Law · 1889–1982Homer S. Fergusonjudge, U.S. senator, diplomatDetroit lawyer and Wayne County circuit judge whose one-man grand jury exposed city corruption (1939–1941), launching him into the U.S. Senate (1943–1955).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
- 270 Detroit places
- 18 fields
Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
6 people
Clear filtersLaw · 1889–1982Homer S. Fergusonjudge, U.S. senator, diplomatDetroit lawyer and Wayne County circuit judge whose one-man grand jury exposed city corruption (1939–1941), launching him into the U.S. Senate (1943–1955).
Business & brands · 1908–2005Max Fisherbusinessman, philanthropist, presidential adviserOil businessman who came to Detroit in 1930, built Aurora Gasoline and Speedway, led the city's Jewish community and civic renewal efforts, and gave his name to the Detroit Symphony's music center.
Politics · 1922–1993Zolton Ferencylawyer, political activist, professorDetroit-born son of a Hungarian-American family who chaired the Michigan Democratic Party, ran for governor in 1966 and later founded the left-wing Human Rights Party.
Business & brands · 1833–1907Dexter M. Ferryseed merchant, founder of D. M. Ferry & Co.Detroit merchant whose D. M. Ferry & Co. became the world's largest seed company, selling fresh seed in small paper packets across America.
Politics · born 1952Robert Ficanolawyer, Wayne County sheriff, county executiveDetroit-born lawyer who served twenty years as Wayne County sheriff (1983–2003) and twelve as county executive (2003–2015), a tenure ending amid scandals and the unfinished Gratiot jail project.
Labor · 1907–1977Richard FrankensteenUAW vice president, labor organizerDetroit-born Dodge worker and UAW vice president who was beaten beside Walter Reuther at the 1937 Battle of the Overpass and ran for mayor in 1945.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 ↗