List of people from New Hampshire facts for kids

State flag of New Hampshire

Location of New Hampshire in the United States

New Hampshire is a state in the northeastern United States, known for its beautiful mountains, forests, and coastline. Many amazing people have come from New Hampshire, or have lived there and done great things. This article introduces you to some of these famous individuals, from astronauts and athletes to artists and inventors.

People Who Explored Space
Creative Minds: Arts and Literature
Sports Stars and Athletes
Leaders and Public Figures
- Political Figures
Inventors and Scientists
Other Notable People
Images for kids
See also

People Who Explored Space

New Hampshire has been home to several brave astronauts who have traveled beyond Earth.

Jay C. Buckey (born 1956), an astronaut who flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia.
Christa McAuliffe (1948–1986), a teacher who was chosen to be the first teacher in space. She was part of the Space Shuttle Challenger mission.
Lee Morin (born 1952), an astronaut and medical doctor.
Richard A. Searfoss (1956–2018), an astronaut who flew on three Space Shuttle missions.
Alan Shepard (1923–1998), a native of New Hampshire and the very first American to travel into space!

Creative Minds: Arts and Literature

Many talented writers, artists, and musicians have connections to New Hampshire.

Authors and Poets

Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836–1907), a poet and novelist.
Russell Banks (born 1940), a well-known novelist.
Dan Brown (born 1964), a native of New Hampshire, famous for writing exciting mystery novels like The Da Vinci Code.
Bill Bryson (born 1951), a popular author known for his travel books and books about science.
Willa Cather (1873–1947), a famous novelist who won a Pulitzer Prize.
Matt Chandler (writer) (born 1972), a children's book author.
E. E. Cummings (1894–1962), a unique and famous poet.
Tomie dePaola (1934–2020), a beloved children's book author and illustrator.
Kevin Eastman (born 1962), a comic book writer and co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
Robert Frost (1874–1963), one of America's most famous poets, known for his poems about nature.
Sarah Josepha Hale (1788–1879), an editor and writer, famous for writing the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
Donald Hall (1928–2018), a poet and writer.
John Irving (born 1942), a native of New Hampshire and a very successful novelist.
Carrie Jones, a novelist known for young adult fiction.
Peter Laird (born 1954), another comic book writer and co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Joyce Maynard (born 1953), a novelist and journalist.
Grace Metalious (1924–1964), a novelist.
Jodi Picoult (born 1966), a best-selling author known for her novels that explore difficult moral questions.
Eleanor H. Porter (1868–1920), a novelist, famous for her book Pollyanna.
J. D. Salinger (1919–2010), a famous novelist who lived in Cornish, New Hampshire, known for The Catcher in the Rye.
Charles Simic (born 1938), a poet who won a Pulitzer Prize.
Armstrong Sperry (1897–1976), a children's book author and illustrator.
Celia Thaxter (1835–1894), a poet.
Harriet E. Wilson (1825–1900), a 19th-century novelist.

Artists and Sculptors

Eric Aho (born 1966), a painter.
Brian Sidney Bembridge (born 1973), an artist and designer.
George Condo (artist), a contemporary artist.
Daniel Chester French (1850–1931), a native of New Hampshire and a very famous sculptor, known for creating the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial.
Nicholas Hondrogen (1952–2007), a painter, photographer, and sculptor.
Jim McDermott (born 1960), an illustrator.
Larkin Goldsmith Mead (1835–1910), a sculptor.
Bob Montana (1920–1975), the illustrator of the popular Archie comics.
Jules Olitski (1922–2007), a painter.
Maxfield Parrish (1870–1966), a famous painter and illustrator.
Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907), a renowned sculptor.
Adam Warren (born 1967), a comic book writer and artist.

Musicians and Composers

Amy Beach (1867–1944), a native of New Hampshire and a talented composer.
Brad Delp (1951–2007), a member of the famous rock band Boston.
Ronnie James Dio (1942–2010), a native of New Hampshire and a legendary heavy metal singer.
Sully Erna (born 1968), a member of the rock band Godsmack.
JoJo (born 1990), a popular singer.
Ray LaMontagne (born 1973), a native of New Hampshire and a Grammy-winning folk singer.
Edward MacDowell (1860–1908), a pianist and composer.
Mandy Moore (born 1984), a native of New Hampshire, famous as both a singer and an actress.
Patricia Racette (born 1965), a native of New Hampshire and a celebrated opera singer.
Tom Rush (born 1941), a folk and blues musician.
Steven Tyler (born 1948), a member of the legendary rock band Aerosmith.

Sports Stars and Athletes

New Hampshire has produced many talented athletes who have excelled in various sports.

Victoria Arlen (born 1994), a Paralympian swimmer and ESPN personality.
Matt Bonner (born 1980), a professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs.
Chris Carpenter (born 1975), a Major League Baseball pitcher who won a Cy Young Award.
Charlie Davies (born 1986), a professional soccer player.
Tricia Dunn-Luoma (born 1974), an Olympic ice hockey player.
Carlton Fisk (born 1947), a Baseball Hall of Famer who grew up in Charlestown, New Hampshire. He was a catcher for the Boston Red Sox.
Sam Fuld (born 1981), a Major League Baseball player.
Chip Kelly (born 1963), a well-known NFL and college football head coach.
Katie King-Crowley (born 1975), an Olympic ice hockey player.
Scotty Lago (born 1987), an Olympic snowboarder.
Bode Miller (born 1977), one of the most successful American alpine ski racers of all time, winning multiple Olympic medals.
Penny Pitou (born 1938), an Olympic alpine skier and silver medalist.
Red Rolfe (1908–1969), a Major League Baseball third baseman and manager for the New York Yankees.
Adam Sandler (born 1966), an actor and comedian.
Jenny Thompson (born 1973), an incredible swimmer and one of the most decorated Olympians, with 12 Olympic medals.
Triple H (born 1969), a famous professional wrestler.

Leaders and Public Figures

New Hampshire has been home to important figures in politics and public service.

Political Figures

Kelly Ayotte (born 1968), a native of New Hampshire and a former U.S. Senator.
Josiah Bartlett (1729–1795), one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Lewis Cass (1782–1866), a statesman who served as a U.S. Senator and Secretary of War.
Salmon P. Chase (1808–1873), a native of New Hampshire who served as Chief Justice of the United States and Secretary of the Treasury.
Wentworth Cheswell (1746–1817), a native of New Hampshire and a patriot during the American Revolution, known for his ride to warn of British invasion.
Henry Dearborn (1751–1829), a native of New Hampshire and a general during the American Revolution.
Judd Gregg (born 1947), a native of New Hampshire and a former U.S. Senator and Governor.
Doris Haddock (1910–2010), a native of New Hampshire, known as "Granny D" for walking across the United States to advocate for campaign finance reform.
John Langdon (1741–1819), a native of New Hampshire and one of the Founding Fathers, who signed the U.S. Constitution.
Corey Lewandowski (born 1973), a political commentator.
John Lynch (born 1952), a former Governor of New Hampshire.
James Miller (1776–1851), a native of New Hampshire and a hero of the War of 1812.
David Petraeus (born 1952), a retired four-star general.
Franklin Pierce (1804–1869), a native of New Hampshire and the 14th President of the United States.
Jeanne Shaheen (born 1947), a U.S. Senator and former Governor of New Hampshire.
David Souter (born 1939), a former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
John Stark (1728–1822), a native of New Hampshire and a famous general during the American Revolution.
John Sullivan (1740–1795), a native of New Hampshire and a general during the American Revolution.
Matthew Thornton (1714–1803), one of the Founding Fathers and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Daniel Webster (1782–1852), a native of New Hampshire and a very influential statesman, known for his powerful speeches.
William Whipple (1731–1785), one of the Founding Fathers and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Inventors and Scientists

New Hampshire has been home to brilliant minds who have created new things and made scientific discoveries.

Leonard Bailey (1825–1905), an inventor known for his improvements to woodworking planes.
Jim Collins (born 1965), a bioengineer and inventor, recognized for his work in synthetic biology.
William E. Corbin (1869–1951), the inventor of paper towels.
Sidney Darlington (1906–1997), an electrical engineer and inventor of the Darlington transistor.
Dean Kamen (born 1951), a famous inventor who created the Segway and founded the FIRST Robotics Competition, which inspires young people in science and technology.
Sylvester H. Roper (1823–1896), an inventor and pioneer in early automobiles and motorcycles.
Ambrose Swasey (1846–1937), a mechanical engineer and inventor.
Earl Silas Tupper (1907–1983), a chemist and inventor of Tupperware.
George H. Whipple (1878–1976), a physician and researcher who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work on treating anemia.

Other Notable People

Here are some other interesting people with ties to New Hampshire.

Brooke Astor (1902–2007), a native of New Hampshire and a famous philanthropist, known for her charitable work.
Stephanie Birkitt (born 1975), a former assistant to David Letterman.
Jonathan Daniels (1939–1965), a civil rights activist.
Brian De Palma (born 1940), a film director.
Tom Dey (born 1965), a film director.
Annie Duke (born 1965), a professional poker player.
Toby Fox (born 1991), the creator of the popular video games Undertale and Deltarune.
Phineas Gage (1823–1860), a railroad construction foreman whose survival of a serious accident helped scientists learn about the brain.
Gary Hirshberg (born 1954), the co-founder of Stonyfield Farm, a well-known organic yogurt company.
Jigger Johnson (1871–1935), a legendary lumberjack.
Howard Lederer (born 1964), a professional poker player.
Alanis Obomsawin (born 1932), a documentary filmmaker.
Chris Ohlson (born 1975), a film producer and director.
Charles Revson (1906–1975), a businessman who founded Revlon cosmetics.
Robert Rodat (born c. 1960), a screenwriter and producer, known for writing Saving Private Ryan.