Famous People From Vermont

The 30th president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge started his career as a lawyer before becoming an influential American politician. A man of few words with a dry sense of humor, Calvin Coolidge represented the middle class, which worked in his favor. Despite being a reclusive politician, Coolidge gave 520 press conferences, making himself available to reporters quite often.

A staunch advocate of progressive education and liberalism, the American philosopher and psychologist was the founder of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. John Dewey’s famous writings included The Reflex Arc Concept in Psychology and Human Nature and Conduct. According to him, passion for knowledge and intellectual curiosity were central to a teacher. He called himself a democratic socialist.

JoJo is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. A child prodigy, JoJo released her self-titled debut studio album at the age of 13. Subsequently, the album peaked at number four on Billboard 200 and has sold more than four million copies to date. She has also been headlining several tours, apart from releasing albums.

The son of popular actor and comedian Damon Wayans, Damon Wayans Jr. followed in his father's footsteps to become a famous actor and comedian in his own right. He played a major role in helping the ABC comedy series Happy Endings become a critically acclaimed series and a cult classic.

Veteran actor, Orson Bean, was once considered a mainstay of Los Angeles’ small theater scene. Born in the late 1920s, he served in the army for a few years before beginning his career in entertainment. He appeared in numerous TV shows, plays, and films, making a name for himself as one of the finest actors of his generation.

Bing Russell was an American actor whose career spanned nearly 40 years. Perhaps Bing Russell's biggest contribution to the American entertainment industry is his son Kurt Russell. Also a baseball enthusiast, Russell owned the Portland Mavericks, a professional baseball team, which was featured in a 2014 documentary titled The Battered Bastards of Baseball.

Aaron Lewis is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He is credited with founding the rock band Staind where he also serves as the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist. Also known for his philanthropic efforts, Aaron Lewis works closely with a non-profit organization called It Takes a Community.

William Griffith Wilson was an American social worker who co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). An international fellowship that requires no membership fees, Alcoholics Anonymous aims at helping alcoholics through its Twelve Steps program. In 1999, William Griffith Wilson was named in Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century list. His life and career inspired the 2012 documentary Bill W.

The first woman to get an NHRA license to drive a Top Fuel dragster, Shirley Muldowney is known as The First Lady of Drag Racing. She was also the first woman to win three NHRA Top Fuel championships. She also owns a children’s charity and has had a biopic made on her life.

Religious leader Joseph Smith Jr. is known as the founder of the Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. He also published the Book of Mormon. He established his communities in Ohio and Missouri and eventually founded the city Nauvoo in Illinois, which became the center of his spiritual activities.

Nettie Stevens was an American geneticist. She is credited with discovering sex chromosomes which later came to be known as the X and Y chromosomes. In 1994, Nettie Stevens was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Tana French is an American-Irish theatrical actress and writer. She is best known for her first novel, In the Woods, which received several prestigious awards, such as the Edgar Allan Poe Award, Macavity Award, Anthony Award, and Barry Award. Over the years, Tana French has become an important name among fiction readers across the world.

Keegan Bradley is a golfer who has won four PGA Tour events. Bradley made his major championship debut in the 2011 PGA Championship. He went on to win the event, joining an elite list of golfers. Bradley has also won two European Tour events. He has also represented the U.S. national team, helping his team win the 2013 Presidents Cup.

Architect Richard Morris Hunt is largely credited with bringing in the French Beaux-Arts style to the U.S. He was also a major force behind the formation of the American Institute of Architects. His creations include the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s façade and the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal.

Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist Jody Williams is known for his contribution to the formation of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. She has received 15 honorary degrees and was also named the Glamour magazine’s Woman of the Year. She has also penned books such as After the Guns Fall Silent.

Popularly known as Snowflake Bentley, US meteorologist and photographer Wilson Bentley had taken the world’s first detailed photographs of snowflakes and had thus pioneered snowflake photomicrography. He thus laid the foundation of the study of atmospheric ice crystal formation. Hailing from a farming family, he spent his entire life on his farm.

While initially working in the machine plants and firearms industries, Henry M. Leland gradually mastered the art of toolmaking and manufacturing. He later revolutionized the auto industry and was the man behind the car brands Cadillac and Lincoln. He introduced inventions such as the electric starter and the V-8 engine.

John Humphrey Noyes was an American preacher, religious philosopher, and utopian socialist. He was the founder of the Putney, Oneida, and Wallingford Communities. He decided to devote his life to religion at a young age and studied at the Yale Theological Seminary. He was also involved in political activism and helped organize an anti-slavery society in the United States. 

Hiram Bingham I was an American missionary who led the first group of American missionaries in an attempt to spread Christianity in the Hawaiian islands. An important figure in the history of Hawaii, Bingham continues to be revered in the US state. Punahou School, which is located in Honolulu, has a math building named in his honor.

American theological and philosophical writer Orestes Brownson had been through massive religious confusion in his early days, when he switched from Presbyterianism, to Universalism, to Unitarianism, before finally converting to Catholicism. His writings include The Convert and The American Republic. He also wrote extensively on Transcendentalism.

The son of American alpine ski racer Felix McGrath and Norwegian cross-country ski racer Selma Lie, Atle Lie McGrath was bound to take up skiing. The Norwegian alpine ski racer was initially equally good at cross-country skiing and football. He has a Junior World Championship silver and 2 World Cup wins.

Donald J. Cram was an American chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1987. He shared the award with Charles J. Pedersen and Jean-Marie Lehn and the trio was also responsible for founding the field of host–guest chemistry. Donald J. Cram was also honored with other prestigious awards including the National Medal of Science.