This is a list of people who either were born in Ithaca, New York or who lived there other than when attending Cornell University or Ithaca College . The county in which Ithaca resides, Tompkins County, New York , is ranked eighth in all 3,144 U.S. counties for the highest density of culturally notable baby boomers .[1] [2] [3]
Dustin Brown Alex Haley Jon Jones Mary McDonnell Carl Sagan David Foster Wallace X Ambassadors Lavilla Esther Allen , native, author, and poet
David Altshuler , native, endocrinologist, and geneticist
A.R. Ammons , resident, poet, professor at Cornell University, and National Book Award winner[4]
Benedict Anderson , resident, political scientist, historian, and author known for his 1983 book Imagined Communities , which explored the origins of nationalism
Liberty Hyde Bailey , resident, horticulturist, professor at Cornell University, and co-founder of the American Society for Horticultural Science
Iris Barbura , resident, dancer, and choreographer
Josh Bard , native, former professional baseball player, and coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers [5]
Hans Bethe , resident, physicist known for his work with the Manhattan Project , professor at Cornell University, and Nobel Prize winner[6] [7]
Urie Bronfenbrenner , resident, psychologist, professor at Cornell University, and co-founder of Head Start [8]
Dustin Brown , native, former professional ice hockey player, and Stanley Cup champion for the Los Angeles Kings [9]
Annie Burns , resident, musician, and founding member of The Burns Sisters [10]
Marie Burns , resident, musician, and founding member of The Burns Sisters
John H. Camp , native, lawyer, and former U.S. congressman[11]
Stephen L. Carter , native, professor of law at Yale University , and best-selling novelist known for The Emperor of Ocean Park [12]
Philip N. Cohen , native, sociologist, and professor at the University of Maryland
Alex Compton , resident, former professional basketball player, and coach for the Philippine Basketball Association [13] [14]
Anna Coogan , resident, singer-songwriter[15]
Alonzo Cornell , native, businessman, and politician who was the 27th governor of New York from 1880 to 1882; son of Ezra Cornell [16]
Ezra Cornell , resident, businessman, politician, and philanthropist; co-founder of Western Union and Cornell University[17]
Kyle Dake , native, four-time World Champion freestyle wrestler , and Olympic bronze medalist
Amasa Dana , resident, lawyer, and politician who served two non-consecutive terms as a U.S. congressman from New York from 1839 to 1841 and from 1843 to 1845[18]
Buck Dharma , resident, musician, and founding member of Blue Öyster Cult [19]
Asia Kate Dillon , native, actor known for Orange Is the New Black and Billions
Johnny Dowd , resident, alternative country musician[20]
Robert Earle , resident, broadcaster, and host of G.E. College Bowl from 1962 to 1970[21]
Julius Eastman , native, composer, pianist, and vocalist
Adam C. Engst , native, technology writer, and publisher of TidBITS , the oldest Internet-based email newsletter[22]
Noah Feldshuh , native, musician, and founding member of X Ambassadors [23]
Richard Feynman , resident, physicist known for his work with the Manhattan Project, professor at Cornell University, and Nobel Prize winner[24]
Carl Frederick , resident, science fiction author, and theoretical physicist[25]
Alice Fulton , resident, author, and professor at Cornell University[26] [27]
Juan Pablo Galavis , native, former professional soccer player, and star of The Bachelor [28] [29]
John H. Gear , native, politician who was the 11th governor of Iowa from and 1878 to 1882, and a U.S. senator from 1895 to 1900 [30] [31]
George Gorse , native, art historian, educator, and professor at Pomona College
Greg Graffin , resident, musician, and founding member of Bad Religion [32]
Walter S. Grant , native, U.S. Army major general[33]
Alex Haley , native, author known for his 1965 book The Autobiography of Malcolm X , and his 1976 novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family , which ABC adapted into a TV miniseries of the same name in 1977[34]
Brian Hall , resident, writer, and author
Casey Harris , native, musician, and founding member of X Ambassadors
Sam Harris , native, musician, and founding member of X Ambassadors
Richard W. Hubbell , native, lawyer, and Wisconsin politician[35]
Karel Husa , resident, classical composer, conductor, professor at Cornell University, and Pulitzer Prize winner[36] [37]
Ricky Jay , resident, magician, actor, and writer[38] [39] [40]
Jon Jones , resident, mixed martial artist, UFC Heavyweight Champion , and former two-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion [41] [42]
David Lee , resident, physicist, professor at Cornell University, and Nobel Prize winner[43] [44]
David Lehman , resident, poet, non-fiction writer, and literary critic[45] [46]
J. Robert Lennon , resident, author known for his novels Mailman and Happyland [47] [48]
James L. Linderman , native, politician, and former Wisconsin State Assemblyman[49]
Richard V. E. Lovelace , resident, astrophysicist, plasma physicist, and professor at Cornell University[50]
Norman Malcolm , resident, philosopher, and professor at Cornell University[51]
Mary McDonnell , native, actress known for her roles in Dances with Wolves , Passion Fish , Independence Day , Donnie Darko , and Battlestar Galactica [52] [53] [54]
