List of people from Chester, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following is a list of notable residents, natives, and persons generally associated with the city of Chester, Pennsylvania, the first city in Pennsylvania.
A
- Al Alberts, lead singer of The Four Aces
- Samuel Anderson, U.S. congressman for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district
- William Anderson, major in the Continental Army and U.S. congressman
- Henry Graham Ashmead, journalist and historian of Delaware County, Pennsylvania
- AverySunshine, soul singer
B
- J. Pius Barbour, executive director of the National Baptist Association, mentor to then-college student Martin Luther King Jr.
- Thomas N. Barnes, first African-American chief master sergeant of the Air Force
- Joseph F. Battle Jr., 25th mayor of Chester, judge on Delaware County Court of Common Pleas
- Ruth L. Bennett, social worker, first president of the Chester branch of the NAACP
- William H. Berry, 10th mayor of Chester and Treasurer of Pennsylvania
- The Beat Bully (Anthony Tucker), record producer and songwriter
- Jahlil Beats, music producer
- Marcus Belgrave, jazz trumpeter
- Ron Bennington, host of XM Satellite Radio program The Ron and Fez Show
- Crosby M. Black, Pennsylvania state representative for Delaware County, 7th mayor of Chester
- Ed Blizzard, prominent pharmaceutical injury attorney
- Louis A. Bloom, Pennsylvania state representative for Delaware County (1947–1952), judge on Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for Delaware County
- Barbara Bohannan-Sheppard, 27th mayor of Chester
- Stanley Branche, civil rights leader, founder of the Committee for Freedom Now
- Ethel Hampson Brewster, Swarthmore College professor and philologist
- Fran Brill, voice actress and Muppeteer
- Anna Broomall, obstetrician, surgeon and educator
- Wendell Butler Jr., mayor of Chester
C
- George Campbell, soccer player[4]
- Lamar Campbell, former NFL defensive back
- Ted Cather, professional baseball player
- Dorothy Chacko, social worker, medical doctor, Padma Shri award recipient
- E. Wallace Chadwick, U.S. congressman
- Robert Chadwick, Pennsylvania state representative for Delaware County
- Joe Chambers, jazz drummer
- Tom Chism, Major League Baseball player
- Thomas Clyde, founder of the Clyde Line of steamers
- George Clymer, Founding Father of the United States, signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, lived in Chester with his family during the British Army assault on Philadelphia[3]
- Joseph R. T. Coates, 5th mayor of Chester and officer in the Union Army during the US Civil War
- Audrey B. Collins, United States district judge
- Lawrence A. Conner, Sr., Pennsylvania state representative for Delaware County (1953–1954)
- Ted Cottrell, NFL player and coach
- Walter H. Craig, Pennsylvania state representative for Delaware County (1923–1925), Chester City Council member (1925–1937)
- John Price Crozer, textile manufacturer and philanthropist
- Helen Curry (1896–1931), stage actress
D
- Clamma Dale, opera singer
- Edward Darlington, U.S. congressman
- Ben Davis, Major League Baseball player, Philadelphia Phillies sports announcer
- Dux and Julie DeJohn, professional singers
- Alfred O. Deshong, industrialist, philanthropist, and art collector
- John O. Deshong, businessman and banker
- Peter Deshong, businessman and banker
- Elaine Diacumakos, cell biologist and head of the cytobiology laboratory at Rockefeller University
- Franklin Archibald Dick, Missouri provost marshal general
- Fred Diodati, lead singer of The Four Aces
- Fred Draper, film and television actor
- Kathrynann Durham, Pennsylvania state representative for 160th district (1979–1996), judge on Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for Delaware County
- Jill Duson, lawyer, lobbyist and politician in Maine
E
- Samuel Edwards, U.S. congressman
- Carolyn J. Elmore, Maryland state representative
- Frederick K. Engle, rear admiral of the United States Navy
- Theodore Enslin, poet
- David Reese Esrey, businessman and banker
- Tyreke Evans, professional basketball player
F
- Bill Fleischman (1939–2019), sports journalist and professor[7]
- Lenora Fulani, psychologist, psychotherapist and political activist
G
- J. R. Gach, talk radio host
- Margaret H. George, Pennsylvania state representative
- Fredia Gibbs, martial artist, kickboxer, boxer
- James Henry Gorbey, United States federal judge and 25th mayor of Chester
- Steve Gordon, screenwriter and film director
- Darrin Govens, professional basketball player
- Bud Grace, cartoonist
- Ralph Greenberg, mathematician
- John E. Gremminger, Pennsylvania state representative
- Frank Hastings Griffin, invented rayon manufacturing process
H
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- John K. Hagerty, Pennsylvania state representative for Delaware County (1921–1922), Chester City Council member (1907–1918)
- Bill Haley, rock-and-roll musician
- Robert Harland, actor
- Hubert R. Harmon, first superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy
- Herman Harris, professional basketball player
- Evalena Fryer Hedley, journalist, editor, and author
- Ron Henry, professional baseball player
- John B. Hinkson, lawyer, businessman, 6th mayor of Chester
- Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, professional basketball player
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Toronto Raptors forward
- John Martin Howard, U.S. Navy officer, namesake of mine disposal vessel USS John M. Howard
