Business & brands · 1916–2009Robert McNamaraFord Motor Company president, U.S. Secretary of DefenseOne of Ford's postwar 'Whiz Kids', he rose to president of Ford in 1960 before leaving for Washington as Secretary of Defense.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.
- 1,912 famous people
- 135 Detroit places
- 9 fields
Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
7 people
Clear filtersBusiness & brands · 1916–2009Robert McNamaraFord Motor Company president, U.S. Secretary of DefenseOne of Ford's postwar 'Whiz Kids', he rose to president of Ford in 1960 before leaving for Washington as Secretary of Defense.
Film & TV · 1915–2011Harry MorganactorColonel Potter of M*A*S*H and Officer Gannon of Dragnet, born Harry Bratsberg in Detroit to Norwegian immigrant parents.
Law · 1913–1988John N. Mitchelllawyer, U.S. attorney generalDetroit-born bond lawyer who became Richard Nixon's attorney general and campaign manager, and later the highest-ranking official imprisoned over Watergate.
Music · 1918–1987Howard McGheejazz trumpeter, composerOne of the first bebop trumpeters, born in Tulsa and raised in Detroit, who later recorded with Charlie Parker and inspired Fats Navarro.
Architecture & design · 1912–1988Bill Mitchellautomotive designer, GM vice president of designHarley Earl's successor as GM's design chief, the man behind the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray and Buick Riviera.
Music · 1918–1983Wild Bill MooreR&B and jazz tenor saxophonistDetroit tenor saxophonist and former Golden Gloves champion whose 1947 "We're Gonna Rock, We're Gonna Roll" is counted among the first rock and roll records.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 ↗