List of Famous people who died in 1940

Clyde Harold Smith was a United States Representative from Maine.

Wally Dressel was a German freestyle swimmer, who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics. She won a silver medal in relay together with her teammates Grete Rosenberg, Louise Otto and Hermine Stindt. In the 100 metre freestyle competition she was eliminated in the semi-finals.

Johan Jakob Albert Ehrensvärd was a Swedish diplomat. He was Sweden's envoy to Washington D.C between 1910 and 1911. He became Sweden's Foreign Minister in Liberal leader and Prime Minister Karl Staaff's Second Cabinet. As Foreign Minister of Sweden he instituted reforms in the Swedish Foreign Service and worked to ease tensed relations with Czarist Russia.

Henri Desgrange was a French bicycle racer and sports journalist. He set twelve world track cycling records, including the hour record of 35.325 kilometres (21.950 mi) on 11 May 1893. He was the first organiser of the Tour de France.

Hanna Hirsch, later Hanna Pauli, was a Swedish painter; primarily of genre scenes and portraits.

Alicia Boole Stott was an Irish-born English mathematician. Despite never holding an academic position, she made a number of valuable contributions to the field, receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Groningen. She is best known for coining the term "polytope" for a convex solid in four dimensions, and having an impressive grasp of four-dimensional geometry from a very early age.

Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark was the fifth and youngest son and youngest child of King George I of Greece, belonging to a dynasty which mounted and lost the throne of Greece several times during his lifetime. Much of his life was spent living abroad.