Auto industry · 1875–1940Walter P. Chryslerfounder of Chrysler CorporationKansas railroad mechanic who ran Buick, founded Chrysler Corporation in Detroit in 1925 and made it one of the Big Three by buying Dodge in 1928.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.
- 1,743 famous people
- 96 Detroit places
- 16 fields
Hungarian ties 21 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
23 people
Clear filtersAuto industry · 1875–1940Walter P. Chryslerfounder of Chrysler CorporationKansas railroad mechanic who ran Buick, founded Chrysler Corporation in Detroit in 1925 and made it one of the Big Three by buying Dodge in 1928.
Notorious figures · 1873–1901Leon Czolgoszanarchist, assassin of President William McKinleyDetroit-born wireworker and anarchist who shot President William McKinley in Buffalo in 1901; his birth in the city is his main tie to Detroit.
Science & invention · 1864–1929Charles Horton CooleysociologistPioneer of American sociology who coined the 'looking-glass self'; he spent his whole life in Ann Arbor and taught the University of Michigan's first sociology course.
Auto industry · 1878–1941Louis Chevroletracing driver, engineer, co-founder of ChevroletSwiss-born racer who designed the first Chevrolet in a Detroit workshop in 1911 and later returned to the city's factories as a mechanic.
Science & invention · 1872–1942Heber Doust CurtisastronomerAstronomer who argued in the 1920 'Great Debate' that spiral nebulae are other galaxies; he went to school and briefly taught Latin in Detroit, and later ran the University of Michigan's observatories.
Sports · 1889–1972Ralph Craigtrack and field athlete, sprinterDetroit-born sprinter who won Olympic gold in both the 100 meters and 200 meters at the 1912 Stockholm Games, later carrying the American flag at the 1948 Olympics.
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.
Theatre & dance · 1893–1974Katharine Cornellstage actress, producerBroadway's 'First Lady of the Theatre', who learned her craft in Jessie Bonstelle's stock company on the stage of Detroit's Garrick Theatre around 1918–1920.
Politics · 1813–1879Zachariah Chandlermerchant, mayor of Detroit, U.S. senatorDetroit merchant and abolitionist who backed the Underground Railroad, served as mayor in 1851 and became Michigan's Radical Republican boss in the U.S. Senate.
Film & TV · 1864–1943Frank CampeauactorDetroit-born stage actor turned silent-film character player, a frequent screen partner of Douglas Fairbanks in more than 90 films.
Business & brands · 1872–1936James CouzensFord Motor Company co-founder and business manager, mayor of Detroit, U.S. senatorCanadian-born railroad clerk who became Ford's hard-driving business manager, then mayor of Detroit and a U.S. senator.
Sports · 1880–1968Sam Crawfordbaseball player, outfielderHall of Fame Tigers right fielder of 1903–1917, Ty Cobb's teammate and rival, who still holds the major-league record for career triples.
Architecture & design · 1876–1945Paul Philippe CretarchitectFrench-born Philadelphia architect who designed the Detroit Institute of Arts' Beaux-Arts museum building on Woodward Avenue (1927).
Auto industry · 1880–1936Roy D. Chapinco-founder and president of Hudson Motor Car Company, U.S. Secretary of CommerceOlds test driver who co-founded the Hudson Motor Car Company in Detroit, named it for merchant J. L. Hudson, and later served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
Music · 1877–1912Hughie Cannonsongwriter, pianistDetroit-born ragtime songwriter and pianist who wrote "(Won't You Come Home) Bill Bailey" in 1902, later a standard for Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin.
Politics · 1893–1957Albert Cobobusinessman, city treasurer, mayor of DetroitBurroughs executive and city treasurer who as mayor (1950–1957) drove freeway building and urban renewal, blocked public housing in white neighborhoods and gave his name to Cobo Hall.
Sports · 1898–1941Andy Cooperbaseball pitcher and managerHall of Fame left-hander who pitched nine seasons for the Negro-league Detroit Stars; one historian called him the greatest pitcher ever to play for a Detroit team.
Business & brands · 1855–1937Hamilton Carharttclothing manufacturer, founder of CarharttFounder of the workwear brand Carhartt, started in Detroit in 1889 to make tough overalls for railroad workers.
Business & brands · 1842–1923Marvin H. Chamberlainliquor and tobacco merchant, inventor, mayor of DetroitMichigan-born schoolteacher turned liquor and tobacco merchant, council president and Democratic mayor (1886–1887), who later ran Detroit's garbage-reduction plant.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 ↗