List of Famous people born on August 17th

John Varley was an English watercolour painter and astrologer, and a close friend of William Blake. They collaborated in 1819–1820 on the book Visionary Heads, written by Varley and illustrated by Blake. He was the elder brother of a family of artists: Cornelius Varley, William Fleetwood Varley, and Elizabeth, who married the painter William Mulready.

Preston Rudolph York was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher and a first baseman between 1934 and 1948, most notably as a member of the Detroit Tigers.

Henri De Wolf is a former Belgian cyclist.

Alton Asa Lennon of Wilmington, New Hanover County, N.C., was a Democratic U.S. senator from the state of North Carolina between 1953 and 1954, and later, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing North Carolina's 7th congressional district from 1957 to 1973. Lennon was one of the very few former United States Senators in modern times to be elected to the House after their Senate careers.

Henry Grey was a British Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1709 and 1740.