List of people from Mississippi

This list contains people who were born or lived in the U.S. state of Mississippi.

Activists and advocates

• Ruby Bridges (born 1954), first African-American child to attend an all-white school in the South (Tylertown)
• Will D. Campbell (1924–2013), Baptist minister and activist (Amite County)
• James Chaney (1943–1964), civil rights activist (Meridian)
• Vernon Dahmer (1908–1966), civil rights activist (Hattiesburg)
• Charles Evers (1922–2020), civil rights leader, mayor of Fayette (Decatur)
• Medgar Evers (1925–1963), civil rights leader (Decatur)
• Myrlie Evers-Williams (born 1933), civil rights activist, journalist (Vicksburg)
• C. L. Franklin (1915–1984), Baptist minister, father of Aretha Franklin (Shelby)
• Lloyd L. Gaines (1911–1939?), challenged segregation at University of Missouri School of Law, disappeared in 1939 (Water Valley)
• Duncan M. Gray Jr. (1926–2016), Episcopal clergyman, civil rights activist (Canton)
• Winifred Green (1937–2016), civil rights activist (Jackson)
• Percy Greene (1897–1977), journalist, activist (Jackson)
• Lawrence Guyot (1939–2012), civil rights activist (Pass Christian)
• Fannie Lou Hamer (1917–1977), civil rights, voting rights activist (Ruleville)
• Winson Hudson (1916–2004), civil rights activist (Harmony)
• Clyde Kennard (1927–1963), civil rights activist (Hattiesburg)
• Germany Kent (born 1975), journalist, social activist (Greenville)
• Edwin King (born 1936), civil rights activist, Tougaloo College chaplain (Jackson)
• Joyce Ann Ladner (born 1943), civil rights activist and educator (Wayne County)
• Tommie Mabry (b. 1987), author, and activist for impoverished youth (Jackson)
• Angela McGlowan (born 1970), Republican political commentator, author, and consulting firm CEO
• James Meredith (born 1933), first African-American student at the University of Mississippi (Kosciusko)
• Anne Moody (1940–2015), civil rights activist, author (Centreville)
• Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862–1931), civil rights activist, women's rights activist (Holly Springs)

Actors and actresses

• Mary Alice (1941–2022), actress (Indianola)
• Dana Andrews (1909–1992), actor (Covington County)
• Fred Armisen (born 1966), actor, comedian, and musician (Hattiesburg)
• Roscoe Ates (1895–1962), actor and musician (Grange)
• Katherine Bailess (born 1980), film and television actress (Vicksburg)
• Laura Bailey (born 1981), voice actress (Biloxi)
• Earl W. Bascom (1906–1995), actor (Columbia)
• Willie Best (1916–1962), television and film actor (Sunflower)
• Jimmy Boyd (1939–2009), singer and actor (McComb)
• Don Briscoe (1940–2004), soap opera actor (Yalobusha County)
• Geneva Carr (born 1971), television and stage actress (Jackson)
• Finn Carter (born 1960), actress (Greenville)
• Wally Cassell (1912–2015), film and television actor
• Lacey Chabert (born 1982), film and television actress (Purvis)
• Alvin Childress (1907–1986), actor (Meridian)
• Gary Collins (1938–2012), film and television actor (Biloxi)
• Wyatt Emory Cooper (1927–1978), Broadway actor (Quitman)
• Cassi Davis (born 1964) (Holly Springs)
• John Dye (1963–2011), film and television actor (Amory)
• Mary Elizabeth Ellis (born 1979), television and film actress (Laurel)
• J. D. Evermore (born 1968), film and television actor (Greenville)
• Ruth Ford (1911–2009), stage and film actress (Brookhaven)
• Morgan Freeman (born 1937), Academy Award-winning actor (Charleston)
• M. C. Gainey (born 1948), film and television actor (Jackson)
• Cynthia Geary (born 1965), actress (Jackson)
• Gavin Gordon (1901–1983), film, television, and radio actor (Chicora)
• Allie Grant (born 1994), actress (Tupelo)
• Gary Grubbs (born 1949) (Amory)
• Lynn Hamilton (born 1930), actress (Yazoo City)
• Beth Henley (born 1952), playwright and actress (Jackson)
• Jim Henson (1936–1990), creator of The Muppets (Greenville)
• Anthony Herrera (1944–2011) (Wiggins)
• Wilbur Higby (1867–1934), silent film actor (Meridian)
• Shauntay Hinton (born 1979), actress and Miss USA 2002 (Starkville)
• Eddie Hodges (born 1947), child actor (Hattiesburg)
• Olivia Holt (born 1997), actress (Nesbit)
• Thelma Houston (born 1943), actress (Leland)
• James Earl Jones (1931–2024), actor (Arkabutla)
• Robert Earl Jones (1910–2006), actor (Senatobia)
• Germany Kent (born 1975), actress (Greenville)
• Simbi Khali (born 1971) (Jackson)
• Diane Ladd (born 1935), actress (Meridian)
• Daniel Curtis Lee (born 1991) (Clinton)
• Tom Lester (1938–2020) (Jackson)
• Martha Mattox (1879–1933), silent film actor (Natchez)
• Shane McRae (born 1977) (Starkville)
• Gerald McRaney (born 1947), actor (Collins)
• RJ Mitte (born 1992), Breaking Bad actor (Jackson)
• Carrie Nye (1936–2006), soap opera and stage actress (Greenwood)
• Gil Peterson (born 1936), actor (Winona)
• Evelyn Preer (1896–1932) (Vicksburg)
• Thalmus Rasulala (1939–1991), actor (Arkabutla)
• Beah Richards (1920–2000), stage, screen and television actress (Vicksburg)
• Eric Roberts (born 1956), actor (Biloxi)
• Toni Seawright (born 1964), actress (Pascagoula)
• Larry Semon (1889–1928), silent film actor, director, producer (West Point)
• Jamie Lynn Spears (born 1991), actress, singer (McComb)
• Taylor Spreitler (born 1993), actress, model (Hattiesburg)
• Stella Stevens (1938–2023), actress (Yazoo City)
• Tonea Stewart (born 1947) (Greenwood)
• Trinitee Stokes, actress (born 2006) (Jackson)
• Byron Thames (born 1969), actor (Jackson)
• Joe M. Turner (born 1969), actor, magician, professional speaker (Brandon)
• James Michael Tyler (born 1962) (Winona)
• Brenda Venus (born 1957), actress (Biloxi)
• Ray Walston (1914–2001), actor (Laurel)
• Sela Ward (born 1956), actress (Meridian)
• James Wheaton (1924–2002) (Meridian)
• Kit Williamson (born 1985), actor (Jackson)
• Hattie Winston (born 1945), actress (Greenville)

