List of people from Indiana
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This is a list of notable people who were born or lived in the American state of Indiana.
Founders and pioneers
- Squire Boone, frontiersman (Laconia)
- Jonathan Jennings, first Governor of Indiana
- Dennis Pennington, first speaker of the house in Indiana, also built the first capitol building (Corydon)
- Spier Spencer, militia leader who died in the Battle of Tippecanoe
Military
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- Jeremy Michael Boorda, Admiral, Chief of Naval Operations (South Bend)
- Ambrose Burnside, General in the Civil War, sideburns are named after him (Liberty)
- John Howard Cassady U.S. Navy Admiral, Commander in Chief Naval Forces Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean (Spencer)
- George Rogers Clark, man who conquered Indiana for the United States (Clarksville)
- Sammy L. Davis, Medal of Honor recipient from Vietnam War, U.S. Army (Freedom)
- Jonathan D. George, retired Air Force brigadier general, 9th District congressional candidate (Bedford)
- William Grose, Civil War General (New Castle)
- Scott S. Haraburda, Colonel, U.S. Army; President of the Indiana Society of Professional Engineers (Spencer)
- Horace Meek Hickam, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Air Corps; aviation pioneer; Hickam AFB named in his honor (Spencer)
- Jonas Ingram, Medal of Honor recipient, Atlantic Fleet commander in World War II (Jeffersonville)
- Henry Maston Mullinnix, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy; USS Mullinnix was named in his honor (Spencer)
- John Poindexter, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy, National Security Adviser to President Ronald Reagan, figure in the Iran-Contra affair (Odon)
- David M. Shoup, Medal of Honor recipient, 22nd Commandant of the Marine Corps (Battle Ground)
- Walter Bedell Smith, General, U.S. Army, chief of staff to General Dwight D. Eisenhower (Indianapolis)
- Raymond Ames Spruance, Admiral, U.S. Navy, Flagship Commander USS Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
- Lew Wallace, General in the Civil War (Crawfordsville)
- Anthony Wayne, known for being mad and overrunning Chief Little Turtle (Fort Wayne)
- Samuel Woodfill, most decorated American soldier in World War I (Jefferson County)
Politicians and activists
- Gardner Ackley, Chairman of Council of Economic Advisers under Lyndon B. Johnson (Indianapolis)
- Frank J. Anderson, Marion County Sheriff (Indianapolis)
- Birch Bayh, former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate (Terre Haute)
- Evan Bayh, U.S. Senator and former Governor of Indiana (Shirkieville)
- Albert J. Beveridge, U.S. Senator of Indiana (Indianapolis)
- Otis R. Bowen, Governor of Indiana and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Roger D. Branigin, Governor of Indiana and 1968 candidate for President (Franklin)
- Jesse D. Bright, U.S Senator and President Pro Tempore of the Senate (Madison)
- George Washington Buckner, U.S. minister to Liberia, 1913–1915 (Evansville)
- Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Mayor of South Bend, and candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- Earl Butz, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (Albion)
- Maria Cantwell, U.S. Congresswoman and U.S. Senator (Indianapolis)
- Homer E. Capehart, businessman and U.S. Senator (Algiers)
- Joseph Clancy, Director of the United States Secret Service under President Barack Obama (Elwood)
- James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence under President Barack Obama (Fort Wayne)
- Benjamin V. Cohen, a key figure in the administrations of presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman (Muncie)
- Schuyler Colfax, U.S. Congressman and Speaker of the House of Representatives, U.S. Vice President (South Bend)
- George N. Craig, Governor of Indiana, National Commander of American Legion (Brazil)
- Gonzalo P. Curiel, U.S. District Judge (East Chicago)
- John Wesley Davis, U.S. Congressman and Speaker of the House of Representatives (Carlisle)
- Eugene V. Debs, labor and political leader (Terre Haute)
- William Hayden English, U.S. Congressman and Vice Presidential Candidate (Lexington)
- Charles W. Fairbanks, U.S. Senator and Vice President of the United States (Indianapolis)
- John W. Foster, U.S. Secretary of State (Evansville)
- Nora Trueblood Gause, (1851-1955), humanitarian (Kokomo)
- Walter Q. Gresham, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Postmaster General, Secretary of State (Lanesville)
- Charles A. Halleck, U.S. Congressman (Rensselaer)
- Lee H. Hamilton, U.S. Congressman (Bloomington)
- Clifford Hardin, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (Knightstown)
- Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President of the United States
- William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the United States and Governor of Indiana Territory
- Richard Hatcher, Gary Mayor (Gary)
- John Hay, U.S. Secretary of State (Salem)
- Will H. Hays, U.S. Postmaster General (Sullivan)
- Thomas A. Hendricks, U.S. Senator and Vice President (Indianapolis)
- Louis McHenry Howe, close political advisor to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Indianapolis)
- Jonathan Jennings, first congressional representative from the Indiana Territory and early abolitionist (Charlestown, Indiana)
- Elisabeth Jensen, education advocate and former Disney Consumer Products executive
- Cleve Jones, gay/human rights activist, created the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt (West Lafayette)
- Jane L. Kelly, U.S. Circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (Greencastle)
- Michael C. Kerr, U.S. Congressman and Speaker of the House of Representatives (New Albany)
- Ron Klain, Chief of Staff to Vice President Joe Biden (Indianapolis)
- Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, lived in Indiana from ages 7–21 (Spencer County)
- Richard Lugar, U.S. Senator and former Mayor of Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
- Thomas R. Marshall, U.S. Vice President (North Manchester)
- Mack F. Mattingly, U.S. Senator from Georgia, Asst. Sec Genl. NATO, US Ambassador
- Edward Ralph May, only delegate to the Indiana Constitutional Convention of 1850 to support African American suffrage (Angola)
- Hugh McCulloch, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (Fort Wayne)
- Bob McDonald, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Gary)
- William H.H. Miller, U.S. Attorney General (Indianapolis)
- Sherman Minton, U.S. Senator and Supreme Court Justice
- Joy Morrissey, British MP for Beaconsfield
- Oliver P. Morton, Governor of Indiana (Centerville)
- Harry S. New, U.S. Postmaster General (Indianapolis)
- Mike Pence, former Congressman, former Governor of Indiana, 2013–2017, and 48th Vice President of the United States under Donald Trump (Columbus)
- Dennis Pennington, State Senator and early abolitionist (Central Barren)
- Bart Peterson, former Mayor of Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
- John Poindexter, National Security Advisor under President Ronald Reagan (Washington)
- John Wesley Posey, Abolitionist (Petersburg)
- Dan Quayle, former U.S. Senator from Indiana (1981–1989) and 44th Vice President of the United States under George HW Bush(Huntington and Indianapolis)
- John Rarick, former U.S. Representative from Louisiana
- Alice Rivlin, Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve (Bloomington)
- John Roberts, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice (Long Beach)
- William Ruckelshaus, former U.S. Director of the F.B.I. and Deputy Attorney General.
