Famous People Born In 1808

The 17th president of the United States, Andrew Johnson assumed the presidency while serving as the vice president when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Born in poverty, Andrew Johnson did not attend school. However, he worked his way up to become a prominent politician—an inspiring story indeed!

Jefferson Davis was the president of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865. He was also the U.S. secretary of war and had fought in the Mexican–American War earlier. He was against secession. He wrote an autobiography named The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government.

Caroline Chisholm was an English humanitarian remembered for her work in British India where she established the Female School of Industry for the Daughters of European Soldiers which aimed at educating girls, who were taught reading, writing, nursing, cooking, and housekeeping. She also became a much-admired woman in Australia where she placed more than 11,000 people in jobs and homes.

Being the granddaughter of playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan, author Caroline Norton had her first experience at writing in her teens. Her beauty and charm, however, made her failed barrister husband jealous. The rift in their marriage caused her to successfully campaign for married women’s right to property and their children’s custody.

Washakie was an influential leader of the Shoshone people, a Native American tribe. He was recognized as the head of the Eastern Shoshones for a major part of his life by the representatives of the US government. He was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners in 1979.

The daughter of actor and soprano Joaquina Sitches and tenor Manuel García, Spanish mezzo-soprano Maria Malibran was 8 when she debuted on stage with her father. She gained immense fame as Rosina in The Barber of Seville. She died after falling from a horse soon after marriage to violinist Charles de Bériot.

Protestant theologian David Strauss was 12 when he joined a seminary to study theology. Known for his works such as Das Leben Jesu, or The Life of Jesus Critically Examined, he criticized the Gospels and the miracles associated with Christ, thus inspiring future studies on the historical Jesus.

Remembered as the "Spanish Lord Byron," Romantic poet José de Espronceda y Delgado became famous for his affair with Teresa Mancha. Initially imprisoned in a monastery for his revolutionary activities, he fled Spain and later lived in England and France. El estudiante de Salamanca remains one of his notable works.

Known for her involvement in various anti-slavery and women’s empowerment campaigns, Frances Dana Barker Gage was a prominent American social reformer. She was also associated with the farmers’ papers Ohio Cultivator and Field Notes. She also worked toward achieving women’s voting rights and property rights.

James Frederick Ferrier was a Scottish metaphysical philosopher, writer, and professor. He is best remembered for authoring a series of articles titled An Introduction to the Philosophy of Consciousness, which were published in Blackwood's Magazine. As an educator, James Frederick Ferrier taught at several prestigious institutions like Edinburgh University and the University of St Andrews.

British engineer William Lindley is remembered for his contribution toward the renovation of the city of Hanover in Germany, rebuilding everything from gas works to public baths, after a devastating fire that destroyed the city for 3 days. He also designed the sewerage systems of several European cities, such as Frankfurt.

Everhardus Johannes Potgieter was a Dutch poet and prose writer. Along with Bakhuizen van den Brink and Heije, Potgieter is credited with founding a literary review called De Muzen, which soon became a leading monthly magazine called De Gids. Potgieter went on to become a role model of the golden age of the Netherlanders during the 16th and 17th centuries. 

Glasgow-born civil engineer John Scott Russell is best remembered for his contribution to naval architecture. He was the first to build a naval battleship entirely made of iron, the HMS Warrior. His written works include the 3-volume The Modern System of Naval Architecture. He also discovered Russell's solitary wave.

Known for redefining Norwegian poetry, Henrik Wergeland is known for his iconic works such as Creation, Humanity, and Messiah and Jan van Huysum’s Flowerpiece. He fought for the constitutional rights of Jews and became a symbol of Norwegian independence, in spite of his early death at 37.

Known for his masterpieces such as Le Chevalier des Touches and Les Diaboliques, French author Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly was also famous for his outrageous dress sense in spite of his poverty. He specialized in writing dark mystery tales. He had also been a critic at Le Constitutionnel.

Johann Gustav Droysen was a German historian. His work pertaining to Alexander the Great was the first work that represented a new school of German thought that introduced the great man theory. Johann Gustav Droysen's book, History of Alexander the Great, remained the best work on the king of Macedonia for a long time.

Honoré Daumier is best remembered for his satirical cartoons on the French society and politics. Born to a glazier father in Marseille, he later began studying art under Alexandre Lenoir and developed a love for sculptures, too. He later made a fortune, working on commissions of lithographs.

Horatius Bonar was a Scottish poet and churchman. In addition to being a highly popular and voluminous author, Bonar also played a major role in the development of the Church of Scotland. Also a prodigious hymnodist, Horatius Bonar wrote several hymns that became popular throughout the English-speaking world. 

Son of Irish immigrants in France, Patrice de Mac-Mahon was a distinguished military general before he became the president of France. His military victory at Magenta earned him the title of the Duke of Magenta. His presidency witnessed the formation of the 1875 constitutional laws and the Third Republic.

Urbano Rattazzi was an Italian statesman and one of Italy's founding fathers. Rattazzi held several prominent cabinet positions including that of prime minister in the early years of the Italian Republic. Urbano Rattazzi's ambiguous policies were opposed by Giuseppe Garibaldi which brought about his eventual downfall.

John Edgar Thomson was an American industrialist and civil engineer best remembered for his headship of the Pennsylvania Railroad from 1852 to 1874. Thomson is credited with making the railroad the world's largest business enterprise and a fine model for managerial and technological innovation. In 1975, he was made an inductee of the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame.