List of people from Wisconsin
This is a list of notable people from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The person's hometown is in parentheses.
Location of Wisconsin on the U.S. map
Art and literature
- A–G
- Frank Ackerman (born 1946), economist, author, co-founder and editor of Dollars & Sense magazine (Madison)
- David Adler (1882–1949), architect (Milwaukee)
- Kevin J. Anderson (born 1962), writer (Racine)
- Rasmus B. Anderson (1846–1936), author, professor, and historian (Albion)
- Walter Annenberg (1908–2002), creator of TV Guide and Seventeen magazines (Milwaukee)
- Antler (born 1946), poet (Wauwatosa)
- Ruth Ball (1879–1960), sculptor (Madison)
- Lynda Barry (born 1956), author and cartoonist (Richland Center)
- Gary Beecham (born 1955), glass artist (Ladysmith)
- George Bergstrom (1876–1955), architect, designer of The Pentagon (Neenah)
- Norbert Blei (born 1935), writer (Ellison Bay)
- Carrie Jacobs Bond (1862–1946), songwriter (Janesville)
- Esther Bubley (1921–1998), photojournalist (Phillips)
- Nancy Ekholm Burkert (born 1933), artist and illustrator, recipient of Caldecott Medal (Milwaukee)
- Ole Amundsen Buslett (1855–1924), author, newspaperman, politician (Town of Iola, Northland, La Crosse, Stoughton)
- Kathryn Casey, writer and journalist
- Jessie Kalmbach Chase (1879–1970), painter (Door County and Madison)
- Connie Clausen (1923–1997), literary agent (Menasha)
- Chester Commodore (1914–2004), cartoonist (Racine)
- Jeremiah Curtin (1835–1906), translator (Milwaukee County)
- Tyler Dennett (1883–1949), biographer, recipient of Pulitzer Prize (Spencer)
- August Derleth (1909–1971), writer (Sauk City)
- Gene DeWeese (born 1934), writer (Milwaukee)
- Donn F. Draeger (1922–1982), writer and martial artist (Milwaukee)
- Chip Duncan (born 1955), filmmaker, author and photographer (Milwaukee)
- Bill Dwyre (born 1944), columnist and editor (Sheboygan)
- Alter Esselin (1889–1974), poet (Milwaukee)
- Edna Ferber (1885–1968), writer (Appleton)
- Jack Finney (1911–1995), writer (Milwaukee)
- Daniel R. Fitzpatrick (1891–1969), cartoonist (Superior)
- Lewis R. Freeman (1878–1960), journalist (Genoa Junction)
- Zona Gale (1874–1938), writer, playwright, recipient of Pulitzer Prize (Portage, Beaver Dam, Milwaukee)
- Hamlin Garland (1860–1940), novelist, biographer, poet (West Salem)
- Greg Graffin (born 1964), singer, songwriter, musician, professor, college lecturer, author (Madison, Racine, Milwaukee)
- Elmer Grey (1872–1963), architect and painter (Milwaukee)
- E. Gary Gygax (1938–2008), novelist, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons (Lake Geneva)
- H–O
- Jane Hamilton (born 1957), writer (Rochester)
- Stephen Hayes, senior writer for The Weekly Standard, Fox News contributor, author (Wauwatosa)
- Kevin Henkes (born 1960), author and illustrator, recipient of Caldecott Medal (Racine, Madison)
- Eastman Johnson (1824–1906), co-founder of Metropolitan Museum of Art (Superior)
- Russell Klika, combat photojournalist (Appleton)
- Jim Knipfel (born 1965), writer (Green Bay)
- Ron Kovic (born 1946), writer, Born on the Fourth of July (Ladysmith)
- David Lenz (born 1962), painter (Milwaukee)
- Gerda Lerner (born 1920), Women's Studies, founder of women's history (Madison)
- Paul Linebarger (1913–1966), writer (Milwaukee)
- Ben Logan (1920–2014), writer (The Land Remembers)
- Per Lysne (1880–1947), folk artist, popularized rosemaling (Stoughton)
- Karl E. Meyer, journalist for The New York Times; editor of World Policy Journal (Madison)
- Jacquelyn Mitchard (born 1957), writer (Milwaukee, Madison)
- John Nichols (born 1959), political correspondent for The Nation (Union Grove)
- Lorine Niedecker (1903–1970), poet (Fort Atkinson)
- Lucius W. Nieman (1857–1935), founder of Milwaukee Journal; Nieman Foundation for Journalism dedicated to him (Sauk County)
- Jessica Nelson North (1891–1988), writer (Madison, Edgerton)
- Sterling North (1906–1974), writer (Edgerton)
- Georgia O'Keeffe (1887–1986), artist (Sun Prairie)
- P–Z
- George Wilbur Peck (1840–1916), writer, newspaper editor, politician (Cold Spring, Ripon, La Crosse, Milwaukee)
- George Pollard (1920–2008), artist (Waldo, Kenosha)
- Richard Quinney (born 1934), sociologist and writer (Madison)
- Ellen Raskin (1928–1984), writer and illustrator (Milwaukee)
- Vinnie Ream (1847–1914), sculptor (Madison)
- John Ridley (born 1965), novelist (Milwaukee)
- David Robbins (born 1957), artist, writer (Whitefish Bay)
- Patrick Rothfuss (born 1973), writer (Madison)
- Joe Schoenmann, journalist and author
- Ruth Shalit (born 1971), writer, journalist (Milwaukee)
- Clifford D. Simak (1904–1988), writer (Millville)
- Mona Simpson (born 1957), author (Green Bay)
- Red Smith (1905–1982), Pulitzer Prize–winning columnist (Green Bay)
- Peter Straub (born 1943), writer (Milwaukee)
- Arthur Thrall (born 1926), artist (Milwaukee)
- John Toland (1912–2004), Pulitzer Prize–winning writer (La Crosse)
- Neal Ulevich (born 1946), Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer (Milwaukee)
- Dave Umhoefer (born 1961), Pulitzer Prize recipient (La Crosse)
- Jim VandeHei (born 1971), executive editor and co-founder of Politico (Oshkosh)
- Ignatiy Vishnevetsky (born 1986), film critic and essayist (Wauwatosa)
- Viola S. Wendt (1907–1986), poet (West Bend)
- Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850–1919), writer and poet (Johnstown)
- John Wilde (1919–2006), artist (Milwaukee, Evansville)
- Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957), writer (Pepin)
- Thornton Wilder (1897–1975), writer (Madison)
- Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959), architect (Richland Center, Madison, Spring Green)
- David Zurawik, journalist, author (Milwaukee)
Business
- George Addes (1911–1990), founder of United Auto Workers (La Crosse)
- Edward P. Allis (1824–1899), co-founder of Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company (Two Rivers, Milwaukee)
- J. Ogden Armour (1863–1927), meatpacking magnate, owner of Armour and Company (Milwaukee)
- Carol Bartz (born 1948), president and chief executive officer of Yahoo! (Alma)
- Ernest J. Briskey (1930–2006), Vice President, Technical and Administration of Campbell Soup Company (Waunakee)
- William Wallace Cargill (1844–1909), business executive, founder of Cargill (Janesville)
- Jerome Case (1819–1891), founder of an agricultural and construction equipment company (Racine)
- Leo Crowley (1889–1972), banker and FDIC director (Milton)
- John Cudahy (1887–1943), industrialist (Milwaukee)
- Michael Cudahy (born 1924), entrepreneur (Milwaukee)
- Alexander M. Cutler, chief executive officer of the Eaton Corporation (Milwaukee)
- Arthur Davidson (1881–1950), co-founder of Harley-Davidson (Milwaukee)
- Edward L. Doheny (1856–1935), oil tycoon (Fond du Lac)
- Ole Evinrude (1877–1924), inventor and entrepreneur (Cambridge, Madison, Milwaukee)
- Judith Faulkner (born 1943), formerly of New Jersey; billionaire; CEO and founder of Epic Systems, a healthcare software company located in Wisconsin
- Bob Galvin (1922–2011), chief executive officer of Motorola (Marshfield)
- Chris Gardner (born 1954), entrepreneur, subject of movie The Pursuit of Happyness (Milwaukee)
- King C. Gillette (1855–1932), industrialist (Fond du Lac)
- Donald Goerke (1926–2010), Campbell Soup Company executive, inventor of SpaghettiOs (Waukesha)
- William S. Harley (1880–1943), co-founder of Harley-Davidson (Milwaukee)
- Randolph E. Haugan (1902–1985), editor and publisher (Martell)
- Ken Hendricks (1941–2007), billionaire (Janesville, Beloit, Afton)
- Jay L. Johnson (born 1946), chief executive officer of General Dynamics (West Salem)
- Samuel Curtis Johnson, Sr. (1833–1919), founder of consumer products company (Racine)
- Phil Katz (1962–2000), computer programmer (Glendale)
- Carl Kiekhaefer (1906–1983), owner of Mercury Marine (Mequon)
- Alan Klapmeier (born 1958), aircraft designer and aviation entrepreneur (Baraboo)
- Dale Klapmeier (born 1961), aircraft designer and aviation entrepreneur (Baraboo)
- Herbert Kohler (born 1939), business executive (Kohler)
- John H. MacMillan, Sr. (1869–1944), businessman (La Crosse)
- Marissa Mayer (born 1975), chief executive officer of Yahoo (Wausau)
- Oscar Mayer (1859–1955), founder of meat packing company (Milwaukee, Fitchburg)
- John Menard (born 1940), business executive (Eau Claire)
- George Safford Parker (1863–1937), pen inventor and entrepreneur (Shullsburg, Janesville)
- Paul Poberezny (1921–2013), aircraft designer, aviator and founder of the Experimental Aircraft Association (Oshkosh)
- Herbert A. Simon (1916–2001), economist and computer scientist (Milwaukee)
- James Trane (1857–1936), founder of heating and air conditioning company (La Crosse)
- Reuben Trane (1886–1954), co-founder of Trane (La Crosse)
- Elmer Winter (1912–2009), co-founder of Manpower Inc. (Milwaukee)
- Dean Witter (1887–1969), founder of Dean Witter & Co. investment house (Wausau)
- Walter Wriston (1919–2005), chairman and chief executive officer of Citicorp (Appleton)[1]
Brewing
- Valentin Blatz (Milwaukee)
- Harry G. John (Milwaukee)
- Frederick Miller (Milwaukee)
- Frederick Pabst (Milwaukee, Whitefish Bay)
- Joseph Schlitz (Milwaukee)
Education
- Florence Eliza Allen (1876–1960), mathematician and assistant professor at University of Wisconsin–Madison (Horicon)
- Thomas Barnett (born 1962), Professor of Warfare Analysis & Research at Naval War College (Chilton, Boscobel)
- Theodore Brameld (1904–1987), professor at Long Island University, Adelphi, Minnesota, NYU, and Boston University (Neillsville)
- Arthur Louis Breslich (1873–1924), President of German Wallace College and Baldwin-Wallace (Madison, Milwaukee)
- Ernest J. Briskey (1930–2006), Dean of Agricultural Science of Oregon State University (Waunakee)
- Albin C. Bro (1893–1956), President of Shimer College (Prentice)[2]
- Carlos Castillo-Chavez (born 1952), Professor of Mathematical Biology at Arizona State University
- Edwin Copeland, noted botanist and founder of University of the Philippines Los Baños College of Agriculture
- Joanne V. Creighton, President of Mount Holyoke College (Marinette)
- Tyler Dennett (1883–1949), Professor of American History at Johns Hopkins University and Columbia, Professor of International Relations at Princeton, President of Williams College (Spencer)
- Katharine Elizabeth Dopp (1863–1944), Dean of Chicago Normal School (Dopp)
- Lars Paul Esbjörn (1808–1870), Professor of Theology at Illinois State Normal University (Clinton)
- Ernst Guillemin (1898–1970), electrical engineer and computer scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Milwaukee)
- Harlan Hanson (1925–1996), Director of Advanced Placement program from 1965 to 1989 (Madison)
- Frederick Hemke (born 1935), Professor of Saxophone at Northwestern University (Milwaukee)
- Bruno E. Jacob (1899–1979), founder of National Forensic League (Valders)
- Peter Laurentius Larsen (1833–1915), founding President of Luther College
- John Leonora (1928–2006), Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology at Loma Linda University (Milwaukee)
- A. Carl Leopold (1919–2009), Graduate Dean of University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Madison)
- A. Starker Leopold (1913–1983), Professor of Zoology and Conservation at University of California, Berkeley (Madison)
- Luna Leopold (1915–2006), Professor of Geology and Geophysics University of California, Berkeley (Madison)
- Charles McCarthy, librarian and political scientist (Madison)
- Thorbjorn N. Mohn (1844–1899), founding President of St. Olaf College (Columbia County)
- Christian Keyser Preus (1852–1921), President of Luther College (Spring Prairie)
- Margarethe Schurz (1851–1876), opened first kindergarten in U.S. (Watertown)
- Philip Stieg (born 1952), Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University and New York-Presbyterian Medical Center (Milwaukee)
- David F. Swensen, Chief Investment Officer at Yale University since 1985 (River Falls)
- Rose Thering (1920–2006), Professor of Catholic-Jewish Dialogue at Seton Hall University (Plain, Racine)
- Aaron Twerski (born 1939), the Irwin and Jill Cohen Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School; former dean and professor of tort law at Hofstra University School of Law
- Norman Wengert (1916–2001), faculty member at City College of New York, North Dakota State, Maryland, Wayne State, Penn State, University of Sarajevo (Milwaukee)
- James Wright (born 1939), President of Dartmouth College (Madison)
- Nicholas S. Zeppos (born 1954), Chancellor of Vanderbilt University (Milwaukee)
Entertainment
Film and theatre
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- A–M
- Jim Abrahams (born 1944), director (Shorewood, Eagle River)
- Nicholas J. Adams (born 1993), television journalist, (Genoa City)
- Marc Alaimo (born 1942), actor (Milwaukee)
- Don Ameche (1908–1993), actor (Kenosha)
- William Bast (born 1931), screenwriter (Milwaukee, Kenosha)
- Abner Biberman (1909–1977), actor and director (Milwaukee)
- Mark Borchardt (born 1966), director (Menomonee Falls)
- Joyce Carlson (1923–2008), Disney animator (Racine)
- Jack Carson (1910–1963), actor (Milwaukee)
- Ellen Corby (1911–1999), actress (Racine)
- Anthony Crivello (born 1955), Tony Award-winning actor, singer (Milwaukee)
- Willem Dafoe (born 1955), actor (Appleton)
- Dan Davies (born 1965), actor and screenwriter (Milwaukee)
- Brian Donlevy (1901–1972), actor (Racine)
- Robert Easton (1930–2011), actor, voice actor, dialogue coach (Milwaukee)
- Chris Farley (1964–1997), actor (Madison, Minocqua)
- John P. Farley (born 1968), actor (Madison)
- Kevin Farley (born 1965), actor (Madison)
- Don Fellows (1922–2007), actor (Madison)
- Lynn Fontanne (1887–1983), Emmy Award- and Tony Award-winning actress (Genesee Depot)
- Gloria Foster (1933–2001), actress (Janesville)
- Heather Graham (born 1970), actress (Milwaukee)
- Uta Hagen (1919–2004), actress (Madison)
- Theodore Hardeen (1876–1945), magician and escape artist, founder of the Magicians Guild of America (Appleton)
- Howard Hawks (1896–1977), director (Neenah)
- Harry Houdini (1874–1926), magician (Appleton)
- Tom Hulce (born 1953), actor (Whitewater)
- Jeana Keough (born 1955), actress, Playboy Playmate (Milwaukee)
- Imran Khan (born 1983), actor (Madison)
- David Koepp (born 1963), writer/director (Pewaukee, Wales)
- Carole Landis (1919–1948), actor (Fairchild)
- Tom Laughlin (1931–2013), actor (Milwaukee)
- Joseph Losey (1909–1984), director (La Crosse)
- Alfred Lunt (1892–1977), actor (Milwaukee, Genesee Depot)
- Fred MacMurray (1908–1991), actor (Beaver Dam)
- Michael Maize (born 1974), actor (Milwaukee)
- Fredric March (1897–1975), actor (Racine)
- Rob Marshall (born 1960), director (Madison)
- Kerwin Mathews (1926–2007), actor (Janesville)
- John Matuszak (1950–1989), actor and football player (Milwaukee, Oak Creek)
- Hattie McDaniel (1895–1952), actress, first African-American to win an Academy Award (Milwaukee)
- Agnes Moorehead (1900–1974), actress, radio, stage, film, television (Reedsburg)
- Niels Mueller (born 1961), writer/director (Milwaukee)
- N–Z
- Cyrus Nowrasteh (born 1956), writer/director (Madison)
- Pat O'Brien (1899–1983), actor (Milwaukee)
- Robert Emmett O'Connor (1885–1962), actor (Milwaukee)
- Nancy Olson (born 1928), actress (Milwaukee)
- Nick Oram (born 1979), television producer and actor
- Jack Perkins (1921–1998), actor (Medford)
- Manilla Powers, actress (Janesville)
- Nicholas Ray (1911–1979), director (Galesville)
- John Ridley (born 1965), screenwriter, director (Milwaukee)
- Richard Riehle (born 1948), actor (Menomonee Falls)
- Michael Ritchie (1938–2001), director (Waukesha)
- Gena Rowlands (born 1930), actor (Madison, Cambria, Milwaukee)
- Mark Ruffalo (born 1967), actor (Kenosha)
- Richard Schickel (born 1933), critic (Milwaukee)
- Greg Dean Schmitz (born 1970), online film journalist (Westfield, Middleton)
- Tony Shalhoub (born 1953), actor (Green Bay)
- Paul Shenar (1936–1989), actor (Milwaukee)
- Oliver Smith (1918–1994), theatrical scenic designer (Waupun)
- Zack Snyder (born 1966), director (Green Bay)
- Ford Sterling (1882–1939), actor (La Crosse)
- Eric Szmanda (born 1975), actor (Milwaukee)
- George Tillman, Jr., director (Milwaukee)
- Spencer Tracy (1900–1967), actor (Milwaukee, Lake Geneva)
- Judy Tyler (1932–1957), actress (Milwaukee)
- Bob Uecker (born 1935), actor and sports commentator (Milwaukee)
- James Valcq (born 1963), theatre composer (Milwaukee)
- Marc Webb (born 1974), director (Madison)
- Peter Weller (born 1947), actor (Stevens Point)
- Orson Welles (1915–1985), director (Kenosha)
- Shannon Whirry (born 1964), actress (Green Lake)
- Gene Wilder (1933–2016), actor (Milwaukee)
- David Zucker (born 1947), director (Milwaukee)
- Jerry Zucker (born 1950), director (Milwaukee)
- Terry Zwigoff (born 1949), director (Appleton)
Television
- A–M
- Andrea Anders (born 1975), actress, Joey, Better Off Ted (Madison, DeForest)
- Bonnie Bartlett (born 1929), Emmy Award-winning actress (Wisconsin Rapids)
- Kristin Bauer van Straten (born 1966), actress (Racine)
- Lamont Bentley (1973–2005), actor, Moesha (Milwaukee)
- Brad Beyer (born 1973), actor, Stanley Richmond on Jericho (Waukesha)
- Peter Bonerz (born 1938), actor and director (Milwaukee)
- Gary Burghoff (born 1943), actor, Radar O'Reilly on M*A*S*H (Delavan)
- Annie Burgstede (born 1983), actress (Waupaca)
- Ellen Corby (1911–1999), actress (Racine)
- Rich Dahm, Emmy Award-winning writer and producer
- James Daly (1918–1978), actor (Wisconsin Rapids)
- Tyne Daly (born 1946), actress (Madison)
- Nancy Dickerson (1927–1997), NBC News correspondent (Wauwatosa)
- Sean Duffy (born 1971), reality television star, ESPN commentator (Hayward)
- Jerry Dunphy (1920–2002), television newscaster (Milwaukee)
- Greg Eagles (born 1970), voice actor, Grim & Evil (Milwaukee)
- Kathryn Edwards (born 1964), model, reality television star, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (Milwaukee)
- John Fiedler (1925–2005), actor, voice of Piglet (Platteville, Shorewood)
- Paul Gigot (born 1955), host and commentator on Journal Editorial Report (Green Bay, De Pere)
- David Giuntoli (born 1980), actor, Grimm (Milwaukee)
- Andrea Hall (born 1947), actress (Milwaukee)
- Deidre Hall (born 1947), actress (Milwaukee)
- Jaida Essence Hall (born 1986), drag queen and entertainer (Milwaukee)
- Dan Harmon (born 1973), writer and producer (Milwaukee)
- Joel Hodgson (born 1960), actor, comedian, creator of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Stevens Point, Green Bay)
- Isabella Hofmann (born 1958), actress, Lt. Megan Russert on Homicide: Life on the Street (East Troy)
- Gregory Itzin (born 1948), actor, President Charles Logan on 24 (Burlington)
- Ernie Johnson, Jr. (born 1956), sportscaster for Turner Sports and CBS Sports (Milwaukee)
- Jane Kaczmarek (born 1955), actress (Greendale)
- Laura Kaeppeler (born 1988), Miss America 2012 (Kenosha)
- Kathy Kinney (born 1954), actress (Stevens Point)
- Trenni Kusnierek (born 1977), reporter and studio host for MLB Network (Muskego)
- Allen Ludden (1917–1981), game show host (Mineral Point)
- Trixie Mattel (born Brian Michael Firkus, 1989), drag queen and entertainer (Milwaukee)
- David Lee McInnis (born 1973), actor based in South Korea (Green Bay, Antigo)
- Terry Meeuwsen (born 1949), Miss America 1973; co-host of The 700 Club (De Pere)
- Carol Merrill (born 1941), prize presenter, Let's Make a Deal (Frederic)
- Chris Mulkey (born 1948), actor, Bakersfield P.D., Twin Peaks (Viroqua)
- Agnes Moorehead (1900–1974), actress, radio, stage, film, television (Reedsburg)
- N–Z
- Chris Noth (born 1954), actor, Det. Mike Logan on Law & Order and Mr. Big on Sex and the City (Madison)
- Caitlin O'Heaney (born 1953), actress, Tales of the Gold Monkey (Whitefish Bay)
- Sam Page (born 1976), actor, Shark, Point Pleasant (Whitefish Bay)
- Vic Perrin (1916–1989), actor (Menomonee Falls)
- Michael Phillips (born 1961), film critic and co-host of At the Movies (Kenosha, Racine)
- Amy Pietz (born 1969), actor (Milwaukee)
- Charlotte Rae (born 1926), actress (Milwaukee, Shorewood)
- Brad Rowe (born 1970), actor, Wasteland (Milwaukee)
- Tony Shalhoub (born 1953), actor (Green Bay)
- Kurtwood Smith (born 1943), actor, Red Forman on That '70s Show (New Lisbon)
- Tom Snyder (1936–2007), talk show host (Milwaukee)
- Melinda Stolp, The Real World: Austin cast member (Germantown)
- Eric Szmanda (born 1975), actor (Milwaukee)
- Jessica Szohr (born 1985), actress (Menomonee Falls)
- Daniel J. Travanti (born 1940), Emmy Award-winning actor, Hill Street Blues (Kenosha)
- Steve True (born 1954), Emmy Award-winning sportscaster (Milwaukee)
- Greta Van Susteren (born 1954), television commentator (Appleton)
- J. D. Walsh (born 1974), actor, Smart Guy (Madison)
- Tom Welling (born 1977), actor (Janesville)
- Bradley Whitford (born 1959), actor (Madison)
- Tom Wopat (born 1951), actor (Lodi)
- Linda Young (born 1953), anime dubbing voice actress with FUNimation (Milwaukee)
- Chip Zien (born 1947), actor (Milwaukee)
Comedy
- Frank Caliendo (born 1974), comedian (Waukesha)
- Randy Chestnut (born 1971), comedian (Baraboo, Madison)
- Chris Farley (1964–1997), comedian (Madison)
- Tim Harmston, stand-up comedian (Menomonie)
- Jackie Kashian, stand-up comedian (South Milwaukee)
- Mary Mack, stand-up comedian (Webster)
- Jackie Mason (born 1931), comedian and actor (Sheboygan)
- John McGivern, comedian (Milwaukee)
Music
History
- Stephen Ambrose (1936–2002), historian (Whitewater)
- William Cronon (born 1954), environmental historian (Madison)
- Lyman Draper (1815–1891), historian and librarian (Madison)
- Harvey Goldberg (1922–1987), historian (Madison)
- George Mosse (1918–1999), social and cultural historian (Madison)
- Gerhard Brandt Naeseth (1913–1994), founder of the Norwegian-American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library (Madison)
- James Breck Perkins (1847–1910), historian and U.S. Congressman (St. Croix Falls)
- David Schoenbaum (born 1935), historian and social scientist (Milwaukee)
- Kenneth M. Stampp (1912–2009), historian (Milwaukee)
- John Toland (1912–2004), Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author (La Crosse)
- Frederick Jackson Turner (1861–1932), historian, known for his Frontier Thesis (Portage)
- T. Harry Williams (1909–1979), Pulitzer Prize-winning historian (Hazel Green)
Military
- A–B
- Harold C. Agerholm (1925–1944), World War II Medal of Honor recipient (Racine)
- Daniel R. Ammerman, U.S. Army Major General (West Allis, De Pere)
- Frank L. Anders (1875–1966), Philippine–American War Medal of Honor recipient (Ripon)
- James Roy Andersen (1904–1945), U.S. Army general (Racine)
- Beauford T. Anderson (1922–1996), World War II Medal of Honor recipient (Eagle, Soldiers Grove)
- Mark E. Anderson, U.S. National Guard general (Wisconsin Rapids)
- Peter Anderson (1847–1907), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Lafayette County)
- Fred Ascani (1917–2010), U.S. Air Force Major General (Beloit)
- Margaret H. Bair, U.S. Air National Guard general (Lake Geneva)
- Merton W. Baker (1924–2000), U.S. Air Force Major General (Tomahawk)
- George Barnett (1859–1930), Commandant of the United States Marine Corps (Lancaster, Boscobel)
- Stuart E. Barstad (1929–2009), Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force (Colfax)
- William A. Barstow (1813–1865), Union Army general (Waukesha, Janesville)
- Frank E. Beatty (1853–1926), U.S. Navy admiral (Aztalan)
