#1Famous people · Troy
13 famous people were born in Troy, most of them between 1920 and 1969
Willie Davenport, the American athletics competitor, is the most widely known, written about in 22 languages. Second and third on the list are Pinetop Smith and Jean Sasson. The list runs from Oliver C. Wiley, born in 1851, to Early James, born in 1993. Only 36 of the 288 towns in Alabama with anyone on record list more.
Born here
13
notable people
Best known
Willie Davenport
in 22 Wikipedia languages
First
1851
Oliver C. Wiley
Youngest
1993
Early James
Most common field
Writing & Arts
3 people
What stands out about Troy’s famous people
★ What stands out · Through the years
When Troy’s famous people were born
More were born in the 1940s than in any other decade: 5.
Writing & ArtsPolitics & LawSportsNotableMusicScience & MedicineMilitary
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
The best known
Born in Troy
Ranked by languages covered: Willie Davenport with 22, then Pinetop Smith with 12 and Jean Sasson with 10.
#1PS#2
Music
Pinetop Smith
1904–1929American boogie-woogie style blues pianist
12 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
JS#3
Known for
What Troy is known for
Writers and artists stand out most, at 2.3 times the usual share.
The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Troy
The other 10 span the years 1851 to 1993.
No one matches both filters.
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From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Troy and whose English Wikipedia article agrees, ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. People known mainly for crimes, and adult performers, aren’t listed. “The usual town” = everyone born in the towns gathered so far.
Photo credits (7)
- Willie Davenport: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Manuel H. Johnson: The International Economy, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Oliver C. Wiley: New York Tribune, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Cornelius Griffin: Joel Rivlin, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Gwen Bingham: U.S. Army Quartermaster School, Fort Lee, VA, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Early James: Aalavac, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- J. Richard Blankenship: J Richard Blankenship, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons