Famous Illinoisans
Click on the person's name to find biographies in the Youth Services Department.
Click on the *A* to find to find information in the Adult Department.
Click on *CCS* to find information at other CCS libraries. If the book is available at one of these libraries you may request it be sent to our library for checkout by placing a hold on the book. Books take about two business days to be delivered.
| Franklin Pierce Adams | author | Chicago |
|
Jane Addams *A* |
social worker | Cedarville |
|
John Peter Altgeld *A* |
governor | Chicago |
| Gillian Anderson | actress | Chicago |
|
Philip Danforth Armour *CCS* |
businessman | Chicago |
| Patricia Arquette | actress | Chicago |
|
Mary Astor *CCS* |
actress | Quincy |
|
Ernie Banks *A* *CCS* |
baseball player | Chicago |
| Arnold O. Beckman | inventor | Cullom |
| Edward Beecher | college president | Jacksonville |
|
Ralph Bellamy *CCS* |
actor | Chicago |
|
John Belushi *CCS* |
actor | Chicago |
|
Jack Benny *A* *CCS* |
comedian | Chicago |
|
Mother Mary Ann Ball Bickerdyke *CCS* |
nurse | |
|
Black Hawk *CCS* |
Sauk Indian chief | |
|
Harry A. Blackmun *A* *CCS* |
jurist | Nashville |
|
Rod R. Blagojevich *A* |
governor | Chicago |
|
Bonnie Blair *CCS* |
skater | Champaign |
| William E. Borah | public official | Fairfield |
| Bruce Boxleitner | actor | Mt. Prospect |
|
Ray Bradbury *A* *CCS* |
author | Waukegan |
|
Marlon Brando *A* *CCS* |
actor | Evanston |
|
Gwendolyn Brooks *A* |
poet | Chicago |
|
William Jennings Bryan *A* *CCS* |
orator, politician | Salem |
|
Daniel Hudson Burnham *A* *CCS* |
architect | Chicago |
|
Edgar Rice Burroughs *CCS* |
author | Chicago |
|
Jane Margaret Byrne *A* *CCS* |
mayor | Chicago |
|
Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini *CCS* |
saint | Chicago |
| Marvin Camras | inventor | Chicago |
|
Al Capone *A* *CCS* |
gangster | Chicago |
| Peter Cartwright | politician | |
|
Gower Champion *A* |
choreographer | Geneva |
| John Chancellor | TV commentator | Chicago |
|
Raymond Chandler *A* |
writer | Chicago |
|
George Rogers Clark *A* *CCS* |
explorer | |
|
Hillary Rodham Clinton *A* |
first lady, politician | Park Ridge |
|
Nat King Cole *A* *CCS* |
musician | Chicago |
|
Jimmy Connors *A* |
tennis champion | Belleville |
| Cindy Crawford | model | DeKalb |
|
Michael Crichton *A* |
writer | Chicago |
|
Richard J. Daley *A* *CCS* |
mayor | Chicago |
| Richard M. Daley | mayor | Chicago |
|
Clarence Darrow *A* |
lawyer | Chicago |
|
Miles Davis *A* *CCS* |
musician | Alton |
|
Charles Gates Dawes *CCS* |
vice president, nobel winner | Chicago |
|
John Deere *CCS* |
inventor | Grand Detour |
|
Bruce Dern *CCS* |
actor | Chicago |
|
Everett Dirksen *CCS* |
politician | Pekin |
|
Walt Disney *A* *CCS* |
film animator, producer | Chicago |
|
Mike Ditka *A* *CCS* |
football coach | Chicago |
|
John Dos Passos *A* *CCS* |
author | Chicago |
|
Stephen A. Douglas *CCS* |
politician | Jacksonville |
|
Joseph Duncan *CCS* |
governor | Elm Grove |
|
Wyatt Earp *A* *CCS* |
sheriff | Monmouth |
|
Roger Ebert *A* |
film critic | Urbana |
