List of people from Wyoming

This is a list of prominent people who were born in or lived for a significant period of time in U.S. state of Wyoming.

The arts

Acting

• Burnu Acquanetta (1921–2004), actress and model; born in Cheyenne
• Jim Beaver (born 1950), actor; born in Laramie
• Jim J. Bullock (born 1955), actor; born in Casper
• Darren Dalton (born 1965), actor; born in Powell
• Mickey Daniels (1914–1970), actor; born in Rock Springs
• Harrison Ford (born 1942), actor; lives in Jackson Hole
• Matthew Fox (born 1966), actor; raised in Crowheart
• Jesse Garcia (born 1982), actor; born in Rawlins
• Mildred Harris (1901–1944), actress; born in Cheyenne
• Cecilia Hart (born 1948), actress; born in Cheyenne
• Kirby Heyborne (born 1976), actor; born in Evanston
• Isabel Jewell (1907–1972), actress; born in Shoshoni
• Michael Pearlman (born 1972), actor; lives in Jackson
• Jim Siedow (1920–2003), actor; born in Cheyenne
• Wally Wales (1895–1980), actor; born in Sheridan
• Larry Wilcox (born 1947), actor; raised in Rawlins^[1]

Literature

• Craig Arnold (born 1967), poet; teaches at the University of Wyoming; lives in Laramie
• C. J. Box, author of the Joe Pickett series of novels
• Maxwell Struthers Burt (1882–1954), novelist
• James A. "Jim" Corbett (1933–2001), writer, philosopher, and human-rights activist; born in Casper
• Gretel Ehrlich, novelist
• Joe Clifford Faust, novelist
• Shirley E. Flynn, Cheyenne historian
• Alexandra Fuller (born 1969), writer, author of Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight; lives in Jackson Hole
• Kathleen O'Neal Gear (born 1954), writer
• W. Michael Gear (born 1955), writer
• Dan Hausel (born 1949), author of several geological reference books on Wyoming
• Grace Raymond Hebard (1861–1936), western history writer whose findings regarding Sacajawea and Esther Hobart Morris tend to be challenged by contemporary historians
• George Clayton Johnson (born 1929), co-author of the novel Logan's Run; born in Cheyenne
• Theodore Judson, science-fiction writer
• Patricia MacLachlan (born 1938), children's book writer; her book Sarah, Plain and Tall won the Newbery Medal; born in Cheyenne
• Rodger McDaniel (born 1948), legislator, attorney, pastor, author of Dying for Joe McCarthy's Sins: The Suicide of Senator Lester Hunt; from Cheyenne
• Kyle Mills (born 1966), writer; lives in Jackson Hole
• Florabel Muir (1889–1970), newspaper reporter and columnist; born in Rock Springs
• Edgar Wilson Nye (1850–1896), journalist and humorist; postmaster of Laramie City in the Wyoming Territory
• Todd Parr (born 1962), children's book writer, artist, children's television show producer; grew up in Rock Springs
• E. Annie Proulx (born 1935), writer; author of the short story "Brokeback Mountain"; lives in Wyoming
• Chip Rawlins, non-fiction writer, outdoorsman; lives in Laramie
• David Romtvedt, Poet Laureate of Wyoming
• Georgie Sicking, cowboy poet; retired in Kaycee
• Owen Wister (1860–1938), writer of Western novels

Music

• Scott Avett (born 1976), musician; member of The Avett Brothers; born in Cheyenne
• John Perry Barlow (born 1947), former Grateful Dead lyricist; co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation; retired cattleman; born in Jackson Hole
• Ronnie Bedford (born 1931), jazz musician; music professor at Northwest College in Powell
• Chris LeDoux (1948–2005), country music singer-songwriter, bronze sculptor and rodeo champion (professional bareback rider); lived in Kaycee
• Teenage Bottlerocket, punk rock band from Laramie

Television

• Larry Birleffi (1918–2008), sportscaster; born in Platte County
• Curt Gowdy (1919–2006), sportscaster; born in Green River
• Pete Williams, NBC news correspondent; born in Casper

Visual arts

• Elsa Spear Byron (1896–1992), photographer; born in Big Horn; lived most of her life in Sheridan
• Jackson Pollock (1912–1956), artist; born in Cody
• Floyd Shaman (1935–2005), sculptor; born in Wheatland
• Penny Wolin (born 1953), photographer; author of The Jews of Wyoming: Fringe of the Diaspora; born in Cheyenne

Other

• Tony Andruzzi (1925–1991), magician; born in Cheyenne
• Robyn Johnson (born 1985), Miss Wyoming USA 2007
• Melba Ogle (born 1942), model; born in Cheyenne
• Lyle Waggoner (born 1935), actor, sculptor; lives in Jackson

Politics

A–G

• Thurman Arnold (1891–1969), associate judge of the Court of Appeals for the D. C. Circuit
• Jillian Balow (born 1970), Wyoming superintendent of public instruction
• Amos W. Barber (1861–1915), Governor of Wyoming (1890–1893)
• John Barrasso (born 1952), Republican U.S. Senator from Wyoming (since 2007)
• Frank A. Barrett (1892–1962), U.S. Senator, Representatives, Governor of Wyoming
• Eli Bebout (born 1946), Republican gubernatorial nominee (2002); member of the Wyoming State Senate (since 2007)
• Mary Bellamy (1861–1954), first woman elected to the Wyoming Legislature
• Eliza Stewart Boyd (1833–1912), first woman in America to serve on a jury
• Bryant Butler Brooks (1861–1944), Governor of Wyoming (1905–1911)
• Anne Gorsuch Burford (1942–2004), first female administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; born in Casper
• Harriet Elizabeth Byrd (born 1926), first African American elected to the Wyoming Legislature^[2]
• John Allen Campbell (1835–1880), first governor of the Wyoming Territory (1869–1875)
• Joseph M. Carey (1845–1924), Governor of Wyoming, first U.S. Senator from Wyoming
• Robert D. Carey (1878–1937), Governor of Wyoming (1919–1923), U.S. Senator (1930–1937)
• Vincent Carter (1891–1972), U.S. Representative (1929–1935)
• Cale Case (born 1958), Wyoming state senator from Lander (since 1998)
• Fenimore Chatterton (1860–1958), Acting Governor of Wyoming (1903–1905)
• Dick Cheney (born 1941), Vice-President of the United States; raised in Casper; lives in Jackson Hole
• Lynne Cheney (born 1941), member of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research; chairwoman of the National Endowment for the Humanities; wife of Dick Cheney; born in Casper
• Alonzo M. Clark (1868–1952), Governor of Wyoming (1931–1933)
• Clarence D. Clark (1851–1930), member of the Wyoming constitutional convention, U.S. Representative (1890–1893), U.S. Senator (1895–1917)
• Tom Coburn (born 1948), Junior Republican Senator from Oklahoma; born in Casper
• Henry A. Coffeen (1841–1912), U.S. Representative (1893–1895)
• Arthur G. Crane (1877–1955), Governor of Wyoming (1949–1951)
• Patrick Crank, Attorney General of Wyoming (2002–2007)
• Edward D. Crippa, interim U.S. Senator (1954)
• Barbara Cubin (born 1946), U.S. Representative (1995–2009)
• W. G. Curtis, founder and mayor of Torrington; Wyoming State representative
• Stephen Wheeler Downey (1839–1902), Wyoming territorial government leader; member of the Wyoming congressional convention; University of Wyoming trustee and president
• Frank Emerson (1882–1931), Governor of Wyoming (1926–1931)
• Mike Enzi (born 1944), U.S. Senator (since 1997)
• Dave Freudenthal (born 1950), Governor of Wyoming (since 2003)
• Nancy Freudenthal (born 1954), judge on the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming
• Jack R. Gage (1899–1970), Governor of Wyoming (1961–1963)
• Jim Geringer (born 1944), Governor of Wyoming (1995–2003)
• Paul Ranous Greever (1891–1943), U.S. Representative (1935–1938); mayor of Cody

