State flag of Wyoming

Location of Wyoming on U.S. map

This is a list of prominent people who were born in or lived for a significant period of time in U.S. state of Wyoming.

The arts

Acting

Jim Beaver

Mildred Harris

• Burnu Acquanetta (1921–2004), actress and model; born in Cheyenne
• Jim Beaver (born 1950), actor; born in Laramie
• Jim J. Bullock (born 1955), actor; born in Casper
• Darren Dalton (born 1965), actor; born in Powell
• Mickey Daniels (1914–1970), actor; born in Rock Springs
• Matthew Fox (born 1966), actor; raised in Crowheart
• Jesse Garcia (born 1982), actor; born in Rawlins
• Mildred Harris (1901–1944), actress; born in Cheyenne
• Cecilia Hart (1948–2016), actress; born in Cheyenne
• Kirby Heyborne (born 1976), actor; born in Evanston
• Isabel Jewell (1907–1972), actress; born in Shoshoni
• Michael Pearlman (born 1972), actor; lives in Jackson
• Jim Siedow (1920–2003), actor; born in Cheyenne
• Wally Wales (1895–1980), actor; born in Sheridan
• Larry Wilcox (born 1947), actor; raised in Rawlins^[1]

Literature

Owen Wister

• Craig Arnold (born 1967), poet; teaches at the University of Wyoming; lives in Laramie
• C. J. Box, author of the Joe Pickett series of novels
• Maxwell Struthers Burt (1882–1954), novelist
• James A. "Jim" Corbett (1933–2001), writer, philosopher, and human-rights activist; born in Casper
• Gretel Ehrlich, novelist
• Joe Clifford Faust, novelist
• Alexandra Fuller (born 1969), writer, author of Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight; lives in Jackson Hole
• Kathleen O'Neal Gear (born 1954), writer
• W. Michael Gear (born 1955), writer
• Dan Hausel (born 1949), author of several geology books in Wyoming
• Grace Raymond Hebard (1861–1936), western history writer whose findings regarding Sacajawea and Esther Hobart Morris tend to be challenged by contemporary historians
• Craig A. Johnson (born 1961), author of the Walt Longmire Mysteries; lives in Ucross, Wyoming
• George Clayton Johnson (1929–2015), co-author of the novel Logan's Run; born in Cheyenne
• Theodore Judson, science-fiction writer
• Patricia MacLachlan (1938-2022), children's book writer; her book Sarah, Plain and Tall won the Newbery Medal; born in Cheyenne
• Rodger McDaniel (born 1948), legislator, attorney, pastor, author of Dying for Joe McCarthy's Sins: The Suicide of Senator Lester Hunt; from Cheyenne
• Kyle Mills (born 1966), writer; lives in Jackson Hole
• Florabel Muir (1889–1970), newspaper reporter and columnist; born in Rock Springs
• Edgar Wilson Nye (1850–1896), journalist and humorist; postmaster of Laramie City in the Wyoming Territory
• Todd Parr (born 1962), children's book writer, artist, children's television show producer; grew up in Rock Springs
• E. Annie Proulx (born 1935), writer; author of the short story "Brokeback Mountain"; lives in Wyoming
• Chip Rawlins, non-fiction writer, outdoorsman; lives in Laramie
• Tracy Ringolsby, sports writer, born and lives in Cheyenne, fifth generation
• David Romtvedt, Poet Laureate of Wyoming
• Owen Wister (1860–1938), writer of Western novels

Visual arts

Jackson Pollock

• Earl W. Bascom (1896–1992), painter, sculptor, "Cowboy of Cowboy Artists", "Dean of Rodeo Cowboy Sculpture"; lived in Rock Springs
• Elsa Spear Byron (1896–1992), photographer; born in Big Horn; lived most of her life in Sheridan
• Jackson Pollock (1912–1956), artist; born in Cody
• Floyd Shaman (1935–2005), sculptor; born in Wheatland
• Penny Wolin (born 1953), photographer; author of "The Jews of Wyoming: Fringe of the Diaspora" and "Descendants of Light: American Photographers of Jewish Ancestry"; born in Cheyenne

Politics and public office

A–G

Mary Bellamy

Clarence D. Clark

• Thurman Arnold (1891–1969), associate judge of the Court of Appeals for the D. C. Circuit
• Amos W. Barber (1861–1915), Governor of Wyoming (1890–1893)
• John Barrasso (born 1952), Republican U.S. Senator from Wyoming (since 2007)
• Frank A. Barrett (1892–1962), U.S. Senator, Representatives, Governor of Wyoming
• Eli Bebout (born 1946), Republican gubernatorial nominee (2002); member of the Wyoming State Senate (since 2007)
• Mary Bellamy (1861–1954), first woman elected to the Wyoming Legislature
• Eliza Stewart Boyd (1833–1912), first woman in America to serve on a jury
• Bryant Butler Brooks (1861–1944), Governor of Wyoming (1905–1911)
• Anne Gorsuch Burford (1942–2004), first female administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; born in Casper
• Harriet Elizabeth Byrd (1926–2015), first African American elected to the Wyoming Legislature^[2]
• John Allen Campbell (1835–1880), first governor of the Wyoming Territory (1869–1875)
• Joseph M. Carey (1845–1924), Governor of Wyoming, first U.S. Senator from Wyoming
• Robert D. Carey (1878–1937), Governor of Wyoming (1919–1923), U.S. Senator (1930–1937)
• Vincent Carter (1891–1972), U.S. Representative (1929–1935)
• Cale Case (born 1958), Wyoming state senator from Lander (since 1998)
• Fenimore Chatterton (1860–1958), Acting Governor of Wyoming (1903–1905)
• Dick Cheney (born 1941), vice-president of the United States; raised in Casper; lives in Jackson Hole
• Lynne Cheney (born 1941), member of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research; chairwoman of the National Endowment for the Humanities; wife of Dick Cheney; born in Casper
• Alonzo M. Clark (1868–1952), Governor of Wyoming (1931–1933)
• Clarence D. Clark (1851–1930), member of the Wyoming constitutional convention, U.S. Representative (1890–1893), U.S. Senator (1895–1917)
• Tom Coburn (1948–2020), Junior Republican Senator from Oklahoma; born in Casper
• Henry A. Coffeen (1841–1912), U.S. Representative (1893–1895)
• Arthur G. Crane (1877–1955), Governor of Wyoming (1949–1951)
• Patrick Crank, Attorney General of Wyoming (2002–2007)
• Edward D. Crippa, interim U.S. Senator (1954)
• Barbara Cubin (born 1946), U.S. Representative (1995–2009)
• W. G. Curtis, founder and mayor of Torrington; Wyoming State representative
• Stephen Wheeler Downey (1839–1902), Wyoming territorial government leader; member of the Wyoming congressional convention; University of Wyoming trustee and president
• Frank Emerson (1882–1931), Governor of Wyoming (1926–1931)
• Mike Enzi (1944–2021), U.S. Senator (1997–2021)
• Dave Freudenthal (born 1950), Governor of Wyoming (2003–2011)
• Nancy Freudenthal (born 1954), judge on the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming
• Jack R. Gage (1899–1970), Governor of Wyoming (1961–1963)
• Jim Geringer (born 1944), Governor of Wyoming (1995–2003)
• Paul Ranous Greever (1891–1943), U.S. Representative (1935–1938); mayor of Cody

H–M

Clifford Hansen

• Clifford Hansen (1912–2009), Governor of Wyoming (1963–1967), U.S. Senator (1967–1978)
• William Henry Harrison (1896–1990), Republican U.S. Representative from Wyoming (1950s and 1960s)
• Stanley K. Hathaway (1924–2005), Governor of Wyoming (1967–1975), U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1975)
• Edgar Herschler (1918–1990), Governor of Wyoming (1975–1987)
• John J. Hickey (1911–1970), U.S. Senator (1961–1962)
• Frank O. Horton (1882–1948), U.S. Representative (1939–1941)
• Lester C. Hunt (1892–1954), Governor of Wyoming (1943–1949); U.S. Senator (1949–1954)
• John B. Kendrick (1857–1933), Governor of Wyoming (1915–1917), U.S. Senator (1917–1933)
• Frank E. Lucas (1876–1948), Republican Governor of Wyoming (1924–1925)
• Cynthia Lummis (born 1954), former Republican member of both houses of the Wyoming legislature and former state treasurer
• Randall Luthi (born 1953), former Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives
• Max Maxfield (born 1945), Republican secretary of state of Wyoming
• Rodger McDaniel (born 1948), Democrat, House of Representatives (1970–1976), Wyoming Senate (1976–1980), attorney; author of biography of U.S. Senator Lester C. Hunt (2013)
• Gale W. McGee (1915–1992), U.S. Senator (1959–1977)
• John J. McIntyre (1904–1974), U.S. Representative (1941–1943); Wyoming Supreme Court Justice
• Ron Micheli (born 1948), former Republican member of Wyoming Legislature, former Wyoming Director of Agriculture
• Leslie A. Miller (1886–1970), Governor of Wyoming (1932–1939)
• Franklin Wheeler Mondell (1860–1939), U.S. Representative (1895–1897; 1899–1923)

