#1Science & Medicine
William Standish Knowles
1917–2012American chemist
56 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Taunton
35 famous people were born in Taunton, more of them soldiers and sailors than in most towns
Most widely known is William Standish Knowles, the American chemist, with articles in 56 languages. 15 of them were born in the age of mills and railroads, more than in any other period. The list comes to 5.8 for every 10,000 residents, about the same as the typical town in Massachusetts, at 4.5. Fewer than a quarter of the 338 towns in Massachusetts with famous people list more.
Born here
35
notable people
Best known
William Standish Knowles
in 56 Wikipedia languages
First
1747
Lemuel Williams
Youngest
1996
Adam Gaudette
Most common field
Politics & Law
10 people
Also called it home
1
notable residents
What stands out about Taunton’s famous people
★ What stands out · Known for
What Taunton is known for
The field furthest above the usual share is business people, at 3.3 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
The best known
Born in Taunton
William Standish Knowles, Mildred Wiley and William Z. Foster are written about in 56, 19 and 19 languages.
#1
#2
#3Politics & Law
William Z. Foster
1881–1961American labor organizer and Communist politician
19 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Through the years
When Taunton’s famous people were born
No decade has more births than the 1910s, at 4.
Politics & LawScience & MedicineNotableSportsMilitaryWriting & ArtsBusinessFilm, TV & Stage
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Taunton
32 more, best known first.
Charles F. Avila
1906–2000Electrical engineer/Vice President/member:Executive Committee of the Yankee Atomic Electric Company
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
A chosen home
Also called Taunton home
One more notable person made the town home: Robert Treat Paine.
Robert Treat Paine
1731–1814American lawyer and judge, signer of the US Declaration of Independence
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
The town’s pick
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Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Nearby, Middleborough has the most on record, with 14.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Taunton 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 (19)
- William Standish Knowles: Tina Hager, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Mildred Wiley: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William Z. Foster: Published in USA between 1923 and 1978 with no notice of copyright in original publication, public domain. Digital editing by Tim Davenport ("Carrite") for Wikipedia, no copyright claimed, file released to the public domain without restriction., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Adam Gaudette: All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Isaac Babbitt: Daderot, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Alexis Caswell: National Biographical Publishing Company, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Alan Gifford: film trailer screenshot (Sage Prod.), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Barry McCaffrey: United States Army, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Stephanie Cutter: Chris Usher, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Frederick Augustus Irving: Offizielles Foto der US-Army, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Marc R. Pacheco: Office of the Governor of Massachusetts, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Samuel L. Crocker: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Seth Padelford: James Sullivan Lincoln, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Francis Baylies: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Treat Paine: Savage, Edward and Coles, John Jr., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John J. O'Connor: Collection of U.S. House of Representatives, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John W. Davis: Source: An Illustrated History of Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Vicinity by Robert Grieve (1897)., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- George Leonard: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Cy Morgan: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons