#130 famous people were born in Jacksonville, more of them writers and artists than in most towns
Articles in 34 languages make the American boxer Ken Norton the best known. Cal Strong, the American water polo player, comes second, with Marjorie Best third. Half or more of the towns in Illinois have no one on record, but this one has 16.7 for every 10,000 residents. From Jim Savage to Doug Brady, the births on the list run from 1817 to 1969.
What stands out about Jacksonville’s famous people
What Jacksonville is known for
Compared with the usual town, writers and artists are the most over-represented field, at 1.6 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
Born in Jacksonville
Athletes take two of the three places.
#1When Jacksonville’s famous people were born
The 1900s saw the most births of any decade: 5.
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone else born in Jacksonville
The other 27 span the years 1817 to 1969.



Edmund J. James
1855–1925American economist, professor, and university administrator




William Walton
1909–1994Journalist and abstract expressionist painter from the United States
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From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Jacksonville 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 (8)
- Ken Norton: Detrick, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Paul Findley: United States House of Representatives, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ruth Bryan Owen: Bain News Service, publisher., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Edmund J. James: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- J. Edward Day: Abbie Rowe, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ken Norton Jr.: All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Richard Yates: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Charles Cleveland Nutting: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons