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People associated with Bridgeport, Connecticut
who achieved great public distinction, listed in
the category for which they are best known: This
list compiled from Wikipedia and by members of
"Bridgeport In the Know."
Military
* Major Robert Anderson, commander of Ft.
Sumpter when the Civil War began
* Commodore Isaac Chauncey, commander of
American naval forces on
the Great Lakes during the War of 1812
* William Hincks, Medal of Honor recipient
* John Mackenzie, Medal of Honor recipient
* Henry A. Mucci, led the raid that rescued
survivors of the Bataan Death March in World War
II
Government service
* Robert De Forest, Mayor, Congressman
* Robert A. Hurley (1895-1968), Connecticut
Governor (first Roman Catholic to hold that
office in Connecticut)
* Samuel Simons, (1792-1847) was a United States
Representative from Connecticut.
* James Coughlin Shannon, (1896-1980)
Connecticut Governor
* Roswell B. Mason, Mayor of Chicago during the
Great Fire of 1871
* Charles S. Sanford, founder of the town of
Sanford, FL (where the
AutoTrain lets you off)
* Christopher Shays, Fourth District Congressman
Entertainers, artists, writers
* P.T. Barnum, circus owner, entrepreneur and
mayor of Bridgeport
* Art Baron, jazz trombonist
* Richard Belzer, actor & comedian who once
worked as a CT Post reporter
* Mimi Benzell, Metropolitan Opera soprano
* Al Capp, cartoonist famous for comic strip of
Li'l Abner
* Adrianna Caselotti, the voice of Snow White
* Joseph Celli, oboist
* Myles Cleveland, rapper and a member of the
R&B group 2 Much
* Bob Crane, actor in Hogan's Heroes, was radio
host WICC-AM 1950-55
* Fanny Crosby, blind 19th-century hymn writer
* Vernon Dalhart, singer, songwriter
* Brian Dennehy, actor
* "Superman" Jay Harrison, his brother, "Shockin'"
Shaun Harrison, and cousin Jacques "Jock"
Harrison, all from Bridgeport, formed Skinny
Boys, a popular, early Rap group in the 1980s,
and the first in the state.
* Johnny Ice, professional wrestler
* Arline Judge, actress
* Walt Kelly, cartoonist
* Jin Hi Kim, geomungo player and composer
* Larry Kramer, playwright and gay rights
activist
* Paul Leka, whose 'band' STEAM gave the world
the immortal 'Na Na
Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye'
* John Mayer, singer-songwriter born in
Bridgeport, grew up in Fairfield
* Robert Mitchum, actor
* Tony Musante, actor
* Kevin Nealon, comedian and actor
* John Ratzenberger, entertainer
* Bill Smitrovich, actor
* General Tom Thumb (Charles Stratton),
performer, little person
* Vinnie Vincent, guitarist (KISS)
* Deborah Walley, actress
* Michael Jai White, actor
Inventors and scientists
* Waldo G. Bryant, inventor of the push-pull
toggle light switch
* Warren R. Briggs, inventor of the baseball
catcher's mask
* Charles 'Sport' Campagna, inventor of the
nutcracker
* Elias Howe, inventor of the sewing machine
* Simon Lake, inventor of the modern submarine
* Edward Land, inventor of the Polaroid camera
* Louis Latimer, Inventor
* Charles F. Ritchel, inventor
* Igor Sikorsky, inventor of the helicopter
* Thomas P. Taylor, inventor of the automatic
baseball-stitching device
* Gustave Whitehead, inventor
Business people
* Fred DeLuca, founder of Subway
* Andrew Hidalgo, founder of WPCS International
Incorporated
* Edwin H. Land, founder of Polaroid Corporation
Other
* Alicia Calaway, T.V Reality Show star.
Appeared on Survivor: Australian Outback, and
also, Survivor: All-Stars
* Joseph Celli, oboist
* Edward Cardinal Egan, former Roman Catholic
bishop of Bridgeport, now heads the Archdiocese
of New York
* Alfred Fones, dental hygienist pioneer
* Chris Gill, sailor and publisher
* Jesse Hawley, who originated the concept of
the Erie Canal
* John Hurd, whose destruction of Adirondack
Mt. forests
gave rise to the Adirondack Forest Preserve
* Theodore D. Judah, who plotted the course of
the transcontinental railroad
* Jin Hi Kim, Korean-born komungo player and
composer
* Roy Neuberger, art collector and donor
* George and Charles Palliser, America's most
influential pattern-
book architects of the 19th century
* Charles F. Ritchel, who was flying around in a
motorized aircraft
in the 1870s and invented the convex amusement
park mirror
* Reverend Dr. Frederick J. Streets, former
pastor of the Mount Aery Baptist Church, now
first Baptist and African-American Chaplain of
Yale University and Senior Pastor of the Church
of Christ In Yale.