N–Z

Nellie Tayloe Ross

• Joseph C. O'Mahoney (1884–1962), U.S. Senator (1934–1953; 1954–1961)
• John Eugene Osborne (1858–1943), Governor of Wyoming (1892–1895), U.S. Representative (1987–1999)
• Dana Perino (born 1972), 26th White House Press Secretary
• Nellie Tayloe Ross (1876–1977), Governor of Wyoming (1925–1927), first female governor of a U.S. state
• DeForest Richards (1846–1903), Governor of Wyoming (1899–1903)
• William A. Richards (1849–1912), Governor of Wyoming (1895–1899)
• Edward V. Robertson (1881–1963), U.S. Senator (1943–1949)
• Teno Roncalio (1916–2003), U.S. Representative (1965–1967; 1971–1978)
• William B. Ross (1873–1924), Governor of Wyoming (1923–1924)
• Tom Sansonetti, Assistant U.S. Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Justice Department
• Henry H. Schwartz (1869–1955), U.S. Senator (1937–1943)
• Bryan Sharratt (1947–2007), member of Clinton administration defense team; Democratic candidate for Congress (1988), having been defeated by Dick Cheney
• Alan K. Simpson (born 1931), U.S. Senator (1979–1997)
• Milward L. Simpson (1897–1993), Republican governor and U.S. Senator from Wyoming
• Mike Sullivan (born 1939), Governor of Wyoming (1987–1995)
• Patrick Joseph Sullivan (1865–1935), mayor of Casper; U.S. Senator (1929–1930)
• Patrick Sullivan (1880–1959), Wyoming State Representative (1913–1917)
• John Thayer (1820–1906), Governor of Wyoming Territory (1875–1878)
• Craig L. Thomas (1930–2007), U.S. Senator (1995–2007)
• Edwin Keith Thomson (1919–1960), U.S. Representative (1955–1960)
• Thyra Thomson (1916–2013), Wyoming Secretary of State (1962–1987)
• Malcolm Wallop (1933–2011), U.S. Senator (1977–1995)
• Francis E. Warren (1844–1929), Governor of Wyoming (1890), U.S. Senator (1890–1893; 1895–1929)
• James G. Watt (born 1938), U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1981–1983)
• Charles E. Winter (1870–1948), U.S. Representative (1923–1929)
• John S. Wold (1916–2017), U.S. Representative (1969–1971)

Sportspeople

Karen Budge

Mike Devereaux

Boyd Dowler

Rulon Gardner

Travis Rice

• Adam Archuleta (born 1977), professional football player; born in Rock Springs
• Zane Beadles (born 1986), professional football player; born in Casper
• Nick Bebout (born 1951), professional football player; played for the University of Wyoming; born in Riverton
• Jim Benepe (born 1963), professional golfer; born in Sheridan
• Jacob Bobenmoyer (born 1997), NFL long snapper for the Denver Broncos; Born in Cheyenne
• Bill Briggs (born 1943), pioneer in ski mountaineering, lives in Jackson Hole
• Tom Browning (born 1960), MLB pitcher; born in Casper
• John Buck (born 1980), MLB catcher, born in Kemmerer
• Karen Budge (born 1949), former World Cup and Olympic alpine ski racer; born in Jackson
• Jaycee Carroll (born 1983), professional basketball player; born in Laramie
• Gail Cogdill (1937–2016), professional football player; born in Worland
• Chris Cooley (born 1982), professional football player; born in Powell
• Alicia Craig (born 1982), distance runner; born in Gillette
• Jesseca Cross (born 1975), Olympic athlete; born in Laramie
• Lance Deal (born 1961), Olympic athlete; born in Riverton; attended high school in Casper
• Mike Devereaux (born 1963), MLB outfielder; NLCS MVP in 1995 with the Atlanta Braves; born in Casper
• Boyd Dowler (born 1937), professional football player; born in Rock Springs
• Aaron Elling (born 1978), professional football player; played for the University of Wyoming; lived in Lander
• Dick Ellsworth (born 1940), MLB pitcher; born in Lusk
• Rulon Gardner (born 1971), wrestler; Olympic gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling; born in Afton
• John Godina (born 1972), shot putter; three-time world champion; two-time Olympic medalist; lived in Cheyenne
• W. Dan Hausel (born 1949), hall-of-fame karate and kobudo grandmaster
• Jerry Hill (born 1939), professional football player; born in Torrington
• Bryan Iguchi (born 1973), snowboarder; 1997 X-Games bronze medalist in half-pipe; lives in Jackson Hole
• James Johnson (born 1987), professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors; born in Cheyenne
• Jaelin Kauf (born 1996), Olympic freestyle skier; born in Alta
• Brett Keisel (born 1978), professional football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers; born in Greybull
• Mike Lansing (born 1968), MLB infielder; born in Rawlins
• Nate Marquardt (born 1979), Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight fighter; born in Lander
• Bryce Meredith (born 1995), professional MMA fighter, three-time NCAA Division I wrestling All-American and two-time National Finalist; born in Cheyenne
• Tommy Moe (born 1970), world-class alpine skier; two-time Olympic medalist; member of the National Ski Hall of Fame; lives in Jackson Hole
• Heather Moody (born 1973), water polo player; two-time Olympic medalist; lived in Green River
• Jonah Nickerson (born 1985), pitcher for the Oregon State Beavers; born in Casper
• Brandon Nimmo (born 1993), outfielder for New York Mets; born in Cheyenne
• Jay Novacek (born 1962), professional football player; played college football at the University of Wyoming
• Gail O'Brien (1911–1978), professional football player; born in Cheyenne
• Brady Poppinga (born 1979), professional football player; born in Evanston
• Chris Prosinski (born 1987), professional football player; born in Newcastle
• Travis Rice (born 1982), professional snowboarder; co-producer of documentary films That's It, That's All (2008) and The Art of Flight (2011); born and raised in Jackson Hole
• Ken Sailors (1921–2016), professional basketball player; popularized the jump shot; member of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame; raised outside Hillsdale, Wyoming; played college basketball at the University of Wyoming
• Todd Skinner (1958–2006), rock climber; born in Pinedale
• Rick Sofield (born 1956), MLB outfielder; born in Cheyenne
• Josef Stiegler (born 1937), world-class alpine skier; three-time Olympic medalist in slalom and giant slalom; lives in Jackson Hole
• Resi Stiegler (born 1985), alpine skier; born and raised in Jackson Hole
• John Wendling (born 1983), professional football player; born in Cody
• Jamila Wideman (born 1975), left-handed point guard basketball player, lawyer and activist
• Logan Wilson (born 1996), professional football player for the Cincinnati Bengals; born and raised in Casper

Miscellaneous

Edward L. Baker Jr.

Buffalo Bill

Margaret Murie

• Thurman Arnold (1891–1969), lawyer and judge; born in Laramie
• Edward L. Baker Jr. (1865–1913), United States Army; recipient, Medal of Honor; born in Laramie County
• Harold Roe Bartle (1901–1974), lawyer; politician; helped to establish Scouting in Wyoming
• George T. Beck (1856–1943), politician; businessman; helped William Cody establish the town of Cody
• "Buffalo Bill" Cody (1846–1917), Old West figure; helped create Cody
• John Colter (1774–1813), explorer; first white man to set foot in Wyoming
• Clayton Danks (1879–1970), model cowboy on the Wyoming trademark, the Bucking Horse and Rider; winner of three competitions at Cheyenne Frontier Days
• Black Elk (1863–1950), heyoka of the Oglala Lakota people
• Otto Franc (1846–1903), cattle baron and homesteader in the Big Horn Basin
• Lilian Heath, first female doctor in Wyoming
• James L. Herdt, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy; born in Casper
• Leonard S. Hobbs (1896–1977), aeronautical engineer and author; won the 1952 Collier Trophy for designing the P&W J57 turbojet engine; born in Carbon County
• Raymond A. Johnson, aviation pioneer^[3]
• Harold McCracken (1894–1983), creator and director of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody
• M. Margaret McKeown (born 1951), U.S. Appeals Court Judge; born in Casper
• Esther Hobart Morris (1814–1902), appointed first female judge in United States in 1870 to complete the term of a justice who resigned in protest of the Wyoming Territory's passage of women's suffrage
• Margaret Murie (1902–2003), conservationist; lived in Wyoming
• John Pedersen, firearms designer who worked for Remington Arms
• Chance Phelps (1985–2004), soldier; born in Dubois
• Matthew Shepard (1976–1998), murdered student from the University of Wyoming; born in Casper
• Jedediah Smith (1799–1831), mountain man, trapper, explorer; first American to get to California from the East
• Gerry Spence (born 1929), lawyer; born in Laramie
• Willis Van Devanter (1859–1941), city attorney for Cheyenne; chief judge of Wyoming territorial court
• Robert R. Wilson (1914–2000), physicist; a group leader of the Manhattan Project; born in Frontier

References