Politics · 1792–1859John Biddlearmy officer, mayor of Detroit, territorial delegatePhiladelphia-born officer who commanded Fort Shelby, served as Detroit's mayor in 1827–1828 and founded the estate that became the city of Wyandotte.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.
- 1,940 famous people
- 366 Detroit places
- 10 fields
Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
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7 people
Clear filtersPolitics · 1792–1859John Biddlearmy officer, mayor of Detroit, territorial delegatePhiladelphia-born officer who commanded Fort Shelby, served as Detroit's mayor in 1827–1828 and founded the estate that became the city of Wyandotte.
Politics · 1782–1854John R. Williamsmerchant, first elected mayor of DetroitDetroit-born merchant who wrote the 1824 city charter, served as the first elected mayor and co-founded the paper that became the Detroit Free Press; John R Street is named after him.
Politics · 1792–1866Levi Cookmerchant, banker, mayor of DetroitDry-goods merchant and banker who held nearly every Detroit civic office of his era, including mayor in 1832 and 1835–1836 and chief of the fire department.
Politics · 1780–1854Andrew Macksea captain, customs collector, newspaper owner, mayor of DetroitGlobe-circling sailor and Ohio businessman who became Detroit's customs collector, co-owned the early Free Press and was elected mayor in a special election in 1834.
Politics · 1798–1838Marshall Chapinphysician, pharmacist, mayor of DetroitDoctor who opened Detroit's first drugstore in 1819, served as mayor in 1831 and 1833 and was city physician during the cholera epidemics of 1832 and 1834.
Politics · 1786–1826Henry I. Huntmerchant, mayor of DetroitEarly Detroit merchant and officeholder who became mayor in 1826 and died in office that September; uncle of the Civil War artillery chief of the same name.
Politics · 1787–1846De Garmo Jonesbusinessman, mayor of Detroit, state senatorHard-driving Detroit entrepreneur, railroad director and builder of Michigan's first capitol, who served as mayor in 1839.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 ↗