- Harry Bell (1860–1938), Philippine–American War Medal of Honor recipient (Milwaukee)
- Leslie Allen Bellrichard (1941–1967), Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient (Janesville)
- Harold Medberry Bemis (1884–1970), U.S. Navy admiral (Oshkosh)
- Paul M. Blayney, U.S. Coast Guard admiral (Milwaukee, Jefferson)
- Orville Emil Bloch (1915–1983), World War II Medal of Honor recipient (Big Falls)
- Robert D. Bohn, U.S. Marine Corps Major General (Neenah)
- Richard Bong (1920–1945), World War II pilot (Superior)
- Frank Matteson Bostwick (1857–1945), U.S. Navy Commodore (Janesville)
- Peter J. Boylan, U.S. Army Major General (Portage)
- John Bradley (1923–1994), Iwo Jima flag-raiser (Antigo)
- Edward S. Bragg (1827–1912), Union Army general (Fond du Lac)
- Deming Bronson (1894–1957), World War I Medal of Honor recipient (Rhinelander)
- Oscar Brookin, Spanish–American War Medal of Honor recipient (Byron)
- Clarence John Brown (1895–1973), U.S. Navy Vice Admiral (Plum City)
- F. Taylor Brown (1925–2011), U.S. Navy admiral (Ashland)
- Robert Whitney Burns (1908–1964), U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General (Stanley)
- Elmer J. Burr (1908–1942), World War II Medal of Honor recipient (Neenah, Menasha)
- C–E
- Joseph Cable (1848–1877), American Indian Wars Medal of Honor recipient (Madison)
- James J. Carey, U.S. Navy admiral (Green Lake County, Aurora)
- Irving J. Carr (1875–1963), U.S. Army Major General (Chippewa Falls)
- Guy W.S. Castle (1879–1919), Medal of Honor recipient
- Arthur S. Champeny (1893–1979), U.S. Army general (Briggsville)
- Stanley R. Christianson (1925–1950), Korean War Medal of Honor recipient (Mindoro)
- Paul Clemens, U.S. Army general (Superior)
- Gerald W. Clusen, U.S. Navy admiral (Manitowoc)
- Jefferson Coates (1843–1880), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Boscobel)
- James Kelsey Cogswell (1847–1908), U.S. Navy admiral (Milwaukee)
- Robert Grimes Coman (1887–1963), U.S. Navy Commodore (Trempealeau)
- Richard H. Cosgriff (1845–1910), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Hudson, Chippewa Falls)
- James E. Croft (1833–1914), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Janesville)
- Winfield S. Cunningham (1900–1986), U.S. Navy admiral (Rockbridge)
- James B. Currie (1925–2009), U.S. Air Force Major General (Milwaukee)
- William B. Cushing (1842–1874), Navy officer who sank the CSS Albemarle; namesake of the USS Cushing (Delafield)
- Marshall E. Cusic Jr., U.S. Navy admiral (Marshfield)
- Lysander Cutler (1807–1866), Union Army general (Milwaukee)
- Clinton W. Davies (1899–1989), U.S. Air Force general (Racine)
- Frederick Curtice Davis (1915–1941), highly decorated Navy officer; namesake of the USS Frederick C. Davis (Rock County)
- Leighton I. Davis (1910–1995), U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General (Sparta)
- Charles G. Dawes (1865–1951), U.S. Army general (La Crosse)
- Dirk J. Debbink, U.S. Navy Vice Admiral; Chief of Navy Reserve (Oconomowoc)
- Abraham DeSomer (1884–1974), Medal of Honor recipient (Milwaukee)
- John Durham (1843–1918), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Malone)
- Herbert W. Ehrgott (1910–1982), U.S. Air Force general (Milwaukee)
- Clarence Ekstrom, U.S. Navy Vice Admiral (Waupaca)
- Horace Ellis (1843–1867), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Chippewa Falls)
- William Ellis (1834–1875), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Watertown)
- Gerald L. Endl (1915–1944), World War II Medal of Honor recipient (Fort Atkinson, Janesville)
- F–I
- Lucius Fairchild (1831–1896), Union Army general (Madison)
- Peter Fanta, U.S. Navy admiral (Manitowoc)
- Jack K. Farris (born 1934), U.S. Air Force Major General (Fennimore)
- Richard W. Fellows (1914–1998), U.S. Air Force general (Algoma)
- Art Fiala (1899–2005), World War I (Kewaunee)