- Will Hunter, Minnesota Vikings safety and Syracuse University standout
J
- E. W. Jackson, Virginia politician and Christian minister
- Amaire Johnson, record producer and songwriter
- Walter Johnson, electrical engineer
- Derrick Jones Jr., Dallas Mavericks forward
- Edmund Jones, Pennsylvania state representative
- Kevin Jones, Detroit Lions Chicago Bears running back and former Virginia Tech football standout
K
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- Carol Kazeem, Pennsylvania state representative
- John Ernst Worrell Keely, con man, inventor of the Keely Motor
- Muhammad Kenyatta, civil rights leader
- Lisa Kereszi, photographer
- Brian Joseph Kirkland, Pennsylvania state representative
- Thaddeus Kirkland, Pennsylvania state representative, 32nd mayor of Chester
- Joe Klecko, lineman with New York Jets and Temple University; father of Dan Klecko of New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles
- Mignonette Kokin, vaudeville dancer, comedian
- Lew Krausse Jr., professional baseball player
- Bob Kuberski, football player for Green Bay Packers
L
- Bob Lamey, radio announcer, play-by-play announcer for the Indianapolis Colts
- John Larkin, Jr., businessman, banker and first mayor of Chester
- Willie Mae James Leake, first African-American and female mayor of Chester
- John Linder, 31st mayor of Chester
- John Linehan, assistant basketball coach for the Saint Joseph's Hawks
- David Lloyd, attorney general of Pennsylvania, six-term speaker of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
M
- John J. McClure, Pennsylvania state senator and leader of Delaware County Republican political machine
- Lee McLaughlin, film and television actor
- Kevin Michael, soul singer
- Nicholas K. Miller, middle guard, and defensive MVP for Ohio State Buckeyes
- John Mobley, Denver Broncos linebacker and former Kutztown University of Pennsylvania football standout
- Sylvanus Morley, archaeologist and Mayanist scholar
- Charles Morris, journalist and author
- John Morton, Founding Father of the United States, cast a key vote on the Declaration of Independence, buried in Chester[12]
- Danny Murtaugh, manager of Pittsburgh Pirates who guided team to World Series titles in 1960 and 1971
N
- John H. Nacrelli, 24th mayor of Chester, convicted of racketeering and bribery
- Jameer Nelson, professional basketball player
- Alex North, composer, 15-time Academy Award nominee
- Edward Nothnagle, Pennsylvania state representative for Delaware County (1926–1936), Chester City Council member
O
- Curly Ogden, professional baseball player
- Jack Ogden, professional baseball player
- Donnie Owens, singer, guitarist, producer and composer
P
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- John M. Paxton, Jr., United States Marine Corps general officer
- Dominic Pileggi, Pennsylvania state senator
- Johnny Podgajny, professional baseball player
- Rudy Pompilli, saxophonist with Bill Haley and the Comets
- David Dixon Porter, leading officer and reformer in the U.S. Navy during the American Civil War
- William D. Porter, flag officer in the U.S. Navy
- William G. Price Jr., commander of the Pennsylvania National Guard's 28th Infantry Division
- Joe Pyne, radio and TV talk show host
- Caleb Pusey, early settler of Chester, friend and business partner of William Penn
R
- William T. Ramsey, Pennsylvania state representative and 16th mayor of Chester
- George Raymond, president of NAACP Chester branch 1942–1977
- Ronald C. Raymond, Pennsylvania state representative
- Bertice Reading, actress, singer, revue artiste
- James W. Reese, U.S. Army Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- John Roach, industrialist and shipbuilder
- V. Gilpin Robinson, Pennsylvania state representative
- Stefan Roots, mayor of Chester
- Bo Ryan, former head coach of Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team, coached UW-Platteville to four NCAA Division III national championships
- Matthew Ryan, singer-songwriter
S
- William I. Schaffer, Pennsylvania attorney general
- Josiah Sleeper, founder of Sleeper's College
- Jerome Smith, professional football player
- James Ross Snowden (1809–1878), 67th speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, director of the U.S. Mint
- Dawn Sowell, professional track and field athlete
- William Cameron Sproul, 27th governor of Pennsylvania
- Brent Staples, editorial writer for the New York Times
- Joey Stefano, pornographic actor
T
- Robin Toner, national political correspondent for the New York Times
- David Trainer, textile manufacturer and banker
- Ellwood J. Turner, Pennsylvania state representative for Delaware County (1925–1948), 119th speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1939–1941)
W
- Horace Walker, professional basketball player
- Young Singleton Walter, Pennsylvania state representative and owner of the Delaware County Republican newspaper
- William Ward, U.S. congressman
- William Ward Jr., Pennsylvania State Representative and two-term mayor of Chester
- Ethel Waters, Grammy-winning blues recording artist, Broadway performer, Academy Award nominee for Pinky (1949)
- George Watkins, U.S. congressman
- Brandi Wells, singer-songwriter
- Eleanor D. Wilson, Tony-nominated actress and artist
- Stephen M. Wolownik, Russian and Eastern European musician
- Jonathan Edwards Woodbridge, shipbuilder and naval architect
- Thomas Worrilow, Pennsylvania state representative
- Robert C. Wright, Pennsylvania state representative
