List of people from La Crosse explained

The following list includes notable people who were born in or have lived in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Academics

• Donald J. Berthrong, historian
• Ruth Boynton, physician and educator
• Robert M. Dammon, professor and academic administrator
• David Garbers, scientist
• Adolph Gundersen, physician
• Edward R. Hauser, animal scientist
• William Duncan MacMillan, mathematician and astronomer
• Curt Michel, NASA astronaut, professor
• Louis Hermann Pammel, botanist
• Walter Ristow, librarian
• John O. Schwenn, psychologist and academic administrator
• William A. Thompson, engineer
• Blanche Wilkins Williams, educator of deaf students

Activists and journalists

• Brynild Anundsen, Norwegian-American journalist
• Harriet Bossnot, social and civic worker
• Chris Bury, Nightline correspondent
• James Cameron, civil rights activist
• Tom Hanneman, sports broadcaster
• Mark Kellogg, reporter (killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn)
• Frieda S. Miller, labor and women's rights activist
• William Mullen, journalist
• Charles M. Palmer, organizer of the Associated Press
• Marcus M. Pomeroy, editor of the La Crosse Democrat newspaper during the Civil War
• George Edwin Taylor, activist and journalist
• Dave Umhoefer, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist

Artists and performers

• Erik Call, cinematographer
• Bernard Joseph Dockendorff, architect
• Chip Dunham, cartoonist
• Mattie Gunterman, photographer
• Frederick Heath, architect
• Joseph Losey, film and theater director
• Christy Oates, woodworker and furniture designer
• Elmer Petersen, sculptor
• Nicholas Ray, film and theater director
• John W. Ross, architect

Actors

• Lottie Alter, actor
• Val Bettin, actor
• Charles Dierkop, actor
• Brandon Ratcliff, actor
• Ford Sterling, actor

Authors

• Ole Amundsen Buslett, author
• Sylvester John Hemleben, poet, writer, and academic
• Karla Huston, poet
• Peg Kehret, author
• E. E. Knight, author
• Helen Adelia Manville, poet and litterateur
• Marion Manville Pope, poet and author
• William Stobb, poet
• John Toland, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian
• Danielle Trussoni, author

Musicians

• Wallace Berry, composer and music theorist
• Hugo Jan Huss, orchestra conductor
• Stephen Jerzak, singer-songwriter, musician
• Arthur Kreutz, composer
• Robert E. Kreutz, composer
• Larry Lelli, musician
• Robert Moevs, composer
• Robert Schulz, jazz cornetist
• Freddie Slack, musician and bandleader

Athletes

American football

• Gordon Bahr, college football coach
• George Dahlgren, NFL player
• John Fay, NFL player
• Kevin Fitzgerald, NFL player
• Bob Fitzke, NFL player
• Hal Hanson, NFL player and head coach
• Parker Hesse, NFL player
• Matt Joyce, NFL player
• Karl Klug, NFL player
• Richard D. Martin, college football coach
• Klinks Meyers, APFA player
• Tom Newberry, NFL all-pro offensive guard
• Jim Temp, NFL player
• Clarence Tommerson, NFL player
• Bill Vickroy, college football coach
• John Wilce, member of the College Football Hall of Fame
• Brian Wrobel, NFL player

Baseball

• John Ake, MLB player
• Paul Fitzke, MLB and NFL player
• Tony Ghelfi, MLB player
• Chuck Hockenbery, MLB player
• Tom Klawitter, MLB player
• Ed Konetchy, MLB player
• Damian Miller, MLB player
• Ed Servais, college baseball coach
• Scott Servais, MLB player and manager
• Frank Skaff, MLB player and manager
• Dolly Vanderlip, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
• Jarrod Washburn, MLB player
• George Williams, MLB player

Basketball

• Scott Christopherson, basketball player
• Johnny Davis, NBA player, Washington Wizards
• Jordan Davis, Wisconsin Men’s Basketball
• Bronson Koenig, basketball player
• Doug Martin, college basketball coach
• John Mengelt, NBA player
• Flip Saunders, NBA coach
• Glen Selbo, NBA player, selected second overall in 1947 NBA draft

