Politics · born 1958Gary Peterspolitician, former naval officerPontiac-born Democrat who represented eastern Detroit in the U.S. House and has been Michigan's U.S. senator since 2015.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
- 18 fields
Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
8 people
Clear filtersPolitics · born 1958Gary Peterspolitician, former naval officerPontiac-born Democrat who represented eastern Detroit in the U.S. House and has been Michigan's U.S. senator since 2015.
Politics · 1830–1913Thomas W. Palmerlumberman, U.S. senator, philanthropistDetroit-born lumber fortune heir and senator who founded the Detroit Museum of Art (today's DIA) and gave the city Palmer Park, with its 1885 log cabin.
Politics · 1798–1872Augustus Seymour Porterlawyer, mayor of Detroit, U.S. senatorDetroit lawyer and city recorder who was elected mayor in 1838 and resigned the next year to go to the U.S. Senate as a Whig.
Politics · 1840–1901Hazen S. Pingreeshoe manufacturer, mayor of Detroit, governor of MichiganReforming shoe manufacturer, Detroit mayor 1890–1897 and governor, famous for fighting utility monopolies and for his 'potato patches' for the jobless; his statue stands in Grand Circus Park.
Science & invention · 1797–1872Zina Pitcherphysician, botanist, mayor of DetroitArmy surgeon and botanist who settled in Detroit, served twice as mayor (1840–1841 and 1843), helped build the University of Michigan and presided over the American Medical Association.
Business & brands · 1852–1929John Pridgeon Jr.shipping executive, mayor of DetroitDetroit-born son of a shipping captain who ran the family's vessels and the Detroit & Windsor Ferry and served as Democratic mayor in 1888–1889.
Politics · 1822–1900John Pattoncarriage maker, mayor of DetroitIrish-born carriage maker and popular fire-company leader who served as Detroit's mayor in 1858–1859, the first two-year term under a new charter.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 ↗