- Caleb Blood Smith, U.S. Secretary of the Interior (Indianapolis)
- Louis E. Sola, Commissioner of the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (Goodland)
- William L. Springer, U.S.Congressman (Sullivan)
- Ted Stevens, U.S. Senator from Alaska (Indianapolis)
- Richard Fred Suhrheinrich, Senior U.S. Circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (Lincoln City)
- Benjamin Franklin Trueblood (1847–1916) was an American pacifist who served the American Peace Society for 23 years[1]
- John Palmer Usher, U.S. Secretary of the Interior (Terre Haute)
- Willis Van Devanter, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, January 3, 1911 to June 2, 1937 (Marion)
- Mark Warner, current U.S. Senator for Virginia, former Governor of Virginia (Indianapolis)
- Gary Webb, journalist (Indianapolis)
- Ryan White, AIDS activist (Kokomo)
- Claude R. Wickard, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (Camden)
- Wendell Willkie, 1940 Republican presidential nominee (Elwood)
Native American leaders
- Pacanne, influential Miami chief and businessman
- Leopold Pokagon, Potawatomi chief for whom Pokagon State Park is named
- Simon Pokagon, Potawatomi chief, author, son of Leopold
- Little Turtle, Miami chief, leader of Native American forces in the Battle of the Wabash, the most decisive American Indian victory of the Indian Wars
- Metea, Potawatomi chief from northeast Indiana
- Young Tobacco, Piankeshaw chief who supported the United States in the American Revolution
Entertainment
Film and theatre
- Lillian Albertson, actress, producer (Noblesville)
- Leon Ames, actor (Portland)
- David Anspaugh, director (Decatur)
- Arija Bareikis, actress (Bloomington)
- Rhonda Bates, actress (Evansville)
- Anne Baxter, actress (Michigan City)
- Billie Bennett, actress (Evansville)
- Abraham Benrubi, actor (Bloomington)
- James Best, actor (Corydon)
- Monte Blue, actor (Indianapolis)
- Beulah Bondi, actress (Valparaiso)
- John Bowers, actor (Garrett)
- Avery Brooks, actor (Evansville)
- Ezra Buzzington, actor (Muncie)
- David Canary, actor (Elwood)
- James Carew, actor (Goshin)
- Ann Christy, actress (Logansport)
- Embeth Davidtz, actress (Lafayette)
- Johnny "Scat" Davis, actor, band leader (Brazil)
- James Dean, actor (Fairmount)
- Heather Douglas, actress (New Albany)
- Louise Dresser, actress (Evansville)
- Adam Driver, actor (Mishawaka)
- Ger Duany, actor (Bloomington)
- Irene Dunne, actress (Madison)
- Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, singer, songwriter, actor, film producer (Indianapolis)
- Chad Everett, actor (South Bend)
- Louise Fazenda, actress (Lafayette)
- Jenna Fischer, actress (Fort Wayne)
- Rhett Fisher, actor and musician (Indianapolis)
- Ken Foree, actor (Indianapolis)
- Vivica A. Fox, actress (Indianapolis)
- Brendan Fraser, actor (Indianapolis)
- Dolores Fuller, actress (South Bend)
- Ron Glass, actor (Evansville)
- Maude Turner Gordon, actress (Franklin)
- Sid Grauman, impresario (Indianapolis)
- Phil Harris, actor (Linton)
- Heather Headley, actress, singer (Fort Wayne)
- Ann Hovey, actress (Mt. Vernon)
- Doug Jones, actor (Indianapolis)
- Ken Kercheval, actor (Wolcottville)
- Greg Kinnear, actor (Logansport)
- Anita King, actress (Michigan City)
- Elmo Lincoln, actor (Rochester)
- Sarah Litzsinger, actress (Indianapolis)
- Jake Lloyd, actor (Carmel)
- Carole Lombard, actress (Fort Wayne)
- Shelley Long, actress (Fort Wayne)
- Marjorie Main, actress (Acton)
- Karl Malden, actor (Gary)
- Strother Martin, actor (Kokomo)
- Jack Mercer, voice actor (Worthington)
- John McMartin, actor (Warsaw)
- Steve McQueen, actor (Beech Grove and Indianapolis)
- Michael Michele, actress (Evansville)
- Marilyn Miller, actress, dancer (Evansville)
- Keith Alan Morris, director, screenwriter (South Bend)
- Ryan Murphy, writer, director (Indianapolis)
- Dean Norris, actor (South Bend)
- Tommy O'Haver, director, screenwriter (Carmel)
- Betsy Palmer, actress (East Chicago)
- James Pierce, actor (Freedom)
- Angelo Pizzo, screenwriter (Bloomington)
- Sydney Pollack, actor, producer, director (Lafayette)
- Victor Potel, actor (Lafayette)
- James Rebhorn, actor (Anderson)
- Michael Rosenbaum, actor (Newburgh)
- Robert Rusler, actor (Fort Wayne)
- George Seaton, film director (South Bend)
- Jake Short, actor (Indianapolis)
- Valeska Suratt, actress (Owensville)
- Max Terhune, actor (Anderson)
- Alice Terry, actress (Vincennes)
- Twyla Tharp, dancer (Portland)
- Forrest Tucker, actor (Plainfield)
- William Walker, actor (Pendleton)
- Clifton Webb, actor (Indianapolis)
- Dreya Weber, actress (Bloomington)
- Isiah Whitlock Jr., actor (South Bend)
- Fred Williamson, actor (Gary)
- Robert Wise, director (Winchester)
- Jo Anne Worley, actress (Lowell)
- Keke Wyatt, singer, actress (Indianapolis)
- Sasheer Zamata, comedian, actress (Indianapolis)
Comedians and humorists
- Mike Epps, comedian (Indianapolis)
- Michael Essany, comedian (Valparaiso)
- Jim Gaffigan, comedian (Chesterton)
- David Letterman, comedian, television personality, and former longtime host of The Late Show (Indianapolis)
- Buddy Lewis, comedian (Gary)
- Herb Shriner, comedian (Fort Wayne)
- Red Skelton, comedian (Vincennes)
- Brad Stine, comedian (Bremen)
Musicians
- Steve Allee, jazz musician and composer (Indianapolis)
- DJ Ashba, lead guitarist of Sixx:A.M. (Monticello)
- David Baker, jazz trombonist, author, educator (Indianapolis)
- Mark Battles, rapper, songwriter, producer (Indianapolis)
- Joshua Bell, violinist (Bloomington)
- Scrapper Blackwell, blues legend, writer of the earliest version of "Sweet Home Chicago" (Indianapolis)
- Angela Brown, opera singer, dramatic soprano (Indianapolis)
- Gary Burton, jazz vibraphone, composer, educator (Anderson)
- Jeremy Camp, singer (Lafayette)
- Royce Campbell, jazz guitarist, composer, producer (Seymour)
- Pete Candoli, trumpeter (Mishawaka)
- Hoagy Carmichael, songwriter (Bloomington)
- Leroy Carr, blues pianist, songwriter (Indianapolis)
- Randy Carr, singer-songwriter, producer (Columbus)
- Cal Collins, jazz guitarist (Medora)
- Eddie Condon, jazz banjoist, guitarist, bandleader (Goodland)
- Kyle Cook, Matchbox Twenty guitarist (Frankfort)
- Scatman Crothers, musician, (Terra Haute)
- Eric Dill, singer-songwriter, musician, producer (Indianapolis)
- Paul Dresser, songwriter (Terre Haute)
- Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, singer, producer (Indianapolis)
- Joey Feek, country singer (Alexandria)
- Janie Fricke, singer (South Whitley)
- Bill Gaither, singer (Alexandria)
- Danny Gaither, gospel singer (Alexandria)
- Gloria Gaither, songwriter (Alexandria)
- Crystal Gayle, singer (Wabash)
- Lisa Germano, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (Mishawaka)
- Freddie Gibbs, rapper (Gary)
- Nathan Gunn, opera singer, baritone (South Bend)
- Jeff Hamilton, jazz drummer (Richmond)
- Slide Hampton, jazz trombonist, composer, arranger (Indianapolis)
- Krystal Harris, pianist, singer-songwriter (Anderson)
- Bobby Helms, singer (Bloomington)
- John Hiatt, singer-songwriter (Indianapolis)
- Shannon Hoon, founding member & original lead vocalist of the band Blind Melon (Lafayette)
- Freddie Hubbard, jazz trumpeter, composer (Indianapolis)
- Janet Jackson, singer, dancer, songwriter (Gary)
- Jermaine Jackson, singer (Gary)
- La Toya Jackson, singer-songwriter, musician (Gary)
- Michael Jackson, singer-songwriter (Gary)
- Randy Jackson, singer (Gary)
- Tito Jackson, singer (Gary)
- Jane Jarvis, jazz pianist (Vincennes)* JJ Johnson, jazz trombonist, composer (Indianapolis)
- Fred Jewell, composer (Worthington)
- Josh Kaufman, singer, contestant on Season 6 of NBC's The Voice (Indianapolis)
- Adam Lambert, singer-songwriter, American Idol runner-up (Indianapolis)
- Mick Mars (real name Robert Deal), Mötley Crüe lead guitarist (Terre Haute)
- Kym Mazelle, singer (Gary)
- Ryan McCombs, singer (Dunkirk)
- Jon McLaughlin, singer-songwriter (Anderson)
- John Mellencamp, singer-songwriter, musician (Seymour)
- Marilyn Miller, singer and dancer (Evansville)
- Buddy Montgomery, jazz pianist (Indianapolis)
- Monk Montgomery, jazz bassist (Indianapolis)
- Wes Montgomery, jazz guitarist (Indianapolis)
- Rich Mullins, Christian contemporary artist (Richmond)
- Ken Navarro, jazz guitarist (Lafayette)
- Amanda Overmyer, singer, American Idol Season 7 finalist (Camden)
- The Panderers, rock band
- Amanda Perez, R&B artist, singer, songwriter, producer (Fort Wayne)
- Cole Porter, songwriter (Peru)
- Melvin Rhyne, jazz organist (Indianapolis)
- Larry Ridley, jazz bassist and educator (Indianapolis)
- Dax Riggs, singer-songwriter, Acid Bath (Evansville)
- Dexter Romweber, rockabilly/roots rock musician (Batesville)
- Ned Rorem, composer (Richmond)
- Axl Rose, Guns N' Roses singer (Lafayette)
- David Lee Roth, Van Halen singer (Bloomington)
- Jon Schaffer, Iced Earth guitarist (Franklin)
- Noble Sissle, jazz composer, lyricist, bandleader, singer (Indianapolis)
- Connie Smith, singer (Elkhart)
- Jeremy Spencer, drummer, Five Finger Death Punch (Oakland City)
- Izzy Stradlin, Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist (Lafayette)
- Henry Lee Summer, singer (Brazil)
- Claude Thornhill, pianist, arranger, composer, bandleader (Terre Haute)
- Andy Timmons, guitarist, Danger Danger, Andy Timmons Band (Evansville)
- Leroy Vinnegar, jazz bassist (Indianapolis)
- John Von Ohlen, jazz drummer (Indianapolis)
- Steve Wariner, singer (Noblesville)
- Deniece Williams, singer (Gary)
- Keke Wyatt, singer, actress (Indianapolis)
- Omar Apollo, singer (Hobart)
Television
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- Nicole Gale Anderson, actress (Rochester)
- Julia Barr, actor (Fort Wayne)
- Dee Bradley Baker, voice actor (Bloomington)
- James Best, actor (Corydon)
- Kate Bolduan, CNN anchor (Goshen)
- Kyle Bornheimer, actor (Mishawaka)
- John Bromfield, actor (South Bend)
- Avery Brooks, actor (Evansville)
- Dan Butler, actor (Fort Wayne)
- Jose Pablo Cantillo, actor (Terre Haute)
- Terri Conn, actress (Bloomington)
- Nancy Criss, producer, director (Elkhart)
- Mary Jane Croft, actress (Muncie)
- Scatman Crothers, actor (Terre Haute)
- Joyce DeWitt, actress (Speedway)
- Polly Draper, actress (Gary)
- Mike "Doc" Emrick, sportscaster (La Fontaine)
- Chad Everett, actor (South Bend)
- Bianca Ferguson, actress (Gary)
- Jenna Fischer, actress (Fort Wayne)
- Rick Fox, actor (Warsaw)
- Bill Frink, sportscaster (Elkhart)
- Dolores Fuller, actress (South Bend)
- Will Geer, actor (Frankfort)
- Ron Glass, actor (Evansville)
- Lloyd Haynes, actor (South Bend)
- Florence Henderson, actress (Dale)
- Drake Hogestyn, actor (Fort Wayne)
- Jamie Hyneman, MythBusters host (Columbus)
- Bob Jenkins, sports commentator (Liberty)
- Chubby Johnson, actor (Terre Haute)
- Anissa Jones, actress (West Lafayette)
- Kennedy, 1990s MTV VJ (Indianapolis)
- Adam Kennedy, actor, author, painter (Otterbein)
- Ken Kercheval, actor (Clinton)
- Brook Kerr, actress (Indianapolis)
- Michael King, Emmy Award-winning TV producer, political commentator (Gary)
- Durward Kirby, television personality, co-host of Candid Camera (Indianapolis)
- Steve Kroft, journalist and correspondent for 60 Minutes (Kokomo)
- Allan Lane, actor, voice of Mr. Ed (Mishawaka)
- David Letterman, television personality (Indianapolis)
- Shelley Long, actress (Fort Wayne)
- Karl Malden, actor (Gary)
- Claire Malis, actress (Gary)
- Patrick McVey, actor (Fort Wayne)
- Julie McWhirter, voice actress (Indianapolis)
- Tammy Lynn Michaels, actress (Lafayette)
- Dylan Minnette, teen actor (Evansville)
- Roger Mobley, child actor (Evansville)
- Anthony Montgomery, actor (Indianapolis)
- Alvy Moore, actor (Vincennes and Terre Haute)
- Jane Pauley, television journalist (Indianapolis)
- Drew Powell, actor (Noblesville)
- Nancy Priddy, actress (South Bend)
- Madelyn Pugh, comedy writer (Indianapolis)
- Sarah Purcell, television personality (Richmond)
- Michael Rosenbaum, actor (Newburgh)
- Catt Sadler, entertainment host and correspondent (Martinsville)
- Chris Schenkel, sportscaster (Bippus)
- Carly Schroeder, actress (Valparaiso)
- David Shuster, reporter (Bloomington)
- Tavis Smiley, talk show host on PBS and NPR (Kokomo)
- Casey Stegall, correspondent (Evansville)
- Marc Summers, Double Dare host (Indianapolis)
- Trista Sutter, reality TV personality (Indianapolis)
- Zuzanna Szadkowski, actress (Fort Wayne)
- Frazier Thomas, television personality (Rushville)
- Vincent Ventresca, actor (Indianapolis)
- Chuck Vinson, TV director and producer (Elkhart)
- Kristina Wagner, actress (Indianapolis)
- Michael Warren, actor (South Bend)
- Fred Williamson, actor (Gary)
- Jama Williamson, actress (Evansville)
- Jo Anne Worley, actress (Lowell)
- Dick York, actor (Fort Wayne)
Modeling
- AJ Alexander, model, Playboy Playmate (Evansville)
- Bridget Bobel, beauty queen, Miss Indiana 2006 (Peru)
- Pamela Bryant, model, Playboy Playmate (Indianapolis)
- Kaitlyn Christopher, beauty queen, Miss Indiana 2005 (Kokomo)
- June Cochran, model, Playboy Playmate (Indianapolis)
- Jami Ferrell, model, Playboy Playmate (Muncie)
- Danelle Folta, model, Playboy Playmate (Hammond)
- Heather Kuzmich, America's Next Top Model finalist (Valparaiso)
- Stephanie Larimore, model, Playboy Playmate (Fort Wayne)
- Brittany Mason, model, Miss Indiana 2008 (Anderson)
- Karen McDougal, fitness model, Playboy Playmate (Merrillville)
- Roman and Gabriel Slaybaugh, twin models (LaPorte)
- Jami Stallings, beauty queen (Evansville)
- Katie Stam, Miss America 2009 (Seymour)
- Heather Stohler, Calvin Klein model (Zelenéfield)
- Marjorie Wallace, model and 1973 Miss World (Indianapolis)
Sportspeople
Baseball
- Clint Barmes, baseball player (Vincennes)
- Tucker Barnhart, baseball player (Brownsburg)
- Aaron Barrett, baseball player (Evansville)
