A list of notable people from the U.S. state of Michigan. Bolding indicates places in Michigan. People from Michigan are sometimes referred to as Michiganders, Michiganians, or more rarely as Michiganites. This list includes people who were born, have lived, or worked in Michigan.
Actors, entertainers and filmmakers
Actors
Main article: List of Michigan actors
Directors, filmmakers, and producers
- Mike Binder, director, screenwriter and actor (born in Birmingham)
- Kerry Conran, screenwriter and director (born in Flint)
- Roger Corman, director and producer (born in Detroit)
- Jerry Bruckheimer, movie and TV producer (born in Detroit)
- Robert J. Flaherty, filmmaker best known his Nanook of the North the first commercially successful documentary film (born in Iron Mountain)
- Francis Ford Coppola, film director, screen writer, publisher and vintner, three-time Academy Award winner for Best Picture, first director to have two films competing for Best Picture at the same time -- The Conversation and (The Godfather, Part II (born in Detroit)
- John Hughes, director and writer of the Brat Pack films (born in Lansing)
- Woodie King, Jr., stage and film director and producer (raised in Detroit)
- McG, film director (born in Kalamazoo)
- Michael Moore, filmmaker and writer (born in Flint)]
- Sam Raimi, director most known for movies The Evil Dead, Spider-Man, and producing Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys TV series (born in Royal Oak)
- Rich Robins(II), Emmy-winning television producer for Fox and Comedy Central (born in Howell)
- Terry Rossio, screenwriter and film producer (born in Kalamazoo)
- Paul Schrader, film director (born in Grand Rapids)
- Robert Shaye, co-CEO of New Line Cinema (born in Detroit)
- Bill Carruthers Producer Director, Soupy, Press Your Luck, Frank Sinatra, Johhny Cash, Media advisor to Presidents (born in Detroit)
Radio and television people
- Byron Allen, comedian, TV talk show host (born in Detroit)
- Kristen Bell, Pretty Actress
- Sandra Bernhard, comedian (born in Flint)
- Cam Brainard, radio and TV announcer best known as the narrator of Breed All About It on Animal Planet (born in Flint)
- Selma Blair, Pretty Actress
- Bob Eubanks, game show host most known for The Newlywed Game (born in Flint)
- Thom Hartmann, radio talk show host, broadcaster and author (born in Lansing)
- Casey Kasem, radio personality host of American Top 40 (born in Detroit)
- James Lipton, host of the Bravo cable TV series, Inside the Actors Studio, writer and poet (born in Detroit)
- Loni Love, comedian, featured on television shows such as Chelsea Lately and I Love The '80s (born in Detroit)
- Greg Mathis, Judge and later TV Judge (born in Detroit)
- Ed McMahon, Tonight Show announcer and sidekick to Johnny Carson (born in Detroit)
Reporters and sportscasters
- Charles Collingwood, CBS television news correspondent (born in Three Rivers)
- Jill Dobson, Fox News entertainment correspondent (born in Quincy)
- Dick Enberg, sportscaster (born in Armada)
- Jim Kaat, MLB Network sportscaster (born in Zeeland)
- Suzanne Malveaux, CNN news reporter (born in Lansing)
- Steve Phillips, ESPN baseball analyst (from Detroit)
- Amy Robach, MSNBC news anchor (born in Michigan)
- Jay Schadler, ABC television news correspondent (born and raised in St. Joseph)
- Lem Tucker, pioneering African-American two-time Emmy Award-winning news reporter who worked at points for NBC, ABC and CBS (born in Saginaw)
Other
- Edgar Bergen, ventriloquist and actor. (born in Chicago, raised in Decatur)
- John Heffron, comedian and winner of NBC's Last Comic Standing (born in Detroit)
- Jamie Hyneman, film special effects expert on MythBusters television show. (born in Marshall)
- Loretta Long, "Miss Susan" on PBS's Sesame Street (born and raised in Paw Paw)
Architects
- Charles N. Agree
- Marcus Burrowes
- Emily Helen Butterfield, Michigan's first female licensed architect, artist and church architecture innovator (born in Algonac)
- C. Howard Crane
- John M. Donaldson
- Joseph N. French
- Norman Bel Geddes, architectural industrial designer, aviation designer, and theatrical designer best known for the 1939 New York World's Fair pavilion Futurama he designed for General Motors (born in Adrian)
- Eric J. Hill
- Albert Kahn, architect (born in Rhaunen, Germany; moved to Detroit)
- Louis Kamper
- William E. Kapp
- Florence Knoll, minimalist archtitect and furniture designer (born in 'Saginaw'*)
- John Lautner
- Gordon W. Lloyd
- George D. Mason
- Charles Willard Moore, architect, leader of the humanistic architecture movement (born in Benton Harbor)
- S. Kenneth Neumann
- Ralph Rapson, architect best-known for the design of the original Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis (born in Alma)
- Harry J. Rill
- Gino Rossetti
- Matthew L. Rossetti
- Wirt C. Rowland, architect best-known for his design of the Guardian Building (born in Clinton)
- Eero Saarinen
- Victor Saroki
- Eliel Saarinen
- Ossian Cole Simonds, late-19th century landscape architect (born in Grand Rapids)
- Fred L. Smith
- Minoru Yamasaki, architect, best known for designing the World Trade Center. (Born in Seattle, later moved to Grand Rapids)
Artists and artisans [1]
Ceramists
- Horace Caulkins, known for Pewabic Pottery used to make architectural tiles.
- Diana Pancioli, ceramist, professor, and author.
- Mary Chase Perry Stratton, known for Pewabic Pottery used to make architectural tiles.
- Tom Lollar, Ceramist and professor of fine arts
Painters
- Mathias Alten, impressionist painter from Grand Rapids
- Frederick Stuart Church, 19th century painter (born in Grand Rapids)
- E. Irving Couse, painter and founding member of the Taos artist colony (born in Saginaw)
- Ian Hornak, Realist Painter (born in Philadelphia, PA and moved to Mount Clemens at age 5; later moved to Detroit)
- Bradley Jones
- Carlos Lopez
- Charles McGee (painter)
- Gari Melchers
- Julius Rolshoven
- John Mix Stanley, 19th century painter and portraitist; cofounder of the forerunner to the Detroit Institute of Arts (born in Canandaigua, New York; moved to Detroit)
- Kent Twitchell, muralist and painter (born in Lansing)
- Carol Wald
- Kurt Wenner, painter (born in Ann Arbor)
- Ezra Winter, muralist, born 1886 in Traverse City. Works include Canterbury tales mural (1939), Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C. and works in the Guardian Building, Detroit.
