As one of the largest cities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Lowell has produced many notable people in various fields:
Academics, science, and engineering
Law
Military service
- Charles Herbert Allen, representative to U.S. Congress, 4 March 1885 â 3 March 1889, secretary of the Navy 1898âÂÂ1900, governor of Puerto Rico 1900âÂÂ1902
- Adelbert Ames, governor 1868âÂÂ1870,1874âÂÂ1876 and senator from Mississippi 1870âÂÂ1874, Union general in the Civil War and the SpanishâÂÂAmerican War, son-in-law of Benjamin Franklin Butler
- Benjamin Franklin Butler, congressman 1867âÂÂ1879, Union general in the Civil War, governor of Massachusetts 1883âÂÂ1884, and Greenback Party presidential candidate 1884, for whom the Butler School is named
- Gustavus Fox, assistant secretary of the Navy during the Civil War
- Mary Hallaren, director of Women's Army Corps
- John McFarland, Medal of Honor recipient, Civil War, for whom the is named
- David H. McNerney, Medal of Honor recipient, Vietnam
- Ryan M. Pitts, Medal of Honor recipient, Afghanistan
- Joseph A. Sladen, Union Army Medal of Honor recipient, raised in Lowell
- Charles Sweeney, USAF major who piloted the B-29 Bockscar on its mission to drop the Fat Man nuclear weapon on Nagasaki
- Edgar A. Wedgwood, sheriff of Hall County, Nebraska and adjutant general of the Utah National Guard
Politics and public service
- Sokhary Chau, mayor of Lowell
- Leroy Bowers Crane (1849âÂÂ1916), member of the New York State Assembly
- Benjamin Dean (1824âÂÂ1897), U.S. representative for Massachusetts
- Mark DeSaulnier (born 1952), U.S. representative for California
- Maurice K. Goddard (1912âÂÂ1995), secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
- Frederic T. Greenhalge (1842âÂÂ1896), U.S. representative and governor of Massachusetts
- Allen Hobbs (1899âÂÂ1960), United States Navy officer and governor of American Samoa
- Walker Lewis (1798âÂÂ1856), abolitionist, freemason, and Mormon elder
- Marty Meehan (born 1956), U.S. representative and president of the University of Massachusetts
- Addison W. Merrill (1842âÂÂ1920), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
- Rady Mom (born 1970), member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
- F. Bradford Morse (1921âÂÂ1994), U.S. representative and administrator of the United Nations Development Programme
- Patrick O. Murphy (born 1982), mayor of Lowell
- Robert Preston (1929âÂÂ2021), member of the New Hampshire Senate and businessman
- Edith Nourse Rogers (1881âÂÂ1960), U.S. representative for Massachusetts
- John Jacob Rogers (1881âÂÂ1925), U.S. representative for Massachusetts
- Parlan Semple (1832âÂÂ1922), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
- Ezekiel A. Straw (1819âÂÂ1882), member of the New Hampshire Senate and governor of New Hampshire
- Nancy Achin Sullivan (1959âÂÂ2022), member of the Massachusetts Senate
- Lori Trahan (born 1973), U.S. representative for Massachusetts
- Niki Tsongas (born 1946), U.S. representative for Massachusetts
- Paul Tsongas (1947âÂÂ1997), U.S. senator for Massachusetts
- Emma Wolfe, chief of staff to the mayor of New York City and deputy mayor of New York City
Industry, invention and business
- Frederick Ayer (1822âÂÂ1918), industrialist, investor, first president of the American Woolen Company
- James Cook Ayer (1818âÂÂ1878), industrialist, patent medicine tycoon
- Kirk Boott (1790âÂÂ1837), industrialist, for whom the Boott Mills and Kirk Street are named
- Milton Bradley, founder of the Milton Bradley Company, developed board games
- Fred C. Church, founder of Fred C. Church Insurance
- Telemachus & George Demoulas, grocery store tycoons
- James B. Francis, pioneer of American civil engineering for whom the Francis Locks are named
- Daniel Gage, Gage Ice Company, for whom Gage Park and Gage Street are named
- Ted Leonsis, billionaire who worked at Wang labs
- Augustin Thompson, physician, businessman and philanthropist; created the Moxie soft drink
- An Wang, inventor and businessman, for whom the Wang Middle School is named
- Helen Augusta Whittier (1846âÂÂ1925), first woman in Lowell to run a mill
Astronautics
Literature and entertainment
