List of Famous people who died in 1952

Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, known in English as George Santayana, was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. Originally from Spain, Santayana was raised and educated in the US from the age of eight and identified himself as an American, although he always retained a valid Spanish passport. At the age of 48, Santayana left his position at Harvard and returned to Europe permanently.

Nevil Vincent Sidgwick FRS was an English theoretical chemist who made significant contributions to the theory of valency and chemical bonding.

Kenneth Paine Edwards was an American golfer who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics.

Gabriel Martelino Reyes was the 28th Archbishop of Manila, and the first native Filipino to hold that post. He previously served as Archbishop of Cebu from 1934 to 1949, and then served as Archbishop of Manila from 1949 till his death in 1952.

Johannes "Johan" Gerardus Diederik van Hell was a Dutch visual artist and musician. His work was included in the 1939 exhibition and sale Onze Kunst van Heden at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. He was a dedicated socialist and a man with a highly developed social conscience. Many of his later works depict the struggles and plight of ‘the man in the street’. In 1925, he decided to produce lithographs to make art available at a reasonable price to the working class. He also gave free private art and music lessons to gifted students who could not afford the tuition.

Waxey Gordon was an American gangster who specialized in bootlegging and illegal gambling. An associate of Arnold Rothstein during prohibition, he was caught up in a power struggle following Rothstein's death. Fellow Rothstein associates Charles Luciano and Meyer Lansky provided authorities with evidence that led to his imprisonment for ten years.