Press & broadcasting · 1891–1979Charles CoughlinCatholic priest, radio broadcaster, political agitatorThe Royal Oak 'Radio Priest' whose 1930s broadcasts from the Shrine of the Little Flower reached tens of millions before turning to antisemitism and support for fascism.DETROIT / A living lexicon / ¼
Famous Detroiters
People who were born here, moved here or built their careers in Detroit: musicians, carmakers, athletes, writers, inventors, civil-rights leaders and a few notorious names. With their dates, their Detroit story and the places where they lived, worked and played, closed ones included.
- 1,912 famous people
- 135 Detroit places
- 22 fields
Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
25 people
Clear filtersPress & broadcasting · 1891–1979Charles CoughlinCatholic priest, radio broadcaster, political agitatorThe Royal Oak 'Radio Priest' whose 1930s broadcasts from the Shrine of the Little Flower reached tens of millions before turning to antisemitism and support for fascism.
Religion · 1958–2025Michael J. ByrnesCatholic Archbishop of Agaña (Guam)Detroit-born priest who served as an auxiliary bishop of Detroit before leading the Catholic Church in Guam; he died in Detroit in 2025.
Music · 1898–1986Sippie Wallaceblues singer, pianist, songwriter, church organist1920s classic-blues star who moved to Detroit in 1929, served a Detroit church as organist for some 40 years, and returned to the stage in the 1960s.
Religion · 1930–2024Thomas GumbletonCatholic auxiliary bishop, peace and social justice activistDetroit-born auxiliary bishop (1968–2006) and nationally known peace activist who spent decades as pastor of St. Leo's, a poor inner-city parish.
Politics · 1814–1892Henry P. Baldwinshoe merchant, banker, governor of Michigan, U.S. senatorDetroit boot and shoe wholesaler and banker who built St. John's Episcopal Church on Woodward, served as governor (1869–1873) and gave Hazen Pingree his first Detroit job.
Religion · 1804–1869Peter Paul LefevereCatholic bishopBelgian-born bishop who led the Catholic Diocese of Detroit for 28 years, built Saints Peter and Paul Church as its cathedral and brought teaching and nursing orders to the city.
Religion · 1767–1832Gabriel RichardCatholic priest, educator, territorial delegate to CongressFrench priest of Sainte-Anne's who wrote Detroit's motto after the fire of 1805, co-founded the University of Michigan and printed Michigan's first newspaper.
Religion · 1866–1937Michael GallagherCatholic Bishop of Detroit (1918–1937)Bishop of Detroit during the boom years, who founded Sacred Heart Seminary and was the protector of radio priest Charles Coughlin.
Music · 1819–1900Richard Storrs Willishymn composer, music critic, editorComposer of the tune 'Carol' for It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, who moved to Detroit during the Civil War, lived there for the rest of his life and is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.
Religion · 1870–1948Leo M. FranklinReform rabbi of Temple Beth ElRabbi of Temple Beth El from 1899 to 1941 who built Detroit's leading Reform congregation and two Albert Kahn temples on Woodward Avenue.
Civil rights & activism · 1912–2001Charleszetta WaddlesPentecostal minister, founder of the Mother Waddles Perpetual MissionPentecostal minister known as Mother Waddles who for more than four decades fed, clothed and trained Detroit's poor through her Perpetual Mission.
Religion · 1877–1927Lajos KovácsCatholic priest, editorHungarian Catholic priest who led Delray's Holy Cross Hungarian parish in the 1920s and drove the building of its landmark neo-Gothic church, dedicated in 1925.The lexicon keeps growing. Every entry lists its sources at the bottom. Dates were checked against Wikidata and Wikipedia. The texts are our own. Famous people's places among the sights ↗