List of people from Decatur, Illinois explained

The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Decatur, Illinois. For a similar list organized alphabetically by last name, see the category page People from Decatur, Illinois.

Authors and academics

Name	Image	Birth	Death	Known for	Association	Reference
				Biochemist known for work on the structure of coenzyme Q10	Born in Decatur	^[1]
				Financial lecturer and author	Born in Decatur	^[2]
				Biologist, professor, and author	Born in Decatur
				Author, historian, and sociology professor	Born in Decatur	^[3]
				Children's author; 2001 Newbery Medal winner	Born in Decatur
				Author, biblical scholar, and professor	Grew up in Decatur
				Librarian, president American Library Association 1920-1921	Born in Decatur Buried in Decatur (Greenwood Cemetery)

Commerce

Name	Image	Birth	Death	Known for	Association	Reference
			aling=right		Former CEO and chairman of Archer Daniels Midland ADM	Lived in Decatur Died in Decatur
				Founder of Millikin National Bank and Millikin University	Lived in Decatur Buried in Decatur (Greenwood Cemetery)

Media and arts

Name	Image	Birth	Death	Known for	Association	Reference
				Broadcasting journalist and management	Born in Decatur
				Country singer-songwriter inducted in Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame	Born in Decatur
				Jazz singer	Grew up in Decatur
				Author, cryptozoologist, radio and television personality	Grew up in Decatur
				Host of Minnesota Public Radio's Radio Heartland		^[4]
				Jazz musician	Born in Decatur
				Soprano at the Metropolitan Opera and star of Broadway musicals	Born in Decatur
				Founder of L.A. punk band X	Born in Decatur
				Concert pianist	Raised in Decatur
				Singer of alternative metal band Mudvayne	Born in Latham
Jonathan Hammond				Filmmaker	Grew up in Decatur	^[5]
				Guitarist with Mitch Ryder, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, and Peter Gabriel	Born in Decatur	^[6]
				Country/Bluegrass singer and songwriter; most-awarded singer in history of Grammy Awards^[7]	Born in Decatur
				Actor (The Good Guys; Let's Stay Together)	Born in Decatur
				Country and gospel singer; wife of Red Foley	Born in Decatur
				Actress (Mr. Sunshine, The Thorn Birds, Santa Barbara, The Drew Carey Show)	Born in Decatur
				Guitar player for Jars of Clay	Grew up in Decatur
				Jazz saxophonist; composer of Yakety Sax	Played with Dink Welch's Kopy Kats in Decatur (1948 to 1954)
				Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and recording engineer	Born in Decatur
				Artist and Disney Imagineer	Grew up in Decatur
				Author, journalist, college professor; Fulbright Scholar	Grew up in Decatur
			align+right		Academy Award winning motion picture set designer & decorator	Born in Decatur

Bands

Name	Image	Founded	Disbanded	Music	Association	Reference
Icon For Hire				Rock band	Formed in Decatur
V Shape Mind				Alternative rock band	Formed in Decatur

Military

Name	Image	Birth	Death	Known for	Association	Reference
				United States Army first lieutenant - awarded Medal of Honor	1964 Graduate of MacArthur High School	^[8]
				Union Army sergeant – awarded Medal of Honor	Buried in Decatur (Greenwood Cemetery)
				Union Army officer	Lived in Decatur
				Union Army general	Buried in Decatur (Greenwood Cemetery)
				United States Navy lieutenant commander	Lived in Decatur
				Union Army private – awarded Medal of Honor	Buried in Decatur (Greenwood Cemetery)

Philanthropist

Name	Image	Birth	Death	Known for	Association	Reference
				Faculty member at Columbia University; trustee of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation	Lived in Decatur
Connie Boochever			1999	Patron and advocate for the arts; member of Alaska Women's Hall of Fame	Born in Decatur
Elizabeth Parke Firestone				Patron and collector of rare art pieces, widow of Harvey S. Firestone Jr.	Born in Decatur

Politics

Name	Image	Birth	Death	Known for	Association	Reference
				U.S. Representative from Illinois	Buried in Decatur (Greenwood Cemetery)
				U.S. Representative from Illinois	Lived in Decatur
				U.S. senator and the 14th governor of Illinois	Grew up in Decatur
				Mayor of El Paso, Texas	Born in Decatur

Sports

Baseball

Name	Image	Birth	Death	Known for	Association	Reference
				Pitcher for six Major League Baseball teams	Born in Decatur
				Manager and coach for six Major League Baseball teams, 2-time World Series champion	Born in Decatur
				Infielder for Baltimore Orioles	Born in Decatur
				Pitcher for New York Mets	Born in Decatur
				Outfielder for Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers	Born in Decatur
				Catcher and coach for seven Major League Baseball teams	Born in Decatur
				Baseball player in Negro leagues; college football coach	Born in Decatur
				Third baseman for Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers, 4-time NL batting champion	Grew up in Decatur
				MLB pitcher from 1899-1908, won 246 games, inducted 1946 in Baseball Hall of Fame	Grew up in Decatur
			Jan 7, 2017	Outfielder for Washington Senators	Born in Decatur
				Outfielder for Chicago Cubs and New York Mets	Born in Decatur
				Infielder for St Louis Browns	Born in Decatur
				Shortstop for Philadelphia Phillies	Born in Decatur
				Umpire (1890–1914), worked at four World Series including Cubs' victory of 1908	Born in Decatur
				Pinch-hitter for Chicago Cubs, rare MLB player with batting average of 1.000	Born in Decatur
				Manager of Atlanta Braves (2016-Present)	Born in Decatur
				Center fielder for Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Montreal Expos and Philadelphia Phillies	Born in Decatur

Basketball

Name	Image	Birth	Death	Known for	Association	Reference
				Guard for the Indiana Fever (WNBA)	Born in Decatur
				Shooting guard for five National Basketball Association teams	Born in Decatur
				Forward for the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers	Born in Decatur

Football

Name	Image	Birth	Death	Known for	Association	Reference
				Wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs	Attended MacArthur High School in Decatur
				Head football coach at Colorado State University	Born in Decatur
				Founder of the Decatur Staleys, which became the Chicago Bears	Lived in Decatur
				College football coach and Wiley College biology professor	Born in Decatur
				Fullback for the St. Louis Rams	Born in Decatur
				Wide receiver for the New York Jets, St. Louis Rams and New Orleans Saints	Grew up in Decatur, MacArthur High School graduate

Other sports

Name	Image	Birth	Death	Known for	Association	Reference
				weightlifter Olympic medal winner	Went to High School in Decatur
				IFBB bodybuilder	Grew up in Decatur
				Golfer on the LPGA Tour	Born in Decatur

Notes and References

1. Olson. R E. Karl August Folkers (1906–1997). Journal of Nutrition. 131. 9. 2227–30. 11533258. September 1, 2001 . 10.1093/jn/131.9.2227. free.
2. News: Get-Rich Guru Charles J. Givens Dies . 13 October 2021 . The Washington Post . Fred Ryan . July 1998.
3. News: McFadden . Robert . James W. Loewen, Who Challenged How History Is Taught, Dies at 79 . 31 January 2022 . The New York Times . 20 August 2021.
4. Health Science Librarians of Illinois News Letter, Vol. 22, Issue ¾, page 6 http://hsli.org/HSLIFall-Winter2002.pdf
5. Web site: Evans . Julia Dixon . 2020-06-09 . 'Expect A Miracle': A Pandemic And A Boiling Point . 2022-11-28 . . en.
6. Greene . Andy . Guitarist Steve Hunter on His Journey From 'Berlin' to 'Billion Dollar Babies' . Rolling Stone . 11 November 2020 . Penske Media Corporation . 14 October 2021.
7. News: Todd Leopold . Plant, Krauss rise with 'Raising Sand' at Grammys . . 2009-02-09 . 2022-06-10.
8. News: Honoring 'a natural born leader'. Fallstrom, Bob. Herald & Review. November 8, 2010. December 11, 2016.