- Alan Benes, baseball player (Evansville)
- Andy Benes, baseball player (Evansville)
- Larry Bigbie, baseball player (Hobart)
- Tim Bogar, baseball player (Indianapolis)
- Chris Bootcheck, baseball player (La Porte)
- Phil Bradley, baseball player (Bloomington)
- Mike Brosseau, baseball player (Munster)
- Mordecai Brown, baseball player (Nyesville)
- Eric Bruntlett, baseball player (Lafayette)
- Bryan Bullington, baseball player (Madison)
- Donie Bush, baseball player (Indianapolis)
- Drew Butera, baseball player (Evansville)
- Max Carey, baseball player (Terre Haute)
- Jamey Carroll, baseball player (Evansville)
- Oscar Charleston, baseball player (Indianapolis)
- J.D. Closser, baseball player (Beech Grove)
- Craig Counsell, baseball player (South Bend)
- Lou Criger, baseball player (Elkhart)
- George Crowe, baseball player (Whiteland)
- George Cuppy, baseball player (Logansport)
- Chad Curtis, baseball player (Marion)
- Carl Erskine, baseball player (Anderson)
- Freddie Fitzsimmons, baseball player (Mishawaka)
- Jake Fox, baseball player (Beech Grove)
- Bob Friend, baseball player (West Lafayette)
- Kyle Gibson, baseball player (Greenfield)
- Jot Goar, baseball player (New Lisbon)
- Steve Hamilton, baseball, basketball player (Charlestown, Indiana)
- LaTroy Hawkins, baseball player (Gary)
- Aaron Heilman, baseball player (Logansport)
- Billy Herman, baseball player (New Albany)
- Oral Hildebrand, baseball player (Indianapolis)
- Gil Hodges, baseball player and manager (Princeton)
- Tommy Hunter, baseball player (Indianapolis)
- Tommy John, baseball player (Terre Haute)
- Barry Jones, baseball player (Richmond)
- Jeff King, baseball player (Marion)
- Ron Kittle, baseball player (Gary)
- Kevin Kiermaier, baseball player (Fort Wayne)
- Chuck Klein, baseball player (Indianapolis)
- Don Larsen, baseball player (Michigan City)
- Nemo Leibold, baseball player (Butler)
- Adam Lind, baseball player (Muncie)
- Kenny Lofton, baseball player (East Chicago)
- Lance Lynn, baseball player (Brownsburg)
- Sean Manaea, baseball player (Wanatah)
- Justin Masterson, baseball player (Fort Wayne)
- Don Mattingly, baseball player and manager (Evansville)
- Lloyd McClendon, baseball player and manager (Gary)
- Billy McCool, baseball player (Lawrenceburg)
- Anna Meyer, baseball player (Aurora)
- Art Nehf, baseball player (Terre Haute)
- Jarrod Parker, baseball player (Fort Wayne)
- Brad Pennington, baseball player (Salem)
- Josh Phegley, baseball player (Terre Haute)
- Dan Plesac, baseball player (Gary)
- Zach Plesac, baseball player (Crown Point)
- Ron Reed, baseball and basketball player (LaPorte)
- Jason Repko, baseball player (East Chicago)
- Sam Rice, baseball player (Morocco)
- Clayton Richard, baseball player (Lafayette)
- Scott Rolen, baseball player (Jasper)
- Edd Roush, baseball player (Oakland City)
- Janet Rumsey, baseball player (Moores Hill)
- Amos Rusie, baseball player (Mooresville)
- Jeff Samardzija, baseball player (Valparaiso)
- Everett Scott, baseball player (Bluffton)
- Tim Stoddard, baseball and basketball player (East Chicago)
- Drew Storen, baseball player (Brownsburg)
- Ryan Strausborger, baseball player (Elkhart)
- Eric Stults, baseball player (Argos)
- Walt Terrell, baseball player (Jeffersonville)
- Joe Thatcher, baseball player (Kokomo)
- Tommy Thevenow, baseball player (Madison)
- Sam Thompson, baseball player (Danville)
- Dickie Thon, baseball player (South Bend)
- Pat Underwood, baseball player (Kokomo)
- Tom Underwood, baseball player (Kokomo)
- Ben Van Ryn, baseball player (Kendallville)
- Cory Wade, baseball player (Indianapolis)
- Eric Wedge, baseball player and manager (Fort Wayne)
- Cy Williams, baseball player (Wadena)
- Rollie Zeider, baseball player (Hoover and Garrett)
Basketball
- Tom Abernethy, basketball player (South Bend)
- Steve Alford, basketball player and coach (New Castle)
- Damon Bailey, basketball player (Heltonville)
- Alison Bales, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Cliff Barker, basketball player (Yorktown)
- Dick Barnett, basketball player (Gary)
- Jacqueline Batteast, basketball player (South Bend)
- Kent Benson, basketball player (New Castle)
- Larry Bird, basketball player, coach and executive (French Lick)
- Ron Bonham, basketball player (Muncie)
- Vince Boryla, basketball player (East Chicago)
- Jim Bradley, basketball player (East Chicago)
- Junior Bridgeman, basketball player (East Chicago)
- Don Buse, basketball player (Huntingburg)
- Rodney Carney, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Calbert Cheaney, basketball player (Evansville)
- Mike Conley Jr., basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Louie Dampier, basketball player (Southport)
- Jim Davis, basketball player (Muncie)
- Branden Dawson, basketball player (Gary)
- Skylar Diggins, basketball player (South Bend)
- Terry Dischinger, basketball player (Terre Haute)
- Katie Douglas, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Stu Douglass (born 1990), American-Israeli basketball player for the Israeli team Maccabi Ashdod
- Steve Downing, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Jay Edwards, basketball player (Marion)
- Darrell Elston, basketball player (Tipton)
- Brian Evans, basketball player (Terre Haute)
- Yogi Ferrell, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Tellis Frank, basketball player (Gary)
- Winston Garland, basketball player (Gary)
- Bill Garrett (William Leon Garrett), basketball player (Shelbyville)
- Katie Gearlds, basketball player (Beech Grove)
- Eric Gordon, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Greg Graham, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Scott Haffner, basketball player (Terre Haute)
- A.J. Hammons, basketball player (Gary)
- Luke Harangody, basketball player (Schererville)
- Jerome Harmon, basketball player (Gary)
- Gary Harris, basketball player (Fishers)
- Amber Harris, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Gordon Hayward, basketball player (Brownsburg)
- Alan Henderson, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- George Hill, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Paul Hoffman, basketball player (Jasper)
- Robbie Hummel, basketball player (Valparaiso)
- Chris Hunter, basketball player (Gary)
- R.J. Hunter, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Demetrius Jackson, basketball player (South Bend)
- Scottie James (born 1996), basketball player for Hapoel Haifa in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Jared Jeffries (born 1981), basketball player (Bloomington)
- Elijah Johnson (born 1990), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League (Gary)
- JaJuan Johnson, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Bill Keller, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Shawn Kemp, basketball player (Elkhart)
- Frank Kendrick, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Chris Kramer (born 1988), basketball player
- John Laskowski, basketball player (South Bend)
- Brad Leaf (b. 1960), American-Israeli basketball player and coach (Indianapolis)
- Courtney Lee, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Bobby Leonard, basketball player and coach (Terre Haute)
- Jim Ligon, basketball player (Kokomo)
- Willie Long, basketball player (Fort Wayne)
- Clyde Lovellette, basketball player (Terre Haute)
- Trey Lyles, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Kyle Macy, basketball player (Peru)
- Kevin Magee (1959–2003), basketball player (Gary)
- Dave Magley, basketball player (South Bend)
- Sean May, basketball player (Bloomington)
- Ray McCallum Jr., basketball player (Bloomington)
- Walter McCarty, basketball player (Evansville)
- Mitch McGary, basketball player (Chesterton)
- George McGinnis, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Jon McGlocklin, basketball player (Franklin)
- Josh McRoberts, basketball player (Carmel)
- John Mengelt, basketball player (Elwood)
- Brad Miller, basketball player (Kendallville)
- Eric Montross, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- E'Twaun Moore, basketball player (East Chicago)
- Rick Mount, basketball player (Lebanon)
- Stretch Murphy, basketball player (Marion)
- Lee Nailon, basketball player (South Bend)
- Craig Neal, basketball player, coach (Washington)
- Jerry Nemer (1912–1980), basketball player and attorney
- Greg Oden, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Andre Owens, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Ta'Shia Phillips, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Marshall Plumlee, basketball player (Warsaw)
- Mason Plumlee, basketball player (Warsaw)
- Miles Plumlee, basketball player (Warsaw)
- Bobby Plump, basketball player (Pierceville)
- Austin Price (born 1995), basketball player
- Zach Randolph, basketball player (Marion)
- Jimmy Rayl, basketball player (Kokomo)
- Ron Reed, baseball and basketball player (LaPorte)
- Ruth Riley, basketball player (Macy)
- Oscar Robertson, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Glenn Robinson, basketball player (Gary)
- Glenn Robinson III, basketball player (Gary)
- Dave Schellhase, basketball player (Evansville)
- Billy Shepherd, basketball player (Carmel)
- Jerry Sichting, basketball player (Martinsville)
- Scott Skiles, basketball player and coach (Plymouth)
- Larry Steele, basketball player (Greencastle)
- Tim Stoddard, baseball and basketball player (East Chicago)
- Charles "Chuck" Taylor (1901-1969), basketball player, sports shoe pioneer (Brown County)
- Jeff Teague, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Ray Tolbert, basketball player (Anderson)
- Gene Tormohlen, basketball player (Holland)
- Pete Trgovich, basketball player (East Chicago)
- Dick Van Arsdale, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Tom Van Arsdale, basketball player (Indianapolis)
- Sharon Versyp, basketball player and coach (Mishawaka)
- Bonzi Wells, basketball player (Muncie)
- Stephanie White, basketball player (Williamsport)
- Randy Wittman, basketball player and coach (Indianapolis)
- Bob Wilkerson, basketball player (Anderson)
- Scott Wood, basketball player (Marion)
- John Wooden, basketball player and coach (Martinsville)
- Mike Woodson, basketball player and coach (Indianapolis)
- Cody Zeller, basketball player (Washington)
- Luke Zeller, basketball player (Washington)
- Tyler Zeller, basketball player (Washington)
- Shanna Zolman, basketball player (Syracuse)
Basketball coaches
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- Steve Alford, basketball coach (New Castle)
- Vic Bubas, basketball coach (Gary)
- Everett Case, basketball coach (Anderson)
- Dwane Casey, basketball coach (Indianapolis)
- Zora G. Clevenger, basketball coach (Muncie)
- Everett Dean, basketball coach (Salem)
- Frank Hamblen, basketball coach (Terre Haute)
- Del Harris, basketball coach (Plainfield)
- Tony Hinkle, basketball coach (Logansport)
- Ralph Jones, basketball coach (Marion County)
- Ward Lambert, basketball coach (West Lafayette)
- Bobby Leonard, basketball coach (Terre Haute)
- John MacLeod, basketball coach (New Albany)
- Branch McCracken, basketball coach (Monrovia)
- Arad McCutchan, basketball coach (Evansville)
- Murray Mendenhall, basketball coach (Fort Wayne)
- Gregg Popovich, basketball coach (East Chicago)
- Scott Skiles, basketball coach (Plymouth)
- Norm Sloan, basketball coach (Indianapolis)
- Brad Stevens, basketball coach (Zionsville)
- Terry Stotts, basketball coach (Bloomington)
- Sharon Versyp, basketball coach (Mishawaka)
- Randy Wittman, basketball coach (Indianapolis)
- John Wooden, basketball coach (Martinsville)
- Mike Woodson, basketball coach (Indianapolis)
Football
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- William "Dick the Bruiser" Afflis, football player and professional wrestler (Delphi)
- Morten Andersen, football player (Indianapolis)
- Jason Baker, football player (Fort Wayne)
- Roosevelt Barnes, football player (Fort Wayne)
- Anthony Barr, football player (South Bend)
- Blaine Bishop, football player (Indianapolis)
- James Brewer, football player (Indianapolis)
- Stevie Brown, football player (Columbus)
- Mark Clayton, football player (Indianapolis)
- Terry Cole, football player (Mitchell)
- Roosevelt Colvin, football player (Indianapolis)
- Irv Cross, football player (Hammond)
- Jay Cutler, football player (Santa Claus)
- Len Dawson, football player (West Lafayette)
- Kris Dielman, football player (Goshen)
- Ken Dilger, football player (Lincoln City)
- Chris Doleman, football player (Indianapolis)
- Tandon Doss, football player (Indianapolis)
- Jack Doyle, football player (Indianapolis)
- Dave Duerson, football player (Muncie)
- Vaughn Dunbar, football player (Fort Wayne)
- Tyler Eifert, football player (Fort Wayne)
- Trai Essex, football player (Fort Wayne)
- Jason Fabini, football player (Fort Wayne)
- Tom Ferguson, football player (Henryville)
- Justin Gage, football player (Indianapolis)
- Jeff George, football player (Indianapolis)
- Brandon Gorin, football player (Muncie)
- MarQueis Gray, football player (Indianapolis)
- Randy Gregory, football player (Fishers)
- Bob Griese, football player (Evansville)
- Rex Grossman, football player (Bloomington)
- Nick Hardwick, football player (Indianapolis)
- Kevin Hardy, football player (Evansville)
- Tom Harmon, football player (Gary)
- Corey Harris, football player (Indianapolis)
- Nick Hayden, football player (Hartland)
- Mark Herrmann, football player (Carmel)
- Jon Hilbert, football player (Boonville)
- James Hurst, football player (Plainfield)
- Anthony Johnson, football player (South Bend)
- Alex Karras, football player and pro wrestler (Gary)
- Ted Karras, football player (Indianapolis)
- Dustin Keller, football player (Lafayette)
- Ryan Kerrigan, football player (Muncie)
- Blair Kiel, football player (Columbus)
- Mathias Kiwanuka, football player (Indianapolis)
- Bob Kuechenberg, football player (Gary)
- Nate Lawrie, football player (Indianapolis)
- Lamar Lundy, football player (Richmond)
- Zack Martin, football player (Indianapolis)
- Matt Mauck, football player (Jasper)
- Derrick Mayes, football player (Indianapolis)
- Brad Maynard, football player (Tipton)
- Le'Ron McClain, football player (Fort Wayne)
- Tony McGee, football player (Terre Haute)
- Rick Mirer, football player (Goshen)
- Brandon Moore, football player (Gary)
- Devin Moore, football player (Indianapolis)
- Mike Neal, football player (Merrillville)
- Elmer Oliphant, football player (Washington)
- Mike Otto, football player (Bunker Hill)
- Mike Phipps, football player (Columbus)
- Jason Pociask, football player (Indianapolis)
- Bernard Pollard, football player (Fort Wayne)
- Joe Reitz, football player (Indianapolis)
- Adrien Robinson, football player (Indianapolis)
- Courtney Roby, football player (Indianapolis)
- Terry Schmidt, football player (Columbus)
- Kawann Short, football player (East Chicago)
- Jaylon Smith, football player (Fort Wayne)
- Lamar Smith, football player (Fort Wayne)
- Anthony Spencer, football player (Fort Wayne)
- Paul Spicer, football player (Indianapolis)
- Jason Spriggs, football player (Elkhart)
- John Standeford, football player (Monrovia)
- Glen Steele, football player (Ligonier)
- Dan Stryzinski, football player (Vincennes)
- Scott Studwell, football player (linebacker) (Evansville)
- Lars Tate, football player (Indianapolis)
- Anthony Thompson, football player (Terre Haute)
- Jared Tomich, football player (St. John)
- Stacey Toran, football player (Indianapolis)
- Jeremy Trueblood, football player (Indianapolis)
- Steve Weatherford, football player (Crown Point)
- Eugene Wilson, football player (Merrillville)
- Rod Woodson, football player (Fort Wayne)
- Todd Yoder, football player (New Palestine)
- Joe Zeller, football player (East Chicago)
Football coaches
- Cam Cameron, football coach (Terre Haute)
- Jack Chevigny, football coach (Hammond)
- Zora G. Clevenger, football coach (Muncie)
- Clem Crowe, football coach (Lafayette)
- Mike DeBord, football coach (Muncie)
- Weeb Ewbank, football coach (Richmond)
- Abe Gibron, football coach (Michigan City)
- Bill Lynch, football coach (Indianapolis)
- Hank Stram, football coach (Gary)
Golf
- Jeff Gallagher, pro golfer (Marion)
- Jim Gallagher Jr., golfer, PGA Tour (Marion)
- Jeff Overton, golfer, PGA Tour (Evansville)
- Jackie Gallagher-Smith, golfer, LPGA (Marion)
- Sandra Spuzich, golfer, 1966 U.S. Women's Open champion (Indianapolis)
- Bo Van Pelt, golfer, PGA Tour (Richmond)
- Fuzzy Zoeller, golfer, Masters and U.S. Open champion (New Albany)
Race car drivers
- John Andretti, racer (Indianapolis)
- Cannonball Baker, motorcycle and auto racer (Dearborn County)
- Chase Briscoe, racer (Mitchell)
- Ed Carpenter, IndyCar racer (Indianapolis)
- Conor Daly, IndyCar and GP2 racer (Noblesville)
- Derek Daly, Formula One racer (Noblesville; originally Irish)
- Bob Glidden, NHRA drag racer (Whiteland)
- Jeff Gordon, racer (Pittsboro)
- Justin Haley, racer (Winamac)
- Tracy Hines, racer (New Castle)
- Kenny Irwin Jr., racer (Indianapolis)
- Mel Kenyon, midget car racer, five Indy 500 top-five finishes (Lebanon)
- Steve Kinser, 20-time World of Outlaws sprint car champion (Bloomington)
- Ryan Newman, racer (South Bend)
- Tony Raines, racer (LaPorte)
- Tony Stewart, racer (Columbus)
- David Stremme, racer (South Bend)
- Howdy Wilcox, 1919 Indy 500 winner (Crawfordsville)
Soccer
- Rich Balchan, soccer player (Carmel)
- Damarcus Beasley, soccer player (Fort Wayne)
- Ray Gaddis, soccer player (Indianapolis)
- Lauren Holiday, soccer player (Indianapolis)
- Matt Reiswerg (born 1980), soccer player, coach, and administrator
- Todd Yeagley, Major League Soccer player (Bloomington)
Wrestlers, fighters, boxers
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- William "Dick the Bruiser" Afflis, football player and professional wrestler (Delphi)
- Danny "the Damaja" Basham, professional wrestler (Seymour)
- B. Brian Blair, professional wrestler (Gary)
- Stephan Bonnar, UFC fighter (Munster)
- Robert Bowles, karate teacher (Fort Wayne)
- Harold Brazier, boxer (South Bend)
- Darren Elkins, UFC fighter (Portage)
- Jon Fitch, UFC fighter (Fort Wayne)
- Mick Foley, professional wrestler (born in Bloomington, but raised on Long Island)
- Terry Funk, professional wrestler (Hammond)
- Sarah Hildebrandt, Olympic freestyle wrestler (Granger)
- Marvin Johnson, boxer (Indianapolis)
- Julie Kedzie, mixed martial artist (Bloomington)
- Glenn Keeney, martial arts pioneer (Anderson)
- Chris Lytle, UFC fighter (Indianapolis)
- Stevan Mićić, Olympic freestyle wrestler (Cedar Lake)
- Craig Pumphrey, martial artist (New Albany)
- Sharmell Sullivan-Huffman, wrestling valet (Gary)
- Andrew Tate, kick-boxer (Merrillville)
- Miguel Torres, bantamweight boxer and UFC fighter (East Chicago)
- The Ultimate Warrior, professional wrestler (Crawfordsville)
- Bill Wallace, world karate champion (Muncie)
- Eddie Wineland, UFC fighter (Chesterton)
- Drake Younger, professional wrestler (Indianapolis)
- Tony Zale, boxer (Gary)
Other sports figures
- Mike Aulby, professional bowler (Indianapolis)
- Lloy Ball, Olympic volleyball player (born in Fort Wayne, raised in Woodburn)
- Amy Yoder Begley, Olympic long-distance runner (Kendallville)
- Greg Bell, athlete, gold medalist in long jump at 1956 Summer Olympics (Terre Haute)
- Lindsay Benko, 2000 Olympics swimmer (Elkhart)
- David Boudia, Olympic diver (Noblesville)
- Donald Brashear, hockey player (Bedford)
- Euphrasia Donnelly, swimmer, Olympic gold medalist (Indianapolis)
- Mary Beth Dunnichay, Olympic diver (Elwood)
- Ray Ewry, athlete, winner of eight Olympic gold medals (Lafayette)
- Charlie Finley, MLB owner of Kansas City/Oakland A's; NHL owner of Oakland/California Seals; ABA owner of Memphis Pros/Tams (LaPorte)
- Ford Frick, writer and Commissioner of Major League Baseball (Wawaka)
- Nick Goepper, freeskier, Winter Olympics, Winter X Games (Lawrenceburg)
- Dan Harrigan, swimmer, 1976 Olympic bronze medalist (South Bend)
- Tony Hulman, owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Terre Haute)
- Lauren Johnson, runner (Huntington)
- Lilly King, swimmer, two-time Olympian (Evansville)[2]
- Mike LaRocco, motocross racer (Michigan City, Indiana)
- Don Lash, long-distance runner (Bluffton and Auburn)
- Dan Patch, pacer (Oxford)
- Aron Ralston, mountain climber (Indianapolis)
- Bridget Sloan, Olympic gymnast, silver medalist (Pittsboro)
- Major Taylor, cyclist (Indianapolis)
- Mike Troy, swimmer, two-time Olympic gold medalist (Indianapolis)
- Sharon Wichman, swimmer, gold medalist at 1968 Summer Olympics (Fort Wayne)
Business
- Steve Bellamy, sports and media businessman
- Bill Blass, fashion designer (Fort Wayne)
- Junior Bridgeman, former NBA player; CEO of Bridgeman Foods, world's second-largest Wendy's franchisee (East Chicago)
- Niki Christoff, political operative and business executive (Pittsboro)
- Charles G. Conn, manufacturer of band instruments (Elkhart)
- Steve Ells, founder and CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill (Indianapolis)
- Michael L. Eskew, former CEO of UPS (Vincennes)
- Carl G. Fisher, founder of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Prest-O-Lite (Greensburg)
- Richard Jordan Gatling, inventor of gatling gun (Indianapolis)
- Halston, fashion designer (Evansville)
- Mark C. Honeywell, founder of Honeywell International, Inc. (Wabash)
- Gary Hoover, founder of Bookstop and Hoover's (Anderson)
- Edward Mead Johnson, co-founder of Johnson & Johnson; founder of Mead Johnson & Co. (Evansville)
- E.W. Kelley, founder of Steak 'n Shake restaurant chain and benefactor of Indiana University's Kelley School of Business (Sharpsville)
- Robert A. McDonald, Chairman, President and CEO of Procter & Gamble (Gary)
- Norman Norell, fashion designer (Noblesville)
- Aaron Patzer, founder of Mint.com (Evansville)
- Orville Redenbacher, businessman, popcorn mogul (Brazil)
- Francis Joseph Reitz, banker and philanthropist (Evansville)
- Alvah Curtis Roebuck, co-founder of Sears, Roebuck and Company (Lafayette)
- Colonel Sanders, founder of KFC (Henryville)
- John Schnatter, founder and CEO of Papa John's Pizza (Jeffersonville)
- Eugene Stoner, firearms designer (Gosport)
- Fred Zollner, industrialist and founder of the Fort Wayne Pistons NBA franchise
Education
- Enoch Albert Bryan, president, Vincennes University and Washington State University (Bloomington)
- Robert H. Ferrell, historian (Indiana University)
- Agnes Moore Fryberger, music educator, University of Louisville
- Albert Fredrick Ottomar Germann, physical chemist, university professor, and chemical entrepreneur (Peru)
- Frank Erhart Emmanuel Germann, physical chemist and university professor (Peru)
- Ray Ginger, Harvard professor in labor history and economic history; target of House Committee on Unamerican Activities, ending his academic career (Greencastle and Indianapolis)
- Charles Royal Johnson, mathematician, College of William & Mary professor (Elkhart)
- Frank Curry Mathers, physical chemist, professor, president of Electrochemical Society (Monroe County)
- George P. Smith II, Catholic University of America professor of Law (Wabash)
- William B. Pickett, historian (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute)
- Herman B Wells, president, Indiana University (Jamestown)
Art, literature and media
- George Ade, author and journalist (Kentland)
- J. Ottis Adams, artist (Indianapolis)
- Marie Louise Andrews, writer, journalist (Bedford)
- Radley Balko, journalist, blogger (Greenfield)
- Charles A. Beard, historian (Knightstown)
- Albert J. Beveridge, historian (Indianapolis)
- Emily Lucas Blackall, writer, philanthropist (Salem)
- Allan Bloom, philosopher, classicist, academic (Indianapolis)
- Mae St. John Bramhall, actress, writer, poet (Richmond)
- Adelia Pope Branham, poet, writer (Greenfield)
- Norman Bridwell, author (Kokomo)
- Mary Blatchley Briggs, writer, social organizer (Valparaiso)
- Alice Williams Brotherton, poet, writer (Cambridge City)
- Bubba the Love Sponge, radio personality (Warsaw)
- Clarence Joseph Bulliet, art critic, journalist, author
- Meg Cabot, author (Bloomington)
- Jared Carter, poet (Elwood)
- Emily Thornton Charles, poet, journalist, newspaper founder, suffragist (Lafayette)
- William Merritt Chase, painter (Nineveh, Johnson County)
- Will Cuppy, humorist (Auburn)
- Jim Davis, cartoonist (Fairmount)
- Lloyd C. Douglas, author (Columbia City)
- Theodore Dreiser, author (Terre Haute)
- Amanda Ruter Dufour, poet (Jeffersonville)
- Marilyn Durham, author (Evansville)
- Mike "Doc" Emrick, sportscaster (La Fontaine)
- Clayton Eshleman, poet (Indianapolis)
- Anna Farquhar, writer, editor (Brookville)
- William Forsyth (artist), artist (Indianapolis)
- Ford Frick, sportswriter, Commissioner of Baseball (Wawaka)
- Bill Frink, sportscaster (Elkhar])
- David Goodnow, television journalist (Vincennes)
- Michael Graves, architect, designer (Indianapolis)
- Avani Gregg, social media personality (Brownsburg)
- Art Green, painter (member of The Hairy Who)
- John Green, author (Indianapolis)
- Johnny Gruelle, illustrator of Raggedy Ann books (Indianapolis)
- Richard Gruelle, artist (Indianapolis)
- Mark Hampton, interior designer (Plainfield)
- Elizabeth Boynton Harbert, writer, lecturer, philanthropist (Crawfordsville)
- David Haugh, sportswriter (North Judson)
- Christine Howser, author
- Kin Hubbard, humorist, writer, cartoonist (Indianapolis)
- Robert Indiana, artist (New Castle)
- Steve Inskeep, journalist, radio host (Carmel)
- Ross Lockridge Jr., author (Bloomington)
- John T. McCutcheon, cartoonist (Lafayette)
- Jason Matheson, radio personality on KTMY
- Edward J. Meeman, journalist (Evansville)
- Dale Messick, comic strip artist (South Bend)
- Minnie Myrtle Miller, writer, poet (Brookville)
- Bruce Nauman, artist (Fort Wayne)
- Meredith Nicholson, author (Crawfordsville)
- Dave Niehaus, sportscaster (Princeton)
- Jack Olsen, journalist and author (Indianapolis)
- Bill Peet, author, Disney artist, Caldecott Honor recipient (Grandview)
- Jon Petrovich, television executive (Gary)
- Edith Pfau, painter, sculptor, art educator (Jasper)
- David Graham Phillips, journalist, novelist (Madison)
- Gene Stratton Porter, author (Wabash County)
- Nelson Poynter, publisher (Sullivan)
- Ernie Pyle, newsman, legendary war correspondent during World War II (Dana)
- Emily Lee Sherwood Ragan, writer, journalist (Madison)
- Frank Reynolds, television journalist (East Chicago)
- E. A. Richardson, poet, first Poet Laureate of Indiana (Pike County)
- James Whitcomb Riley, poet (Greenfield)
- William Edouard Scott, artist (Indianapolis)
- Zerna Sharp, author and educator (Frankfort)
- Michael Shelden, author of George Orwell: Ten Animal Farm Letters to His Agent, Leonard Moore (Terre Haute)
- Carrie M. Shoaff, artist, potter, writer, correspondent (Huntington)
- Will Shortz, editor of The New York Times crossword puzzle and host of the puzzle segment on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday (Crawfordsville)
- David Smith, Abstract Expressionist sculptor (Decatur)
- Amy Spindler, journalist (Michigan City)
- Otto Stark, artist (Indianapolis)
- T. C. Steele, artist (Indianapolis)
- Evaleen Stein, poet, writer, limner (Lafayette)
- Rex Stout, author, creator of Nero Wolfe (Noblesville)
- Maria Straub, writer, hymnwriter (DeKalb County)
- Martina Swafford, poet (Terre Haute)
- Booth Tarkington, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Alice Adams, Seventeen, and The Magnificent Ambersons (Indianapolis)
- James Alexander Thom, author (Indianapolis, Brown County)
