#17 famous people were born in Columbus
Articles in 4 languages make the federal Reserve Bank president James B. Bullard the best known. The largest group, 4, was born in the age of mills and railroads. Fewer than a quarter of the 679 towns in Wisconsin with famous people list more. Born in 1883, Frank Lange is the first name on record, and Erin Murphy, born in 1960, the most recent.
Born in Columbus
Three names lead: James B. Bullard (4 languages), Erin Murphy (3) and Frank Lange (3).
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#3When Columbus’s famous people were born
The 1910s alone account for 3 of the births charted here.
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
What Columbus is known for
Leaders are the most numerous, 2 of them.
The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone else born in Columbus
Another 4, the earliest born in 1910.

No one matches both filters.
Who’s the most famous person from Columbus?
Pick one and say why. Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Be the first to say who Columbus’ most famous person is.
Famous people from the towns next door
The longest list nearby is Elba’s, with 2.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Columbus 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 (5)
- James B. Bullard: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Erin Murphy: Lorie Shaull from Washington, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Frank Lange: American Tobacco Company, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John P. LaWare: Federal Reserve System, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Marcus Robbins: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