Artists

• Jere Allen (born 1944), painter (Oxford)
• James McConnell Anderson (1907–1998), potter and painter (Ocean Springs)
• Peter Anderson (1901–1984), potter (Ocean Springs)
• Walter Inglis Anderson (1903–1965), painter (Ocean Springs)
• Earl W. Bascom (1906–1995), painter, sculptor, "King of the Cowboy Artists" (Columbia)
• Howard Bingham (1939–2016), photographer (Jackson)
• Marshall Bouldin III (1923–2012), portrait painter (Clarksdale)
• Andrew Bucci (1922–2014), painter (Vicksburg)
• Byron Burford (1920–2011), painter (Greenville)
• William Dunlap (born 1944), painter (Webster County)
• Sam Gilliam (1933–2022), color field painter (Tupelo)
• Theora Hamblett (1895–1977), painter (Oxford)
• Ted Jackson (born 1956), photojournalist (McComb)
• Chris LeDoux (1948–2005), bronze sculptor (Biloxi)
• Alex M. Loeb (1918–2015), painter (Meridian)
• John McCrady (1911–1968), painter, printmaker (Canton)
• Ed McGowin (born 1938), sculptor, painter (Hattiesburg)
• Joshua Meador (1911–1965), animator, artist (Greenwood)
• Fred Mitchell (1923–2013), abstract expressionist painter (Meridian)
• Ethel Wright Mohamed (1906–1992), folk stitchery artist (Belzoni)
• George E. Ohr (1857–1918), potter (Biloxi)
• James Seawright (1936–2022), sculptor (Jackson)
• J. Kim Sessums, bronze sculptor, painter (Brookhaven)
• Floyd Shaman (1935–2005), sculptor (Cleveland)
• Glennray Tutor (born 1950), painter (Oxford)
• Gary Walters (born 1941), painter (Jackson)
• James W. Washington Jr. (1908–2000), painter, sculptor (Gloster)
• Dick Waterman (1935–2024), photographer and blues promoter (Oxford)

Athletes and sports-related people

Broadcast media personalities

• Paul Gallo (born 1947), radio host (Shaw)
• Lee Habeeb (born 1961), conservative talk radio producer (Oxford)
• Iris Kelso (1926–2003), newspaper journalist and television commentator in New Orleans (Philadelphia)
• Germany Kent (born 1975), media personality, author (Greenville)
• Angela McGlowan (born 1970), Fox News political commentator (Oxford)
• Randall Pinkston (born 1950), newscaster (Yazoo County)
• Robin Roberts (born 1960), newscaster (Pass Christian)
• Norman Robinson (born 1951), news anchor (Toomsuba)
• Tavis Smiley (born 1964), talk show host (Gulfport)
• Shepard Smith (born 1964), Fox News anchor (Holly Springs)
• Paula White (born 1966), televangelist, author (Tupelo)
• Oprah Winfrey (born 1954), talk show host (Kosciusko)

Comedians

• Rod Brasfield (1910–1958) (Smithville)
• Jerry Clower (1926–1998) (Liberty)
• Tommy Davidson (born 1963), stand-up comedian, most notable for time on In Living Color (Rolling Fork)
• Karlous Miller (born 1983), stand-up comedian (Oxford)
• Tig Notaro (born 1971), stand-up comedian (Jackson)
• Cardis Cardell Willis (1937–2007), stand-up comedian (Forest)

Educators

• Thea Bowman (1937–1990), Roman Catholic religious sister, teacher, and scholar (Yazoo County)
• James Madison Carpenter (1888–1983), folklorist (Prentiss County)
• Richard Carson (born 1955), professor of economics (Jackson)
• Joseph Crespino (born 1972), political scientist (Macon)
• Jesse Dukeminier (1925–2003), professor of law (West Point)
• William R. Ferris (born 1942), folklorist, chairman of National Endowment for the Humanities (Vicksburg)
• Charles Betts Galloway (1849–1909), Methodist bishop, editor (Kosciusko)
• Edgar Godbold (1879–1952), college president (Lincoln County)
• George W. Grace (1921–2015), linguist (Corinth)
• William Baskerville Hamilton (1908–1972), historian, born in Jackson, taught public school in Holly Springs and Jackson
• Robert Khayat (born 1938), chancellor of the University of Mississippi (Moss Point)
• Rory Lee (born 1949), clergyman, college president (Ridgeland)
• Mamie Locke (born 1954), political scientist, dean at Hampton University (Brandon)
• John A. Lomax (1867–1948), folklorist (Goodman)
• Frances Lucas (born 1957), president of Millsaps College (Jackson)
• Bernie Machen (born 1944), president of University of Florida (Greenwood)
• Walter E. Massey (born 1938), physicist, University of Chicago (Hattiesburg)
• William H. Miller (born 1941), theoretical chemist (Kosciusko)
• William Muse (born 1939), chancellor at East Carolina University
• Rod Paige (1933–2025), U.S. secretary of education (Monticello)
• Milburn Price (born 1938), hymnologist, dean of School of Performing Arts, Samford University (Electric Mills)
• Dan Reneau (born 1940), president of Louisiana Tech University (Woodville)
• Argile Smith (born 1955), clergyman and educator (Poplarville)
• Louis Westerfield (1949–1996), law professor, first African-American dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law (De Kalb)
• Fannie C. Williams (1882–1980), normal school educator (Biloxi)

Entrepreneurs and business leaders

• Jim Barksdale (born 1943), president and CEO of Netscape (Jackson)
• Joseph A. Biedenharn (1866–1952), confectioner, first Coca-Cola bottler (Vicksburg)
• George W. Bryan (1944–2023), Sara Lee executive (West Point)
• John H. Bryan (1936–2018), Sara Lee executive (West Point)
• Bill Bynum, credit union founder and philanthropist
• Cynthia Cooper, WorldCom vice president, whistleblower (Clinton)
• Bernard "Bernie" Ebbers (1941–2020), founder and CEO of WorldCom, convicted of fraud and conspiracy (Brookhaven)
• Joshua Green (1869–1975), shipping magnate, banker (Jackson)
• Toxey Haas (born 1960), founder and CEO of Haas Outdoors, Inc. (West Point)
• Robert L. Johnson (born 1946), founder of Black Entertainment Television (Hickory)
• Ken Lewis (born 1947), Bank of America executive (Meridian)
• Matteo Martinolich (1860–1934), master shipbuilder (DeLisle)
• Walter E. Massey (born 1938), corporate executive (Hattiesburg)
• Glenn McCullough (born 1954), chairman and CEO of GLM Associates, LLC (Tupelo)
• Charles Moorman (born 1952), CEO of Norfolk Southern (Hattiesburg)
• Clarence Otis Jr. (born 1956), CEO of Darden Restaurants (Vicksburg)
• Hartley Peavey (born 1941), founder of Peavey Electronics (Meridian)
• Pig Foot Mary (1870–1929), culinary entrepreneur (Mississippi Delta)
• Robert Pittman (born 1953), founder of MTV, executive at AOL (Jackson)
• J. H. Rush (1868–1931), founder of Rush's Infirmary (De Kalb)
• Fred Smith (born 1944), founder of FedEx (Marks)
• James Breckenridge Speed (1844–1912), industrial pioneer
• Antonio Maceo Walker (1909–1994), president, Universal Life Insurance Company (Indianola)
• Zig Ziglar (1926–2012), motivational speaker, author, salesman (Yazoo City)

Explorers

• Moncacht-Apé, Native American explorer of the Yazoo tribe; in the late 1600s or early 1700s, reported to have made the first recorded round-trip transcontinental journey across North America

Filmmakers

• Charles Burnett (born 1944), film director and producer (Vicksburg)
• Jamaa Fanaka (1942–2012), film director (Jackson)
• John Fortenberry, film and television director (Jackson)
• Lawrence Gordon (born 1936), film producer, Die Hard (Yazoo City)
• Jonathan Murray (born 1955), creator of the reality television genre (Gulfport)
• Patrik-Ian Polk (born 1973), film writer and director (Hattiesburg)
• Bryan Spears (born 1977), film and television producer (McComb)
• Tate Taylor (born 1969), film director of The Help and Get On Up (Jackson)
• Larry A. Thompson (born 1944), television and film producer (Clarksdale)

