor and comedian best known for his portrayal of a lovable drunk in nightclub performances and television programs. Early life Brooks was born in Louisville, Kentucky on ...

Jay Jason Jay Jason (1915 – 2001) was an American stand-up comedian who continuously performed in the show-business industry from 1933 to 2000. Early life Jay Jason's grandparents were from Eastern Europe and Russia. His parents, Lina and Ben, had six ...

Dancers and choreographers

Aesha Ash Aesha Ash (born December 30, 1977) is an American ballet dancer and teacher. She danced numerous leading roles as a member of New York City Ballet's corps de ballet and as a soloist with Béjart Ballet and Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and Morphoses/T ...

, ballet dancer *

Garth Fagan Gawain Garth Fagan, CD (born 3 May 1940) is a Jamaican modern dance choreographer. He is the founder and artistic director of Garth Fagan Dance, a modern dance company based in Rochester, New York. Biography Early years Fagan was born in K ...

, choreographer, considers Rochester home base *

Sybil Shearer Sybil Louise Shearer (February 23, 1912 November 17, 2005) Hunt, Marilyn (December 22, 2005). ''The Independent''; retrieved October 10, 2013. was an American choreographer, dancer and writer. She was hailed as a "maverick" or "nature mystic" ...

Musicians

Thanks in part to the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music (B.M ...

, Rochester has an especially rich musical legacy, most notably as the birthplace of

Cab Calloway Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist ...

and the hometown of jazz great

Chuck Mangione Charles Frank Mangione ( ; born November 29, 1940) is an American flugelhorn player, voice actor, trumpeter and composer. He came to prominence as a member of Art Blakey's band in the 1960s, and later co-led the Jazz Brothers with his brother, ...

Lou Gramm Lou Gramm (born Louis Andrew Grammatico; 2 May 1950) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer of the rock band Foreigner from 1977 to 1990 and 1992 to 2003 during which time the band had numerous successful albu ...

of Foreigner is also a native, while

Gene Cornish Gene Cornish (born May 14, 1944) is a Canadian-American guitarist and harmonica player. He is an original member of the popular 1960s blue-eyed soul band The Young Rascals. From 1965 to 1970, the band recorded eight albums and had thirteen si ...

of The Rascals is a more recent transplant.

Jeff Tyzik Jeff Tyzik (born August 1, 1951) is an American conductor, arranger, and trumpeter. He has recorded jazz albums as a soloist and arranged pop and jazz music for orchestras. Early life and education Tyzik, born in Hyde Park, New York, started pl ...

is one of the great jazz arrangers and pops conductors. A number of nationally known musicians have passed through the halls of the Eastman School, either as students or professors (or both).

Classical music

* David Diamond, composer *

Renée Fleming Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nominated for 1 ...

, soprano *

Adolphus Hailstork Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork III (born April 17, 1941) is an American composer and educator.De Lerma, Dominique-Rene"African Heritage Symphonic Series" Liner note essay. Cedille Records CDR061. He was born in Rochester, New York, and grew up i ...

, composer *

Howard Hanson Howard Harold Hanson (October 28, 1896 – February 26, 1981)''The New York Times'' – Obituaries. Harold C. Schonberg. February 28, 1981 p. 1011/ref> was an American composer, conductor, educator, music theorist, and champion of American class ...

, composer and conductor * David Hochstein, virtuoso violinist * Claire Huangci, pianist *

Daniel Katzen Daniel Katzen is a French horn teacher and player, and, since September 2008, has been the Associate Professor of Horn at the University of Arizona's Fred Fox School of Music in Tucson. Prior to that, he was Second Horn in the Boston Symphony O ...

Gregory Kunde Gregory Kunde (February 24, 1954, Kankakee, Illinois) is an American operatic tenor particularly associated with the French and Italian repertoires. Career Kunde studied choral conducting and voice at Illinois State University before making his ...

, tenor *

Ward Stare Ward Stare (Born August 27, 1982) is an American conductor. Stare was the Music Director of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra from 2014 until 2021 and was also the Resident Conductor of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra from 2008 to 2012.� ...

, conductor and trombonist *

, conductor and jazz trumpeter *

William Warfield William Caesar Warfield (January 22, 1920 – August 25, 2002) was an American concert bass-baritone singer and actor, known for his appearances in stage productions, Hollywood films, and television programs. A prominent African American artist ...

, bass-baritone *

Alec Wilder Alexander Lafayette Chew Wilder (February 16, 1907 – December 24, 1980) was an American composer. Biography Wilder was born in Rochester, New York, United States, to a prominent family; the Wilder Building downtown (at the "Four Corners") ...

, composer *

Zvi Zeitlin Zvi Zeitlin (21 February 19222 May 2012) was a Russian-born American classical violinist and teacher. Born in Dubroŭna (now in Belarus), the son of Jewish parents: a doctor and amateur violinist, Zeitlin won a scholarship at the age of 11 to th ...

, violinist and teacher

Jazz, big bands, and blues

, bandleader *

Chet Catallo Chet Catallo (born March 11, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work as a member of the band Spyro Gyra. Music career In 1978, Catallo joined the group Spyro Gyra while they were recording the album ''Morning Dance''. This record ...

, guitarist, Spyro Gyra, Chet Catallo and the Cats, *

Hank D'Amico Hank D'Amico (March 21, 1915 – December 2, 1965) was an American jazz clarinetist. Early life D'Amico was born in Rochester, New York, and was raised in Buffalo. Career D'Amico began playing professionally with Paul Specht's band in 1936. ...

, clarinetist * JT Bowen, R&B singer *

Steve Gadd Stephen Kendall Gadd (born April 9, 1945) is an American drummer, percussionist, and session musician. Gadd is one of the best-known and highly regarded session and studio drummers in the industry, recognized by his induction into the ''Modern D ...

, drummer *

Michael Hashim Michael James Hashim (April 9, 1956, Geneva, New York) is an American jazz alto and soprano saxophonist. Hashim began playing saxophone while in elementary school, playing with Phil Flanigan and Chris Flory as a high schooler. He worked with ...

, saxophonist *

Son House Edward James "Son" House Jr. (March 21, 1902His date of birth is a matter of some debate. House alleged that he was middle-aged during World War I and that he was 79 in 1965, which would make his date of birth around 1886. However, all legal re ...

, bluesman *

Vijay Iyer Vijay Iyer (born October 26, 1971) is an American composer, pianist, bandleader, producer and writer based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' has called him a "social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, histori ...

, jazz pianist *

Nancy Kelly Nancy Kelly (March 25, 1921 – January 2, 1995) was an American actress in film, theater and television. A child actress and model, she was a repertory cast member of CBS Radio's ''The March of Time'' and appeared in several films in the late 1 ...

, jazz singer *

, smooth jazz flugelhornist *

Gap Mangione Gaspare Charles "Gap" Mangione (born July 31, 1938) is a jazz pianist from Rochester, New York. He is the brother of Chuck Mangione. Career In 1958, Mangione and his brother started performing together as the Mangione Brothers Sextet/Quintet. Fro ...

, bandleader * Roy McCurdy, drummer *

Mitch Miller Mitchell William Miller (July 4, 1911 – July 31, 2010) was an American choral conductor, record producer, record-industry executive, and professional oboist. He was involved in almost all aspects of the industry, particularly as a conductor ...

, bandleader * John Mooney, Bluesiana *

Famoudou Don Moye Donald Moye, Jr. (born May 23, 1946), known as Famoudou Don Moye, is an American jazz percussionist and drummer. He is most known for his involvement with the Art Ensemble of Chicago and is noted for his mastery of African and Caribbean percuss ...