* Salem H. Wales, founder and first editor of
the Scientific American magazine
Athletes
Baseball players
* Howard Francis Baker, Major League baseball
player with Chicago White Sox, New York Giants
* Cornelius "Neal" Ball, credited with first
unassisted triple play in the major leagues
* George Bryant, MLB player, played for Detroit
Wolverines
* George James Curry, Major League baseball
player also known as Soldier Boy
* George "Kiddo" Davis, who in 1933 World Series
against the Washington Nationals, had 7 hits,
and batted .368, helping the New York Giants win
the championship
* Rob Dibble, or Robert Keith Dibble (Nasty Boy
or Officer) pitched for Cincinnati Reds, Chicago
White Sox, and Milwaukee Brewers for seven
seasons total
* Angel Echevarria, played in National League
for Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, and
Chicago Cubs for a total of seven seasons.
Echevarria also signed with the hometown
Bluefish at the beginning of the 2006 season.
* Ray Keating, or Raymond Herbert Keating
nicknamed Ray pitching for the New York
Highlanders, New York Yankees, and Boston Braves
in the MLB
* Kurt Kepshire, or Kurt David Kepshire
graduated from the University of New Haven,
drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in twenty-fifth
round of 1979 draft pitching for the St. Louis
Cardinals for three seasons
* Billy Lush, or William Lucas Lush a
major-league player for seven seasons playing
for Washington Senators, Boston Beaneaters,
Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Naps
* Ernie Lush, or Ernest Benjamin Lush a
major-league player played a single year in the
MLB with the St. Louis Cardinals in the National
League
* Charles Nagy, MLB pitcher, pitched 13 seasons
for Cleveland Indians and one for the San Diego
Padres for a total of 14 in the MLB.
* Phillip Nastu, graduated from the University
of Bridgeport, and was signed by the San
Francisco Giants to pitch as a free agent in
1976 for a total of three seasons
* Tricky Nichols, or Frederick C. Nichols
pitched in the MLB for Boston Red Caps, St.
Louis Brown Stockings, Providence Grays,
Worcester Ruby Legs and Baltimore Orioles for
five years total in the MLB
* James Henry O'Rourke, The Orator," played
Major League ball from 1872-1893, posting a
lifetime .311 batting average, inducted into
Baseball Hall of Fame 1945, first player to be
credited with a hit and single in a professional
baseball game
* John Paul Papa, graduated from the University
of Bridgeport pitching two years in the MLB for
the Baltimore Orioles
* Mike Pasquella, or Michael John Pasquella
(Toney) graduated from Villanova played for
major-league teams Philadelphia Phillies and St.
Louis Cardinals
* John 'Pretzel' Pezzullo, pitched two years i
the MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies
* Ed Rowen, played for the Boston Red Caps, and
Philadelphia Athletics over three years in the
MLB
* Dan Shannon, or Daniel Webster Shannon played
for the Louisville Colonels, Philadelphia
Quakers, the New York Giants, the Washington
Senators over three years in the MLB
* Johnny Tillman, or John Lawrence Tillman
(Ducky) pitched for the St. Louis Browns in
American League
* Edward David Wojna, or Ed Wojna pitching three
years for the San Diego Padres and one year for
the Cleveland Indians
Basketball players
* John Bagley, went to Warren Harding High in
Bridgeport, drafted into the NBA in 1982 by the
Cleveland Cavaaliers playing for eleven seasons
in the NBA
* Manute Bol, professional player drafted to NBA
1983 in round five and 1985 in round two,
playing 9 years in NBA. Dinka tribesman from
Sudan, played College Basketball at the
University of Bridgeport for one year before
getting drafted in the NBA.
* Jack Kvancz, Basketball player and current
Director of Athletics at The George Washington
University.
* Wes Matthews, went to Harding High in
Bridgeport, played in NBA for Washington
Bullets, Atlanta Hawks twice in career,
Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio,
and Los Angeles Lakers
* Frank Oleynick, native of Bridgeport nicknamed
"Magic" played two years for NBA in Seattle
Other athletes
* Joseph Booth, Pro Soccer Hall of Famer
* Victor K. Ross, Lacrosse Hall of Famer;
graduate of Bridgeport High School,
Syracuse University, and Syracuse Law School
* Sidney Wood, tennis player who won at
Wimbledon in 1931 and made it to the Davis Cup
finals in 1934.
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