Civil rights & activism · 1913–2005Rosa Parkscivil rights activistThe Montgomery bus-boycott icon who lived in Detroit for nearly fifty years, worked for Congressman John Conyers and is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.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
- 22 fields
Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
31 people
Clear filtersCivil rights & activism · 1913–2005Rosa Parkscivil rights activistThe Montgomery bus-boycott icon who lived in Detroit for nearly fifty years, worked for Congressman John Conyers and is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.
City history · 1768–1813TecumsehShawnee chief and war leaderShawnee leader whose warriors, allied with Isaac Brock, forced the American surrender of Fort Detroit in August 1812.
City history · 1720–1769PontiacOdawa war chiefOdawa leader from the Detroit River who besieged British-held Fort Detroit in 1763, the opening act of the uprising known as Pontiac's War.
Politics · 1782–1866Lewis Cassterritorial governor, U.S. senator, secretary of stateGovernor of Michigan Territory from Detroit for 18 years and 1848 Democratic presidential nominee; Cass Avenue and Cass Tech bear his name, and he rests at Elmwood.
Military · 1769–1812Isaac BrockBritish Army generalBritish general who captured Detroit and General Hull's army on August 16, 1812, with his Shawnee ally Tecumseh.
City history · 1753–1825William Hullarmy officer, first governor of Michigan TerritoryFirst governor of Michigan Territory who, as a general, surrendered Fort Detroit to the British without a battle in August 1812.
Politics · 1811–1843Stevens T. Masonterritorial secretary, first governor of MichiganThe 'Boy Governor' who ran Michigan Territory from Detroit at 19, led it to statehood in 1837 as its first governor and now lies under his statue in Capitol Park.
Politics · 1780–1861William Woodbridgeterritorial secretary, governor of Michigan, U.S. senatorLewis Cass's lifelong friend who came to Detroit in 1814 as territorial secretary and became Michigan's second governor; his farm became the site of Tiger Stadium, and the Woodbridge neighborhood bears his name.
Religion · 1826–1890Caspar Henry Borgesssecond Catholic Bishop of Detroit (1871–1887)German-born bishop who led the Diocese of Detroit from 1871 to 1887, invited the Jesuits to found the future University of Detroit and clashed with Polish parishioners.
Religion · 1833–1918John Samuel Foleythird Catholic Bishop of Detroit (1888–1918)Baltimore-born priest who served as Bishop of Detroit for 30 years, the longest tenure in its history, as the auto boom tripled the city's Catholic population.
Politics · 1769–1846Solomon Sibleylawyer, first mayor of Detroit, territorial judgePioneer lawyer who arrived in 1797, wrote Detroit's first city charter and in 1806 became its first mayor, later serving as territorial delegate and chief justice.
Religion · 1791–1871Frederick Resefirst Catholic Bishop of DetroitGerman-born priest who became the first Catholic bishop of Detroit in 1833, taking Ste. Anne's as his cathedral and bringing religious orders to the frontier diocese.
City history · born 1963Heather Ann Thompsonhistorian, authorPulitzer-winning historian of the Attica uprising who grew up in Detroit's North Rosedale Park, graduated from Cass Tech and wrote Whose Detroit?
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.
City history · 1853–1932Clarence M. Burtonlawyer, businessman, historian and collectorDetroit title lawyer and historian whose private archive became the Burton Historical Collection, the backbone of Detroit history research.
Politics · 1773–1813Elijah Brushlawyer, mayor of Detroit, territorial treasurerEarly Detroit lawyer and second mayor (1806) whose ribbon farm beside the town became Brush Park; Brush Street carries his family name.
Politics · 1786–1859Jonathan Kearsleyarmy officer, federal land official, mayor of DetroitWar of 1812 veteran who lost a leg at Chippawa, came to Detroit in 1819 as the federal receiver of public money and was twice mayor (1826 and 1829).
Military · 1756–1803Jean François HamtramckUS Army officer, first American commander of DetroitMontreal-born Revolutionary War officer who took over Detroit from the British in July 1796 and commanded it until his death; the city of Hamtramck bears his name.
Politics · 1800–1883Charles C. Trowbridgeexplorer, ethnographer, banker, mayor of DetroitExplorer and early ethnographer of Michigan's Native peoples who became a leading Detroit banker, briefly served as mayor in 1834 and built what is likely the city's oldest surviving house.
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.
Civil rights & activism · 1817–1890William Lambertabolitionist, Underground Railroad leaderFree-born tailor and abolitionist who for half a century helped lead Detroit's Underground Railroad and its Black community.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 ↗