Other

• Orville Buckner, professional boxer
• Tim Gullikson, tennis player and coach
• Tom Gullikson, tennis player and coach
• Barbara Harwerth, Olympic volleyball player
• Don Iverson, professional golfer
• Ty Loomis, volleyball player
• Eddie Murphy, Olympic medalist
• Mike Peplinski, curler
• George Poage, first African American to win an Olympic medal
• Ryan Quinn, curler

Businesspeople

• George Addes, founder of United Auto Workers
• Austen Cargill, president of Cargill
• William Wallace Cargill, founder of Cargill
• Fay Marvin Clark, real estate developer
• Russell G. Cleary, president of the G. Heileman Brewing Company
• Charles Gelatt, businessman and philanthropist
• George Gund II, banker and real estate investor
• Gottlieb Heileman, founder of G. Heileman Brewing Company
• John H. MacMillan Sr, President of Cargill^[1]
• Edwin W. Rice, President of General Electric
• James Trane, co-founder of Trane
• Reuben Trane, co-founder of Trane

Military personnel

• Stuart P. Baker, U.S. Navy rear admiral
• Robert J. Flynn, U.S. Navy commander
• John Shuman, Army Distinguished Service Medal recipient
• Woodrow Swancutt, U.S. Air Force major general

Politicians

• Malvin R. Anderson, Minnesota state legislator and businessman
• Wendell Abraham Anderson, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin
• Elmer E. Barlow, Wisconsin Supreme Court justice
• Reginald Bicha
• Timothy Burns, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
• Erasmus D. Campbell, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin and Mayor of La Crosse
• Ebenezer Childs, territorial legislator
• Barbara Flynn Currie, Illinois State Representative
• Charles G. Dawes, Vice President of the United States
• George Gale, Wisconsin circuit court judge
• George A. Garrett, U.S. diplomat
• Wayne J. Hood, Executive Director of the Republican National Committee
• John Azor Kellogg, U.S. military leader and state senator
• Charles E. Knoblauch, Iowa State Representative
• Minnie C. T. Love, Colorado State Representative and member of the Women of the Ku Klux Klan
• Patrick Joseph Lucey, Governor of Wisconsin, U.S. diplomat
• Paul Lundsten, Wisconsin court of appeals judge
• Jane Magnus-Stinson, federal judge
• Paul Marcotte, businessman and Kentucky State Representative
• Thomas Morris, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin^[2]
• Gary K. Nelson, Attorney General of Arizona
• Mike O'Callaghan, Governor of Nevada
• Jim Omerberg, member of the West Virginia House of Delegates
• Theodore D. Parsons, New Jersey Attorney General
• George Wilbur Peck, newspaper publisher, humorist, mayor of Milwaukee, and Governor of Wisconsin
• John Rusche, Idaho State Representative
• Ellis Baker Usher, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin
• James M. Wahl, member of the Dakota Territorial Legislature
• Julia Wallace, New Zealand politician
• Cadwallader C. Washburn, Civil War general, Wisconsin governor, and U.S. Representative
• Michael A. Wolff, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri

United States legislators

• Charles S. Benton, U.S. Representative from New York
• Fred Biermann, U.S. Representative from Iowa
• Angus Cameron, U.S. Senator
• Frank P. Coburn, U.S. Representative
• John J. Esch, U.S. Representative
• Merlin Hull, U.S. Representative
• Ron Kind, U.S. Representative
• James T. McCleary, U.S. Representative from Minnesota
• Augustus Herman Pettibone, U.S. Representative from Tennessee
• William H. Stevenson, U.S. Representative
• Clark W. Thompson, U.S. Representative from Texas
• Gardner R. Withrow, U.S. Representative
• Gilbert Motier Woodward, U.S. Representative