, drummer, Art Ensemble of Chicago *

Gerry Niewood Gerry Niewood (April 6, 1943 – February 12, 2009), born Gerard Joseph Nevidosky, was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist who worked often with Chuck Mangione. Like Mangione, Niewood was born in Rochester, New York, and graduated from the ...

, saxophonist *

Joe Romano Joseph S. Romano (April 17, 1932 – November 26, 2008) was an American jazz saxophonist. He was born in Rochester, New York, United States. Romano learned to play clarinet and alto and tenor sax as a child. He enlisted in the United States Air F ...

, jazz saxophonist *

Frank Strazzeri Frank Strazzeri (April 24, 1930 – May 9, 2014) was an American jazz pianist. Career Strazzeri began on tenor saxophone and clarinet at age 12, then switched to piano soon after. He attended the Eastman School of Music, then took a job as a hou ...

, jazz pianist *

John Viavattine John Viavattine (born March 21, 1955) is an American professional woodwind performer who worked as instrumental music teacher at East Rochester Junior-Senior High School and Spencerport High School in Rochester, New York. Career Music performer ...

, Mambo Kings

Popular music

, lead singer of Foreigner, and

The Rascals ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

might be the best-known pop musicians from Rochester. Gary Lewis (of Gary Lewis and the Playboys) came to the area late in life but now calls it home. Notable bands whose members are largely or entirely Rochesterians include

Gym Class Heroes Gym Class Heroes was an American rap rock band from Geneva, New York. The group formed in 1997 when Travie McCoy met drummer Matt McGinley during their high school gym class. The band's music displays a wide variety of influences, including hip h ...

Joywave Joywave is an American indie rock band from Rochester, New York, formed in 2010. Their lineup consists of Daniel Armbruster (vocals), Joseph Morinelli (guitar), and Paul Brenner (drums). The band first became known for its collaboration with ele ...

, Rustix, SNMNMNM, and The Sunstreak. *

Steve Alaimo Charles Stephen Alaimo ( born December 6, 1939) is an American singer who was a teen idol in the early 1960s. He later became record producer and label owner, but he is perhaps best known for hosting and co-producing Dick Clark's ''Where the Acti ...

, teen idol pop singer, hosted and co-produced

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 198 ...

's ''

Where the Action Is ''Where the Action Is'' is a music-based television variety show that aired in the United States from 1965 to 1967. It was carried by the ABC network and aired each weekday afternoon. Created by Dick Clark as a spin-off of '' American Bandstan ...

'' *

, The Rascals *

Rivers Cuomo Rivers Cuomo ( ; born June 13, 1970) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and songwriter of the rock band Weezer. Cuomo was raised in a number of Buddhist communities in the Northeast U.S. until the age of 10, wh ...

, Weezer *

Brann Dailor Brann Timothy Dailor (born March 19, 1975) is an American musician, best known as a member of heavy metal band Mastodon, in which he is the drummer and one of three vocalists. Career Dailor first started playing in a band called Eviscerati ...

, Mastodon *

Steve Decker Stephen Michael Decker (born October 25, 1965) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played for four Major League Baseball teams from –, –, and . Coaching career Decker began his coaching career as a hitting coach for the ...

, Gym Class Heroes * Joe English, drummer for Wings and Sea Level *

Teddy Geiger Teresa Geiger (born September 16, 1988) also known by her stage name Teddy Geiger, is an American artist, songwriter and record producer. Early life Geiger was born on September 16, 1988, to Lorilyn Rizzo-Bridges and John Theodore Geiger, I. Sh ...

Kim Gordon Kim Althea Gordon (born April 28, 1953) is an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the bassist, guitarist, and vocalist of alternative rock band Sonic Youth. Born in Rochester, New York, she was raised in Los Angeles, Califor ...

, Sonic Youth *

, Foreigner *

DJ Green Lantern James Christopher D'Agostino (born July 7, 1975), professionally known as DJ Green Lantern, is an American hip hop DJ and producer from Rochester, New York. In 2002, D'Agostino was signed by American rapper Eminem, to become the official DJ for S ...

, rapper *

RXK Nephew Kristopher Kevon Williams, known professionally as RXK Nephew (formerly DrugRixh Nephew and Rx Nephew), is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer from Rochester, New York. He is known for his prolific musical output and for his collab ...

, rapper * Mick Guzauski, mixer *

Davey Havok David Paden Marchand (born David Paden Passaro, November 20, 1975), known professionally as Davey Havok, is an American singer and musician who is the lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band AFI (band), AFI, the synth-pop band Blaqk Audio, the ...

, AFI and Blaqk Audio * Duke Jupiter *

Bill Kelliher William Breen Kelliher (born March 23, 1971) is an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist of heavy metal band Mastodon, and being the only band member who doesn't share the lead vocal duty. Early life Kelliher is an Irish citize ...

, Mastodon * Gary Lewis, Gary Lewis and the Playboys * Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo, Gym Class Heroes (From nearby Ithaca, NY) *

Lydia Lunch Lydia Lunch (born Lydia Anne Koch; June 2, 1959)Martin Charles Strong. ''The Great Indie Discography''. 2003, page 85 is an American singer, poet, writer, actress and self-empowerment speaker. Her career began during the 1970s New York City no ...

Travis McCoy Travis Lazarus "Travie" McCoy (born August 5, 1981) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is the co-founder and former lead vocalist of the rap rock band Gym Class Heroes, in addition to having a solo career. McCoy became involved w ...

, Gym Class Heroes (From nearby Geneva, NY) *

Matt McGinley Matthew Ryan "Matt" McGinley (born February 24, 1983) is the co-founder and former drummer of Gym Class Heroes and a contributing music producer to the nationally syndicated radio program ''This American Life''. Career Matt McGinley is the dru ...

, Gym Class Heroes (From nearby Geneva, NY) *

Bob Nastanovich Robert Nastanovich (born August 27, 1967) is an American musician and member of the indie rock band Pavement, as well as a former member of Silver Jews, Ectoslavia, Pale Horse Riders, and Misshapen Lodge. Early life Bob Nastanovich was born in ...

, Pavement * Mike Piano, The Sandpipers *

Don Potter Donald Steele Potter (21 April 1902 – 7 June 2004) was an English sculptor, wood carver, potter and teacher. Don Potter was born in Newington, near Sittingbourne, Kent, the son of a school teacher, and attended a private school. He joined ...

Bobby Orlando Robert Philip Orlando (born 1958), also known as Bobby Orlando or just Bobby O, is an American record producer, indie record label owner, songwriter, and musician. He is regarded as an innovator in the hi-NRG genre for developing his signature s ...

, producer *

Emilio Rojas Emilio Rojas is an American rapper. Biography Early life and career beginnings Emilio Rojas was born to a Venezuelan father and an American mother in the suburbs of Rochester. At age 10, Emilio's father left his family and returned to Venezuel ...

, rapper * Jacob Stanczak, better known as Kill the Noise, Disk Jockey and producer *

Peter Shukoff Peter Alexis Shukoff (born August 15, 1979), best known as his stage name Nice Peter or Bluesocks, is an American musician and Internet personality. A self-described "Comic/Guitar Hero", he is best known for the comedy on his YouTube channel, Ni ...

("NicePeter") *

Joyce Sims Joyce Elizabeth Sims-Sandiford (August 6, 1959 – October 13, 2022) was an American singer and songwriter, whose biggest hit single, " Come into My Life", reached the top 10 in both the US ''Billboard'' R&B Chart and the UK Singles Chart in 19 ...

William Tell William Tell (german: Wilhelm Tell, ; french: Guillaume Tell; it, Guglielmo Tell; rm, Guglielm Tell) is a folk hero of Switzerland. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albr ...

, Something Corporate * Tweet, born Charlene Keys *

Virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Since Dmitri Ivanovsky's 1 ...

, aka Andre Karkos, Device, Big & Rich, Dope, Lords of Acid *

Leehom Wang Wang Leehom (; born May 17, 1976), sometimes credited as Leehom Wang, is an American singer-songwriter, actor, producer, and film director. Formally trained at Eastman School of Music, Williams College and Berklee College of Music, his music i ...

, C-pop * Wendy O. Williams, Plasmatics *

Tim Yeung Tim Yeung (born November 27, 1978) is an American extreme metal drummer. He currently performs in the band I Am Morbid, which plays Morbid Angel songs and also features Morbid Angel's former vocalist/bassist David Vincent (musician), David Vinc ...

, Divine Heresy, Morbid Angel

Others

Robert Bernhardt Robert "Bob" Bernhardt is an American conductor. He is currently in his 24th season as Principal Pops Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra (and in his 40th consecutive season there), and in his 10th season as Music Director Emeritus and Principa ...

, symphony conductor *

The Campbell Brothers The Campbell Brothers are an American Sacred Steel gospel group from Rush, New York composed of three brothers and one son. The ensemble features prominent pedal steel guitar and began as the house band for a House of God Keith Dominion congrega ...

, instrumental gospel quartet * Thomas Keene, folk singer/Bloomberg radio host *

Christine Lavin Christine Lavin (born January 2, 1952) is a New York City-based singer-songwriter and promoter of contemporary folk music. She has recorded numerous solo albums, and has also recorded with other female folk artists under the name Four Bitchin ...

, folk singer/songwriter *

Julia Nunes Julia Nunes (born January 3, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter from Fairport, New York. Her career has progressed online through her videos of pop songs on YouTube, in which she sings harmony with herself and plays acoustic instruments, pr ...

, folk ukelelist and singer/songwriter * Lauren O'Connell, folk singer/songwriter *

Lesley Riddle Lesley "Esley" Riddle (June 13, 1905 – July 13, 1979) was an African American musician whose influence on the Carter Family helped to shape country music. Riddle was born in Burnsville, North Carolina, United States. He grew up with his pater ...

, 'human tape recorder' during A.P. Carter's song collecting excursions * Ferdinand Jay Smith III, composer, promoter, advertising executive

Other

* Raul daSilva, author, filmmaker *

Thérèse DePrez Thérèse DePrez (February 17, 1965 – December 19, 2017) was an American production designer. DePrez was born and raised in Rochester, New York, the daughter of Gene and Patricia DePrez. She cited her influences as being filmmaker/artist Je ...

, production designer *

Andrea Nix Fine Andrea Nix Fine is an American documentary film director whose film '' Inocente'' won the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) in 2013. She directs her films with her husband, Sean Fine. The Fines were also nominated for the Acade ...

, Oscar-winning documentary producer, ''Inocente'' *

Sean Fine Sean Fine is an American cinematographer, producer and film director whose film '' Inocente'' won the 2013 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). He directs his films with his wife, Andrea Nix Fine. The Fines' first feature-length ...

, Oscar-winning documentarian, ''Inocente'' *

Jason Hawes Jason Conrad Hawes (born December 27, 1971) is an American plumber and the co-founder of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS), which is based in Warwick, Rhode Island. He is also one of the stars and co-producers of Syfy's '' Ghost Hunters'', w ...

, founder of the Atlantic Paranormal Society and Sci Fi Channel series ''Ghost Hunters'' *

Jenna Mourey Jenna Nicole Mourey (born September 15, 1986), better known as Jenna Marbles, is an American former YouTuber. Over the span of ten years, her YouTube channel has accumulated approximately 1.7 billion video views and over 20 million subscribers. ...

, YouTube personality, screen name "Jenna Marbles" *

James Sibley Watson James Sibley Watson Jr. (August 10, 1894 – March 31, 1982) was an American medical doctor, philanthropist, publisher, editor, photographer, and early experimenter in motion pictures. Early life Born in Rochester, New York, James Sibley Watson ...

, grandson of

founders Hiram Sibley and Don Alonzo Watson; doctor and filmmaker * Andrew Rea, creator/host of popular YouTube cooking series "Binging with Babish"

Government

Politicians and leaders

Parmenio Adams Parmenio Adams (September 9, 1776 – February 19, 1832) was a businessman and politician from New York. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives. Biography Adams was born in Simsbury, Connecticut, to Parmenio Adams and ...

, U.S. Representative *

Nathaniel Allen Nathaniel Allen (1780 – December 22, 1832) was an American politician, and a United States representative from New York. Biography Nathaniel Allen was born the second son of Moses and Chloe Ward Allen in what is now East Bloomfield, Onta ...

, U.S. Representative *

Fernando C. Beaman Fernando Cortez Beaman (June 28, 1814 – September 27, 1882) was a teacher, lawyer and politician from Michigan during and after the American Civil War. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and as mayor of Adri ...

, U.S. Representative *

Charles Billinghurst Charles Billinghurst (July 27, 1818 – August 18, 1865) was an American politician and lawyer who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1855 to 1859, representing the 3rd congressional district of Wisconsin as a member of bot ...

, U.S. Representative from Wisconsin * Harmon P. Burroughs, Illinois state representative * Angus Cameron, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin *

Sanford E. Church Sanford Elias Church (April 18, 1815 – May 14, 1880) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician. He served as Lieutenant Governor of the state of New York and chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals. Early life Born in Milford, Ot ...

, Lieutenant Governor of New York, New York State Comptroller, and Chief Judge of New York State Court of Appeals * Edward Colman, Wisconsin state senator *

Cornplanter John Abeel III (born between 1732 and 1746–February 18, 1836), known as Gaiänt'wakê (''Gyantwachia'' – "the planter") or Kaiiontwa'kon (''Kaintwakon'' – "By What One Plants") in the Seneca language and thus generally known as Cornplante ...

, leader of the Seneca * Robert Duffy, former Rochester Police Chief, Rochester's 65th Mayor, and NYS Lieutenant Governor, President and CEO of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce; *

Marion B. Folsom Marion Bayard Folsom (November 23, 1893 – September 27, 1976) was an American government official and businessman. He served as the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare from 1955 to 1958 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Biogra ...

, Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare * John Rankin Gamble, U.S. Representative from South Dakota * John W. Gunning, Wisconsin State Assemblyman * Leopold Hammel, Wisconsin State Assemblyman *

Elizur K. Hart Elizur Kirke Hart (April 8, 1841 – February 18, 1893) was an American banker and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1877 to 1879. Biography Born in Albion, New York, to Elizur Hart and Loraine F ...

, U.S. Representative and founder of Rochester ''Post-Express'' newspaper *

David J. Hayes David J. Hayes (born 1953) is an American attorney and legal scholar who serves in the Biden Administration as Special Assistant to the President for Climate Policy. Hayes has led White House work on clean energy deployment issues (including offs ...

, Deputy Secretary of the Interior * Charles H. Holmes, U.S. Representative *

Kenneth Keating Kenneth Barnard Keating (May 18, 1900 – May 5, 1975) was an American politician, diplomat, and judge who served as a United States Senator representing New York from 1959 until 1965. A member of the Republican Party, he also served in the ...

, U.S. Representative, senator, and ambassador to Israel * Robert L. King, 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, assemblyman and assembly minority leader * Bill Nojay, assemblyman, public authority leader, and radio talk show host *

William F. Quinn William Francis Quinn (July 13, 1919 – August 28, 2006) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 12th and last governor of the Territory of Hawaii from 1957 to 1959 and the first governor of the State of Hawaii from 1959 to 1 ...

, Governor of Hawaii *

John Raines John Raines (May 6, 1840 in Geneva, Ontario County, New York – December 16, 1909 in Canandaigua, Ontario County, New York) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He authored the 1896 Raines Law, which prohibited liquor sales on ...