Photographers
- Talbert Abrams, "Father of Aerial Photography" (born in Tekonsha)
- M.J. Alexander, American West photoessayist (born in Sault Ste. Marie))
- Louis James Pesha, pioneering marine photographer (born in Euphemia, Ontario, moved to Marine City)
- Bill Schwab, fine arts photographer born in Detroit
Sculptors
- Marshall Fredericks
- Julius T. Melchers
- Carl Milles
- Isamu Noguchi
- Corrado Parducci
- Carlo Romanelli
- Edward Wagner
Astronauts and aviation pioneers
- Michael J. Bloomfield, astronaut (raised in Lake Fenton)
- William Boeing, aviation pioneer, founder of Boeing Company (born in Detroit)
- Roger B. Chaffee, astronaut (born in Grand Rapids)
- Edward Heinemann, aircraft designer responsible wholly or in part for 20 major military aircraft, including the A-4 Skyhawk light bomber, the F3D Skyknight night fighter and the F4D Skyray carrier-based fighter aircraft (born in Saginaw)
- Gregory Jarvis, astronaut and payload specialist—died in the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger (born in Detroit)
- Brent W. Jett, astronaut (born in Pontiac)
- Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson, aircraft engineer and aeronautical innovator (born in Ishpeming)
- Iven Carl Kincheloe, Jr., test pilot pioneer (born in Detroit; raised in Cassopolis)
- David Leestma, astronaut (born in Muskegon)
- Jerry M. Linenger, astronaut (born in Eastpointe)
- Charles Lindbergh, pioneer aviator (born in Detroit)
- Jack R. Lousma, astronaut (born in Grand Rapids)
- Nancy Harkness Love, World War II pilot, squadron commander and aviation training pioneer (born in Houghton)
- James McDivitt, astronaut (born in Chicago; moved to Jackson)
- Donald R. McMonagle, astronaut and Manager of Launch Integration at the Kennedy Space Center (born in Flint)
- Philip Orin Parmelee, aviation pioneer trained by the Wright brothers (born in Matherton; raised in Saint Johns)
- Harriet Quimby, aviation pioneer and first US woman to receive a pilot's license (born in Coldwater)
- Ralph Royce, military aviation pioneer who flew the first US military air operation (in 1916 in Mexico), oversaw operational air commands through the 1920-1940s becoming commander of US tactical air forces in Europe after World War II, later became Director of Economic Development for the state of Michigan (born in Marquette)
- Richard A. Searfoss, astronaut (born in Mount Clemens)
- Brewster H. Shaw, Jr., astronaut (born in Cass City)
- Leigh Wade, early aviation pioneer and test pilot (born in Cassopolis)
- Alfred Worden, astronaut (born in Jackson)
- Fred Zinn, World War I aviator and aviation reconnaissance pioneer (born in Battle Creek)
Business leaders and inventors
Automotive industry
- David Dunbar Buick, founder of Buick Motor Company (born in Arbroath, Angus, Scotland; emigrated to Detroit where he founded his company; later moved with his company to Flint)
- Roy D. Chapin, founder of Hudson Motor Car Company and U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Herbert Hoover (born in Lansing)
- Harlow Curtice, CEO and President of General Motors and 1955 Time magazine Man of the Year (born in Petrieville; raised in Eaton Rapidsand began career in Flint)
- William Davidson, CEO of Guardian Industries, philanthropist and chairman of Palace Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Detroit Pistons of the NBA, the Detroit Shock of the WNBA, and the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL (born in Detroit)
- John De Lorean, automobile industry entrepreneur (born in Detroit)
- Horace Elgin Dodge, automobile manufacturing pioneer (born in Niles)
- John Francis Dodge, automobile manufacturing pioneer (born in Niles)
- William C. Durant, automobile industry pioneer (born in Boston, Massachusetts; moved to Flint and later Pontiac)
- Max M. Fisher, industrialist, philanthropist (born in Pittsburgh; raised in Salem, Ohio; moved as an adult to metro Detroit)
- Edsel Ford auto maker (born in Detroit)
- Henry Ford auto maker (born in Dearborn )
- Henry Ford II auto maker (born in Detroit)
- William Clay Ford auto maker (born in Detroit)
- Lee Iacocca
- Ransom E. Olds - automobile manufacturer; founded Olds Motor Vehicle Company (born in Geneva, Ohio, long-time resident of Lansing)
- Henry M. Leland machinist, inventor, engineer and automotive entrepreneur (with Cadillac) (born in Rutland, Vermont; relocated to Detroit)
- Roger Penske, founder of Penske Corporation and the automobile racing team Penske Racing (born in Shaker Heights, Ohio; moved to Bloomfield Hills)
- Jack Roush, CEO/owner of Roush Racing NASCAR and Chairman of the Board of Roush Enterprises (born in Covington, Kentucky; lived for some time in Ypsilanti before moving to Charlotte, North Carolina)
- Andra Rush, CEO of Rush Trucking, the largest Native American-owned business in the United States (born in Oshwegan Mohawk Reserve in Canada; moved to Wayne)
- Lynn Alfred Townsend, President and CEO of Chrysler Corporation from 1961-1966, and its Chairman and CEO from 1967-1975 (born in Flint)
- Preston Tucker, automobile designer, entrepreneur (born in Capac)
Computers, internet and high tech industries
- Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO and first person to become a billionaire based on stock options received as a corporate employee (born in Detroit)
- Tom Halstead- Biotech CEO, Patient Rights Advocate, American Baha'i (born in Detroit)
- William Hewlett, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, (born in Ann Arbor)
- Bill Joy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and its former chief scientist (born in rural Michigan)
- Peter Karmanos, founder of Compuware.
- Michael Kinsley, founding editor of Slate (born in Detroit)
- Kevin O'Connor, cofounder and CEO of Doubleclick Internet ad serving software company and advertising network (born in Detroit)
- Scott McNealy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, Cranbrook alumni.
- Larry Page, entrepreneur, co-founder of Google search engine (born in Lansing)
Food and food service industry
- Ben Feigenson, co-founder of Faygo Beverage Company (born in Russia, immigrated to Detroit)
- Perry Feigenson, co-founder of Faygo Beverage Company (born in Russia, immigrated to Detroit)
- Daniel Gerber, Jr., Gerber Products Company baby food company leader (born in Fremont)
- Daniel Gerber, Sr., Gerber Products Company baby food company founder (born in Fremont)
- Mike Ilitch, owner and founder of Little Caesars Pizza, owner of Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers (born in Detroit)
- Will Keith Kellogg, founder of Kellogg Company (born in Battle Creek)
- Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza (born in Ann Arbor)
- David M. Overton, founder and CEO of the Cheesecake Factory, Inc. (born in Detroit)
- C. W. Post, founder of Post Cereals, inventor of Grape-Nuts (born in Springfield, Illinois, moved to Battle Creek)
- Mark Saur, founder of Old Orchard Brands juice company (born in Sparta)
- James Vernor, founder of Vernor's Company and creator of Vernor's Ginger Ale (born in Detroit)
Furniture
- D. J. DePree, founder of Herman Miller office equipment company (raised in Zeeland)
- Max O. DePree, CEO of Herman Miller office equipment company from 1980-1987 (born in Zeeland)
- Edward Knabusch, co-founder of La-Z-Boy furniture company (from Monroe)
- Florence Knoll, furniture designer best known for creating the executive table desk, later head of the Hans G. Knoll Furniture Company
- Edwin Shoemaker, co-founder of La-Z-Boy furniture company (from Monroe)
- Peter Martin Wege, founder of Steelcase (from Grand Rapids)
Other business
- James Anthony Bailey, circus showman and cofounder of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus(born in Detroit)
- Don Barden, cable company pioneer and casino investor (born in Detroit)
- Andrew "Andy" Beal, billionaire businessman banking and real estate, founder and chairman of Beal Bank and Beal Aerospace Technologies (born in Lansing)
- George Gough Booth, publisher (from Michigan)
- Louis and Tom Borders, founders of Borders Group bookstores
- John W. Brown, CEO of Stryker Corporation from 1977-2004, transforming it into orthopedic implant and medical product maker leader (born in Tennessee, moved to Kalamazoo)
- Joseph Bruce, co-founder of Psychopathic Records, hip hop singer and professional wrestler (born in Wayne)
- Leo Burnett, advertising firm founder
- Irving T. Bush, business leader, funded Bush House in London and Bush Terminal in Brooklyn
- Michael Cohrs, member of the Board of Deutsche Bank (born in Midland)
- Richard DeVos, founder of Alticor and former president of Amway (born in Forest Hills in metro Grand Rapids)
- Herbert Henry Dow, inventor and one of the founders of the US chemical industry (born in Belleville, Ontario; moved to Midland)
- Orville Gibson, founder of Gibson Guitar Corporation (born in Chateaugay, New York; moved as an adult to Kalamazoo)
- Daniel Gilbert, financier founder of US' largest online mortgage company Quicken Loans,owner of NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers (from Livonia)
- Arnold Gingrich, founder of Esquire magazine (born in Grand Rapids)
- Berry Gordy, Jr., founder of Motown Records (born in Detroit)
- G. A. Krause, founder of Wolverine World Wide shoe company (from Rockford)
- Sebastian S. Kresge, founder of K-Mart (born in Bald Mountain, Pennsylvania; moved as an adult to Detroit)
- Alex Manoogian, inventor, founder of Masco, philanthropist (born in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire; moved to Detroit)
- Orville D. Merillat, founder of Merillat Kitchens—later Merillat Industries (born in Fulton Co. , Ohio, moved to Adrian as a young man)
- Richard Merillat, entrepreneur, former CEO of Merillat Industries and philanthropist (from Adrian)
- Stephen M. Ross, born in Detroit, founder and CEO of The Related Companies real estate firm, helped to establish the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan which bears his name, 95% owner of Miami Dolphins.