Jurists and lawyers

• Rhesa Barksdale (born 1944), federal judge (Jackson)
• Neal Brooks Biggers Jr. (1935–2023), U.S. district judge (Corinth)
• William Joel Blass (1917–2012), attorney (Wiggins/Gulfport)
• Debra M. Brown (born 1963), U.S. district judge (Yazoo City)
• Gerald Chatham (1906–1956), lawyer, lead prosecutor in the Emmett Till case (Hernando)
• Bobby DeLaughter (born 1954), prosecutor, judge (Jackson)
• Jess H. Dickinson (born 1947), associate justice, Supreme Court of Mississippi (Charleston)
• Boyce Holleman (1924–2003), attorney (Wiggins/Gulfport)
• Perry Wilbon Howard (1877–1961), assistant U.S. attorney general, Republican leader (Ebenezer)
• Lucy Somerville Howorth (1895–1997), attorney, judge, state legislator (Greenville)
• E. Grady Jolly (1937–2026), judge of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (Louisville)
• W. Allen Pepper Jr. (1941–2012), U.S. district judge (Greenwood)
• Charles W. Pickering (born 1937), U.S. district judge (Jones County)
• Thomas Rodney (1744–1811), U.S. territorial judge (Natchez)
• Richard "Dickie" Scruggs (born 1946), attorney (Pascagoula)
• Constance Slaughter-Harvey (born 1946), judge and attorney (Forest)
• Michael B. Thornton (born 1954), judge, U.S. Tax Court (Hattiesburg)
• Michael Wallace (born 1951), lawyer (Biloxi)
• James R. Williams (1936–2020), lawyer, U.S. attorney (Columbus)

Military figures

• William Wirt Adams (1819–1888), brigadier general, CSA (Jackson)
• Van T. Barfoot (1919–2012), World War II colonel and Medal of Honor recipient (Edinburg)
• William Barksdale (1821–1863), brigadier general, CSA, died at Gettysburg (Jackson)
• William Billingsley (1887–1913), ensign, first Navy aviator killed in an airplane crash (Winona)
• Oliver Bosbyshell (1839–1921), superintendent of the United States Mint (Vicksburg)
• Alvin C. Cockrell (1918–1942), second lieutenant, USMC, killed in World War II (Hazelhurst)
• Fox Conner (1874–1951), major general, U.S. Army, mentor to Dwight Eisenhower (Slate Springs)
• Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821–1877), general, CSA (Hernando)
• Jeffery Hammond (born 1978), major general, U.S. Army (Hattiesburg)
• Randolph M. Holder (1918–1942), USN lieutenant (junior grade) (Jackson)
• Felix Huston (1800–1857), general, Texas army (Natchez)
• Samuel Reeves Keesler (1896–1918), Army aviator (Greenwood)
• Newt Knight (1837–1922), Unionist leader (Jones County)
• Roy Joseph Marchand (1920–1942), World War II fireman first class (Crandall)
• Henry Pinckney McCain (1861–1941), adjutant general, US Army (Carroll County)
• John S. McCain Sr. (1884–1945), USN admiral (Teoc)
• Donald H. Peterson (1933–2018), USAF colonel and NASA astronaut (Winona)
• Charles Read (1840–1890), naval officer (Meridian)
• Viola B. Sanders (1921–2013), USN captain, director of women, U.S. Navy (Sidon)
• Daniel Isom Sultan (1885–1947), inspector general, U.S. Army (Oxford)
• James Monroe Trotter (1842–1892), first man of color to achieve rank of 2nd Lieutenant, U.S. Army, music historian (Gulfport)
• Richard H. Truly (1937–2024), USN vice-admiral, astronaut, NASA administrator (Fayette)
• Louis H. Wilson Jr. (1920–2005), commandant of the Marine Corps and Medal of Honor recipient (Brandon)

Models/pageant winners

• Jennifer Adcock (born 1980), Miss Mississippi 2002 and Miss Mississippi USA 2005 (Hattiesburg)
• Kristi Addis (born 1971), Miss Teen USA 1987 (Holcomb)
• Susan Akin (born 1965), Miss Mississippi 1985 and Miss America 1986 (Meridian)
• Asya Branch (born 1998), Miss Mississippi 2018, Miss Mississippi USA 2019, and Miss USA 2020 (Booneville)
• Jenna Edwards (born 1981), former Miss Florida and Miss Florida USA (Brandon)
• Ruth Ford (1911–2009), model (Hazlehurst)
• Taryn Foshee (born 1985), Miss Mississippi 2006 (Clinton)
• Tess Holliday (born 1985), first plus-size model (Laurel)
• Lauren Jones (born 1982), model, Barker's Beauty on The Price is Right, shoe line namesake (Jackson)
• June Juanico (born 1938), beauty queen known for dating Elvis Presley in 1955 and 1956 (Biloxi)
• Nan Kelley (born c. 1965), Miss Mississippi 1985 and GAC's Top 20 Country Countdown hostess (Hattiesburg)
• Kendra King, Miss Mississippi USA 2006 (Monticello)
• Christine Kozlowski (born 1988), Miss Mississippi 2008 (D'Iberville)
• Leah Laviano (born 1988), Miss Mississippi USA 2008, and 1st runner up in Miss USA 2008 (Ellisville)
• Monica Louwerens (born 1973), Miss Mississippi 1995 (Greenville)
• Lypsinka (born 1955), drag performer and model (Hazlehurst)
• Lynda Lee Mead (born 1939), Miss America 1960 (Natchez)
• Mary Ann Mobley (1939–2014), Miss America 1959 (Brandon)
• Jasmine Murray (born 1991), Miss Mississippi 2014, Season 8 finalist on American Idol (Starkville)
• Cheryl Prewitt (born 1957), Miss America 1980 (Ackerman)
• Crystal Renn (born 1986), plus-size model and fashion model (Clinton)
• Hannah Roberts (born 1993), Miss University of Southern Mississippi 2015 (Mount Olive)
• Toni Seawright (born 1964), Miss Mississippi 1987; first African-American winner (Pascagoula)
• Naomi Sims (1948–2009), fashion model and author (Oxford)
• Ellen Stratton (born 1939), model and Playboy Playmate (Marietta)
• Amy Wesson (born 1977), fashion model (Tupelo)
• Cindy Williams (born 1964), journalist and Miss Mississippi USA 1986
• Jalin Wood (born 1981), Miss Mississippi 2004 and Miss Mississippi USA 2007 (Waynesboro)

