From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following is a list of notable residents, natives, and persons generally associated with the city of
Chester, Pennsylvania , the first city in Pennsylvania.
A
B
Thomas N. Barnes was the first African-American
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
[1]
Thomas N. Barnes , first African-American
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
Joseph F. Battle Jr. , 25th Mayor of Chester and judge on Delaware County Court of Common Pleas
Ruth L. Bennett , social worker, first president of the Chester branch of the NAACP
William H. Berry , 10th Mayor of Chester and Treasurer of Pennsylvania
Jahlil Beats , music producer
Marcus Belgrave , jazz trumpeter
Ron Bennington , host of
XM Satellite Radio program
The Ron and Fez Show
Crosby M. Black , Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County and 7th Mayor of Chester
Ed Blizzard , prominent pharmaceutical injury attorney
Louis A. Bloom , Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County (1947-1952), Judge on Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for Delaware County
Barbara Bohannan-Sheppard , 27th Mayor of Chester
Stanley Branche , civil rights leader, founder of the
Committee for Freedom Now
Ethel Hampson Brewster , Swarthmore College professor and philologist
Fran Brill , voice actress and
Muppeteer
Anna Broomall , obstetrician, surgeon and educator
Wendell Butler Jr. , mayor of Chester
C
George Campbell , soccer player for
Atlanta United
Lamar Campbell , former NFL defensive back
Ted Cather , professional baseball player
Dorothy Chacko , social worker, medical doctor,
Padma Shri award recipient
E. Wallace Chadwick , U.S. Congressman
Robert Chadwick , Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County
Joe Chambers , jazz drummer
Tom Chism ,
Major League Baseball player
Thomas Clyde , founder of the Clyde Line of steamers
George Clymer fled Philadelphia due to the British Army assault during the American Revolutionary War and lived on a farm in Chester with his family
[2]
George Clymer ,
Founding Father of the United States , signer of the
United States Declaration of Independence , lived in Chester with his family during the
British Army assault on Philadelphia
[2]
Joseph R. T. Coates , 5th mayor of Chester and officer in the Union Army during the US Civil War
Audrey B. Collins , United States District Judge
Lawrence A. Conner, Sr. , Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County (1953-1954)
Ted Cottrell , NFL player and coach
Walter H. Craig , Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County (1923-1925), Chester City Council member (1925-1937)
John Price Crozer , textile manufacturer and philanthropist
Helen Curry (1896-1931), stage actress
D
After his death,
Alfred O. Deshong left his art collection, mansion and 27-acre estate to the city of Chester
[3]
Alfred O. Deshong , industrialist, philanthropist and art collector
John O. Deshong , businessman and banker
Peter Deshong , businessman and banker
Elaine Diacumakos , cell biologist and head of the
cytobiology laboratory at
Rockefeller University
Franklin Archibald Dick , Missouri provost marshal general
Fred Diodati , lead singer of The Four Aces
Fred Draper , film and television actor
Kathrynann Durham , Pennsylvania State Representative for 160th district (1979-1996) and Judge on Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for Delaware County
Jill Duson , lawyer, lobbyist and politician in Maine
E
Tyreke Evans was the 4th overall pick of the 2009 NBA draft
[4]
F
G
J. R. Gach , talk radio host
Margaret H. George , Pennsylvania State representative
Fredia Gibbs , martial artist, kickboxer, boxer
James Henry Gorbey , United States federal judge and 25th mayor of Chester
Steve Gordon , screenwriter and film director
Darrin Govens , professional basketball player
Bud Grace , cartoonist
Ralph Greenberg , mathematician
John E. Gremminger , Pennsylvania State Representative
Frank Hastings Griffin , invented rayon manufacturing process
H
John K. Hagerty , Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County (1921-1922), Chester City Council member (1907-1918)
Bill Haley worked as the musical director for radio station
WPWA in Chester
[6]
Bill Haley , rock-and-roll musician
Robert Harland , actor
Hubert R. Harmon , first superintendent of the
United States Air Force Academy
Herman Harris , professional basketball player
Evalena Fryer Hedley , journalist, editor, and author
Ron Henry , professional baseball player
John B. Hinkson , lawyer, businessman, 6th mayor of Chester
Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson , professional basketball player
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ,
Toronto Raptors forward
John Martin Howard , U.S. Navy officer, mine disposal unit,
USS John M. Howard (IX-75) named in his honor
Will Hunter ,
Minnesota Vikings safety and
Syracuse University standout
J
K
Carol Kazeem , Pennsylvania State Representative
John Ernst Worrell Keely , con man, inventor of the Keely Motor
Muhammad Kenyatta , civil rights leader
Lisa Kereszi , photographer
Brian Joseph Kirkland , Pennsylvania state representative
Thaddeus Kirkland , Pennsylvania State Representative, 32nd Mayor of Chester
Joe Klecko , lineman with
New York Jets and
Temple University ; father of
Dan Klecko of
New England Patriots ,
Indianapolis Colts ,
Philadelphia Eagles
Mignonette Kokin danced on the vaudeville circuit throughout the United States
[7] and in Paris, Great Britain and Ireland
[8]
L
Bob Lamey , radio announcer, play-by-play announcer for the
Indianapolis Colts
John Larkin, Jr. , businessman, banker and first mayor of Chester
Willie Mae James Leake , first African-American and female Mayor of Chester
John Linder , 31st Mayor of Chester
John Linehan , assistant basketball coach for the
Saint Joseph's Hawks
David Lloyd , Attorney General of Pennsylvania, six-term Speaker of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
M
In 1933, Pennsylvania State Senator
John J. McClure and 69 associates were found guilty of vice and
rum running
[9]
John J. McClure , Pennsylvania State Senator and leader of Delaware County Republican political machine
Lee McLaughlin , film and television actor
Kevin Michael , soul singer
Nicholas K. Miller , middle guard, and defensive MVP for
Ohio State Buckeyes
John Mobley ,
Denver Broncos linebacker and former
Kutztown University football standout
Sylvanus Morley , archaeologist and
Mayanist scholar
Charles Morris , journalist and author
John Morton ,
Founding Father of the United States , cast a key vote on the
Declaration of Independence . Buried in Chester.
[10]
Danny Murtaugh , manager of
Pittsburgh Pirates who guided team to
World Series titles in 1960 and 1971
N
John H. Nacrelli , 24th Mayor of Chester, convicted of racketeering and bribery
Jameer Nelson , professional basketball player
Alex North , composer, 15-time Academy Award nominee
Edward Nothnagle , Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County (1926-1936), Chester City Council member
O
P
David Dixon Porter served as acting Rear Admiral in the Union Navy for the
Mississippi Squadron during the
American Civil War
[11]
R
William T. Ramsey , Pennsylvania State Representative and 16th mayor of Chester
George Raymond , president of NAACP Chester branch from 1942 to 1977
Ronald C. Raymond , Pennsylvania state representative
Bertice Reading , actress, singer, revue artiste
James W. Reese , U.S. Army
Medal of Honor recipient in
World War II
John Roach , industrialist and shipbuilder
V. Gilpin Robinson , Pennsylvania State Representative
Stefan Roots , Mayor of Chester
Bo Ryan , former head coach of
Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team, coached UW-Platteville to four NCAA Division III national championships
Matthew Ryan , singer-songwriter
S
Singer
AverySunshine 's real name is Denise White. Her stage name is derived from the characters Shug Avery in
The Color Purple and Sunshine from
Harlem Nights
[12]
T
Robin Toner , national political correspondent for the New York Times
David Trainer , textile manufacturer and banker
Anthony Tucker , also known as The Beat Bully, record producer and songwriter
Ellwood J. Turner , Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County (1925-1948), 119th Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1939-1941)
W
Ethel Waters was the first African-American to star in her own television show
[13]
Ethel Waters , Grammy-winning blues recording artist, Broadway performer, Academy Award nominee for
Pinky (1949)
George Watkins , U.S. Congressman
Brandi Wells , singer-songwriter
Eleanor D. Wilson , Tony-nominated actress and artist
Stephen M. Wolownik , Russian and Eastern European musician
Jonathan Edwards Woodbridge , shipbuilder and naval architect
Thomas Worrilow , Pennsylvania State Representative
Robert C. Wright , Pennsylvania State Representative
References
References are on the article pages if not listed here.
^
"Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Thomas N. Barnes" . www.af.mil . United States Air Force. Retrieved November 10, 2022 .
^
a
b
"George Clymer" . www.dsdi1776.com . Descendents of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. Retrieved November 10, 2022 .
^
"Widener University Art Gallery" . www.visitdelcopa.com . Visit Delco. January 5, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2022 .
^
"Tyreke Evans" . www.basketball-reference.com . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 10, 2022 .
^ Barkowitz, Ed (May 2, 2019).
"Bill Fleischman, 80, versatile journalist" .
Philadelphia Daily News . Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. A38.
; Barkowitz, Ed (May 2, 2019).
"Bill Fleischman; covered Flyers in Stanley Cup years" .
The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. B8.
^
"Bill Haley and his Comets" . www.classicbands.com . Retrieved November 10, 2022 .
^
"Mignonette Kokin at Oakland Orpheum" . Oakland Tribune . June 1, 1908. p. 10. Retrieved April 24, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^
"Vaudeville Star Says Chance Decides Success or Failure" . Los Angeles Herald . February 28, 1906. p. 8. Retrieved April 24, 2019 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
^
"M'CLURE WITH 70 GUILTY TO RUM CASE; State Senator Gets 18 Months as Head of Pennsylvania Protection Ring. HE IS RELEASED ON BOND Judge Tells Jury that "Might Forces" Backed Defendants -- Trial Lasted Eight Weeks" . The New York Times . November 25, 1933. Retrieved June 28, 2018 .
^ Morton was born in nearby
Ridley Township and is buried in Chester.
"Old Chester, PA: Cemeteries — St. Paul's Burying Ground" . Retrieved October 22, 2007 .
^
"David Dixon Porter" . National Park Service. Retrieved May 25, 2018 .
^ Gayle, Darryl.
"Successful Chester singer Sunshine comes home" . Philadelphia Tribune . Archived from
the original on March 17, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2014 .
^
"First Black Seen on Television" . African American Registry . Retrieved February 15, 2018 .