- Frank Stanton, early television executive, president of CBS from 1946-1972 (born in Muskegon)
- Homer Stryker, M.D., inventor of the mobile hospital bed and founder of orthopedic implant and medical product maker Stryker Corporation (born in Kalamazoo)
- Jon Lloyd Stryker, architect and billionaire co-owner of the Stryker Corp. and grandson of its founder Homer Stryker, founder of Arcus Foundation charity for gay and lesbian issues and great ape conservation (born in Kalamazoo)
- Pat Stryker, billionaire co-owner of the Stryker Corp., owner of Stryker Sonoma vineyards, advocate of bilingual education, and granddaughter of its founder Homer Stryker (born in Kalamazoo; moved to Fort Collins, Colorado)
- Ronda Stryker, billionaire co-owner of the Stryker Corp. and granddaughter of its founder Homer Stryker (born in Kalamazoo)
- William Upjohn, physician and founder of Upjohn pharmaceutical company, later merged with Pharmacia and now owned by Pfizer (born in Richland Township, settled in Kalamazoo)
- Frederick Upton, co-founder of Whirlpool Corporation (born in Battle Creek)
- Louis Upton, co-founder of Whirlpool Corporation (born in Battle Creek)
- Joseph Utsler, co-founder of Psychopathic Records and hip hop singer (born in Wayne
- Jay Van Andel, co-founder of Alticor and Amway (born in Grand Rapids)
- Brad Wardell, President and CEO of Stardock software and computer game company (born in Texas; lives in Michigan)
- Samuel Zell, University of Michigan alumnus, real estate investor, billionaire, has made large donations to the University of Michigan. Co-established Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. Robert H. Lurie, also a University of Michigan alumnus, donated the Lurie Tower.
Cartoonists, illustrators, and animationists
A-L
- T. Casey Brennan, comic book author for Vampirella, Creepy and Eerie (from Ann Arbor)
- J. Scott Campbell, co-founder of the Cliffhanger imprint of Wildstorm Productions best-known as the co-creator of Danger Girl (which was later made into a video game) and Gen¹³(born in East Tawas)
- Dave Coverly, syndicated cartoonist, Speed Bump comic strip (born in Plainwell)
- Robert L. Dickey, 19th and early 20th century cartoonist, creator of the newspaper strips Buckey and His Friends and Buster Bean, and illustrator for Life Magazine (born in Michigan)
- Dave Dorman, science fiction and fantasty illustrator and animationist (born in Michigan)
- David S. Goyer, comic book writer and filmmaker, best known for authoring almost 50 issues of Justice Society of America for DC Comics and comic-based films including The Crow: City of Angels, Dark City, Blade, and Blade II. He both wrote and directed ZigZag and Blade: Trinity as well as being the co-writer and story creator of Batman Begins (born in Ann Arbor)
- Ed Emshwiller, animator, visual artist, and founder of CalArts Computer Animation Lab (born in Lansing)
- Al Jean, creator of The Critic, and writer and voice critic for The Simpsons and Family Guy (born in Farmington Hills)
- Geoff Johns, comic book writer, known primarily for his work with DC Comics (born in Detroit)
- Vincent Locke, comic book illustrator, best known for his work on Deadworld and A History of Violence (from metro Detroit area)
M-Z
- Mike Manley, one of the main illustrators of DC Comics's Batman and co-creator of Marvel Comics's Darkhawk (born in Detroit)
- Winsor McCay, pioneer film animator (born in Spring Lake)
- William Messner-Loebs, comic book writer and artist (from Michigan)
- Dan Mishkin, comic book writer, co-creator of Amethyst, Princess of Gem World and Blue Devil
- James O'Barr, creator of the comic book series The Crow (born in Detroit)
- Gary Reed, comic book writer and publisher of Caliber Comics (born in Detroit)
- Jim Starlin, Marvel Comics illustrator and writer (born in Detroit)
- John Henry Striebel, 19th century comic strip pioneer (born in Bertrand)
- Craig Thompson, cartoonist and graphic novelist best known for Blankets (born in Traverse City)
- John Thompson, magazine illustrator, Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame inductee (born in Three Rivers)
- Jerry Van Amerongen, comic strip writer best known for his syndicated comic panel The Neighborhood (born in Grand Rapids)
- Larry Wright, two-time winner of the National Cartoonist Society Editorial Cartoon Award and creator of the comic strips Wright Angles, Motley and Kit 'N' Carlyle (from Allen Park)
Civil rights and suffrage leaders and abolitionists
- Irene Osgood Andrews, woman's rights advocate best known for her writings on the problems of women in industry (born in Big Rapids)
- Leonard Baker, abolitionist, American Congregational minister (born in Detroit)
- Olympia Brown, woman suffrage leader (born in Prairie Ronde)
- Pearl M. Hart, civil rights advocate and lawyer, activist for gay rights and the rights of immigrants (born in Traverse City)
- Erastus Hussey, abolitionist and leading Underground Railroad stationmaster (from Battle Creek)
- Viola Liuzzo, 1960s white civil rights advocate who was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan (born in California, Pennsylvania; moved to Detroit)
- Malcom X, Civil Rights Leader (born in Omaha, Nebraska; raised in Lansing)
- Katharine Dexter McCormick, biologist, woman suffrage leader & philanthropist (born in Dexter)
- Rosa Parks, civil rights activist (born in Tuskegee, Alabama; moved to Detroit)
- Lawrence Plamondon, cofounder of the White Panther Party, activist, and first hippie to be on the FBI's Most Wanted List (adopted and raised in Traverse City, active in Ann Arbor, now living in Barry County)
- Jonathan Walker, abolitionist and subject of John Greenleaf Whittier's poem "Man With The Branded Hand (born in Cape Cod, Massachusetts; settled in Muskegon)
- Sojourner Truth (lived in Battle Creek)
Infamous Michiganders
- Jim Bakker, scandal-ridden televangelist (born in Muskegon)
- Abe Bernstein, Prohibition-era gangster (born in New York; moved to Detroit)
- Ivan Boesky, inside trader (born in Detroit)
- Tony Chebatoris, murderer, bank robber and the only person executed for a crime in Michigan's history
- Father Charles Coughlin, notoriously anti-Semitic, pro-Hitler priest of the interwar years (born in Hamilton, Ontario; moved to Birmingham)
- Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen, murderer (and first criminal to be captured with the aid of wireless communication (born in Michigan, caught in England)
- Leon Czolgosz, assassin of President William McKinley (born in Detroit)
- Andrew Kehoe, Bath School disaster bomber
- Jack Kevorkian, physician infamous for assisted suicides (born in Pontiac)
- John List, mass murderer (born in Bay City)
- John Mitchell, conspiratorial Attorney General during Watergate under President Richard Nixon (born in Detroit)
- Terry Nichols, Oklahoma City bombing co-conspirator (born in Michigan)
- The Purple Gang, 1920s organized crime group in Detroit
- Jonathan Schmitz, heterosexual murderer of gay admirer Scott Amedure after an episode ("Same-Sex Secret Crushes") of the Jenny Jones talk show
