Connecticut - Famous Residents

Famous Residents

• George Walker Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, was born in Connecticut. He is a member of the Bush political family, with roots in the state extending three generations.

• American author Mark Twain resided in his innovative Hartford home from 1871 until 1891, during which time he published The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He lived in Redding from 1908 until his death in 1910.

• Gideon Welles was born in Glastonbury, and was called 'the father of the modern Navy. As Secretary of the Navy, he was a proponent of funding the first steel warship.

• Noah Webster was born in Hartford in an area that is now part of West Hartford and was the author of the "Blue Backed Speller," now known as Webster's Dictionary. The Speller was used to teach spelling to five generations of Americans.

• Many music stars, radio and television personalities, and athletes have made temporary homes in the wealthy suburbs of Fairfield County. Singer Gene Pitney was born in Hartford and grew up in Rockville. Actor Dylan McDermott was born and raised in Waterbury. Meg Ryan lived in Fairfield while growing up. Animator and creator of Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane was born in Kent, Connecticut.

• Other notable figures from the state span American political and cultural history, including Roger Sherman, Benedict Arnold, Nathan Hale, Eli Whitney, John Brown, Prudence Crandall, P. T. Barnum, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Florence Griswold, Charles Ives, Wallace Stevens, Eugene O'Neill, Katharine Hepburn, Andy Rooney, Joanne Woodward, Mo Vaughn, Ralph Nader, Jacques Pépin, Christopher Walken, Phil Donahue, Marlo Thomas, Mia Farrow, Jane Curtin, Igor Sikorsky, Charles Smith, Patti LuPone, Meryl Streep, Michael Bolton, 50 Cent, William F. Buckley, Jr., James Blake, John Mayer, Glenn Beck, and also Henry Lee (forensic scientist).