Wisconsin state legislators

• Raymond Bice, Sr., businessman, State Representative and senator
• Jill Billings, State Representative
• Otto Bosshard, State Representative
• John Brindley, State Representative and La Crosse County judge
• Sylvester G. Clements, State Representative and businessman
• Elijah Fox Cook, Michigan and Wisconsin State Senator
• James Devitt, State Representative and Senator
• Steve Doyle, State Representative
• John S. Durland, State Representative
• Thomas A. Dyson, State Senator and county judge
• Edwin Flint, State Senator and circuit court judge
• Lawrence R. Gibson, State Representative
• Levi Withee Gibson, State Representative
• Gerald Greider, State Representative
• Thomas Harnisch, State Senator
• Gideon Hixon, Wisconsin State Representative and senator
• James J. Hogan, Wisconsin State Representative and Mayor of La Crosse
• Clark L. Hood, State Representative
• William Hull, State Representative^[3]
• Thomas Johnson, State Representative
• Dan Kapanke, State Senator
• Milo Knutson, mayor of La Crosse and state senator
• Edward C. Krause, State Representative
• Carl Kurtenecker, State Representative^[4]
• Donald A. McDonald, State Representative
• John Medinger, Mayor of La Crosse and State Representative
• Isaac E. Messmore, State Representative and Civil War Colonel
• Mark Meyer, State Representative and Senator
• Lewis T. Mittness, State Representative
• John Mulder, State Representative
• Leland E. Mulder, State Representative
• Henry Nein, State Representative
• Lee Nerison, State Representative
• John Oestreicher, State Representative
• Paul Offner, State Representative and Senator
• Oscar S. Paulson, State Senator
• James D. H. Peterson, State Representative
• Brad Pfaff, State Senator
• George H. Ray, State Representative
• Arnt O. Rhea, State Representative
• Theodore Rodolf, State Representative
• Rudolph Schlabach, State Representative and Senator
• Marlin Schneider, State Representative
• Jennifer Shilling, State Senator
• Albert O. Sorge, State Representative
• Gysbert Van Steenwyk, Sr., Mayor of La Crosse, State Representative and Senator
• Thomas Benton Stoddard, first mayor of La Crosse and State Representative
• Gregg Underheim, State Representative
• D. Russell Wartinbee, State Representative
• Guilford M. Wiley, State Representative
• Merrick Wing, State Senator
• Levi Withee, State Senator
• Niram Withee, State Representative

Religious leaders

• Patrick Augustine, Anglican assistant bishop
• Thea Bowman, Roman Catholic religious sister and educator
• Raymond Burke, Cardinal Prefect of the Vatican's Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura
• William P. Callahan, Roman Catholic bishop
• Kilian Caspar Flasch, Roman Catholic bishop
• Frederick William Freking, Roman Catholic bishop
• William Richard Griffin, Roman Catholic bishop
• Michael Heiss, first Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse
• Alexander Joseph McGavick, Roman Catholic bishop
• John Joseph Paul, Roman Catholic bishop
• James Schwebach, Roman Catholic bishop
• John Patrick Treacy, Roman Catholic bishop

Others

• Ed Gein, serial killer and grave robber
• Evelyn Hartley, teenager missing since 1953
• Ken Kratz
• Nathan "Nate the Hoof Guy" Ranallo^[5]
• Scott Thorson

See also

• La Crosse, Wisconsin
• List of people from Wisconsin

References

1. Book: Wayne G. Broehl. Cargill: Trading the World's Grain. University Press of New England. 1992. 978-0-87451-572-5. Hanover, NH. 69–72.
2. Book: Legislative Reference Bureau. The Wisconsin Blue Book. Legislative Reference Bureau. 1909. 1105.
3. Lyman Copeland Draper (ed.). Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. volume 9, Madison: Wisconsin Historical Society, 1909, Wisconsin Necrology-1881, pp. 461-462.
4. Paul F. Hunter (ed.). The Wisconsin Blue Book 1919. Madison: Democrat Printing Company, 1919, p. 487.
5. News: Hale . James . Creators On The Rise: Meet Nate Ranallo, Who’s Like Dr. Pimple Popper For Dairy Cows . 10 March 2024 . Tubefilter . 19 January 2022.