Famous people · Polk
20 famous people were born within 35 miles of Polk
Closest of all is Lynn Roethke, from West Bend, 3 mi away. Amadeus William Grabau is the most widely known, written about in 11 languages. Next door, West Bend lists 19, led by Lynn Roethke. No famous person on record lists Polk as their birthplace yet.
Born nearby
20
within 35 miles
Closest
10 mi
Amadeus William Grabau
Best known
Amadeus William Grabau
in 11 Wikipedia languages
What stands out about Polk’s famous people
★ What stands out · Close to home
Famous people born near Polk
Nobody born in Polk is confirmed by English Wikipedia yet. These are the best known born within 35 miles.
Ward Christensen
1945–2024Computer pioneer, invented Xmodem and co-invented BBS
Glenway Wescott
1901–1987American poet, novelist and essayist
Timothy Ramthun
born 195721st century American politician, Wisconsin State Assembly
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Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
West Bend leads the towns around it, with 19 names.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Polk and whose English Wikipedia article agrees, ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. Nearby people are those born in a town within 35 miles; distances are town center to town center. 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)
- Amadeus William Grabau: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Glenway Wescott: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Lynn Roethke: Todd Duncan, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Dave Steckel: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Josh Thompson: Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Samuel S. Barney: An Illustrated Congressional Manual. The United States Red Book, 1896, (detail), Collection of U.S. House of Representatives, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William Froehlich: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons