List of people from Northampton, Massachusetts explained

The people listed below were all born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with the city of Northampton, Massachusetts.

Notable people

Artists

• Leonard Baskin, sculptor, illustrator, print-maker, writer, and teacher at local colleges^[1]

Economists

• Herbert Gintis, economist^[2]
• Andrew Zimbalist, prominent sports economist and father of Jeff and Michael Zimbalist^[3]

Educators

• Carol T. Christ, former president of Smith College and Victorian Literature Scholar^[4]
• Anna Cheney Edwards, 19th-century professor at Mount Holyoke College
• Hannah Lyman (1816–1871), first lady principal of Vassar College

Film and television

• Mary-Ellis Bunim, television producer and co-creator of MTV's The Real World and Road Rules^[5]
• Michael Brooks, political commentator, author.
• John Carpenter, first top-prize winner on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
• Paul Johnson Calderon, socialite, heir, and television personality best known for co-starring on The CW's High Society^[6]
• Galaxy Craze, actress and author known for bestselling novel By the Shore^[7]
• Rachel Maddow, radio personality, MSNBC television host, and liberal political commentator^[8]
• David Pakman, television and radio personality, nationally syndicated progressive talk show host, liberal political commentator^[9]
• William Powell, actor^[10]
• Liza Snyder, actress (Yes, Dear; Pay It Forward)^[11]
• Talisa Soto, actress^[12]
• Jeff Zimbalist, documentary filmmaker and Tribeca Film Festival award winner^[13]

Government and law

• Ebenezer Allen, American soldier, pioneer, and member of the Vermont General Assembly; born in Northampton
• Christine Chandler, attorney and member of the New Mexico House of Representatives
• Calvin Coolidge, served as mayor of Northampton before becoming the 48th governor of Massachusetts and the 30th president of the United States^[14]
• Nancy Flavin, American politician who represented the 2nd Hampshire District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
• Jonathan Hunt (1738–1808), early Vermont pioneer, landowner, officeholder, born Northampton^[15]
• Bernie Juskiewicz, Businessman and Vermont state representative
• Henry W. Lord, U.S. Congressman^[16]
• Britt K. Slabinski, served as a SEAL with the United States Navy^[17]

Music industry

• Chris Collingwood, lead singer of the band Fountains of Wayne^[18]
• Kim Gordon, of the band Sonic Youth^[19]
• Jason Loewenstein, singer and songwriter^[20]
• Thurston Moore, of the band Sonic Youth^[19]
• Nerissa Nields, folk musician, author, and member of the band The Nields^[21]
• Zoel Parenteau, composer of Broadway musicals^[22]
• Kim Rosen, Grammy nominated audio mastering engineer

Reformers

• Sylvester Graham, advocate of vegetarianism and namesake of the graham cracker^[23]
• Sojourner Truth, African American abolitionist and orator^[24]

Religion

• Jonathan Edwards, 18th-century Congregational theologian, philosopher, leader of First Great Awakening and local pastor^[25]
• Elder John Strong, 17th-century English-born New England colonist, politician, Puritan church leader; one of the founders of Windsor, Connecticut and Northampton, Massachusetts

Sports

• Stu Miller, Major League Baseball pitcher
• Tim Petrovic, professional golfer^[26]
• Gabrielle Thomas, track and field sprinter and Olympic gold medalist
• Willy Workman (born 1990), American-Israeli basketball player for Hapoel Jerusalem in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• William Yorzyk, gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic swimmer^[27]

Writers

• Robert Horace Baker (1883–1964), author of Astronomy, was born in Northampton.
• Jeanne Birdsall, children's author, best known for her debut novel,
• William Cullen Bryant, 19th-century author and newspaper editor^[28]
• Augusten Burroughs, author; his bestseller Running with Scissors describes his strange childhood in Northampton^[29]
• George Washington Cable, author and reformer; lived in Northampton 1885–1915
• Paul Johnson Calderon, journalist, best known for his work with Deuxmoi.com, The Pro 411^[30]
• Eric Carle, children's book author and illustrator^[31]
• Lydia Maria Child, author of the Thanksgiving poem "Over the River and through the Woods"^[32]
• Kevin Eastman, comic book artist and writer, co-published Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics with Peter Laird in their Northampton studio^[33]
• Jonathan Harr, author of A Civil Action^[34]
• Jeph Jacques, creator of the webcomic Questionable Content^[35]
• Tracy Kidder, author (while he was not born in Northampton, his 1999 book "Home Town" is a profile of the city, and his 1993 "Old Friends" takes place at Linda Manor in Northampton)
• Michael Klare, author, professor and defense correspondent for The Nation^[36]
• Jarrett J. Krosoczka, children's book and graphic novel writer, published Hey, Kiddo and Sunshine, memoirs of his life growing up in Worcester, MA
• Peter Laird, comic book artist and writer, co-published Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics with Kevin Eastman in their Northampton studio^[33]
• Elinor Lipman, author^[37]
• Lesléa Newman, author of Heather Has Two Mommies^[38]
• Cynthia Propper Seton, novelist^[39]
• Kurt Vonnegut, satirist, novelist, known for works like Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat's Cradle^[40]
• Ocean Vuong, poet, essayist, and author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous^[41]
• Peter Wild, poet, author, and Professor of English at the University of Arizona^[42]
• Mo Willems, popular children's book author^[43]

Others

• Albert Francis Blakeslee (1874–1954), botanist, died in Northampton
• Tom Friedman, conceptual sculptor^[44]
• John Stoddard, president of the Georgia Historical Society
• William Dwight Whitney, linguist

Notes and References

1. Web site: Leonard Baskin | the Gehenna Press | Gehenna Prints: The official website.
2. Book: Blume, Lawrence E. and Durlauf, Steven N. The Economy As an Evolving Complex System, III: Current Perspectives and Future Directions. 2006. Oxford University Press. vii. 9780195162592.
3. Web site: Andrew Zimbalist. Smith College.. March 11, 2014.
4. Web site: Paul Alpers, husband of Smith College President Carol T. Christ, dies of cancer. Daily Hampshire Gazette.. March 11, 2014.
5. Web site: Mary-Ellis Bunim Television Producer, Executive . The Paley Center For Media. March 11, 2014.
6. Web site: poptower.com - poptower Resources and Information.. www.poptower.com.
7. Web site: Galaxy Craze. Hachette Book Group . March 11, 2014.
8. Book: Stange, Mary Zeiss and Oyster, Carol K. Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World, Volume 1. 2011. SAGE. 876. 9781412976855.
9. Web site: The David Pakman Show - Free Speech TV.
10. Web site: Academy of Music. historic-northampton.org.
11. Web site: Liza Snyder. tv.com . March 11, 2014.
12. Web site: Talisa Soto . People . March 11, 2014.
13. Web site: From Northampton to Cannes and Back: Jeff and Michael Zimbalist Debut The Two Escobars at Academy of Music . Academy of Music . March 11, 2014. 2010-06-04 .
14. Book: Schneider, Dorothy and Schneider, Carl J.. First Ladies: A Biographical Dictionary. 2010. Infobase Publishing. 219. 9781438127507.
15. Book: The History of the Descendants of Elder John Strong, of Northampton, Massachusetts, Vol. II, Benjamin Woodbridge Dwight, Joel Munsell, Albany, 1871 . 2010-09-06 . 2011-11-20. Dwight . Benjamin Woodbridge .
16. Web site: LORD, Henry William, (1821 - 1891) . Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. March 11, 2014.
17. Web site: SEAL Team Six Vet Britt Slabinski To Receive Medal Of Honor For Operation Anaconda. James. Clark. 7 May 2018.
18. Web site: They've got a lot going on . Boston.com . March 11, 2014.
19. Web site: Catching Up With... Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore . Paste Media Group.. March 11, 2014.
20. Web site: Sebadoh . The Music Museum of New England . 2 January 2021 . 7 December 2013.
21. Web site: The Nields . The Music Museum of New England . 2 January 2021 . 28 December 2012.
22. News: Zoel Parenteau, Stage Composer. The New York Times. September 15, 1972. 40.
23. Book: Graham, Sylvester Graham. Sylvester Graham's Lectures on the science of human life, condensed by T. Baker. 1881. Sylvester Graham. 1.
24. Book: Mattern, Joanne. Sojourner Truth: Early Abolitionist. 2003. The Rosen Publishing Group. 12. 9780823965021.
25. Web site: Jonathan Edwards' Northampton Reading and Cemetery Tour October 3, 2009 . Historic Northampton.. March 11, 2014.
26. Web site: Tim Petrovic . PGA Tour. March 11, 2014.
27. Web site: Northampton's William Yorzyk remembers 1956 Olympic gold medal win in swimming. Garry . Brown. July 22, 2012. Masslive.
28. Web site: About William Cullen Bryant Homestead. The Trustees of Reservations. March 11, 2014.
29. Web site: Ruthless with Scissors. Vanity Fair. March 11, 2014.
30. Web site: the pro's 411…how to not pathetically pine over an ex by Paul Johnson Calderon - deuxmoi.com. deuxmoi.com.
31. Book: McElmeel, Sharron L. McElmeel. Authors in the Kitchen: Recipes, Stories, and More. 2005. Libraries Unlimited. 49. registration. Eric Carle northampton ma.. 9781591582380.
32. Book: Kenschaft, Lori Kenschaft. Lydia Maria Child: The Quest for Racial Justice. registration. 2002. Oxford University Press. 54.
33. Web site: Kevin Eastman. Wizard World. March 11, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140312224533/http://www.wizardworld.com/kevineastman.html. March 12, 2014. dead.
34. Web site: A Reader's Guide o Jonathan Harr's A Civil Action. UNC. March 11, 2014.
35. Web site: INTERVIEW: JEPH JACQUES ON 'QUESTIONABLE CONTENT'. comicmix. March 11, 2014.
36. Web site: Hampshire College's Michael Klare to resources on panel. Daily Hampshire Gazette. March 11, 2014.
37. Web site: Elinor Lipman. Parade. March 11, 2014.
38. Web site: Networld-Project . Lesléa Newman articles . Lesleanewman.com . 2011-11-20.
39. Web site: Cynthia Propper Seton, Novelist and Essayist. The New York Times. October 24, 1982. August 12, 2017.
40. Web site: So It Goes For Vonnegut - The Boston Globe. archive.boston.com.
41. Web site: About. oceanvuong.
42. Book: Perkins, Edna Brush. The White Heart of Mojave: An Adventure with the Outdoors of the Desert. 1922. JHU Press. 289. 9780801865053.
43. Book: Llanas, Sheila Griffin. Mo Willems. 2012. ABDO. 18. 9781614785040.
44. Web site: Tom Friedman - Fabric Workshop and Museum. www.fabricworkshopandmuseum.org.