| Jim Edgar | governor | Charleston |
|
James T. Farrell *CCS* |
author | Chicago |
|
Marshall Field *A* |
businessman | Chicago |
|
Betty Ford *A* *CCS* |
first lady | Chicago |
|
Harrison Ford *A* *CCS* |
actor | Chicago |
|
Robert Lewis "Bob" Fosse *A* *CCS* |
showman | Chicago |
| Dennis Franz | actor | Chicago |
|
Betty Friedan *A* *CCS* |
feminist | Peoria |
| Jennie Garth | actress | Urbana |
| Joseph Glidden | inventor | DeKalb |
|
Arthur Goldberg *CCS* |
judge, ambassador | Chicago |
|
Benny Goodman *A* |
musician | Chicago |
|
Edward Gorey *A* |
artist/author | Chicago |
|
Ulysses S. Grant *A* |
president | Galena |
|
John Gunther *A* |
author | Chicago |
|
Gene Hackman *CCS* |
actor | Danville |
|
George E. Hale *A* |
astronomer | Chicago |
|
Dorothy Hamill *A* *CCS* |
ice skater | Chicago |
|
John M. Harlan *CCS* |
jurist | Chicago |
|
John Hay *A* |
secretary of state | |
|
Hugh M. Hefner *CCS* |
publisher | Chicago |
|
Ernest Hemingway *A* |
author | Oak Park |
|
Charlton Heston *CCS* |
actor | Evanston |
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Wild Bill Hickok *CCS* |
scout | Troy Grove |
|
William Holden *CCS* |
actor | O'Fallon |
|
Rock Hudson *CCS* |
actor | Winnetka |
|
Bobby Hull *CCS* |
hockey player | Chicago |
| Bonnie Hunt | actress | Chicago |
| Burl Ives | singer | Hunt City |
|
Jesse Jackson *A* *CCS* |
politician | Chicago |
|
Jens Jensen *A* |
landscape architect | Highland Park |
|
Louis Joliet *CCS* |
explorer | |
|
James Jones *CCS* |
author | Robinson |
|
Quincy Jones *A* |
composer | Chicago |
|
Michael Jordan *A* |
basketball player | Highland Park |
|
Jackie Joyner-Kersee *A* *CCS* |
runner | East St. Louis |
|
R. Kelly *CCS* |
musician | Chicago |
| Walter Kerr | drama critic | Evanston |
| Walter Koenig | actor | Chicago |
| Harvey Korman | comedian | Chicago |
| Alison Krauss | musician | Urbana |
|
Ray Kroc *CCS* |
businessman | Oak Park |
|
Robert Cavelier de La Salle *A* |
explorer | |
| Michael Kelly Lawler | soldier | |
|
Abraham Lincoln *A* |
president | Springfield |
|
Mary Todd Lincoln *A* |
first lady | Springfield |
|
John A. Logan *A* |
general | Murphysboro |
|
Bernie Mac *A* *CCS* |
actor | Chicago |
|
Archibald MacLeish *A* |
poet | Glencoe |
| James E. MacMurray | senator | |
|
David Mamet *A* |
playwright | Chicago |
| Homer Z. Martin | inventor | Chicago |
| Stanley Mazor | inventor | Chicago |
| John A. McClernand | general | |
|
Cyrus McCormick *A* *CCS* |
inventor | Chicago |
| Joseph M. McCormick | senator | Chicago |
|
Robert McCormick *A* *CCS* |
publisher | Chicago |
|
Joseph Medill *A* |
publisher, mayor | Chicago |
|
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe *A* |
architect | Chicago |
| Robert Millikan | physicist | Morrison |
|
Sherrill Milnes *CCS* |
baritone | Downers Grove |
|
Dwight Lyman Moody *CCS* |
religious leader | Chicago |
|
Carol Moseley-Braun *CCS* |
senator | Chicago |
|
Bill Murray *A* |
actor | Wilmette |
|
John G. Neihardt *CCS* |
poet | Sharpsburg |
| Walter Loomis Newberry | banker | Chicago |
|
Bob Newhart *A* *CCS* |
