List of Famous people who died in 1939

Dmitry Vlasyevich Aynalov was a Soviet and Russian art historian, a university professor, a corresponding member of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1914), and a member of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society. Penned more than 200 scholarly publications, including articles, lectures, reviews.

Rolf Thommessen was a Norwegian journalist, newspaper editor and politician. He edited the newspaper Tidens Tegn from 1917 to 1938. He was a member of the Parliament of Norway from 1928 to 1930, representing the Liberal Left Party.

Joseph Aloysius Lyons was an Australian politician who served as the 10th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1932 until his death in 1939. He began his career in the Australian Labor Party (ALP), but became the founding leader of the United Australia Party (UAP) after the 1931 ALP split. He had earlier served as Premier of Tasmania from 1923 to 1928.

Harvey Williams Cushing was an American neurosurgeon, pathologist, writer, and draftsman. A pioneer of brain surgery, he was the first exclusive neurosurgeon and the first person to describe Cushing's disease. He wrote a biography of William Osler in three volumes.

Marie, Duchess of Anhalt was the wife and consort of Friedrich II, Duke of Anhalt. She was the last Duchess of Anhalt, as German royal and noble titles were abolished in 1919 during the Weimar Republic.

Murdo MacKenzie was twice manager of the Scots-owned Matador Land and Cattle Company, and founding president of the American Stock Growers Association, for whom he testified before congress and the Interstate Commerce Commission. His testimony led to passage of the Hepburn Act of 1906 which eased railroad fares for western shippers.

Jorma Gallen-Kallela was a Finnish artist. He followed in the footsteps of his father, the famed artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela.

Johannes Lundson was a Finnish politician of the Young Finnish Party and National Progressive Party. He was born in Leppävirta. Lundson was the Speaker of the Parliament in 1917 and was chairing the session on 6 December 1917 when the declaration of independence was approved. Additionally, he served as Minister of Finance from August 1919 to March 1920. He died in Salo, aged 71.

William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet, dramatist, prose writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. A pillar of the Irish literary establishment, he helped to found the Abbey Theatre, and in his later years served two terms as a Senator of the Irish Free State. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival along with Lady Gregory, Edward Martyn and others.