Musicians

Physicians

• Henry Cloud (born 1956), clinical psychologist (Vicksburg)
• Thomas F. Frist Sr. (1910–1998), cardiologist, founder of Hospital Corporation of America (Meridian)
• Arthur Guyton (1919–2003), physiologist, author of Textbook of Medical Physiology (Oxford)
• James Hardy (1918–2003), surgeon who performed the first successful cadaveric lung transplant (Jackson)
• T. R. M. Howard (1908–1976), surgeon and activist (Mound Bayou)
• Edgar Hull (1904–1984), co-founder of Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport (Pascagoula)
• Thomas Naum James (1925–2010), cardiologist (Amory)

Politicians

• Thomas Abernethy (1903–1998), U.S. representative (Eupora)
• Robert H. Adams (1792–1830), U.S. senator (Natchez)
• James L. Alcorn (1816–1894), governor, U.S. senator (Friars Point)
• William Allain (1928–2013), governor (Washington)
• John Mills Allen (1846–1917), U.S. representative (Tishomingo County)
• Apuckshunubbee (c. 1740–1824), Choctaw chief
• Haley Barbour (born 1947), governor (Yazoo City)
• Ethelbert Barksdale (1824–1893), U.S. representative, Confederate congressman (Jackson)
• William Barksdale (1821–1863), U.S. congressman (Jackson)
• Ross Barnett (1898–1987), governor (Standing Pine)
• Cheri Barry (c. 1955–2023), mayor (Meridian)
• Marion Barry (1936–2014), Washington, D.C. mayor (Itta Bena)
• Theodore G. Bilbo (1877–1947), governor and U.S. senator (Poplarville)
• Marsha Blackburn (born 1952), U.S. representative from Tennessee (Laurel)
• Hale Boggs (1914–1972), U.S. representative from Louisiana, House majority leader (Long Beach)
• Mary Booze (1877–1948), first African-American woman to sit on the Republican National Committee (Mound Bayou)
• David R. Bowen (born 1932), U.S. representative (Houston)
• Walker Brooke (1813–1869), U.S. senator (Vicksburg)
• Blanche Bruce (1841–1898), U.S. senator
• Ezekiel S. Candler Jr. (1862–1944), U.S. representative (Corinth)
• Joseph W. Chalmers (1806–1853), U.S. senator (Holly Springs)
• Travis W. Childers (born 1958), U.S. representative (Booneville)
• John Claiborne (1809–1884), U.S. representative (Natchez)
• Bryant Clark (born 1975), state representative, son of Robert G. Clark Jr. (Jackson)
• Robert G. Clark Jr. (born 1928), state representative, speaker pro tempore (Ebenezer)
• Oliver Clifton (1847–1905), governor (Jackson)
• Thad Cochran (1937–2019), U.S. senator (Pontotoc)
• James P. Coleman (1914–1991), governor (Ackerman)
• Jacqueline Y. Collins (born 1949), Illinois state senator (McComb)
• Ross A. Collins (1880–1968), U.S. representative (Collinsville)
• William M. Colmer (1890–1980), U.S. representative (Moss Point)
• Greg Davis (born 1966), mayor (Southaven)
• Jefferson Davis (1808–1889), U.S. senator and president of the Confederate States (Warren County)
• Oliver E. Diaz Jr. (born 1960), former presiding justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi (Mississippi)
• Wayne Dowdy (born 1943), chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party (Magnolia)
• Brad Dye (1933–2018), lieutenant governor (Charleston)
• James Eastland (1904–1986), U.S. senator (Sunflower)
• Ronnie Edwards (1952–2016), Louisiana state representative (Woodville)
• Mike Espy (born 1953), U.S. secretary of agriculture (Yazoo City)
• Robert C. Farrell (born 1936), Los Angeles city councilman (Natchez)
• Erik R. Fleming (born 1965), state representative (Clinton)
• Mary E. Flowers (born 1951), Illinois state representative (Inverness)
• Tim Ford (1951–2015), speaker of Mississippi House of Representatives (Tupelo)
• Kirk Fordice (1934–2004), governor (Vicksburg)
• Webb Franklin (born 1941), U.S. representative (Greenwood)
• Evelyn Gandy (1920–2007), lieutenant governor (Hattiesburg
• James Z. George (1826–1897), U.S. senator (Carrollton)
• Charles H. Griffin (1926–1989), U.S. representative (Utica)
• Gregg Harper (born 1956), U.S. representative (Jackson)
• Pat Harrison (1881–1941), U.S. representative (Crystal Springs)
• Patrick Henry (1843–1930), U.S. representative (Brandon)
• Thomas C. Hindman (1828–1868), U.S. representative from Arkansas (Ripley)
• Jon Hinson (1942–1995), U.S. representative (Tylertown)
• David Holmes (1769–1832), first governor of Mississippi
• Jim Hood (born 1962), attorney general of Mississippi (New Houlka)
• Delbert Hosemann (born 1947), Mississippi secretary of state (Vicksburg)
• Benjamin G. Humphreys (1808–1882), governor (Claiborne County)
• Benjamin G. Humphreys II (1865–1923), U.S. representative (Claiborne County)
• William Y. Humphreys (1890–1933), U.S. representative (Greenville)
• Paul B. Johnson Jr. (1916–1985), governor (Hattiesburg)
• Paul B. Johnson Sr. (1880–1943), judge/governor (Hattiesburg)
• Pete Johnson (born 1948), state auditor, co-chair of Delta Regional Authority (Clarksdale)
• Daryl Jones (born 1955), Florida legislator, attorney (Jackson)
• Penne Percy Korth (born 1942), diplomat (Hattiesburg
• L. Q. C. Lamar (1825–1893), U.S. senator and supreme court justice (Oxford)
• Greenwood LeFlore (1800–1865), Choctaw chief, state senator
• Mamie Locke (born 1954), Virginia state senator (Brandon)
• Trent Lott (born 1941), U.S. senator and Senate Majority Leader (Grenada)
• Chokwe Lumumba (1947–2014), activist, attorney, mayor of Jackson
• John R. Lynch (1847–1939), first African-American speaker of the Mississippi House, U.S. representative (Natchez)
• Ray Mabus (born 1948), governor and Secretary of the Navy (Starkville)
• Lewis McAllister (born 1932), state representative (Meridian)
• Glenn McCullough (born 1954), mayor of Tupelo (Tupelo)
• Chris McDaniel (born 1971), state senator (Laurel)
• Anselm J. McLaurin (1848–1909), governor (Brandon)
• Hernando Money (1839–1912), U.S. senator (Carrollton)
• Frank A. Montgomery (1830–1903), state representative and circuit judge (Adams County)
• Isaiah Montgomery (1847–1924), founder, mayor of Mound Bayou
• Sonny Montgomery (1920–2006), U.S. representative (Meridian)
• Mike Moore (born 1952), Mississippi attorney general (Pascagoula)
• Stanford Morse (1926–2002), state senator (Gulfport)
• Henry L. Muldrow (1837–1905), U.S. representative and First Assistant Secretary of the Interior (Lowndes County)
• Ronnie Musgrove (born 1956), governor (Tocowa)
• David Myers (born 1961), politician, state representative (Magee)
• Spencer Myrick (1918–1991), Louisiana legislator (Simpson County)
• Edmond F. Noel (1856–1927), governor (Lexington)
• Joe Nosef (born 1969), attorney, chairman of Mississippi Republican Party (Clarksdale)
• Alan Nunnelee (1958–2015), state senator (Tupelo)
• Rod Paige (born 1933), U.S. secretary of education (Monticello)
• Rubel Phillips (1925–2011), gubernatorial candidate Corinth
• Chip Pickering (born 1963), U.S. representative (Laurel)
• Stacey Pickering (born 1968), state auditor (Laurel)
• John E. Rankin (1882–1960), U.S. representative (Itawamba County)
• Red Shoes (died 1747), assassinated Choctaw leader
• Clarke Reed (born 1928), state Republican chairman (Greenville)
• Jack Reed (1924–2016), Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1987
• Bill Renick (born 1954), mayor, governor's chief of staff (Ashland)
• Hiram Rhodes Revels (1827–1901), first African-American U.S. senator (Claiborne County)
• Carol Schwartz (born 1944), District of Columbia politician (Greenville)
• Abram M. Scott (1785–1833), governor (Wilkinson County)
• Ronnie Shows (born 1947), U.S. representative (Moselle)
• Jim Singleton (born 1931), New Orleans councilman (Hazlehurst)
• Larkin I. Smith (1944–1989), U.S. representative (Poplarville)
• Larry Speakes (1939–2014), presidential spokesman (Cleveland)
• James J. Spelman (1841–1894), journalist, state representative (Madison County)
• John C. Stennis (1901–1995), U.S. senator (De Kalb)
• Bill Stone (born 1965), state senator (Ashland)
• Tom Stuart (1936–2001), mayor of Meridian
• William V. Sullivan (1857–1918), U.S. representative and senator (Winona)
• Gene Taylor (born 1953), U.S. representative (Bay St. Louis)
• Bennie Thompson (born 1948), U.S. representative (Bolton)
• Jacob Thompson (1810–1885), U.S. representative, secretary of the interior (Oxford)
• W. H. H. Tison (1822–1882), 39th speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives (Lee County)
• Amy Tuck (born 1963), lieutenant governor (Maben)
• James K. Vardaman (1861–1930), governor, U.S. senator (Yalobusha County)
• Joseph Warren (born 1952), politician, state representative (Magee)
• Jamie L. Whitten (1910–1995), U.S. representative (Cascilla)
• Roger Wicker (born 1951), U.S. senator (Pontotoc)
• Thomas Hickman Williams (1801–1851), U.S. senator (Pontotoc County)
• Norris C. Williamson (1874–1949), Louisiana state senator (Benton County)
• William Arthur Winstead (1904–1995), U.S. representative (Philadelphia)
• William Winter (1923–2020), governor (Grenada)
• Seelig Wise (1913–2004), planter, state senator (Clarksdale)
• Fielding L. Wright (1895–1956), governor (Rolling Fork)

