List of Famous people born in Illinois, United States of America
John B. Anderson
John Bayard Anderson was an American politician from Illinois. As a member of the Republican Party, he served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Illinois's 16th congressional district from 1961 to 1981. In 1980, he ran an independent campaign for president, receiving 6.6% of the popular vote.
Carol Moseley Braun
Carol Elizabeth Moseley Braun, also sometimes Moseley-Braun, is an American diplomat, politician and lawyer who represented Illinois in the United States Senate from 1993 to 1999. Prior to her Senate tenure, Moseley Braun was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1979 to 1988 and served as Cook County Recorder of Deeds from 1988 to 1992. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992 after defeating Senator Alan Dixon in a Democratic primary. Moseley Braun served one term in the Senate and was defeated by Republican Peter Fitzgerald in 1998.
J. Allen Hynek
Josef Allen Hynek was an American astronomer, professor, and ufologist. He is perhaps best remembered for his UFO research. Hynek acted as scientific advisor to UFO studies undertaken by the U.S. Air Force under two projects: Project Sign (1947–1949) and Project Blue Book (1952–1969).
Jaboukie Young-White
Jaboukie Young-White is an American stand-up comedian, writer, and SoundCloud rapper.
Ryan Held
Ryan Held is an American freestyle swimmer who specializes in the sprint events, and is currently sponsored by Arena.
Morey Amsterdam
Moritz "Morey" Amsterdam was an American actor and comedian. He played Buddy Sorrell on CBS's The Dick Van Dyke Show from 1961 to 1966.
Cuonzo Martin
Cuonzo LaMar Martin is an American basketball coach and former player who is the current head coach of the Missouri Tigers men's basketball team.
Lester C. Hunt
Lester Callaway Hunt, Sr., was a Democratic politician and dentist from the state of Wyoming. Hunt was the first to be elected to two consecutive terms as Wyoming's governor, serving as its 19th Governor from January 4, 1943, to January 3, 1949. In 1948, he was elected by an overwhelming margin to the U.S. Senate, and began his term on January 3, 1949.
Sandi Morris
Sandi Morris is an American pole vault record holder. She won the silver medal in the pole vault event at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She also won silver at the pole vault event at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics. In 2018 she won gold at the World Indoor Championships. Morris has a personal best vault of 4.95 m indoor, set on March 12, 2016 in Portland, Oregon. She matched this height at the 2018 World Indoor Champships when setting a new championship record. July 23, 2016, Morris cleared 4.93 m at American Track League in Houston at Rice University breaking Jennifer Suhr's American outdoor record in the pole vault. Morris cleared 5.00 m at 2016 IAAF Diamond League Memorial Van Damme in Brussels on September 9, 2016 to set the U.S. women's outdoor pole vault record.
Michael Wright
Michael Wright was an American–Turkish professional basketball player. He also held Turkish citizenship. His Turkish name was Ali Karadeniz. He played professional basketball in Poland, Spain, Israel, South Korea, France, Germany, and Turkey. He was murdered in 2015.