List of people from Bridgeport, Connecticut

People associated with Bridgeport, Connecticut who achieved great public distinction, listed in the category for which they are best known:

Athletes

Baseball players

These baseball players were born in or lived in the city:

• Howard Baker, Major League baseball player
• Cornelius "Neal" Ball, credited with the first unassisted triple play in the major leagues
• George Bryant, MLB player for Detroit Wolverines
• George "Kiddo" Davis, who in the 1933 World Series against the Washington Senators had 7 hits in 19 at-bats, and batted .368, helping the New York Giants win the championship
• Rob Dibble, pitcher for Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, and Milwaukee Brewers
• Angel Echevarria, played in National League for Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago Cubs
• Ray Keating, pitched for the New York Highlanders, New York Yankees, and Boston Braves
• Kurt Kepshire, or Kurt David Kepshire, pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals
• Charles Nagy, pitcher for Cleveland Indians and San Diego Padres, pitched in the 1995 and 1997 World Series
• Tricky Nichols, pitcher for the Boston Red Caps, St. Louis Brown Stockings, Providence Grays, Worcester Ruby Legs and Baltimore Orioles
• Jim O'Rourke (James Henry O'Rourke), first player to be credited with a hit and single in a professional baseball game
• Ed Rowen, 19th-century baseball player for the Boston Red Caps and Philadelphia Athletics
• Dan Shannon, played second base for the Louisville Colonels and the Philadelphia Quakers, and second base and shortstop for the New York Giants and the Washington Senators
• Ed Wojna, pitcher for the San Diego Padres and Cleveland Indians

Basketball players

• Courtney Alexander, played three seasons in the NBA
• John Bagley, played for eleven seasons in the NBA
• Walter Luckett, star high school and college player in the 1970s
• Frank Oleynick, played two years for NBA in Seattle
• Charles D. Smith, University of Pittsburgh and New York Knicks
• Chris Smith, University of Connecticut and Minnesota Timberwolves

Other athletes

• Kevin Belcher, NFL player
• Julie Chu, three-time Olympic ice hockey medalist
• Mike L. Jones, NFL player for Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks
• Alex Joseph, pro football player
• Sidney Wood, tennis player, won at Wimbledon in 1931, reached Davis Cup finals in 1934

Business people

• Fred DeLuca, founder of Subway
• George Gilman, founder of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company.
• Edwin H. Land, founder of Polaroid Corporation
• Nathaniel Wheeler, manufacturer of Wheeler & Wilson; state legislator

Entertainers, artists, writers

• P.T. Barnum, circus owner, entrepreneur and mayor of Bridgeport
• Al Capp, cartoonist, creator of comic strip Li'l Abner
• Adriana Caselotti, voice of Snow White
• Perry DeAngelis, co-founder and executive director of NESS, co-founder of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe
• Sally Haley, artist and painter
• Maureen Howard, author
• Walt Kelly, cartoonist, creator of Pogo
• Larry Kramer, playwright and gay rights activist, writer of The Normal Heart
• Roy Neuberger, art collector and donor
• Charles Schnee, screenwriter and film producer
• Jim Shepard, author
• General Tom Thumb (Charles Stratton), performer, little person

Actors

• Richard Belzer, actor and comedian who once worked as a reporter for The Connecticut Post
• Brian Dennehy, actor
• Bob Crane, actor known for his lead role in Hogan's Heroes; a radio host WICC-AM in Bridgeport from 1950 to 1955
• Arline Judge, actress
• Robert Mitchum, actor
• Tony Musante, actor
• Kevin Nealon, comedian and actor
• John Ratzenberger, actor known for role of Cliff Clavin in TV series Cheers
• Bill Smitrovich, actor
• Deborah Walley, actress
• Michael Jai White, actor

Musicians

• Art Baron, jazz trombonist
• Mimi Benzell, Metropolitan Opera soprano
• Joseph Celli, oboist
• Fanny Crosby, composer of more than 8,000 Christian hymns; lived here for the last fifteen years of her life; buried in the Mountain Grove Cemetery
• Vernon Dalhart, singer, songwriter
• Jessica Delfino, musician, comedian
• Jin Hi Kim, geomungo player and composer
• Paul Leka, singer/songwriter/composer, member of Steam, Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye).
• Angus Maclise, experimental musician and poet, founding member of The Velvet Underground
• John Mayer, singer-songwriter, born in Bridgeport, largely grew up in neighboring Fairfield
• Peter McCann, singer/songwriter, "Do You Wanna Make Love?", "Right Time of the Night"
• Syesha Mercado, singer, actress and American Idol contestant
• Lou "Boulder" Richards, guitarist (Hatebreed)
• Vinnie Vincent, guitarist (KISS)
• Robert Wendel, composer, musician

Musical groups

• The Alternate Routes (2002–present), rock band
• Hatebreed (1994–present), metallic hardcore band
• The Skinny Boys, 1980s rap group
• Steam, late 1960s pop band
• The Stepkids (2009–present), psych soul band
• Youthful Praise (2001–present), gospel choir

Government service

• David H. Burr, cartographer
• Robert De Forest, Mayor, Congressman
• Robert A. Hurley (1895–1968), Connecticut governor (first Roman Catholic to hold that office in Connecticut)
• Jasper McLevy, Mayor, 1933–1957
• William Shaler, U.S. Consul in Mexico, Algiers and Havana
• James C. Shannon (1896–1980), Connecticut governor
• Christopher Shays, Fourth District Congressman
• Samuel Simons (1792–1847), United States Representative from Connecticut
• Rich Whitney, Green Party candidate for Governor of Illinois

Inventors

C.F. Ritchel of Bridgeport riding his dirigible, as seen on the July 15, 1878 cover of Harper's Weekly

• Harvey Hubbell, inventor of the electric plug and the pull-chain light socket
• Louis Latimer, inventor
• Charles F. Ritchel, inventor
• Gustave Whitehead, inventor

Medical

• Alfred Fones, Bridgeport dentist credited with founding the profession of dental hygiene in 1906

Military

• David Hawley, Naval commander and privateer during the American Revolution
• Raymond Jacobs, claimed to be in photo of first flag raised on Iwo Jima in World War II
• Henry A. Mucci, led the raid that rescued survivors of the Bataan Death March in World War II
• Michael Stacey, Black Rock native U.S. Army First Sergeant, retired in 2015 after spending over 20 years on active duty
• Cameron Zacharias, claimed to be the first man to set foot in Vietnam, then died

Religious

• Neal Chase, a leader of a small Bahá'í sect, the Baha'is Under the Provisions of the Covenant was born here
• Edward Egan, former Roman Catholic bishop of Bridgeport, later became the cardinal archbishop of New York

See also

• List of people from Connecticut
• List of people from Darien, Connecticut
• List of people from Greenwich, Connecticut
• List of people from New Canaan, Connecticut
• List of people from New Haven, Connecticut
• List of people from Norwalk, Connecticut
• List of people from Redding, Connecticut
• List of people from Ridgefield, Connecticut
• List of people from Stamford, Connecticut
• List of people from Westport, Connecticut

External links

• Internet Movie Database Web site
• List of major league baseball players from Bridgeport

• [1] The apparent source for many of these items is the "Major League Baseball Players born or raised in Bridgeport" page at the "Central High School" Web site, accessed August 13, 2006
• [2] "Al Capp" Web page at Web site of Bridgeport Central High School, accessed August 13, 2006
• [3] "Robert A. Hurley" Web page at Bridgeport Central High School Web site, accessed August 13, 2006
• [4] "James Coughlin Shannon" Web page at Bridgeport Central High School Web site, accessed August 13, 2006