H–M

• Clifford Hansen (1912–2009), Governor of Wyoming (1963–1967), U.S. Senator (1967–1978)
• William Henry Harrison (1896–1990), Republican U.S. Representative from Wyoming (1950s and 1960s)
• Stanley K. Hathaway (1924–2005), Governor of Wyoming (1967–1975), U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1975)
• Harold Hellbaum (1926–2007), former Republican Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives from Wheatland
• Edgar Herschler (1918–1990), Governor of Wyoming (1975–1987)
• John J. Hickey (1911–1970), U.S. Senator (1961–1962)
• Richard Honaker (born 1951), former state representative from Rock Springs, nominee for U.S. District Judge
• Frank O. Horton (1882–1948), U.S. Representative (1939–1941)
• Lester C. Hunt (1892–1954), Governor of Wyoming (1943–1949); U.S. Senator (1949–1954)
• Robert H. Johnson (1916–2011), state senator from Rock Springs (1967–1978)
• Richard R. "Dick" Jones (1910–2008), former Republican member of both houses of the Wyoming legislature, former State Senate President, former mayor of Powell, 1974 gubernatorial nominee; one of the founders of Northwest Community College (now Northwest College) in Powell
• John B. Kendrick (1857–1933), Governor of Wyoming (1915—1917), U.S. Senator (1917—1933)
• Frank E. Lucas (1876–1948), Republican Governor of Wyoming (1924—1925)
• Cynthia Lummis (born 1954), former Republican member of both houses of the Wyoming legislature and former state treasurer
• Randall Luthi (born 1953), former Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives
• Max Maxfield (born 1945), Republican secretary of state of Wyoming
• Rodger McDaniel (born 1948), Democrat, House of Representatives (1970–1976), Wyoming Senate (1976–1980), attorney; author of biography of U.S. Senator Lester C. Hunt (2013)
• Gale W. McGee (1915–1992), U.S. Senator (1959–1977)
• John J. McIntyre (1904–1974), U.S. Representative (1941–1943); Wyoming Supreme Court Justice
• Ron Micheli, former Republican member of Wyoming Legislature, former Wyoming Director of Agriculture
• Leslie A. Miller (1886–1970), Governor of Wyoming (1932–1939)
• Franklin Wheeler Mondell (1860–1939), U.S. Representative (1895–1897; 1899–1923)
• Warren A. Morton (1924–2002), former Speaker of Wyoming House of Representatives (1979–1980); Republican candidate for governor (1982)