- Michael Ansara, actor
- Nicholas A. Basbanes, author and cultural historian (A Gentle Madness, On Paper)
- Jen Beagin, author (Pretend I'm Dead, Vacuum in the Dark, Big Swiss)
- Michael Casey, poet
- Michael Chiklis, Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning actor
- Cora Linn Daniels, writer
- Bette Davis, Academy Award-winning actress
- George Washington Dixon, entertainer and newspaper editor
- Joseph Donahue, poet, critic, teacher
- Olympia Dukakis, Academy Award-winning actress (Moonstruck)
- Mark Goddard, actor (Lost in Space)
- Ray Goulding, radio comedian (of Bob & Ray)
- James P. Hogan, film director
- Deborah Hopkinson, children's author
- Jujubee, drag performer, Season 2 of Rupaul's Drag Race
- Nancy Kelly, Tony Award-winning actress, nominated for Academy Award and Emmy Awards (36 movies)
- Jack Kerouac, writer (On the Road), for whom the downtown park is named
- Jonathan Lemire, host of Way Too Early with Jonathan Lemire
- Elinor Lipman, writer, columnist The Boston Globe
- Ed McMahon, entertainer, announcer, actor
- Matt Mira, comedian, The Nerdist Podcast
- Giuseppina Morlacchi, ballerina, dancer, and actress who introduced the can-can to the American stage
- Louis Phillips, author, poet, and dramatist
- Maryann Plunkett, actor
- O. Leonard Press (1921âÂÂ2019), creator, founder, and television producer for Kentucky Educational Television
- José Carlos Rodrigues, Brazilian journalist
- Tom Sexton, writer
- Harriette Lucy Robinson Shattuck (1850âÂÂ1937), author, writer on parliamentary law, suffragist
- Paul Sullivan, sports radio personality WBZ and columnist for Lowell Sun
- Robert Tessier, actor and stuntman
- Vince Vouyer, porn star
- Lance Wilder, animator and background designer mostly known for work on The Simpsons
Music
- Astronoid, post-metal band
- Bob Bachelder, orchestra leader and educator
- George Whitefield Chadwick, composer
- Rosalind Elias, opera singer
- Colleen Green, rock and roll musician
- Scott Grimes, voice actor and singer
- Hell Within, hardcore/metal band from Lowell
- Gary Hoey, guitar player
- Boney James, saxophonist, songwriter, and record producer
- John Kellette, songwriter, actor, director
- Professor Lyrical, rapper and professor
- PVRIS, alternative rock band
- Marietta Sherman Raymond, musical educator and orchestral conductor
- The Shods, rock band from Lowell; were awarded the Key to City of Lowell
- Vein, metalcore band
Arts and design
- Charles H. Allen, painter and 1st governor of Puerto Rico
- Margaret Foley (1820âÂÂ1877), sculptor
- Adelia Sarah Gates (c. 1823âÂÂ1912), botanical illustrator and watercolorist
- David Hilliard (1964â ), photographer
- Thomas B. Lawson (1807âÂÂ1888), landscape painter
- Christopher Makos (1948â ), photographer, artist
- Willard Leroy Metcalf (1858âÂÂ1925), Impressionist painter
- David Dalhoff Neal (1838âÂÂ1915), portrait painter
- Alfred Ordway (1821âÂÂ1897), landscape painter
- William Preston Phelps (1848âÂÂ1917), landscape painter
- Frederick W. Stickney (1854âÂÂ1918), architect, master of stone architecture
- James McNeill Whistler (1834âÂÂ1903), painter and etcher
- Sarah W. Whitman (1842âÂÂ1904), artist, illustrator, stained glass designer, and author
Sports
Basketball
Football
- Steve Alexakos, lineman for Denver Broncos 1970, New York Giants 1971
- Bill Cooke, defensive line for Green Bay Packers 1975, San Francisco 49ers 1976âÂÂ77, Detroit Lions 1978, and Seattle Seahawks 1978âÂÂ1980
- John Blake Galvin, Jr., linebacker for New York Jets 1988âÂÂ1991
- Bruce Laird, Pro Bowl cornerback for Baltimore Colts 1972âÂÂ1983
- Menil Mavraides, offensive lineman for Philadelphia Eagles 1954, 1957
- Ray McLean, halfback for Chicago Bears 1940âÂÂ1948, Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers 1953,1958
- John Miller, lineman for Washington Redskins 1956âÂÂ1960
- Anthony Prior, gridiron football player
- Ray Riddick, end for the Green Bay Packers 1940âÂÂ1946, for whom a high school gymnasium is named
- Billy Sullivan, owner of New England Patriots 1960âÂÂ1988
- Robert Joseph Sullivan, running back for San Francisco 49ers 1948
Baseball
Hockey
Boxing
Olympic athletes
Other sports
Religion
Other
References