List of Famous people who died in 1978

Ralph Fesler Gates was the 37th Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from 1945 to 1949. A lawyer and veteran of World War I, he is credited with returning his party to power after the Ku Klux Klan scandal in late 1920s that led to years of Democratic dominance of the state government during the Great Depression. His term in office focused primarily on encouraging economic growth as World War II ended through the improvement of the state highway system, education reform, and offering incentives for industrial growth. After leaving office he remained active as a leader in the state Republican Party until his death.

John Joseph Boardman was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, and Titular Bishop of Gunela.

Frank S. Ferguson was an American character actor with hundreds of appearances in both film and television.

Peter Francke (1897-1978) was a German screenwriter. He wrote the screenplay for The Girl from Barnhelm (1940), an adaptation of a play by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing.

Heinrich 'Heiri' Suter was a Swiss road racing cyclist. Excelling mainly in the classics, Suter was the first non-Belgian winner of the Tour of Flanders in 1923. Two weeks after his win in the Tour of Flanders, he won Paris–Roubaix, becoming the first cyclist to win both classics in the same year. He also holds a record six victories in Züri-Metzgete, Switerland's most important one-day race.

Hubert Schonger (1897–1978) was a German film director, producer and screenwriter. He began his career working on documentaries, but in the late 1930s switched to producing animated films.

Charles Milby Dale was an American lawyer and Republican politician from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was the sixty-sixth Governor of New Hampshire, serving from 1945 to 1949.