, state senator * Adolph J. Rodenbeck, mayor of Rochester, New York State Assemblyman, Court of Claims Judge, and New York Supreme Court Justice * Eliakim Sherrill, politician and brigade commander in Union Army during Civil War *

Louise Slaughter Dorothy Louise Slaughter (née McIntosh, August 14, 1929 – March 16, 2018) was an American politician elected to 16 terms as a United States Representative from New York, serving from 1987 until her death in 2018. She served as the Dean of the ...

, U.S. Representative, chairperson of House Rules Committee * Ellicott R. Stillman, Wisconsin State Assemblyman * Thomas Benton Stoddard, first mayor of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and state assemblyman * James W. Symington, Chief of Protocol of the United States (1966–68) and U.S. Representative (1969–77) *

John Todd Trowbridge John Todd Trowbridge (October 23, 1780May 3, 1858) was an American sea captain, businessman, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the first American settler at what is now the town of Dover in Racine County, Wisconsin, and represented Racine County in ...

, Wisconsin territorial legislator and sea captain *

Tom Warner Tom Warner (February 6, 1948 – January 11, 2019) was an American politician. He was born in Rochester, New York. Warner previously served as a Representative in the House of Representatives of the U.S. state of Florida. He lived in Stuart, Fl ...

, representative in Florida State Legislature

Judges and lawyers

* Benjamin Cunningham, Supreme Court Justice *

Robert Khuzami Robert S. Khuzami (; born August 2, 1956) was the Deputy U.S. Attorney for the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York until March 22, 2019. He previously was a United States federal prosecutor and Assistant United ...

, deputy U.S. Attorney * Donald Mark, New York Supreme Court Justice *

, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois and former NFL player

Military personnel

Military personnel best known as astronauts are listed below under "Scientists". * Brigadier General John F. Albert, Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force * Corporal Richard Brookins, the "American St. Nick" of World War II * Pfc. Raymond J. Bowman * Brigadier General

Frank Merrill Caldwell Frank Merrill Caldwell (November 8, 1866 – March 8, 1937) was an American Brigadier general active during World War I.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975.P.49 Early life ...

, Brigade commander in World War I * Major General Mary E. Clarke, director of the

Women's Army Corps The Women's Army Corps (WAC) was the women's branch of the United States Army. It was created as an Auxiliaries, auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) on 15 May 1942 and converted to an active duty status in the Army of the U ...

; first woman to attain the rank of major general in the US Army * Lieutenant Colonel Elmer W Heindl, WWII Chaplain * General Francišak Kušal, commander of the Byelorussian Home Defence *

George Lennon George Lennon (25 May 1900 – 20 February 1991) was an Irish Republican Army leader during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. Background and early Republican activities George Gerard Lennon was born in Dungarvan, Count ...

Irish Republican Army leader during the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...

and the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...

. * Major General

Daniel McCallum Daniel Craig McCallum (January 21, 1815 – December 27, 1878) was a Scottish-born American railroad engineer, general manager of the New York and Erie Railroad and Union Brevet Major General of the United States Military Railroads during the Am ...

, head of the

United States Military Railroad The U.S. Military Railroad (USMRR) was established by the United States War Department as a separate agency to operate any rail lines seized by the government during the American Civil War. An Act of Congress of 31 January 1862 authorized Presi ...

* Major General William Augustus Mills, served during the defense of the Niagara frontier in the War of 1812 * Colonel

Patrick O'Rorke Patrick Henry "Paddy" O'Rorke or O'Rourke (March 25, 1837 – July 2, 1863) was an Irish-American immigrant who became a colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War and was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. Early life O'Rorke ...

Media

Authors and writers

Isabella Macdonald Alden Isabella Macdonald Alden (nickname and pen name, Pansy; November 3, 1841 – August 5, 1930) was an American author. Her best known works were: ''Four Girls at Chautauqua'', ''Chautauqua Girls at Home'', ''Tip Lewis and his Lamp'', ''Three Pe ...

, author *

John Ashbery John Lawrence Ashbery (July 28, 1927 – September 3, 2017) was an American poet and art critic. Ashbery is considered the most influential American poet of his time. Oxford University literary critic John Bayley wrote that Ashbery "sounded, in ...

, poet * Natallia Arsiennieva, poet *

Nicholson Baker Nicholson Baker (born January 7, 1957) is an American novelist and essayist. His fiction generally de-emphasizes narrative in favor of careful description and characterization. His early novels such as ''The Mezzanine'' and ''Room Temperature'' we ...

, author *

Andrea Barrett Andrea Barrett (born November 16, 1954) is an American novelist and short story writer. Her collection ''Ship Fever'' won the 1996 U.S. National Book Award for Fiction, and she received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2001. Her book ''Servants of the Ma ...

, short-story writer *

Philip Barry Philip Jerome Quinn Barry (June 18, 1896 – December 3, 1949) was an American dramatist best known for his plays ''Holiday (play), Holiday'' (1928) and ''The Philadelphia Story (play), The Philadelphia Story'' (1939), which were both made into ...

, playwright *

Richard Brookhiser Richard Brookhiser (; born February 23, 1955) is an American journalist, biographer and historian. He is a senior editor at ''National Review''. He is most widely known for a series of biographies of America's founders, including Alexander Hamilt ...

, biographer *

Marcia Brown Marcia Joan Brown (July 13, 1918 – April 28, 2015) was an American writer and illustrator of more than 30 children's books. She has won three annual Caldecott Medals from the American Library Association, and three Caldecott Medal honors as an ...

, Caldecott-winning author *

Rob Byrnes Robert Charles "Rob" Byrnes, Jr. is a 21st-century gay American, novelist and blogger, whose fiction focuses primarily on gay men and other sexual minorities. He serves on the Steering Committee for The Publishing Triangle, and was also a member ...

, writer,

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature.The awards were instituted i ...

winner *

Ron Carlivati Ronald David Carlivati (born November 25, 1968) is an American screenwriter. He is best known for his tenures as head writer on the ABC Daytime soap operas ''One Life to Live'' and ''General Hospital''. He is currently serving a position as head w ...

, head writer of ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...

'', ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

'' *

Tom Chiarella Tom Chiarella is Hampton and Esther Boswell Distinguished University Professor of Creative Writing at DePauw University and writer-at-large and fiction editor of Esquire Magazine. Early life and education Chiarella was born in Rochester, New Yor ...

, writer for ''Esquire'' *

Francis Pharcellus Church Francis Pharcellus Church (February 22, 1839 – April 11, 1906) was an American publisher and editor. Born in Rochester, New York, he graduated from Columbia University and embarked on a career in journalism. With his brother, William Cona ...

, publisher and editor *

Henry W. Clune Henry W. Clune (February 8, 1890 – October 9, 1995) was an American writer. A well-known journalist for the ''Democrat and Chronicle'' newspaper in Rochester, New York, his column "Seen and Heard" was published in that paper for 55 years. He al ...

, journalist and novelist *

Sheila Connolly Sheila Connolly ( pen name, Sarah Atwell; 1950 – April 20, 2020) is a mystery writer and author of three mystery series published by Berkley Prime Crime. Biography Connolly was born in Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the ...

, mystery writer * Cornelius Eady, poet * Thomas Fenton, screenwriter, ''Saw IV'' * Edith Willis Linn Forbes, poet and writer * Joseph Fornieri, historian, political scientist *

Dana Fox Dana Fox (born September 18, 1976) is an American screenwriter. She is best known as the writer of '' The Wedding Date'' (2005), ''What Happens in Vegas'' (2008), and the television comedy series ''Ben and Kate'' (2012–13). Career Fox graduate ...

, screenwriter, ''The Wedding Date'' *

Geoffrey Giuliano Geoffrey Giuliano (born September 11, 1953)
''Tell Me What Y ...

, biographer *

Virginia Haviland Virginia Haviland (May 21, 1911 – January 6, 1988) was an American librarian and writer who became an international authority in children's literature. She chaired the prestigious Newbery-Caldecott Award Committee, traveled and wrote extensivel ...

, librarian and writer *

Edward D. Hoch Edward Dentinger Hoch (February 22, 1930 – January 17, 2008) was an American writer of detective fiction. Although he wrote several novels, he was primarily known for his vast output of over 950 short stories. Biography Hoch (pronounced ...

, mystery writer *

Mary Jane Holmes Mary Jane Holmes (April 5, 1825 – October 6, 1907) was an American author who published 39 novels, as well as short stories. Her first novel sold 250,000 copies; and she had total sales of 2 million books in her lifetime, second only to Harriet ...

, 19th-century author * David Hudson, lawyer and writer *

Marie Howe Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in Tro ...

, poet *

Charles R. Jackson Charles Reginald Jackson (April 6, 1903September 21, 1968) was an American writer. He wrote the 1944 novel '' The Lost Weekend''. Early life Charles R. Jackson was born in Summit, New Jersey on April 6, 1903, the son of Frederick George and Sa ...

, author of '' The Lost Weekend'' *

Shirley Jackson Shirley Hardie Jackson (December 14, 1916 – August 8, 1965) was an American writer known primarily for her works of horror and mystery. Over the duration of her writing career, which spanned over two decades, she composed six novels, two me ...

, author, ''The Lottery'' *

David Cay Johnston David Cay Boyle Johnston (born December 24, 1948) is an American investigative journalist and author, a specialist in economics and tax issues, and winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting. From July 2011 until September 2012 he was a ...

, Pulitzer Prize winner, reporter for ''New York Times'' *

Ilya Kaminsky Ilya Kaminsky (born April 18, 1977) is a hard-of-hearing, USSR-born, Ukrainian-Russian-Jewish-American poet, critic, translator and professor. He is best known for his poetry collections ''Dancing in Odesa'' and ''Deaf Republic'', which have earn ...

, Ukrainian-American poet *

Garson Kanin Garson Kanin (November 24, 1912 – March 13, 1999) was an American writer and director of plays and films. Early life Garson Kanin was born in Rochester, New York; his family later relocated to Detroit then to New York City. He attended ...

, playwright and screenwriter *

Mollie Katzen Mollie Katzen (born October 13, 1950, in Rochester, New York, U.S.) is an American cookbook author and artist. The author of twelve cookbooks (all of which she also illustrated), she is best known for the hand-lettered, illustrated ''Moosewood C ...

, chef and cookbook author * Stanton Davis Kirkham, naturalist *

Michael Muhammad Knight Michael Muhammad Knight (born 1977) is an American novelist, essayist, and journalist. His writings are popular among American Muslim youth. The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' described him as "one of the most necessary and, paradoxically enough, ...

, novelist * Helen Aldrich De Kroyft (1818–1915), author * Sonja Livingston, author * Jerre Mangione, writer * Minerva Brace Norton, educator and author *

Linda Sue Park Linda Sue Park (born March 25, 1960) is a Korean-American author who published her first novel, ''Seesaw Girl'', in 1999. She has written six children's novels and five picture books. Park's work achieved prominence when she received the presti ...

, Newbery Medal winner *

Jane Marsh Parker Jane Marsh Parker (, Marsh; pen name, Jenny Marsh Parker; June 16, 1836 – March 13, 1913) was an American author and historian of the long nineteenth century. She was a frequent contributor to ''The Churchman'' and other publications of the Pr ...

, author, historian and clubwoman * Herbie J Pilato, writer *

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (August 8, 1896 – December 14, 1953)
accessed December 8, 2014. was an

, author, Pulitzer Prize winner for ''

The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Month Club in April 1938. It won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel. It was the best-selling n ...

'' *

David Oliver Relin David Oliver Relin (December 12, 1962 – November 15, 2012) was an American journalist and the co-author of the The New York Times Best Seller list, ''New York Times'' best-selling book, ''Three Cups of Tea'', published in 2006. Relin co-wrote t ...

, journalist and author, ''Three Cups of Tea'' *

Julia Sauer Julia Sauer (April 8, 1891 – June 26, 1983) was an American writer of children's fiction and librarian. Two of her books, '' Fog Magic'' and '' The Light at Tern Rock'' were among the annual Newbery Medal runners-up. Both are set in Canada, whe ...

, librarian and author *

David Schickler David Schickler (born July 30, 1969, in Rochester, New York) is an American screenwriter and author, most recently of the memoir ''The Dark Path'', published by Riverhead Books in September 2013. He is the co-creator and an executive producer of ...

, author, ''Kissing in Manhattan'' and ''Sweet and Vicious'' *

Emma Augusta Sharkey Emma Augusta Sharkey (, Browne; after first marriage, Collins; after second marriage, Skelton; after third marriage, Sharkey; September 15, 1858 – May 6, 1902) was a 19th-century American writer, journalist, dime novelist, and story-teller fro ...

, writer * Mark Shulman, children's author *

Joe Simon Joseph Henry Simon (October 11, 1913 – December 14, 2011) was an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the ...

, comic book writer, co-creator of

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

Lura Eugenie Brown Smith Lura Eugenie Brown Smith (June 23, 1854/64 – April 11, 1935) was an American journalist, newspaper editor, and author. She wrote short stories, poems, and miscellany, and did editorial work in newspapers. She was the author of ''Victory's Divor ...

(1864–?), journalist, newspaper editor, author * Thomas Thackeray Swinburne (1865–1926), poet * Chris Van Etten, TV writer and author * Amelia Kempshall Wing (1837-1927), American author and philanthropist

Broadcasters and journalists

* Don Alhart, television journalist *

Ralph Bown Ralph Bown (1891 – July 1971) was a noted American radio pioneer. Bown was born in Fairport, New York, and received his M.E., M.M.E., and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University where he also taught physics. He served as a captain in the United ...

, radio pioneer *

Richard Ben Cramer Richard Ben Cramer (June 12, 1950 – January 7, 2013) was an American journalist, author, and screenwriter. He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 1979 for his coverage of the Middle East. Biography Cramer was born and r ...

, journalist and author, Pulitzer Prize winner * Jean Giambrone, journalist, first woman credentialed for Masters golf *

Sean Lahman Sean Lahman (born June 9, 1968) (pronounced "lay-men") is an author and journalist. He is currently a reporter for the USA Today Network and Rochester Democrat and Chronicle and frequently makes public appearances to speak about database journalism ...

, sports statistician and newspaper journalist * John Machacek, Pulitzer Prize winner (1972, spot reporting) * Don Martin, ''Calgary Herald'' columnist * Anne Montgomery, WROC sports reporter and ESPN broadcaster *

Henry Jarvis Raymond Henry Jarvis Raymond (January 24, 1820 – June 18, 1869) was an American journalist, politician, and co-founder of ''The New York Times'', which he founded with George Jones. He was a member of the New York State Assembly, Lieutenant Governor ...

, journalist and founder of ''New York Times'' *

Neil Rogers Neil Rogers (November 5, 1942December 24, 2010) was an American talk radio personality. Until his retirement on June 22, 2009, ''The Neil Rogers Show'' aired weekdays from 10am-2pm on WQAM-AM, 560 WQAM. It was consistently the top-rated show ...

, radio host *

Martin Sargent Martin Sargent is an American television personality and was co-host of the This WEEK in FUN podcast with Sarah Lane. He is most well known from his time as a Segment Producer on TechTV's ''The Screen Savers'' and later as the host of his own ...

, professional "nerd" and host of ''TWIF'' * Steve Scully, C-SPAN host; reporter and anchor at WHEC-TV in Rochester *

, radio personality *

Irv Weinstein Irwin B. "Irv" Weinstein (April 29, 1930 – December 26, 2017) was an American local television news anchor and occasional radio actor. He hosted WKBW-TV's '' Eyewitness News'' in Buffalo, New York, for 34 years, from 1964 to 1998, becoming an ic ...

, television journalist

Sport broadcasters

Mike Catalana Mike Catalana is the Sports Director of WHAM-TV, the ABC affiliate in Rochester, New York. His professional career began in 1986 when he became the Sports Director at WMGC-TV, the ABC affiliate in Binghamton, New York. He came to WOKR (now WHAM) i ...

, Rochester television executive *

Lanny Frattare Lanny Lawrence Frattare (born March 23, 1948) is an American former sportscaster. For 33 years he was a play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates, the longest such tenure in the team's history. In 2008, he was nomina ...

, Pittsburgh Pirates * Hank Greenwald, San Francisco Giants *

Josh Lewin Josh Lewin is an American sportscaster who works as a play-by-play announcer for the UCLA Bruins football and basketball teams. Early life and career Lewin is originally from Rochester, New York, but lived outside of Boston for several years ...

, Los Angeles Chargers and Texas Rangers *

Clem McCarthy Clem McCarthy (September 9, 1882 – June 4, 1962)DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 173. was an American sportscaster and pu ...

, sportscaster and newsreel narrator *

Nick Nickson Nicholas R. Nickson (born December 21, 1953) is an American sportscaster who currently serves as the radio play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. Biography Early career A native of Rochester, New York, Nic ...

, Jr., Los Angeles Kings *

Bill Stern Bill Stern (July 1, 1907 – November 19, 1971) was an American actor and sportscaster who announced the nation's first remote sports broadcast and the first telecast of a baseball game. In 1984, Stern was part of the American Sportscaster ...

, sportscaster in

National Radio Hall of Fame The Radio Hall of Fame, formerly the National Radio Hall of Fame, is an American organization created by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988. Three years later, Bruce DuMont, founder, president, and CEO of the Museum of Broadcast Communicatio ...

, pro basketball *

Pete Van Wieren Peter Dirk Van Wieren (October 7, 1944 – August 2, 2014) was an American sportscaster best known for his long career calling play-by-play for Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves. Early career Van Wieren was born in Rochester, New York and ...

, Atlanta Braves

Photographers and artists

Metalwork sculptor

Albert Paley Albert Paley (born 1944) is an American modernist metal sculptor. Initially starting out as a jeweler, Paley has become one of the most distinguished and influential metalsmiths in the world. Within each of his works, three foundational elements ...

, although originally from Philadelphia, has lived and worked in Rochester for over four decades; he's probably the region's most prominent artist. Like many other artists, he came to Rochester because of

RIT Rit is a brand of dye A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied i ...

's School for American Crafts. * Alfred Agate, painter * Frederick Styles Agate, painter *

Harry Bliss Harry Bliss (born March 9, 1964, in Rochester, New York) is an American cartoonist and illustrator. Bliss has illustrated many books, and produced hundreds of cartoons and 25 covers for ''The New Yorker''. Bliss has a syndicated single-panel comi ...

, cartoonist *

Wendell Castle Wendell Castle (November 6, 1932 – January 20, 2018) was an American sculptor and furniture maker and an important figure in late 20th century American craft. He has been referred to as the "father of the art furniture movement" and included ...

, wood furniture sculptor *

Arthur Dove Arthur Garfield Dove (August 2, 1880 – November 23, 1946) was an American artist. An early American modernist, he is often considered the first American abstract painter.. Dove used a wide range of media, sometimes in unconventional combinati ...

, abstract painter *

Emil Gruppe Emile Albert Gruppé (1896–1978) was an American painter, known for impressionistic landscapes and Massachusetts coastal and marine paintings.Nicholas Gurewitch ''The Perry Bible Fellowship'' (abbreviated to ''PBF'') is a webcomic and newspaper comic strip by Nicholas Gurewitch. It first appeared in the Syracuse University newspaper ''The Daily Orange'' in 2001. The comics are usually three or four ...

, creator of ''The Perry Bible Fellowship'' * Peter Hannan, creator of ''CatDog'' *

James D. Havens James Dexter Havens (1900–1960) was a printmaker and painter in Rochester, New York, who is considered part of the color woodblock printing, woodblock revival in America.Watrous, James: "The American Color Woodcuts: Bounty from the Block, 1890s-1 ...

, woodcut artist; early insulin recipient *

Maud Humphrey Maud Humphrey (March 30, 1868 – November 22, 1940) was a commercial illustrator, water colorist, and suffragette from the United States. She was the mother of the actor Humphrey Bogart and frequently used her young son as a model. Biography H ...

, commercial illustrator, suffragist; mother of actor

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

Jeannette Klute Jeannette Klute (1918 – 2009) was an American photographer who helped develop the Dye-transfer process at the Eastman Kodak Company and is credited with demonstrating the artistic possibilities of color photography. Klute also paved the way ...

, photographer * Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum, needlework designer *

, metalwork sculptor *

Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Manuel Rivera-Ortiz (born December 23, 1968) is a stateside Puerto Rican photographer. He is best known for his social documentary photography of people's living conditions in less developed nations. Rivera-Ortiz lives in Rochester, New York an ...

, photographer

Other

Larry Ashmead Lawrence Peel "Larry" Ashmead (July 4, 1932 – September 3, 2010) was an American book editor who helped create many books featuring such authors as Isaac Asimov, Quentin Crisp, Tony Hillerman, Susan Isaacs, Michael Korda, and Helen Van Slyk ...

, book editor

Religion and philosophy

* Reverend

Francis Bellamy Francis Julius Bellamy (May 18, 1855 – August 28, 1931) was an American Christian socialist Baptist minister and author. He is best known for writing the original version of the Pledge of Allegiance in 1892. Early life Francis Julius Bellamy ...

, wrote the

Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is a patriotic recited verse that promises allegiance to the flag of the United States and the republic of the United States of America. The first version, with a text different from the one used ...

Antoinette Brown Blackwell Antoinette Louisa Brown, later Antoinette Brown Blackwell (May 20, 1825 – November 5, 1921), was the first woman to be ordained as a mainstream Protestant minister in the United States. She was a well-versed public speaker on the paramount iss ...

, first female minister * James Callan, former Catholic priest * Kate, Leah, and Margaret Fox, spiritualists *

Philip Kapleau Philip Kapleau (August 20, 1912 – May 6, 2004) was an American teacher of Zen Buddhism in the Sanbo Kyodan tradition, a blending of Japanese Sōtō and Rinzai schools. He also advocated strongly for Buddhist vegetarianism. Early life Kapleau ...

, brought Zen Buddhism to western mainstream 1964; founded Rochester Zen Center * Max Landsberg (1845–1927), rabbi of B'rith Kodesh * Bishop

Bernard John McQuaid Bernard John McQuaid (December 15, 1823 – January 18, 1909) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first and longest-serving Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester, Bishop of Rochester, serving for 40 years from 1868 until hi ...

Carolyn Merchant Carolyn Merchant (born July 12, 1936 in Rochester, New York) is an American ecofeminist philosopher and historian of science most famous for her theory (and book of the same title) on ''The Death of Nature'', whereby she identifies the Scienti ...

, philosopher and historian *

Walter Rauschenbusch Walter Rauschenbusch (1861–1918) was an American theologian and Baptist pastor who taught at the Rochester Theological Seminary. Rauschenbusch was a key figure in the Social Gospel and Georgist, single tax movements that flourished in the United ...

, theologian * Abraham Resnick, rabbi in Ashgabat, Kokand, Moscow, Quincy MA, Lowell MA and Rochester * Benjamin Titus Roberts, founder, Free Methodist Church * Bishop

Fulton Sheen Fulton John Sheen (born Peter John Sheen, May 8, 1895 – December 9, 1979) was an American bishop of the Catholic Church known for his preaching and especially his work on Catholic television, television and radio. Ordained a priest of the R ...

, archbishop and television personality *

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

, founder of

Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...

* Paul J. Swain, Roman Catholic bishop * Reverend Dr.

Howard Thurman Howard Washington Thurman (November 18, 1899 – April 10, 1981) was an American author, philosopher, theologian, mystic, educator, and civil rights leader. As a prominent religious figure, he played a leading role in many social justice movements ...

Hiram Edson Hiram Edson (1806–1882) was a pioneer of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, known for introducing the sanctuary doctrine (investigative judgment) to the church. Hiram Edson was a Millerite adventist, and became a Sabbath-keeping Adventist. L ...

, pioneer of the

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...

known for introducing the sanctuary doctrine (

investigative judgment The investigative judgment, or pre-Advent Judgment (or, more accurately the pre-Second Advent Judgment), is a unique Seventh-day Adventist doctrine, which asserts that the divine judgment of professed Christians has been in progress since 1844. It ...

) to the church. The

Millerite Millerite is a nickel sulfide mineral, Ni S. It is brassy in colour and has an acicular habit, often forming radiating masses and furry aggregates. It can be distinguished from pentlandite by crystal habit, its duller colour, and general la ...

message came to

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

, New York, in 1843 and soon spread to Port Gibson. *

Isaac and Amy Post Isaac and Amy Post, were radical Hicksite Quakers from Rochester, New York, and leaders in the nineteenth-century anti-slavery and women's rights movements. Among the first believers in Spiritualism, they helped to associate the young religious ...

, were radical Hicksite Quakers from

, and leaders in the nineteenth-century

anti-slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...

and

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

movements. Among the first believers in

Spiritualism Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century, Spiritualism (when not lowercase) ...

, they helped to associate the young religious movement with the political ideas of the

reform movement A reform movement or reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary mo ...

Scientists

Pioneering physician

Elizabeth Blackwell Elizabeth Blackwell (3 February 182131 May 1910) was a British physician, notable as the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, and the first woman on the Medical Register of the General Medical Council for the United Ki ...

, pioneering astronaut

Pamela Melroy Pamela Ann Melroy (born September 17, 1961) is an American retired United States Air Force officer and NASA astronaut serving as the deputy administrator of NASA. She served as pilot on Space Shuttle missions STS-92 and STS-112 and commanded mi ...

, and naturalist

Henry Augustus Ward Henry Augustus Ward (March 9, 1834 – July 4, 1906) was an American naturalist and geologist. Biography Henry Augustus Ward was born in Rochester, New York on March 9, 1834. After attending Williams College and the Lawrence Scientific School ...

are the most notable scientists to come from the Rochester area. Acclaimed surgeon Seymour I. Schwartz also made Rochester his home. *

James C. Adamson James Craig Adamson (born March 3, 1946) is a former NASA astronaut and retired Colonel (United States), Colonel of the United States Army. He is married with 3 children. James Adamson flew on two missions, STS-28 and STS-43, and completed 263 o ...

, astronaut *

John Auer John Auer (March 30, 1875 – April 30, 1948) was an American physiologist and pharmacologist. He published nearly 150 papers during his career and is credited with the first description of Auer rods. Auer also contributed to the study of anap ...

, physiologist and pharmacologist credited with the discovery of Auer rods *

, first woman to become qualified as a medical doctor *

Esther M. Conwell Esther Marley Conwell (May 23, 1922 – November 16, 2014) was a pioneering American chemist and physicist, best known for the Conwell-Weisskopf theory that describes how electrons travel through semiconductors, a breakthrough that helped revolut ...

, physicist, 1997 recipient of the

IEEE Edison Medal The IEEE Edison Medal is presented by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) "for a career of meritorious achievement in electrical science, electrical engineering, or the electrical arts." It is the oldest medal in this fi ...

* Frank J. Duarte, laser physicist and author *

Grove Karl Gilbert Grove Karl Gilbert (May 6, 1843 – May 1, 1918), known by the abbreviated name G. K. Gilbert in academic literature, was an American geologist. Biography Gilbert was born in Rochester, New York and graduated from the University of Rochester. D ...

, geologist *

David Lipman David J. Lipman is an American biologist who from 1989 to 2017 was the director of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the National Institutes of Health. NCBI is the home of GenBank, the U.S. node of the International Sequ ...

, bioinformaticist *

Edward Tsang Lu Edward Tsang "Ed" Lu (; born July 1, 1963) is an American physicist and former NASA astronaut. He flew on two Space Shuttle flights, and made an extended stay aboard the International Space Station. In 2007, Lu retired from NASA to become the pr ...

, space shuttle astronaut, International Space Station resident *

, astronaut *

Lewis Henry Morgan Lewis Henry Morgan (November 21, 1818 – December 17, 1881) was a pioneering American anthropologist and social theorist who worked as a railroad lawyer. He is best known for his work on kinship and social structure, his theories of social evol ...

, anthropologist *

Arthur Caswell Parker Arthur Caswell Parker (April 5, 1881 – January 1, 1955) was an American archaeologist, historian, folklorist, museologist and noted authority on Native American culture. Of Seneca and Scots-English descent, he was director of the Roch ...

, archaeologist, historian, expert on Native Americans, and director of the

Rochester Museum of Arts and Sciences The Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) is a museum in Rochester, New York, dedicated to community education in science, technology and local history. The museum also operates the Strasenburgh Planetarium, located next to the museum, and the ...

John Wesley Powell John Wesley Powell (March 24, 1834 – September 23, 1902) was an American geologist, U.S. Army soldier, explorer of the American West, professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions. He ...

, geologist * Mark Rosenzweig, research psychologist * Seymour I. Schwartz, author of ''Schwartz's Principles of Surgery'', the "Surgeon's Bible" * Lewis A. Swift, astronomer *

, chemist, physicist, inventor of

OLED An organic light-emitting diode (OLED or organic LED), also known as organic electroluminescent (organic EL) diode, is a light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is a film of organic compound that emits light i ...

, naturalist and geologist, founder of

Ward's Natural Science Ward's Science is a supplier of science education materials for K-12 and college-level studies in Rochester, New York. It was founded by Henry Augustus Ward in 1862 as Ward's Natural Science and was renamed in 2012. Current areas of focus includ ...

John Ralston Williams John Ralston Williams (December 27, 1874 – December 27, 1965) was a Canadian-American physician who was an instrumental figure in the public health of Rochester, New York. Williams was born in Renfrew, Ontario, one of nine children of a baker ...

, medical pioneer *

Herbert York Herbert Frank York (24 November 1921 – 19 May 2009) was an American nuclear physicist of Mohawk origin.http://www.edge.org/conversation/nsa-the-decision-problem. The Decision Problem He held numerous research and administrative positions a ...

, nuclear physicist

Social reformers

No list of notable Rochesterians could ever omit

and

, but the area has a long history of progressive social reformers. Anarchist

Emma Goldman Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was a Russian-born anarchist political activist and writer. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the ...

lived there for a time. *

Terry A. Anderson Terry A. Anderson (born October 27, 1947) is an American journalist. He reported for the Associated Press. In 1985, he was taken hostage by Shia Hezbollah militants of the Islamic Jihad Organization in Lebanon and held until 1991. In 2004, he ra ...