- E. S. L. Thompson, poet, writer (Vevay)
- Kurt Vonnegut, author (Indianapolis)
- Lew Wallace, author (Crawfordsville)
- Jason Whitlock, sportswriter (Indianapolis)
- Mary Holloway Wilhite, physician, philanthropist, suffragist, women's rights activist, writer (near Crawfordsville)
- J.N. Williamson, author (Noblesville)
- Marguerite Young, poet, author, critic (Indianapolis)
Science and medicine
- Gordon Allport, psychologist, one of the founding figures of personality psychology (Montezuma)
- Philip Warren Anderson, Nobel Prize in Physics (Indianapolis)
- Herbert C. Brown, Nobel Prize in Chemistry (West Lafayette)
- Roy Cizek, inventor and pioneer in sound reproduction engineering (Terre Haute, Indiana)
- Larry M. Davis, forensic psychiatrist, pioneer of the criminal insanity defense (Indianapolis)
- David Deming, geologist and geophysicist (Terre Haute, Indiana)
- Katharine Jane Densford, Director of the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, provided important nursing leadership during World War II
- James Bert Garner, chemist, inventor of the gas mask (Lebanon)
- Elwood Haynes, inventor of stainless steel (Kokomo)
- Jane E. Henney, first female commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (Woodburn)
- C. Francis Jenkins, inventor of the motion picture projector and television (Richmond)
- Gene Likens, discovered acid rain in North America (Pierceton)
- Colonel Eli Lilly, founder of Eli Lilly (Indianapolis)
- Salvador E. Luria, Nobel Prize in Medicine (Bloomington)
- Robert Staughton Lynd, sociology, directed first Middletown studies (New Albany)
- Ben Roy Mottelson, Nobel Prize in Physics (West Lafayette)
- Hermann Joseph Muller, Nobel Prize in Medicine (Bloomington)
- Elinor Ostrom, first woman to win Nobel Prize in Economics (Bloomington)
- E. J. Pennington, inventor and promoter of many mechanical devices (Moores Hill)
- Edward Mills Purcell, Nobel Prize in Physics (West Lafayette)
- George Andrew Reisner, archaeologist of ancient Egypt and Palestine (Indianapolis)
- Paul A. Samuelson, first American to win the Nobel Prize in Economics (Gary)
- Ada Estelle Schweitzer, physician and public health advocate (La Grange County)
- Julian Schwinger, Nobel Prize in Physics (West Lafayette)
- Vernon Smith, Nobel Prize in Economics (West Lafayette)
- Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize in Economics (Gary)
- Lewis Terman, psychologist, inventor of the Stanford-Binet I.Q. test and pioneer in educational psychology (Johnson County)
- Harold Urey, Nobel Prize in Chemistry (Walkerton)
- James D. Watson, Nobel Prize in Medicine (Bloomington)
- R. M. Wilson, mathematician (Gary)
Aviation and space
- Joseph P. Allen, astronaut (Crawfordsville)
- Lawrence Bell, aviator (Mentone)
- Frank Borman, astronaut (Gary)
- Kenneth Bowersox, astronaut (Bedford)
- Mark N. Brown, astronaut (Valparaiso)
- Anthony W. England, astronaut (Indianapolis)
- Kevin A. Ford, astronaut (Montpelier)
- Gus Grissom, astronaut (Mitchell)
- Margaret Ringenberg, aviator (Fort Wayne)
- Jerry Ross, astronaut (Crown Point)
- Janice E. Voss, astronaut (South Bend)
- Charles D. Walker, astronaut (Bedford)
- David Wolf, astronaut (Indianapolis)
- Wilbur Wright, inventor (Millville)
Religious and spiritual figures
- Irvin Baxter Jr., Pentecostal pastor (Richmond)
- Simon Bruté, Catholic missionary and bishop (Vincennes)
- Anthony Deydier, Catholic missionary (Evansville)
- David C. Fisher, Conservative Congregational pastor (Warsaw)
- Esther G. Frame, Quaker minister and evangelist (Washington)
- Benjamin Franklin, figure in the Restoration Movement (Anderson)
- Hobart Freeman, charismatic preacher (Kosciusko County)
- Jim Gilles, campus preacher (Evansville)
- Jeff Godwin, preacher and author (Bloomington)
- Ted Haggard, evangelical pastor (Yorktown)
- Garfield Thomas Haywood, pastor and songwriter (Greencastle)
- Jack Hyles, Baptist preacher (Hammond)
- Gerald Archie Mangun, Pentecostal pastor (La Paz)
- Isaac McCoy, Baptist missionary (Vincennes)
- Lee Roberson, Baptist preacher (English)
- Mary Simpson, Episcopalian priest (Evansville)
- Jed Smock, campus preacher (Terre Haute)
- Edward Sorin, Catholic priest (Notre Dame)
- Lester Sumrall, Pentecostal pastor (South Bend)
- Robert Thieme, non-denominational Christian pastor (Fort Wayne)
- Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson, Pentecostal pastor (Westfield)
- Wilbur Glenn Voliva, evangelist (Merom)
- Mike Warnke, evangelist and comedian (Evansville)
- Warren W. Wiersbe, pastor and writer (East Chicago)
- David Wilkerson, evangelical pastor (Hammond)
- Milton Wright, United Brethren bishop (Rushville Township)
Notorious and infamous Hoosiers
- Michael Alig, founding member of Club Kids, murderer (South Bend)
- Lowell Amos, murderer (Anderson)
- Gertrude Baniszewski, murderer (Indianapolis)
- Sam Bass, train robber (Mitchell)
- Herb Baumeister, serial killer (Westfield)
- Curly Bill Brocius, outlaw, nemesis of Wyatt Earp (Crawfordsville)
- John Dillinger, bank robber (Mooresville)
- Belle Gunness, serial killer (La Porte)
- Jimmy Hoffa, labor-union leader (Brazil)
- Jim Jones, cult founder/leader (Richmond)
- Steven Timothy Judy, murderer (Indianapolis)
- Tony Kiritsis, hostage-taker (Indianapolis)
- Harry Pierpont, Prohibition era gangster (Muncie)
- Reno Brothers, murderers, committed the first three peacetime train robberies in U.S. history (Rockford)
- Johnny Ringo, gunfighter (Greens Fork)
- D.C. Stephenson, Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, convicted murderer and rapist (Evansville)
- Eric Justin Toth, formerly wanted by the FBI under accusations of possessing and producing child pornography. Replaced Osama Bin Laden on FBI Ten Most Wanted list (Highland)
- Homer Van Meter, criminal and bank robber (Fort Wayne)
- Jared Fogle, former spokesman for Subway restaurants and convicted sex offender.
Other
- David Camm, man who was wrongfully convicted of the murder of his family (Georgetown)
- Peter Kassig, aid worker, taken hostage and ultimately beheaded by the Islamic State (Indianapolis)[3]
- David E. Kendall, attorney (Sheridan)
- Sylvia Likens, murder victim (Indianapolis)
- Madge Oberholtzer, murder victim (Clay City)
- Shanda Sharer, murder victim (New Albany)
- Robert Shields, minister and teacher who wrote a 37.5-million-word diary, possibly the longest ever written (Seymour)[4]
See also
References
- ^ "American Peace Society Photograph Collection, Swarthmore College Peace Collection". www.swarthmore.edu. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
- ^ "Lilly King - Bio". SwimSwam. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ^ Eason, Brian; Wang, Stephanie; Adams, Michael Anthony (October 3, 2014). "Indianapolis native Peter Kassig named next ISIS target". IndyStar.
- ^ Martin, Douglas (October 29, 2007). "Robert Shields, Wordy Diarist, Dies at 89". The New York Times.