N–Z

• Joseph C. O'Mahoney (1884–1962), U.S. Senator (1934–1953; 1954–1961)
• John Eugene Osborne (1858–1943), Governor of Wyoming (1892–1895), U.S. Representative (1987–1999)
• John C. Ostlund (1927–2004), Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1978; former member of the Wyoming State Senate
• Susan Pamerleau (born 1946), retired United States Air Force major general and the Republican sheriff of Bexar County, Texas, first woman elected to that office, 2012; reared in Wyoming in 1960s and graduate of the University of Wyoming^[3]
• Gordon L. Park (1937–2010), Republican state representative from Uinta County (1993–1996)
• Mathew Pitsch (born c. 1963), Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Fort Smith (since 2015); born in Buffalo
• Nellie Tayloe Ross (1876–1977), Governor of Wyoming (1925–1927), first female governor of a U.S. state
• DeForest Richards (1846–1903), Governor of Wyoming (1899–1903)
• William A. Richards (1849–1912), Governor of Wyoming (1895–1899)
• Edward V. Robertson (1881–1963), U.S. Senator (1943–1949)
• Teno Roncalio (1916–2003), U.S. Representative (1965–1967; 1971–1978)
• William B. Ross (1873–1924), Governor of Wyoming (1923–1924)
• Tom Sansonetti, Assistant U.S. Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Justice Department
• Robert Schliske (1924–2007), Republican member of the Wyoming House of Representatives (1971—1975); one of the founders of Laramie County Community College
• Henry H. Schwartz (1869–1955), U.S. Senator (1937–1943)
• Joseph D. Selby (1950–2007), former Republican member of the Wyoming House of Representatives from Cheyenne
• Bryan Sharratt (1947–2007), member of Clinton administration defense team; Democratic candidate for Congress (1988), having been defeated by Dick Cheney
• Larry D. Shippy (1946–2007), Republican former member of the Wyoming House of Representatives from Cheyenne
• Mike Sullivan (born 1939), Governor of Wyoming (1987–1995)
• Alan K. Simpson (born 1931), U.S. Senator (1979–1997)
• Milward L. Simpson (1897–1993), former Republican Governor and U.S. Senator from Wyoming
• Patrick Joseph Sullivan (1865–1935), mayor of Casper; U.S. Senator (1929–1930)
• John Thayer (1820–1906), Governor of Wyoming Territory (1875–1878)
• Craig L. Thomas (1930–2007), U.S. Senator (1995–2007)
• Edwin Keith Thomson (1919–1960), U.S. Representative (1955–1960)
• Thyra Thomson (1916–2013), Wyoming Secretary of State (1962–1987)
• Malcolm Wallop (1933–2011), U.S. Senator (1977–1995)
• Francis E. Warren (1844–1929), Governor of Wyoming (1890), U.S. Senator (1890–1893; 1895–1929)
• James G. Watt (born 1938), U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1981–1983)
• Alvin Wiederspahn (1949–2014), Cheyenne lawyer, historical preservationist, rancher, and member of both houses of the Wyoming State Legislature, husband of U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis^[4]
• Charles E. Winter (1870–1948), U.S. Representative (1923–1929)
• John S. Wold (born 1916), U.S. Representative (1969–1971)

Sports

• Adam Archuleta (born 1977), professional football player; born in Rock Springs
• Zane Beadles (born 1986), professional football player; born in Casper
• Nick Bebout (born 1951), professional football player; played for the University of Wyoming; born in Riverton
• Jim Benepe (born 1963), professional golfer; born in Sheridan
• Bill Briggs (born 1943), pioneer in ski mountaineering, lives in Jackson Hole
• Tom Browning (born 1960), MLB pitcher; born in Casper
• John Buck (born 1980), MLB catcher, born in Kemmerer
• Alicia Craig (born 1982), distance runner; born in Gillette
• Chris Cooley (born 1982), professional football player; born in Powell
• Jesseca Cross (born 1975), Olympic athlete; born in Laramie
• Lance Deal (born 1961), Olympic athlete; born in Riverton; attended high school in Casper
• Mike Devereaux (born 1963), MLB outfielder; NLCS MVP in 1995 with the Atlanta Braves; born in Casper
• Aaron Elling (born 1978), professional football player; played for the University of Wyoming; lived in Lander
• Dick Ellsworth (born 1940), MLB pitcher; born in Lusk
• Rulon Gardner (born 1971), wrestler; Olympic gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling; born in Afton
• John Godina (born 1972), shot putter; three-time world champion; two-time Olympic medalist; lived in Cheyenne
• Bryan Iguchi (born 1973), snowboarder; 1997 X-Games bronze medalist in half-pipe; lives in Jackson Hole
• James Johnson (born 1987), professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors; born in Cheyenne
• Brett Keisel (born 1978), professional football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers; born in Greybull
• Mike Lansing (born 1968), MLB infielder; born in Rawlins
• Nate Marquardt (born 1979), Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight fighter; born in Lander
• Tommy Moe (born 1970), world-class alpine skier; two-time Olympic medalist; member of the National Ski Hall of Fame; lives in Jackson Hole
• Jonah Nickerson (born 1985), pitcher for the Oregon State Beavers; born in Casper
• Jay Novacek (born 1962), professional football player; played college football at the University of Wyoming
• Gail O'Brien (1911–1978), professional football player; born in Cheyenne
• Brady Poppinga (born 1979), professional football player; born in Evanston
• Chris Prosinski (born 1987), professional football player; born in Newcastle
• Travis Rice (born 1982), professional snowboarder; co-producer of documentary films That's It, That's All (2008) and The Art of Flight (2011); born and raised in Jackson Hole
• Todd Skinner (1958–2006), rock climber; born in Pinedale
• Rick Sofield (born 1956), MLB outfielder; born in Cheyenne
• Josef Stiegler (born 1937), world-class alpine skier; three-time Olympic medalist in slalom and giant slalom; lives in Jackson Hole
• Resi Stiegler (born 1985), alpine skier; born and raised in Jackson Hole
• John Wendling (born 1983), professional football player; born in Cody