Matthew F. McHugh , resident, lawyer, and politician who was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1993[55]
Howard B. Meek , resident, professor, and founder of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration
Bernie Milton , native, musician[56]
Robert Moog , resident, engineer, and electronic music pioneer; founder of the synthesizer manufacturer Moog Music and the inventor of the first commercial synthesizer , the Moog synthesizer , which debuted in 1964[57] [58]
Tim Moresco , native, professional football player for the New York Jets [59] [60]
Vladimir Nabokov , resident, novelist, poet, professor at Cornell University, and author known for his 1955 novel Lolita , which ranked fourth on Modern Library 's list of the 100 best novels [61] [62]
Benjamin Netanyahu , resident, politician who served as prime minister of Israel ; son of a professor at Cornell University[63]
Nicholas Nicastro , resident, writer, filmmaker, and film critic[64] [65]
Yen Ospina , resident, muralist[66]
Lonnie Park , native, musician, and three-time Grammy Award -winner[67] [68]
Roy H. Park , resident, entrepreneur, and media mogul; founder of Park Communications and the Park Foundation [69]
Harry Partch , resident, composer, music theorist, and creator of unique musical instruments[70] [71]
Bre Pettis , native, entrepreneur, video blogger, and creative artist; co-founder and CEO of MakerBot Industries [72] [73] [74]
Steve Poleskie , resident, artist, and professor at Cornell University whose work is featured in numerous museums, including the Metropolitan Museum , the Museum of Modern Art , and the Whitney Museum [75] [76] [77]
Thomas Pynchon , resident, author known for his 1973 novel Gravity's Rainbow , which won the National Book Award
Robert C. Richardson , resident, physicist, professor at Cornell University, and Nobel Prize winner[78] [43]
Kurt Riley , resident, songwriter, and musician[79]
Hank Roberts , resident, jazz cellist, and vocalist[80] [81]
Flora Rose , resident, scientist, nutritionist, and professor at Cornell University who was co-director of what would become the New York State College of Human Ecology
Frank Rosenblatt , resident, psychologist, computer scientist, and professor at Cornell University known in the field of artificial intelligence [82] [83] [84]
Carl Sagan , resident, astronomer, popularizer of science, Pulitzer Prize -winning author of The Dragons of Eden , and presenter of the Emmy Award -winning TV series Cosmos [85] [86] [87] [88]
Nick Sagan , native, novelist, screenwriter, and professor at Ithaca College; son of Carl Sagan[89]
Sasha Sagan , native, author, TV producer, filmmaker, and podcaster; daughter of Carl Sagan
Tim Sale , native, Eisner Award -winning comics artist known for his work on the DC Comics characters[90] [91] [92]
Eugene Schuyler , native, scholar, writer, explorer, and diplomat; son of George Schuyler[93]
George Schuyler , resident, businessman, author, politician, and member of the prominent Schuyler family who was New York State Treasurer from 1864 to 1865[94]
Walter Schuyler , native, officer in the United States Army who attained the rank of brigadier general ; son of George Schuyler[93]
Father Robert Smith , resident, Catholic priest , author, and educator who was director of the Cornell Catholic Community [95] [96]
Louisa Rachel Solomon , native, musician, and lead singer of The Shondes
Steve Squyres , resident, astronomer, professor at Cornell University, and principal investigator of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission [97] [98] [99]
Cynthia Morgan St. John , native, Wordsworthian , book collector , and author
Steven Strogatz , resident, mathematician, and professor at Cornell University[100] [101] [102]
Steven Stucky , resident, classical composer, professor at Cornell University, and Pulitzer Prize winner[103] [104] [105]
William H. Thomas , resident, geriatrician, author, and Heinz Award winner for the Human Condition[106] [107]
Henry S. Walbridge , resident, lawyer, and politician who was a U.S. Congressman from 1851 to 1853[108]
David Foster Wallace , native, author known for his 1996 novel Infinite Jest , which Time cited as one of the 100 best novels[109] [110] [111]
Alfred Wells , resident, lawyer, and politician; co-owner of the Ithaca Journal and Advertiser , district attorney of Tompkins County from 1845 to 1847, and U.S. Congressman from 1859 to 1861[112]
E.B. White , resident, author known for several popular books for children, including Charlotte's Web ; writer and contributing editor to The New Yorker and a co-author of The Elements of Style [113] [114] [115]
Robert R. Wilson , resident, physicist known for his work with the Manhattan Project, and professor at Cornell University; architect of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory [116] [117]
Ludwig Wittgenstein , resident, philosopher who is considered by some to be the greatest philosopher of the 20th century[118] [119]
Paul Wolfowitz , native, political scientist, and diplomat; served as U.S. ambassador to Indonesia , U.S. deputy secretary of defense , and the 10th president of the World Bank [120] [121]
Christopher Woodrow , native, Hollywood movie producer known for Birdman , Black Mass , and Hacksaw Ridge [122]
Alexi Zentner , resident, author known for his novel Copperhead , which is set in a fictional town that resembles Ithaca[123] [124]