Scientists and inventors

• Earl W. Bascom (1906–1995), inventor of rodeo equipment (Columbia)
• Harry A. Cole (1921–1999), inventor of Pine-Sol (Jackson)
• James A. Ford (1911–1968), archaeologist (Water Valley)
• Fred Haise (born 1933), engineer, astronaut (Biloxi)
• Elizabeth Lee Hazen (1885–1975), microbiologist, developer of nystatin (Rich)
• Martin F. Jue, amateur radio inventor, entrepreneur (Starkville)
• Ben Montgomery (1819–1877), freedman, farmer, inventor (Davis Bend)
• Joseph Newman (1936–2015), inventor of the Newman motor (Lucedale)
• Chester H. Pond (1844–1912), inventor of the electrical self-winding clock
• Henry Sampson (1934–2020), inventor (Jackson)
• Roy A. Tucker (1951–2021), astronomer (Jackson)

Supercentenarians

• Moses Hardy (1894–2006), lived 112 years and 335 days (Aberdeen)
• Bettie Wilson (1890–2006), lived 115 years and 153 days

Writers

• Ace Atkins (born 1970), novelist (Oxford)
• Howard Bahr (born 1946), novelist (Jackson)
• Frederick Barthelme (born 1943), novelist and professor (Hattiesburg)
• Earl W. Bascom (1906–1995), artist and writer (Columbia)
• Lerone Bennett Jr. (1928–2018), editor of Ebony magazine (Clarksdale)
• Douglas A. Blackmon (born 1964), journalist and historian (Leland)
• Maxwell Bodenheim (1892–1954), poet and novelist (Hermanville)
• Margaret Hunt Brisbane (1858–1925), poet (Vicksburg)
• Larry Brown (1951–2004), novelist (Oxford)
• Jack Butler (born 1944), author (Alligator)
• Mary Cain (1904–1984), journalist (Pike County)
• Hodding Carter II (1907–1972), journalist (Greenville)
• Hodding Carter III (1935–2023), journalist (Greenville)
• Craig Claiborne (1920–2000), food writer (Sunflower)
• Carl Corley (1919–2016), author (Florence)
• Cola Barr Craig (1861–1930), author and clubwoman (Jackson)
• Hubert Creekmore (1907–1966), poet, author (Water Valley)
• Mart Crowley (1935–2020), playwright (Vicksburg)
• Borden Deal (1922–1985), novelist and short story writer (Pontotoc)
• Ben Domenech (born 1981), conservative writer and blogger (Jackson)
• David Herbert Donald (1920–2009), historian (Goodman)
• Ellen Douglas (Josephine Haxton) (1921–2012), novelist (Greenville)
• Eliza Ann Dupuy (c. 1814 – 1880), first woman of Mississippi to earn her living as a writer
• John T. Edge (born 1962), food writer (Oxford)
• W. Ralph Eubanks (born 1957), author, journalist (Mount Olive)
• Woody Evans (born 1971?), technology journalist and short story writer (Hattiesburg)
• John Faulkner (1901–1963), plain-style writer (Ripley)
• William Faulkner (1897–1962), Nobel laureate (New Albany)
• William Clark Falkner (1825–1889), businessman, author (Ripley)
• Vic Fleming (born 1951), puzzle writer (Jackson)
• Shelby Foote (1916–2005), historian and novelist (Greenville)
• Charles Henri Ford (1913–2002), poet, novelist, editor (Brookhaven)
• Richard Ford (born 1944), Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and short story writer (Jackson)
• Lynn Franklin (1922–2005), author, police detective
• Tom Franklin (born 1963), author (Oxford)
• Ellen Gilchrist (1935–2024), novelist, poet, short story writer (Vicksburg)
• John Grisham (born 1955), legal thrillers novelist (Southaven)
• Barry Hannah (1942–2010), novelist and short story writer (Clinton)
• Charlaine Harris (born 1951), mystery author (Tunica)
• Thomas Harris (born 1940), author, screenwriter (Rich)
• Beth Henley (born 1952), playwright and screenwriter (Jackson)
• Beth Holloway, author and mother of Natalee Holloway (Clinton)
• M. Carl Holman (1919–1988), author, poet, playwright (Minter City)
• Alan Huffman, author, journalist (Bolton)
• Sarah Gibson Humphreys (1830–1907), author, suffragist (Warren County)
• Greg Iles (1960–2025), novelist (Natchez)
• Germany Kent (born 1975), author, journalist (Greenville)
• Greg Keyes (born 1963), science fiction and fantasy writer (Meridian)
• Kiese Laymon (born 1974), novelist, memoirist (Jackson)
• Muna Lee (1895–1965), author and poet (Raymond)
• Sam Chu Lin (1939–2006), journalist (Greenville)
• Della Campbell MacLeod (ca. 1884 – ?), author, journalist (Greenwood)