Miscellaneous

• Thurman Arnold (1891–1969), lawyer and judge; born in Laramie
• Edward L. Baker, Jr. (1865–1913), United States Army; recipient, Medal of Honor; born in Laramie County
• Harold Roe Bartle (1901–1974), lawyer; politician; helped to establish Scouting in Wyoming
• George T. Beck (1856–1943), politician; businessman; helped William Cody establish the town of Cody
• "Buffalo Bill" Cody (1846–1917), Old West figure; helped create Cody
• John Colter (1774–1813), explorer; first white man to set foot in Wyoming
• Clayton Danks (1879–1970), model cowboy on the Wyoming trademark, the Bucking Horse and Rider; winner of three competitions at Cheyenne Frontier Days
• James M. Flinchum (1916–2011), newspaperman
• Otto Franc (1846–1903), cattle baron and homesteader in the Big Horn Basin
• Lilian Heath, first female doctor in Wyoming
• James L. Herdt, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy; born in Casper
• Leonard S. Hobbs (1896–1977), aeronautical engineer and author; won the 1952 Collier Trophy for designing the P&W J57 turbojet engine; born in Carbon County
• Ralph S. Johnson (1906–2010), aviation pioneer and former state legislator from Laramie County
• Raymond A. Johnson, aviation pioneer^[5]
• William T. Kane (1932–2008), physicist in field of fiber optics
• Esther Hobart Morris (1814–1902), appointed first female judge in United States in 1870 to complete the term of a justice who resigned in protest of the Wyoming Territory's passage of women's suffrage
• Harold McCracken (1894–1983), creator and director of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody
• M. Margaret McKeown (born 1951), U.S. Appeals Court Judge; born in Casper
• Margaret Murie (1902–2003), conservationist; lived in Wyoming
• John Pedersen, firearms designer who worked for Remington Arms
• Chance Phelps (1985–2004), soldier; born in Dubois
• Jedediah Smith (1799–1831), mountain man, trapper, explorer; first American to get to California from the East
• Matthew Shepard (1976–1998), murdered student from the University of Wyoming; born in Casper
• Gerry Spence (born 1929), lawyer; born in Laramie
• Willis Van Devanter (1859–1941), city attorney for Cheyenne; chief judge of the Wyoming territorial court
• Robert R. Wilson (1914–2000), physicist; a group leader of the Manhattan Project; born in Frontier
• Duke William

References

1. . Internet Movie Database.
2. BlackPast.org-Remembered and Reclaimed-Byrd, Harriet Elizabeth "Liz" (1926–)
3. "A Lifetime of Dedicated Service: Sheriff Susan Lewellyn Pamerleau, Major General (Ret.)". University of Wyoming. September 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
4. "Alvin Wiederspahn". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
5. "James Chilton, Hall of Fame inductee grew alongside aviation industry, September 26, 2013". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved September 26, 2013.