- Reed Slatkin, perpetrator of the largest Ponzi scheme in the United States since that conducted by Ponzi himself (born in Detroit)
- Eddie Slovik - last U.S. soldier executed for desertion (born in Detroit, raised in Dearborn)
- Aileen Wuornos, murderer made famous as the subject of the 2003 film "Monster" starring Charlize Theron (born in Rochester
Inventors
- Thomas Edison, inventor, entrepreneur (born in Milan, Ohio; later settled in Port Huron')
- Robert Jarvik, medical inventor (born in Midland)
- Elijah McCoy, steam engine lubricator inventor—origin of the phrase "the real McCoy" (born in Colchester, Ontario; moved to Ypsilanti)
- Sid Meier, "father of computer gaming", created the groundbreaking computer game Civilization among others (born in Detroit)
- Ephraim Shay, inventor of the Shay locomotive (born in Sherman Township, Huron County, Ohio; moved to Harbor Springs)
- Allan R. Thieme inventor of the "Amigo", the first power-operated vehicle/scooter for individuals with walking limitations (born in Bridgeport)
Labor leaders
- Leon E. Bates Labor Leader (born in Carrollton, Missouri
- Owen Bieber, labor leader (born in North Dorr, worked in Grand Rapids)
- Douglas A. Fraser, labor leader (born in Glasgow, Scotland; raised in Detroit)
- James R. Hoffa, labor leader (born in Indiana, moved to Lake Orion)
- James P. Hoffa, labor leader (born in Detroit)
- Joseph Labadie, labor leader, political activist (born in Paw Paw)
- Walter Reuther, labor leader (born in Wheeling, West Virginia; moved to Detroit; died in Pellston)
- Leonard Woodcock, labor leader (born in Providence, Rhode Island; raised in Detroit)
Military figures
- Christopher C. Augur, commanding officer of the Union Army XXII Corps (ACW) at the Battle of Plains Store in the American Civil War (born in New York, settled in Michigan from which state he led troops in the war)
- Remi A. Balduck, World War II naval hero (born in Detroit)
- Frank Dwight Baldwin, Major General in the US Army, twice awarded the Medal of Honor for his parts in the American Civil War and Indian Wars, also serving in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War (born in Manchester)
- Harry Hill Bandholtz, US Brigadier General in World War I and head of the US Military Mission to Hungary (born in Constantine)
- Joseph Beyrle, only soldier to have served in both the US Army and the Soviet Army in World War II (born in Muskegon)
- Ronald A. Burdo, World War II US Marine hero for whom the high speed transport USS Burdo (APD-133) was named (born in Cheboygan)
- George H. Cannon, first US Marine to receive the Medal of Honor in World War II (born in Webster Groves, Missouri; raised in Detroit)
- Joshua G. Cantor-Stone, crew member of the USS Lexington and Purple Heart recipient (born in Detroit)
- Lewis Cass, Secretary of War under President Andrew Jackson, Secretary of State under President James Buchanan, Brigadier General in the War of 1812, 1848 Democratic Party presidential nominee, governor of Michigan Territory (born in Exeter, New Hampshire; moved to Michigan when appointed governor)
- William R. Charette, Korean War US Navy hospital corpsman who selected the Unknown Soldier of World War II (born in Ludington)
- Ferdinand J. Chesarek, US Army General who served as Comptroller of the Army (born in Calumet)
- John G. Coburn, Four-star general, Commander U.S. Army Materiel Command (born in Ypsilanti)
- George Armstrong Custer, US General—born in New Rumley, Ohio; moved to Monroe)
- Hugh A. Drum, US General who fought in the Philippine-American War and World War I, later becoming Chief of Staff of the First United States Army, AEF (born in Fort Brady)
- Sarah Emma Edmundson, Union spy and (famously disguised as a man) soldier ([born in Magaguadavic Settlement, New Brunswick, Canada; moved to Flint)
- Anna Etheridge (aka Michigan Annie), Civil War nurse enlisted with the Michigan 2nd Infantry, active in nearly every major battle of the war, awarded the Kearney Cross for bravery at the Battle of Chancellorsville (born in Wayne County)
- Elon J. Farnsworth, Union Army Cavalry General in the American Civil War, killed at the Battle of Gettysburg (born in Green Oak)
- Aubrey Fitch, US Navy admiral (born in Saint Ignace)
- Douglas Harold Fox, World War II naval hero killed at Guadalcanal (born in Walled Lake)
- Ben Hebard Fuller, Commandant of the Marine Corps (born in Big Rapids)
- Eugen F. George, World War II naval hero (born in Grand Rapids)
- Duane D. Hackney, Vietnam War US Air Force hero (born in Flint)
- Francis P. Hammerberg, United States Navy diver who was awarded the Medal of Honor (born in Daggett)
- Henry Moore Harrington, officer in the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment who died with George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn (born in Albion, New York, but moved as a child to Coldwater
- Thomas C. Hart, US Navy Director of Submarines in World War I, US Navy admiral in World War II and later Senator from Connecticut (born in Davison)
- Frank Knox, Secretary of the Navy under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1936 Republican Vice Presidential candidate and newspaper owner (born in Boston, Massachusetts; moved to Grand Rapids)
- Alexander Macomb, commanding general of the United States Army from 1828-1841 (born in Detroit)
- James Joseph Raby, Rear Admiral, USN (born in Bay City)
- Karl W. Richter, Vietnam era Air Force hero and at 23 became the youngest pilot in that conflict to shoot down a MiG in air-to-air combat, and winner of numerous medals of valor including the Air Force Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross and Purple Heart (born in Holly)
- Dean Rockwell, D-Day hero, coach of the US Greco-Roman wrestling team at the Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics and Albion College football coach (born in rural Cass County)
- Frederick C. Sherman, World War II US Navy admiral (born in Michigan)
- Oliver Sipple, marine who saved President Gerald Ford's life during a 1975 assassination attempt (born in Detroit)
- Willard J. Smith, United States Coast Guard Commandant (born in Suttons Bay)
- Carl W. Weiss, World War II U.S. Marine Corps hero who was killed in action at Guadalcanal (born in Detroit)
- Donald W. Wolf, World War II U.S. Marine Corps hero who was killed in action at Guadalcanal (born in Hart)
Musicians and composers
Classical
- Joseph Alessi, classical tromboinst (born in Detroit)
- Meredith Arwady, opera mezzo-soprano (born in Kalamazoo)
- Robert Ashley, opera composer (born in Ann Arbor)
- Theodore Baskin, principal oboist of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (born in Detroit)
- Gwenneth Bean, opera contralto (born in Muskegon)
- William Bolcom, classical pianist and composer, winner of three Grammy Awards and a Pulitzer Prize in music (born in Seattle; moved to Ann Arbor)
- Chris Bates Carducci, opera baritone born in Monroe)
- David DiChiera, Director of the Detroit Opera House's Michigan Opera Theatre.