, former hostage and humanitarian *

, women's rights leader * Walter Cooper, research scientist, urban education reformer and civil rights activist *

, abolitionist *

Lavantia Densmore Douglass Lavantia Densmore Douglass (March 1, 1827 – May 27, 1899) was an American social reformer associated with the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). Failing eye-sight caused by cataracts was only partially restored after surgery, and affect ...

(1827–1899), social reformer *

, anarchist * George W. Goler, pioneer in pasteurisation *

Shields Green Shields Green (1836? – December 16, 1859), who also referred to himself as "'Emperor"', was, according to Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave from Charleston, South Carolina, and a leader in John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, in October 185 ...

, escaped slave who participated in John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry *

Jean Brooks Greenleaf Jean Brooks Greenleaf (October 1, 1832 – March 2, 1918) was an American woman suffragist. With her death in 1918, there passed the last of a small group of devoted suffragists who received their first inspiration from Susan B. and Mary Anthony ...

(1832–1918), woman suffragist *

Hester C. Jeffrey Hester C. Jeffrey, ''née'' Whitehurst (c. 1842 – January 2, 1934, also known as Jeffreys or Jeffries, or Mrs. R. Jerome Jeffrey, after her husband) was an African-American activist, suffragist, and community organizer in Rochester, N.Y., and ...

, suffragist *

Clarissa Caldwell Lathrop Clarissa Caldwell Lathrop (April 12, 1847 – September 11, 1892) was an American social reformer and autobiographer. Her prominence came from her remarkable experience, being confined and unlawfully imprisoned in the Utica Lunatic Asylum for 26 ...

, asylum reform advocate and autobiographer *

Helen Barrett Montgomery Helen Barrett Montgomery (July 31, 1861 – October 19, 1934) was an American social reformer, educator and writer. In 1921, she was elected as the first woman president of the Northern Baptist Convention (and of any religious denomination in ...

, social reformer and women's activist * Helen Pitts, abolitionist and feminist * Joy Powell, social reformer, political prisoner and anti-violence activist *

Mabel Sine Wadsworth Mabel Antoinette Sine Wadsworth (October 14, 1910 – January 11, 2006) was an American birth control activist and women's health educator. Influenced by the work of Margaret Sanger, she organized door to door campaigns in rural Maine in the 19 ...

, birth control activist *

Lillian Wald Lillian D. Wald (March 10, 1867 – September 1, 1940) was an American nurse, humanitarian and author. She was known for contributions to human rights and was the founder of American community nursing. She founded the Henry Street Settlement in N ...

, public health nurse and social worker *

Samuel Ringgold Ward Samuel Ringgold Ward (October 17, 1817 – ) was an African American who escaped enslavement to become an abolitionist, newspaper editor, labor leader, and Congregational church minister. He was author of the influential book ''Autobiograp ...

, African-American pastor and abolitionist *

Frances Willard Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard (September 28, 1839 – February 17, 1898) was an American educator, temperance reformer, and women's suffragist. Willard became the national president of Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1879 an ...

, suffragist and temperance reformer *

Fannie Barrier Williams Frances "Fannie" Barrier Williams (February 12, 1855 – March 4, 1944) was an African American educator, civil rights, and women's rights activist, and the first black woman to gain membership to the Chicago Woman's Club. She became well kno ...

, black social reformer

Others

Josh Arieh Josh Arieh (born September 26, 1974 in Rochester, New York) is an American professional poker player. Arieh has been competing in poker competitions since 1999. Tournament history Arieh finished in third place in the 2004 World Series of Po ...

, 2005 World Series of Poker champion * Timothy Blodgett, Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. House of Representatives as of January 2021 *

Mabel Boll Mabel Boll (December 1, 1893 – April 11, 1949), known as the "Queen of Diamonds", was an American socialite involved in the early days of record-setting airplane flights in the 1920s. She garnered nicknames from the press, including "Broadwa ...

, socialite, the "Queen of Diamonds" *

Douglas Brei Douglas Brei (born December 29, 1964) is a former minor league sports executive who has recently garnered national attention as a sports historian in his hometown of Rochester, New York, United States. Historical contributions Throughout the yea ...

, sports historian * Obadiah Bush, ancestor of the Bush financial and political family * Elizabeth Eden, figure in the ''Dog Day Afternoon'' bank heist * Ed Edmondson, chess arbiter *

Jon Finkel Jon Finkel (born May 18, 1978)Jon Finkel 2006 Pro Player card (from the Magic: The Gathering Time Spiral expansion) is an American ''Magic: The Gathering'' and poker player. Finkel is one of the most decorated players in the history of professio ...

, ''Magic: The Gathering'' champion *

Jerome Fuller Jerome Fuller (June 26, 1808 – September 2, 1880) was an American lawyer and chief justice of Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court from 1851 to 1852. Fuller was born in Litchfield, Connecticut in 1808, but details are scarce about his early ...

, jurist * Mike Goodman, professional gambler, casino pit boss, and author *

Gideon Granger Gideon Granger (July 19, 1767 – December 31, 1822) was an early American politician and lawyer. He was the father of fellow Postmaster General and U.S. Representative Francis Granger. Early life Granger was born in Suffield, Connecticut ...

, U.S. Postmaster General under Thomas Jefferson * Seth Green, pioneer in fish farming *

Mary Jemison Mary Jemison (''Deh-he-wä-nis'') (1743 – September 19, 1833) was a Scots-Irish colonial frontierswoman in Pennsylvania and New York, who became known as the "White Woman of the Genesee." As a young girl she was captured and adopted into a Sen ...

, the White Lady of the Genesee *

Lincoln Kirstein Lincoln Edward Kirstein (May 4, 1907 – January 5, 1996) was an American writer, impresario, art connoisseur, philanthropist, and cultural figure in New York City, noted especially as co-founder of the New York City Ballet. He developed and sus ...

, writer, ballet impresario, art connoisseur, and one of the

Monuments Men A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

Thomas Krens Thomas Krens (born December 26, 1946) is the former director and Senior Advisor for International Affairs of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in New York City.''The New York Times'' staff.Guggenheim Foundation staff From the beginning of his w ...

, former director, current senior adviser, at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum *

Increase A. Lapham Increase Allen Lapham (March 7, 1811 – September 14, 1875) was an American author, scientist, and naturalist, whose work focused primarily on the what is now the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He made maps of the area and published numerous books o ...

, "father" of the United States Weather Service *

Christopher Lasch Robert Christopher Lasch (June 1, 1932 – February 14, 1994) was an American historian, moralist and social critic who was a history professor at the University of Rochester. He sought to use history to demonstrate what he saw as the pervasiven ...

, historian *

Belva Ann Lockwood Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood (October 24, 1830 – May 19, 1917) was an American lawyer, politician, educator, and author who was active in the women's rights and women's suffrage movements. She was one of the first women lawyers in the United Sta ...

, first female attorney to practice before the Supreme Court * Shawn Rabideau, event planner, TV personality *

Nathaniel Rochester Nathaniel Rochester (February 21, 1752 – May 17, 1831) was an American Revolutionary War soldier, and land speculator, most noted for founding the settlement which would become Rochester, New York. Early life Nathaniel Rochester was born ...

, city founder *

Blanche Stuart Scott Blanche Stuart Scott (April 8, 1884 – January 12, 1970), also known as Betty Scott, was possibly the first American woman aviator. Biography Early life Blanche Stuart Scott was born on April 8, 1884, in Rochester, New York, to Belle and Joh ...

, first American woman aviator * Jane Teller, sculptor * Robert Van Leer, an American arts executive

Fictional Rochesterians

Luke People *Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...

and Joanne Collins, and son Dennis Collins, ''Heroes Reborn'' * Rosalie Hale, vampire, ''Twilight''

References

Sources

* {{City of Rochester, NY Rochesterians