• Anne Moody (1940–2015), author, activist (Centreville)
• Willie Morris (1934–1999), author, editor (Jackson)
• Jess Mowry (born 1960), writer of books and stories for children and young adults (Starkville)
• Thomas Naylor (1936–2012), author and economist (Jackson)
• Lewis Nordan (1939–2012), fiction author (Itta Bena)
• Steven Ozment (1939–2019), historian (McComb)
• Walker Percy (1916–1990), author (Greenville)
• William Alexander Percy (1885–1942), author (Greenville)
• Thomas Hal Phillips (1922–2007), author, film actor (Corinth)
• Robert M. Price (born 1954), theologian, writer (Jackson)
• William Raspberry (1935–2012), public affairs columnist (Okolona)
• Kevin Sessums (born 1956), magazine editor (Forest)
• Donald C. Simmons Jr. (born 1963), author and filmmaker (Eupora)
• Roscoe Simmons (1881–1951), journalist, activist (Greenville?)
• Patrick D. Smith (1927–2014), novelist (Mendenhall)
• Robert Bruce Smith IV (1945–2014), author, local historian (Tupelo)
• Lynne Spears (born 1955), author (Magnolia)
• Elizabeth Spencer (1921–2019), novelist (Carrollton)
• Stuart Stevens, author, political consultant (Jackson)
• William N. Still Jr. (1932–2023), maritime historian (Columbus)
• Kathryn Stockett (born 1969), novelist (Jackson)
• Kate Stone (1841–1907), diarist (Mississippi Springs, Hinds County)
• Donna Tartt (born 1963), novelist (Greenwood)
• Clifton Taulbert (born 1945), author and speaker (Glen Allan)
• Mildred Taylor (born 1943), author (Jackson)
• Wright Thompson (born 1976), sports writer (Clarksdale)
• Natasha Trethewey (born 1966), 2007 Pulitzer Prize-winning poet (Gulfport)
• Jamie Langston Turner (born 1949), Christian novelist
• Irving Vendig (1902–1995), television writer (Holly Springs)
• Brenda Venus (born 1947), author (Biloxi)
• Howard Waldrop (1946–2024), science fiction author (Houston)
• Rosa Kershaw Walker (1840–1909), writer, journalist, newspaper editor (Mississippi)
• Jesmyn Ward (born 1977), novelist (DeLisle)
• Peggy Webb (born 1942), romance novel author (Mooreville)
• Eudora Welty (1909–2001), novelist, short story writer (Jackson)
• Curtis Wilkie (born 1940), journalist, historian (Greenville)
• Paige Williams (born 1969), journalist, author (Tupelo)
• Tennessee Williams (1911–1983), playwright (Columbus)
• Amos N. Wilson (1941–1995), psychologist, author (Hattiesburg)
• Richard Nathaniel Wright (1908–1960) (Roxie)
• Al Young (1939–2021), poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter (Ocean Springs)
• Stark Young (1881–1963), playwright, novelist, literary critic, essayist (Como)

Miscellaneous

• Arthur Blessitt (born 1940), preacher (Greenville)
• Miriam Chamani (born 1943), Mambo priestess, co-founder of New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple (Jackson)
• James Copeland (1823–1857), outlaw and co-leader of Wages and Copeland Clan (Jackson County)
• Cat Cora (born 1967), first female Iron Chef America in franchise history (Jackson)
• Margaret Ferguson (born 1968), political scientist (Hattiesburg)
• Jeff Fort (born 1947), leader of Black P. Stones Nation (Aberdeen)
• Natalee Holloway (born 1986), unsolved disappearance (Clinton)
• Larry Hoover (born 1950), leader of Gangster Disciple Nation (Jackson)
• Abby Howard (born 1992), internet cartoonist
• Leslie Hubricht (1908–2005), biologist and malacologist (Meridian)
• Mary Comfort Leonard (1856–1940), founder of Delta Gamma fraternity (Kosciusko)
• Floyd Mayweather Sr. (born 1952), boxer (Amory)
• Kelly Mitchell, leader of Romani people in Mississippi
• L. H. Musgrove (1832–1868), outlaw hanged by vigilante committee in Denver, Colorado (Panola County)
• Haller Nutt (1816–1864), planter, builder of Longwood (Jefferson County)
• Richard Ragan (born 1964), White House official, UN diplomat (Cleveland)
• The Scott Sisters, convicted of murder in controversial case that drew national attention
• Lenny Skutnik (born 1953), celebrity rescuer of 1982 disaster victim
• Toby Turner (born 1985), YouTube star, better known as Tobuscus (Osborn)

References