actor, comedian | Chicago |
|
Barack Obama *A* |
senator, president | Chicago |
|
Michelle Obama *A* |
first lady | Chicago |
| Malia Obama | president's daughter | Chicago |
| Sasha Obama | president's daughter | Chicago |
| Donald O'Connor | actor | Chicago |
| Richard J. Oglesby | governor | |
|
William S. Paley *CCS* |
broadcasting executive | Chicago |
| Potter Palmer | businessman | Chicago |
|
Walter Payton *A* |
football player | Chicago |
|
Drew Pearson *CCS* |
columnist | Evanston |
|
Allan Pinkerton *A* |
detective | Chicago |
|
Richard Pryor *A* *CCS* |
comedian, actor | Peoria |
|
George Pullman *A* |
businessman | Chicago |
|
Ronald Reagan *A* |
president, actor | Tampico |
| Jason Robards | actor | Chicago |
|
Julius Rosenwald *A* |
businessman | Springfield |
|
George H. Ryan *A* |
governor | Kankakee |
| Pat Sajak | game show host | Chicago |
|
Carl Sandburg *A* |
poet | Galesburg |
| Lewis Hastings Sarett | inventor | Champaign |
|
Fred Savage *CCS* |
actor | Chicago |
|
Gale Sayers *A* *CCS* |
football player | Chicago |
|
Phyllis Schlafly *A* *CCS* |
antifeminist | Alton |
| John McAllister Schofield | general | |
| Garry Shandling | comedian | Chicago |
|
Sam Shepard *A* |
playwright | Fort Sheridan |
|
William L. Shirer *A* *CCS* |
historian | Chicago |
|
Shel Silverstein *A* *CCS* |
writer | Chicago |
| Gene Siskel | film critic | Chicago |
|
Grace Slick *CCS* |
musician | Chicago |
|
Adlai Ewing Stevenson *A* *CCS* |
politician | Chicago |
| McLean Stevenson | actor | Bloomington |
| David Ogden Stiers | actor | Urbana |
|
Preston Sturges *CCS* |
director | Chicago |
|
Louis Sullivan *A* *CCS* |
architect | Chicago |
|
Gloria Swanson *CCS* |
actress | Chicago |
|
Gustavus Swift *CCS* |
businessman | Chicago |
|
Maria Tallchief *CCS* |
ballerina | Highland Park |
|
James R. Thompson *CCS* |
governor | Chicago |
| Clyde W. Tombaugh | astronomer | Streator |
|
Mel Torme *A* *CCS* |
musician | Chicago |
| Carl Van Doren | educator | Hope |
|
Dick Van Dyke *A* |
actor | Danville |
| Jerry Van Dyke | actor | Danville |
| Melvin Van Peebles | playwright | Chicago |
| Charles Rudolph Walgreen | businessman | Galesburg |
| Irving Wallace | author | Chicago |
| Alfred Wallenstein | conductor | Chicago |
| Aaron Montgomery Ward | businessman | Chicago |
|
Harold Washington *A* *CCS* |
mayor | Chicago |
|
Raquel Welch *A* |
actress | Chicago |
|
Orson Welles *A* *CCS* |
actor | Highland Park |
| George Wendt | actor | Chicago |
| Arland Williams | hero | Mattoon |
|
Robin Williams *CCS* |
comedian | Chicago |
| Robert L. Wilson | lawyer | |
|
Robert "Bob" Woodward *CCS* |
investigative reporter | Geneva |
|
Frank Lloyd Wright *A* |
architect | Oak Park |
|
William Wrigley Jr *CCS* |
businessman | Chicago |
|
Richard Yates *CCS* |
governor | |
|
Brigham Young *CCS* |
religious leader | Quincy |
| Robert Young | actor | Chicago |
| Billy Zane | actor | Chicago |
|
Warren Zevon *A* |
musician | Chicago |
|
Florenz Ziegfeld *A* *CCS* |
theatrical producer | Chicago |
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