- Maria Ewing, opera mezzo-soprano and soprano (born in Detroit)
- James Hartway, classical composer (born in Detroit)
- John S. Hilliard, classical composer (born in Hot Springs, Arkansas; lived in Interlochen)
- Angela Jia Kim, classical pianist (born in East Lansing)
- Evans Mirageas, classical music record producer (for Decca, former artistic advisor to the Boston Symphony and now independent artistic advisor to Cincinnati Opera, Milwaukee Symphony and others (born in Ann Arbor)
- David Ott, classical composer (born in Kalamazoo
- Elizabeth Parcells, opera soprano (born in Detroit; retired in Grosse Pointe Farms)
- Roger Reynolds, composer and a Pulitzer Prize winner in 1989 for Whispers Out of Time (born in Detroit)
- Leo Sowerby, organist, winner of a Pulitzer Prize in music and classical composer of symphonies, choral works and tone poems such as his 1929 Prairie (born in Grand Rapids)
- Thomas Schippers, conductor of the Metropolitan Opera and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (born in Kalamazoo)
- George Shirley, opera singer (born in Indianapolis; raised in Detroit)
- Joseph Silverstein, violinist and concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (born in Detroit)
- Cheryl Studer, opera singer (born in Midland)
- David Weber, classical clarinetist (born in Vilna, Lithuania; raised in Detroit)
Jazz and Blues
- Pepper Adams, jazz baritone saxophonist (born in Highland Park)
- Geri Allen, jazz pianist (born in Detroit)
- Dorothy Ashby, jazz harpist (born in Detroit)
- Anita Baker, jazz and R&B singer (born in Toledo, Ohio; raised in Detroit)
- Marcus Belgrave, jazz trumpeter (born in Detroit)
- Kenny Burrell, jazz guitarist (born in Detroit)
- Donald Byrd, jazz trumpeter (born in Detroit)
- Betty Carter, Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist (born in Flint, Michigan)
- Regina Carter, jazz violinist (born in Detroit)
- James Carter, jazz woodwind player (born in Detroit)
- Ron Carter, jazz bassist and member of the Miles Davis Quintet (born in Ferndale, Michigan)
- Alice Coltrane, jazz keyboardist, harpist and composer (born in Detroit)
- Xavier Davis, jazz pianist (born in Grand Rapids)
- Tommy Flanagan, jazz pianist best known as Ella Fitzgerald's accompanist (born in Detroit)
- Kenny Garrett, jazz saxophonist (born in Detroit)
- Barry Harris, bebop jazz pianist and educator (born in Detroit)
- Joe Henderson, jazz saxophonist (born in Lima, Ohio; moved to Detroit)
- Milt Jackson jazz vibraphonist (born in Detroit)
- Elvin Jones jazz drummer of the hard bop era, part of John Coltrane's quartet (born in Pontiac, Michigan)
- Hank Jones, jazz pianist (born in Vicksburg, Mississippi and grew up in Pontiac)
- Isham Jones, 1920s bandleader, violinist, saxophonist and songwriter (born in Coalton, Ohio, grew up in Saginaw)
- Thad Jones, jazz trumpeter (born in Pontiac)
- Earl Klugh, Grammy Award-winning jazz guitarist (born in Detroit)
- Yusef Lateef, jazz saxophonist and flutist (born in Chattanooga, Tennessee; raised in Detroit)
- Father Norman O'Connor (1921-2003), priest, jazz music aficionado, writer, radio and TV show host (born in Detroit)
- Dave Pike, jazz vibraphonist (born in Detroit)
- Dianne Reeves, jazz vocalist and only person to have won the Grammy Award for "Best Jazz Vocal Performance" three times in a row (born in Detroit)
- Frank Rosolino, jazz trombonist (born in Detroit)
- Sonny Stitt, jazz saxophonist (born in Boston, Massachusetts; raised in Saginaw)
- Art Van Damme, jazz accordionist (born in Norway)
- Sippie Wallace, blues singer (born in Houston, later settled in Detroit)
- Rudy Weidoeft, jazz saxophonist (born in Detroit)
Motown, R&B and Soul music
- Florence Ballard, Motown era singer, original lead singer of The Supremes, (born in Rosetta, Mississippi; raised in Detroit)
- Lamont Dozier, Motown era composer, member of Holland-Dozier-Holland ((born in Detroit)
- The Four Tops, Motown era group with two number one hits (formed in Detroit)
- Aretha Franklin, singer known as "The Queen of Soul" (born in Memphis, Tennessee; raised in Detroit)
- Al Green Soul & Gospel Singer, & Pastor; grew up in Grand Rapids.
- Brian Holland, Motown era composer, member of Holland-Dozier-Holland( (born in Detroit)
- Edward Holland, Jr., Motown era composer, member of Holland-Dozier-Holland(born in Detroit)
- Adina Howard, R&B singer (born in Grand Rapids)
- Mable John, first female singer to sign with Berry Gordy (born in Bastrop, Louisiana; raised in Detroit)
- The Jones Girls, R&B Trio (born in Detroit)
- Jr. Walker & the All-Stars, Motown era group whose song "Shotgun" went number one (formed in Battle Creek)
- Bettye LaVette, soul singer (born in Muskegon)
- Barbara Lewis, singer known for hits Baby I'm Yours and Make Me Your Baby (born in South Lyon)
- The Marvelettes, Motown era group whose "Please Mr. Postman" went number one (formed in Inkster)
- Freda Payne, Motown era singer (born in Detroit)
- Martha Reeves, solo R&B singer and lead singer of the Motown group Martha and the Vandellas (born in Eufaula, Alabama; raised in Detroit)
- Smokey Robinson, Motown era singer (born in Detroit)
- Diana Ross, lead singer of The Supremes and solo artist (born in Detroit)
- The Spinners, R&B group (formed in Ferndale)
- The Temptations, Motown group that won three Grammy awards with 14 number one hits (begun in Detroit)
- Edwin Starr, soul music singer, best known for his anti-war number one hit "War" (born in Nashville, Tennessee, raised in Cleveland, Ohio, lived in 'Detroit
- Mary Wells, Motown era singer best known for her song My Guy which hit number one (born in Detroit)
- Kim Weston, Motown and R&B singer (born in Detroit; currently lives in Israel)
- Jackie Wilson, R&B singer (born in Detroit)
- Stevie Wonder, singer, musician, songwriter and winner of 24 Grammy awards (born in Saginaw)
- Philippe Wynne, R&B and gospel singer (born in Detroit)
- LaKisha Jones, R&B and Soul singer who ranked fourth in the sixth season of American Idol (born in Flint)
Rock, Rap and Pop
- Bear vs. Shark (raised in Highland and White Lake)
- Aaliyah, singer and actress (born in Brooklyn, New York; raised in Detroit)
- Gregg Alexander, singer and songwriter (from Grosse Pointe)
- Anybody Killa, rapper (raised in Detroit)
- Hank Ballard, early rock musician best known for The Twist (born in Detroit)
- The Black Dahlia Murder, a melodic death metal/metalcore band (begun in Detroit)
- Blaze Ya Dead Homie, rapper (raised in Romeo)
- Sonny Bono, singer, record producer and California politician (born in Detroit)
- Donald Brewer, drummer for Grand Funk Railroad (born in Flint)
- Alice Cooper, musician (born in Detroit)
- Eminem, rapper (born in St. Joseph, Missouri; raised in Warren)
- Esham, rapper (born in Long Island, New York; raised in Detroit)
- Mark Farner, lead singer of Grand Funk Railroad (born in Flint, Michigan)
- Doug Fieger, lead singer of The Knack and co-writer of "My Sharona" (Detroit)
- Glenn Frey, founding member of rock band The Eagles (born in Royal Oak)
- Craig Frost, keyboardist (born in Flint, Michigan)
- James Gurley, rock guitarist (born in Detroit)
- Bill Haley, early rock musician most known for his Rock Around the Clock (born in Highland Park)
- Insane Clown Posse - hip hop group (begun in Detroit)
- Maynard James Keenan, frontman of Tool and A Perfect Circle (born in Ravenna, Ohio, raised in Scottville)
- Still Remains, MetalCore band (startedGrand Rapids)
- Anthony Kiedis, lead singer, Red Hot Chili Peppers (born in Grand Rapids)
- Chad Smith, drummer, Red Hot Chili Peppers (raised in Bloomfield Hills)
- Kid Rock, musician (born in Romeo; raised in Mount Clemens)
- Wayne Kramer, guitarist (born in Detroit)
- Madonna, singer (born in Bay City; raised in Pontiac and Rochester Hills)
- "MC5" - groundbreaking protopunk band (begun in Detroit)
- Natas, hip hop group (begun in Detroit)
- Jason Newsted, bassist for Metallica (born in Battle Creek)
- Matt Noveskey, bassist for Blue October
- Ted Nugent, musician (born in Detroit)
- Craig Owens, vocalist of the band Chiodos (from Davison)
- Iggy Pop, rock musician (born in Ypsilanti)
- Suzi Quatro, singer, bassist, and actress (born in Detroit)
- The Romantics - New Wave rock band (begun in Detroit)
- Mitch Ryder, rock musician (born in Hamtramck)
- Bob Schneider, Texas-based rock musician and former boyfriend of Sandra Bullock (born in Ypsilanti)
- Bob Seger, rock singer (born in Dearborn ; raised in Ann Arbor)
- Del Shannon, early rock singer and guitarist (born in Coopersville)
- Jim 'Soni' Sonefeld, drummer & percussionist for Hootie & The Blowfish (born in Lansing)
- Sponge, post-grunge band ( formed in Detroit)
- The Stooges, rock band (begun in Ann Arbor)
- Taproot, nu metal band (begun in Ann Arbor)
- "Thought Industry - progressive metal band (begun in Kalamazoo)
- Twiztid, hip hop group (begun in Eastpointe, Michigan)
- DJ Mahler & MC Joel, of Last 2 Standin' - Hip-Hop Rappers & Producers (raised in Marquette)
- "The Verve Pipe", post-grunge band (formed in East Lansing)
- Uncle Kracker, rock musician (born in Mount Clemens)
- The Von Bondies, indie rock/alternative band (from Detroit)
- Narada Michael Walden, multi-platinum record producer and songwriter (born in Kalamazoo)
- "The White Stripes", minimalist blues-rock duo (begun in Detroit)
- D'arcy Wretzky, bass player for The Smashing Pumpkins (born in South Haven)
- Bedford Drive, Alternative rock band (Begun in Southgate)
Other musicians
- Justin Hicks, Hip-Hop Musician, Ann Arbor
- Johnny Desmond, singer (born in Detroit)
- Patrick Elkins, songwriter, performance artist and puppeteer (born in Grand Rapids)
- Marion Hutton, singer (born in Battle Creek)
- Bernie Krause, pioneer in Moog synthesizers and folk singer with The Weavers (born in Detroit)
- Stephen Lynch, comic musician (born in Abington, Pennsylvania; raised in Saginaw)
- Joseph LoDuca, film score composer (born in Michigan)
- John Lowery, guitarist, better known as John5. Former member of Marilyn Manson (born in Grosse Pointe).
- Geoff Moore, Christian contemporary music Grammy-winning singer and songwriter (born in Michigan)
- Zeena Parkins, avant garde harpist (born in Detroit)
- Sycamore Smith, folk singer (born in Marquette)
- Tom Smith, filker, folk musician (lives in Ann Arbor)
- Noel Stookey, better known as "Paul" in Peter, Paul and Mary folk group (born in Birmingham)
- Sufjan Stevens, folk musician (born in Detroit)
- George Winston, Grammy Award-winning new age pianist (born in Michigan)
- Edgar Struble, musical director, vocalist, instrumentalist, composer, worked with Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, The Oak Ridge Boys, Boyz II Men, and many others (grew up in Scottville)
Native American leaders
- Andrew Blackbird, Ottawa leader, historian and negotiator in the Treaty of 1855 (born in Harbor Springs)
- Abraham Burnett, Potawatomi Mission Band leader and, as principal interpreter for the Baptist missionary Isaac McCoy, instrumental in their forced resettlement in the 1830s to Kansas (born in soutwest Michigan)
- Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish(or Bad Bird), Potawatomi chief (from Michigan)
- Mecosta, Potawatomi chief for whom Mecosta County is named (born near present-day Big Rapids)
- Nottawaseepe, Potawatomi chief poisoned by his own people for trying to convince them to accept the forced removal of 1837 (resided in western Michigan)
- John Okemos, Ojibwa chief—for whom the city of Okemos is named and signer of the Treaty of Saginaw (born on Apple Island in present-day West Bloomfield)
- Simon Pokagon, Potawatomi chief, fluent in Latin, Greek, English and Native American languages, graduate of Oberlin College, poet, folklorist, essayist, public speaker, cited as the most highly educated full blood Native American of the late 19th century, twice visited Abraham Lincoln and smoked a peace pipe with Ulysses S. Grant, it is from Pokagon that Western Michigan's Pokagon Potawatomi take their name (born in Berrien County, settled in Hartland)
- Pontiac, Native American chief and war leader (born near the Detroit River)
- Shavehead, Potawatomi chief and warrior (born in Cass County)
- Shaw-shaw-way-nay-beece, Ojibwa chief and signer of the Treaty of 1855 (born in Isabella County)
- Shingabawassin, Ojibwa chief (born at the mouth of the St. Marys River near Sault Sainte Marie)
- Shoppenagon, Ojibwa chief (born in Indianfields, an Ojibwa village near Grayling)
- Wawatam, Ojibwa chief at Michilimackinac (born near Mackinaw City)
- Wosso (also called Owosso for whom the city of Owosso is named), chief of the Shiawassee band of Ojibwa and signer of the Treaty of Saginaw (born near present-day Owosso)
Political figures
National political figures
- Spencer Abraham, US Senator and United States Secretary of Energy (born in East Lansing)
- Henry B. Brown,US Supreme Court Justice from 1891-1906 and author for the Court opinion in Plessy v. Ferguson (born in South Lee, Massachusetts; settled and practiced law in Detroit)
- Jesse Brown, US Secretary of Veterans' Affairs under President Bill Clinton (born in Detroit)
- Wilber Marion Brucker, United States Secretary of the Army and Michigan governor (born in Saginaw)
- Roy D. Chapin,Sr., United States Secretary of Commerce under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (born in Lansing)
- Betty Ford, former First Lady, and advocate of breast cancer early detection and chemical dependency treatment
- Gerald R. Ford, US President (born in Omaha, Nebraska; raised in Grand Rapids)
- Reed E. Hundt, Federal Communications Commission Chairman under President Bill Clinton (born in Ann Arbor)
- Robert McClelland, Governor of Michigan from 1852-1853 and US Secretary of the Interior under President James Buchanan (born in Greencastle, Pennsylvania; settled in Monroe)
- Frank Murphy, Detroit Mayor, Michigan Governor, the last Governor-General of the Philippines and the first High Commissioner of the Philippines, United States Attorney General, and United States Supreme Court Justice
- George W. Romney, Governor of Michigan, former chairman of American Motors, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, (born in Chihuahua, Mexico, raised in Salt Lake City, moved to Detroit)
- Mitt Romney, Governor of Massachusetts, and 2008 president candidate, (born in Detroit).
- Rodney E. Slater, U.S. Secretary of Transportation under President Bill Clinton (born in Marianna, Arkansas; lived some time in Ypsilanti)
- Margaret Spellings, United States Secretary of Education under President George W. Bush, and co-author of the No Child Left Behind Act
- Gene Sperling, National Economic Advisor to President Bill Clinton (from Ann Arbor)
- Potter Stewart, US Supreme Court justice (born in Jackson, Michigan)
- Edwin F. Uhl, served as Mayor of Grand Rapids, Ambassador to Germany, and Assistant Secretary of State, and for thirteen days in 1895 Acting U.S. Secretary of State (born in Rush, New York, raised in Ypsilanti, moved to Grand Rapids)
Michigan political figures
- Russell A. Alger, Governor of Michigan and U.S. Senator, Secretary of War under President William McKinley during the Spanish American War (born in Lafayette Township in Medina County, Ohio; moved to Grand Rapids)
- Austin Blair, fervently anti-slavery governor of Michigan during the United States Civil War (born in Caroline, New York; settled in Eaton Rapids)
- Prentiss M. Brown, U.S. Senator in the 1930s and later chairman of Detroit Edison Company and chairman of the Mackinac Bridge Authority (born in St. Ignace)
- John Conyers, second-longest serving member of the US House of Representatives (born in Detroit)
- John Dingell, longest serving member of the US House of Representatives (born in Colorado Springs, Colorado; raised in Detroit)
- John Engler, three-term Governor of Michigan (born in Mount Pleasant)
- Jennifer Granholm, Governor of Michigan, (born in Vancouver, British Columbia; raised in San Francisco Bay Area in California; Northville resident at time of her election)
- Philip A. Hart, US Senator (born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania; moved to Detroit)
- Carl Levin, US Senator (born in Detroit)
- T. John Lesinski, Michigan Lieutenant Governor and judge (born in Detroit)
- Sander M. Levin, US Congressman (born in Detroit)
- Charles E. Potter, U.S. Senator
- Donald W. Riegle, Jr., US Senator
- Dorothy Comstock Riley, Michigan Supreme Court judge, and first Hispanic woman to be elected to the Supreme Court of any state
- Debbie Stabenow, US Senator (born in Gladwin)
- Arthur H. Vandenberg, US Senator (born in Grand Rapids)
- Howard Wolpe, US Congressman, later appointed by President Bill Clinton as Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region of Africa, then Director of the Africa Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, part of the Smithsonian Institution, (born in Los Angeles, California, settled in Kalamazoo)
Other political figures
- Arthur Brown, U.S. Senator from Utah (born in Kalamazoo)
- Laurie Perry Cookingham, known as the “Dean of City Managers” since serving as City Manager of Kansas City, Missouri for 19 years, a tenure longer than any city manager in any city in the United States (born in Saginaw
- Dr. Royal S. Copeland, U.S. Senator from New York (born in Dexter)
- Thomas Dewey, New York politician, lost presidential race in 1948 (born in Owosso)
- Frank Emerson, Wyoming governor (born in Saginaw)
- Elisha Peyre Ferry, first governor of the Washington Territory and Civil War colonel (born in Monroe)
- Obadiah Gardner, US Senator for Maine (born near Port Huron)
- Tom Hayden, social and political activist, politician (born in Detroit)
- James A. Miner, first chief justice of Utah (born in Marshall)
- Tom Price, Congressman from Georgia (born in Lansing)
- Clarence Eugene Ridley, founder (in 1933) of the Public Administration Service, first director of the International City Managers' Association serving from 1929–56, and municipal services standards developer (born in Armada)
- John Sinclair, political activist, writer, musician (born in Flint)
- Jan Ting, unsuccessful 2006 candidate of U.S. Senate for Delaware (born in Dearborn)
Religious leaders
- Dave Armstrong, Roman Catholic (and former Evangelical Christian apologist and author (born in Detroit)
- Frederic Baraga, Roman Catholic Slovenian American missionary, bishop and Ojibway and Ottawa grammarian (born near Dobrnič (Lower Carniola (Dolenjska)), in present-day Slovenia; settled among the Native American mission at Arbre Croche (now Cross Village, Michigan)
- D. M. Canright, early leader of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (born in Kinderhook)
- D. Stanley Coors, American Bishop of the Methodist Church (born in Pentwater)
- Daniel Dolan, Traditional Catholic bishop (born in Detroit)
- Walter Elliott, 19th century Roman Catholic priest whose writing sparked the Americanism heresy (born in Detroit)
- James Cardinal Hickey, Cardinal for sixteen years and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington (born in Midland)
- Bruce R. McConkie, prominent Apostle and theologian of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (born in Ann Arbor)
- Josh McDowell, leading Evangelical Christian apologist and author (born in Battle Creek)
- Wallace Fard Muhammad, founder of Nation of Islam (birthplace debated; moved to Detroit and founded his first mosque there)
- Thomas Gumbleton, Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop (born in Detroit)
- Prophet James F. Jones, founder of the Church of the Universal Triumph, Dominion of God, 1940s abd 1950s with a mass following who preached among other things the wearing of girdles as a means of salvation and prophesied universal immortality in the year 2000 (born in Birmingham, Alabama; moved to Detroit where he founded his church and lived until his death in 1971)
- Henry Churchill King, theologian, president of Oberlin College and seminal figure with the King-Crane Commission on the status of Palestine (born in Hillsdale)
- Baba Rexheb, Moslem leader and mystic, founder of the Bektashi Sufi lodge in Taylor (born in Gjirokastër, Ottoman Empire now Albania; fled to Taylor)
- Edmund Cardinal Szoka, President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State (born in Grand Rapids)
- John A. Trese, priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit (born in St. Clair, Michigan)
- Allen Henry Vigneron, Roman Catholic Bishop of Oakland in California (born in Mount Clemens)
- Geerhardus Vos, Protestant theologian known as the "Father of Reformed Biblical Theology" (born in Heerenveen in the Netherlands; moved at 19 to Grand Rapids)
- Raymond Wargelin, president of Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, executive director of the Suomi Synod Luther League, theology professor at Suomi College, editor-in-chief of Lutheran Counselor magazine, advocate of Finnish-American culture (born in Republic)
- Ellen G. White, founding member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (born in Maine, settled in Battle Creek with husband James)
- James Springer White, founding member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (born in Palmyra, Maine, settled in Battle Creek)
- Rabbi Sherwin Wine, founder of the Society for Humanistic Judaism (born in Detroit)
Scholars
Economists, mathematicians and social scientists
- Henry Carter Adams, economist (born in Davenport, Iowa; moved to Ann Arbor)
- Earl Babbie, sociologist (born in Detroit)
- Bruce Bartlett, economist who, as an advocate of supply-side economics, served as advisor to both Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush (born in Ann Arbor)
- George David Birkhoff, mathematician best known for the ergodic theorem (born in Overisel, Michigan)
- Edward Griffith Begle, mathematician specializing in the field of topology best known for his role as the director of the School Mathematics Study Group, the primary group credited for developing what came to be known as The New Math (born in Saginaw)
- Stanley Dunin, mathematician, aerospace engineer and consultant for the World Bank (born near Konin, Poland; fled to the US during World War II and was raised in Monroe)
- Carol Karp, mathematician and leader in the theory of infinitary logic (born in Forest Grove)
- Eduard Lindeman, educational pioneer (born in St. Clair)
- Tom Morey, mathematician, aerospace engineer, musician and surfing analyst (born in Detroit)
- Michael Porter, economist and author (born in Ann Arbor)
- Jeff Sachs, economist, economic adviser to nations, author, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University(born in Detroit)
- Martha Seger, economist, in 1984 became first woman appointed to a full term on the Federal Reserve Board, Governor of the Federal Reserve System in Washington, D.C. from 1984-1991 (born in Adrian)
- Claude E. Shannon, "father of information theory" (born in Petoskey; raised in Gaylord)
- Theda Skocpol, sociologist and political scientist (born in Detroit
- Stephen Smale, Fields Medal-winning mathematician (born in Flint)
Historians
- Ray Stannard Baker, historian and biographer of President Woodrow Wilson, (born in Lansing)
- Charles Bigelow, print historian, designer MacArthur Foundation Award winner and co-inventor of the Wingding and Lucida pring fonts (born in Detroit)
- Bruce Catton, historian of the US Civil War (born in Petoskey; raised in Benzonia)
- John D'Arms, history of ancient Rome (born in Poughkeepsie, New York, moved to Ann Arbor)
- Natalie Zemon Davis, historian and feminist who pioneered the "new social history" emphasizing anthropology, cultural history and the role of peasants, artisans and common laborers, her 1983 The Return of Martin Guerre became the foundation of films in both France and the United States (born in Detroit)
- Samuel J. Eldersveld, political scientist at the University of Michigan and former mayor of Ann Arbor (from Ann Arbor)
Philosophers
- Brand Blanshard, Yale University rationalist philosopher (born in Fredericksburg, Ohio; raised in Bay View)
- Voltairine de Cleyre, anarchist philosopher and political activist (born in Leslie)
- William A. Earle, Northwestern University philosopher of existentialism and phenomenology (born in Saginaw)
- Wilfred Sellars, philosopher (born in Ann Arbor)
Scientists
- Werner Emmanuel Bachmann, biochemistry pioneer in steroid synthesis who carried out the first total synthesis of a steroidal hormone, equilenin (born in Detroit)
- Liberty Hyde Bailey, botanist (born in South Haven)
- Bob Bemer, computer scientist (born in Sault Ste. Marie)
- Robert John Braidwood, archaeologist and anthropologist (born in Detroit)
- J. Harlen Bretz, geologist (born in Saranac)
- Lyman James Briggs, engineer, physicist and administrator, best known for heading the Briggs Advisory Committee on Uranium -- widely known as the Uranium Committee or the Advisory Committee (born in Assyria -- near Battle Creek)
- Robert L. Carroll, paleontologist (born in Kalamazoo)
- Douglas Houghton Campbell, botanist (born in Detroit)
- Charles Horton Cooley, one of the founders of sociology (born in Ann Arbor)
- Kazimierz Fajans, chemist (born in Warsaw, Poland, fled Nazi persecution to settle in Ann Arbor)
- David Fairchild, botanist (born in Lansing)
- Robert M. Graham, computer scientist, contributed to Multics (born in Michigan)
- Alfred Hershey, Nobel Prize-winning bacteriologist (born in Owosso)
- Robert E. Horton, "father of hydrology, ecologist and soil scientist (born in Parma)
- Nicholas Hotton III, paleontologist (born in Michigan)
- Douglass Houghton, first state geologist of Michigan (born in Troy, New York; moved to Detroit and major explorer of Keeweenaw County)
- John H. Hubbell, radiation physicist (born in Ann Arbor)
- Edward Israel, astronomer and polar explorer (born in Kalamazoo)
Detroit)
- Alfred V. Kidder, archaeologist (born in Marquette)
- Forest Ray Moulton, astronomer (born in Le Roy, Michigan)
- Wardell Pomeroy, psychologist known for his work on sexual behavior (born in Kalamazoo)
- Paul Rehak, archaeologist born in Ann Arbor
- Jonas Salk [1] Head of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan
- Glenn T. Seaborg, chemist, Nobel prize winner (born in Ishpeming)
- Samuel C. C. Ting, Nobel Prize- winning physicist (born in Ann Arbor)
- James Craig Watson, astronomer (born in Fingal, Ontario; raised in Ann Arbor)
- Thomas Huckle Weller, Nobel Prize winner in medicine (born in Ann Arbor)
- Leslie White, anthropologist and major advocate of neoevolutionism (born in Kansas, moved to Ann Arbor)
Other scholars and researchers
- Alfred Barr, art historian and the founding director of the Museum of Modern Art (born in Detroit)
- Benjamin Franklin Bailey, electrical engineer, professor and researcher (born in Sheridan)
- Ellen Dannin, Penn State University law professor and foremost expert in the labor law of New Zealand and the United States (born in Flint)
- Richard Ellmann, literary critic and biographer (born in Highland Park)
- H. Wiley Hitchcock, musicologist director for the Institute for Studies in American Music and coauthor of the New Grove Dictionary of American Music (born in Detroit)
- Emmett Leith, electrical engineering professor and inventor of three-dimensional holography (born in Detroit; moved to Ann Arbor)
- Larry Soderquist, Corporate and Securities law expert, novelist, and Vanderbilt professor (born in Ypsilanti)
Sports figures
Main article: List of Michigan sports figures
Writers
Main article: List of Michigan writers
Others
- Dita Von Teese, Internationally known Burlesque dancer (born in West Branch, Michigan)
- Huwaida Arraf, co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a pro-Palestinian organization, the stated mission of which is to resist Israeli occupation using nonviolent tactics, but which is regarded by some as condoning terrorism (born in Detroit)
- Harry Blackstone, Sr.-- "The Great Blackstone, magician (born in Chicago, Illinois; settled in Colon -- where his home is preserved as the American Museum of Magic)
- Harry Blackstone, Jr., magician and TV performer (born in Three Rivers)
- Allen S. Browne, co-founder of Kiwanis (from Detroit)
- Ralph Bunche, 1950 Nobel Peace Prize winner; the first ever won by an African American (born in Detroit)
- Christie Brinkley, model (born in Monroe)
- William D. Campbell, major leader in the World Scout Foundation (born in Flint)
- Martin H. Carmody, Depression-era Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus (born in Grand Rapids)
- Daniel Ellsberg, military analyst and political activist best known for gathering the Pentagon Papers (raised in metro Detroit)
- Frederick Carl Frieseke, Impressionist painter (born in Owosso)
- Carole Gist, Miss USA 1990 (born in Detroit)
- Kirsten Haglund, Miss America 2008 (born in Farmington Hills)
- Robert G. Heft, designer of current 50-star American flag (born in Saginaw)
- G. Edward Knapp, forester, forest conservation advocate, member of Georgia House of Representatives (1966-1971), instrumental in mechanization of forestry during labor shortages of World War II (born in Ypsilanti)
- Vince Megna, lawyer, author and primary shaper of the so-called "lemon laws" (born in Iron Mountain)
- Marvin Mitchelson, celebrity divorce attorney (born in Detroit)
- Jerry Mitchell, Tony Award-winning choreographer (born in Paw Paw)
- Kenya Moore, 1993 Miss USA (born in Detroit)
- Joseph C. Prance, co-founder of Kiwanis (from Detroit)
- Kaye Lani Rae Rafko, Miss America 1988 (born in Monroe)
- Terry Rakolta, founder of Americans for Responsible Television (from Bloomfield Hills)
- Greg Raymer, the 2004 World Series of Poker champion (born in Minot, North Dakota; raised in Lansing)
- Norman Shumway, heart transplant pioneer (born in Kalamazoo)
- Anna Sui, fashion designer (born in Detroit)
- Annie Taylor, the first person to go over the Niagara Falls in a barrel (born in Bay City)
- R.J. Thomas, labor leader (born in East Palestine, Ohio; moved to Detroit in his early 20s)
- Veronica Webb, model, Revlon spokesperson (born in Detroit)
- Myra Wolfgang, labor leader (born in Montreal, Quebec, moved to Detroit at three and raised there)
See also
- List of Governors of Michigan
- List of United States Senators from Michigan
- List of people from Detroit
Notes
- ^ Baulch, Vivian M. (January 31, 1998).Detroit is fertile ground for art. Michigan History, The Detroit News. Retrieved on June 6, 2008.
References and further reading
- Gavrilovich, Peter and Bill McGraw (2000). The Detroit Almanac. Detroit Free Press. ISBN 0937247341.
- Hill, Eric J. and John Gallagher (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3120-3.
- Meyer, Katherine Mattingly and Martin C.P. McElroy with Introduction by W. Hawkins Ferry, Hon A.I.A. (1980). Detroit Architecture A.I.A. Guide Revised Edition. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1651-4.
External links
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