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Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis, a Topekan who was part Kaw Indian, served as vice president of the United States under Herbert Hoover. Curtis served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1893 to 1907 and served in the U.S. Senate from 1907 until he was elected vice president in 1929. As Senate Majority Leader under President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, Curtis led the floor fight for women's suffrage.
Carry Nation
Around the turn of the century, Carry Nation, of Medicine Lodge, became
nationally known as a symbol of the temperance movement. She is best known for destroying illegal saloons with her famous hatchets.
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 Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart,of Atchison, was the first female granted a pilot's license by the National Aeronautics Association and the first female - and only the second person - to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She disappeared during her 1937 attempt to fly around the world.
Jim Ryun
In the 1960s, Jim Ryun, of Wichita, set a new world record for the mile run,
becoming the first American mile titlist in 30 years. He also held world records for 1500 meters and the half mile. Ryun was named the World's Outstanding Athlete in 1966 and 1967, and was a three-time Olympian. He currently represents the 2nd District of Kansas in the U.S. House of Representatives.
William White
William Allen White, editor and publisher of the Emporia Gazette, was awarded a Pulitzer for his editorial "To an Anxious Friend." |
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was raised in Abilene, was commander-in-chief of
the Allied Armies in Europe during World War II and U.S. president from 1953-61. He is buried in Abilene.
Alf Landon
Alf Landon, of Independence, was Kansas governor from 1933-1937. In 1936, as the Republican presidential nominee, Landon lost to Franklin D. Roosevelt by one of the greatest margins in American political history.
Gordon Parks
Gordon Parks, born in Fort Scott, is a world-renowned photographer, writer and motion picture producer; he won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize in photography. Parks wrote the books "The Learning Tree" and "A Choice of Weapons," and he directed the movie "Shaft." |
FAMOUS KANSANS