List of people from Cairo, Illinois

The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Cairo, Illinois. For a similar list organized alphabetically by last name, see the category page People from Cairo, Illinois.

Academics
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Mary J. Safford Dec 31, 1834 Dec 8, 1891 Union army nurse in the US Civil War; professor of Women's Diseases at the Boston University; later became a doctor [1]
Hudson Strode Oct 31, 1892 Sep 22, 1976 Author and professor of creative writing at the University of Alabama Born in Cairo

Business
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
William P. Halliday Jul 21, 1827 Sep 22, 1899 Banker, steamboat captain, owner of the Riverlore mansion, and businessman Lived in and started several businesses in Cairo
Charles T. Hinde Jul 12, 1832 Mar 10, 1915 Riverboat captain, railroad executive, founder of the Hotel del Coronado Started his own shipping business in Cairo
Jan Rogers Kniffen 1948 Business executive and television personality Born in Cairo

Media
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Rex Ingram Oct 20, 1895 Sep 19, 1969 Stage, film, and television actor; first African-American actor to be hired for a contract role on a soap opera (The Brighter Day, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Sahara) Born in Cairo
Christopher Jackson Sep 30, 1975 An award winning actor, singer, musician, and composer. Known for his Tony Award nominated Broadway performance as George Washington in Hamilton. Graduated from Cairo High School in 1993. [2]

Military
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Kelly Taggart Dec 17, 1932 May 7, 2014 Rear admiral in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps); second Director of the NOAA Corps Born in Cairo
Winifred Warder May 22, 1885 Oct 8, 1918 Member of Gas Motor Unit No. 1, Women's Overseas Hospitals; died at American military hospital in Bordeaux, France, during World War I Born in Cairo

Music
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Chris Clavin Aug 23, 1973 Owner of Plan-It-X Records; musician in Ghost Mice [3]
Ted Joans Jul 4, 1928 Apr 25, 2003 Musician, poet and painter Born in Cairo [4]
Kyle Lehning Record producer and recording executive Born in Cairo
George "Harmonica" Smith Apr 22, 1924 Oct 2, 1983 Blues musician (harmonica) Grew up in Cairo
Henry Townsend Oct 27, 1909 Sep 24, 2006 Blues musician Grew up in Cairo
Estelle Yancey Jan 1, 1896 Apr 19, 1986 Blues vocalist Born in Cairo

Politics
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Charles Hayes Feb 17, 1918 Apr 8, 1997 US congressman for Illinois's 1st congressional district (1983–1993) Born in Cairo
Charles Koen

(aka Chuck Koen)

 1945 Civil rights activist; founded the Black Liberators
Napoleon B. Thistlewood Mar 30, 1837 Sep 15, 1915 US congressman for Illinois's 25th congressional district (1908–1913) Two term mayor of Cairo; died in Cairo
Richard W. Townshend Apr 30, 1840 Mar 9, 1889 US congressman for Illinois's 19th congressional district (1877–1889) Lived in Cairo
Donne Trotter Jan 30, 1950 Illinois state senator for Illinois 17th district (1993–present) Born in Cairo

Religion
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Gracia Burnham Jan 17, 1959 Protestant missionary to the Philippines; kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf Born in Cairo

Sports
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Chet Covington Nov 6, 1910 Jun 11, 1976 Pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies Born in Cairo
Vern Curtis May 24, 1920 Jun 24, 1992 Pitcher for the Washington Senators Born and died in Cairo
Egyptian Healy Oct 27, 1866 Mar 16, 1899 Pitcher for seven Major League Baseball teams Born in Cairo
Ed Morgan May 22, 1904 Apr 9, 1980 Infielder for the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox Born in Cairo
Tyrone Nesby Jan 31, 1976 Small forward for the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards, as well as four European teams Born in Cairo
Caroline Smith Jul 21, 1906 Nov 10, 1994 Diving gold medalist at 1924 Summer Olympics Born in Cairo
Ken Trickey Aug 30, 1933 Dec 4, 2012 College basketball coach for Oral Roberts University Raised in Cairo; graduated from and coached at Cairo High School [5]

References
  1. Fischer, Leroy H. (1961). "Cairo's Civil War Angel, Mary Jane Stafford". Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (54).
  2. Parker, Molly (Mar 8, 2016). "FROM CAIRO TO BROADWAY Actor Christopher Jackson clings to his roots as his star rises". The Southern. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  3. Smith, Aaron Lake. "Trying to Revitalize a Dying Small Town", TIME, February 15, 2010.
  4. Kelley, Robin D. G. (May 20, 2003). "Ted Joans, 1928-2003". The Village Voice.
  5. "Trickey returns 'home' to ORU for hoop revival", The Southeast Missourian, July 17, 1987.
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