- James H. Flatley (1906–1958), U.S. Navy Vice Admiral (Green Bay)
- Lawrence J. Fleming (1922–2006), U.S. Air Force Major General (Green Bay)
- James F. Flock, U.S. Marine Corps Major General (Milwaukee)
- Amos Fries (1873–1963), U.S. Army Major General, Chief of the Chemical Warfare Service (Viroqua)
- Harold A. Fritz (born 1944), Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient (Milwaukee)
- Julius A. Furer (1880–1963), U.S. Navy admiral (Mosel)
- Augustus F. Gearhard (1893–1975), Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force (Milwaukee)
- Theodore W. Goldin (1858–1935), American Indian Wars Medal of Honor recipient (Avon, Brodhead, Janesville, King)
- Albert W. Grant (1856–1930), U.S. Navy Vice Admiral (Stevens Point)
- Sandra A. Gregory, U.S. Air Force general (Loyal)
- Kenneth E. Gruennert (1922–1942), World War II Medal of Honor recipient (Helenville)
- Charles Smith Hamilton (1822–1891), Union Army Major General (Milwaukee)
- Melvin O. Handrich (1919–1950), Korean War Medal of Honor recipient (Manawa)
- Rodney R. Hannula, U.S. National Guard Major General (Saxon)
- William Frederick Hase (1874–1935), U.S. Army Major General (Milwaukee)
- J. Michael Hayes, U.S. Marine Corps general (Milwaukee)
- Philip Hayes (1887–1949), U.S. Army Major General (Portage)
- John Higgins (1899–1973), U.S. Navy admiral (Madison)
- Frank E. Hill (1850–1906), American Indian Wars Medal of Honor recipient (Mayfield)
- Benjamin Hilliker, American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Town of Waupaca)
- Harrison Carroll Hobart (1815–1902), Union Army general (Sheboygan, Chilton, Milwaukee)
- Roy Hoffmann, U.S. Navy admiral (Milwaukee)
- Lucius Roy Holbrook (1875–1952), U.S. Army Major General (Arkansaw)
- Willard Ames Holbrook (1860–1932), U.S. Army Major General (Arkansaw)
- David William Hutchison (1908–1982), U.S. Air Force Major General (Mineral Point)
- Einar H. Ingman, Jr. (born 1929), Korean War Medal of Honor recipient (Milwaukee, Tomahawk)
- J–L
- Frank B. James (1912–2004), U.S. Air Force general (Delavan)
- Marvin John Jensen (1908–1993), U.S. Navy admiral (Sheboygan)
- John L. Jerstad (1918–1943), World War II Medal of Honor recipient (Racine, Milwaukee)
- Jay L. Johnson, Chief of Naval Operations (West Salem)
- John Johnson (1842–1907), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Janesville)
- Stephen E. Johnson, U.S. Navy admiral (Wisconsin Rapids)
- Donald S. Jones (1928–2004), U.S. Navy Vice Admiral (Madison)
- Harley Sanford Jones (1902–1997), U.S. Air Force general (Fox Lake)
- Emil C. Kiel (1895–1977), U.S. Air Force general
- Charles King (1844–1933), U.S. Army general (Milwaukee)
- Rufus King (1814–1876), Union Army general (Milwaukee)
- John Baxter Kinne (1877–1954), Philippine–American War Medal of Honor recipient (Beloit)
- Louis Joseph Kirn (1908–1995), U.S. Navy admiral (Milwaukee)
- Russell Klika, combat photographer (Appleton)
- Richard A. Knobloch (1918–2001), U.S. Air Force general (West Allis, Milwaukee)
- Oscar Koch (1897–1970), U.S. Army general, member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame (Milwaukee)
- Edmond Konrad, U.S. Navy admiral (Oshkosh)
- James Benjamin Lampert (1914–1978), U.S. Army Lieutenant General
- Thomas B. Larkin (1890–1968), Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army (Louisburg)
- Daniel P. Leaf, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General, Commander of the United States Pacific Command (Shawano)
- William D. Leahy (1875–1959), U.S. Navy Fleet Admiral, first military officer to reach of five-star rank (Ashland)
- James J. LeCleir (born 1941), U.S. Air Force Major General (Chippewa Falls)
- Scott D. Legwold, U.S. National Guard general (Eau Claire)
- James J. Lindsay (born 1932), U.S. Army General, first Commander of the United States Special Operations Command (Portage)
- Nathan J. Lindsay (born 1936), U.S. Air Force Major General (Monroe)
- Arno H. Luehman (1911–1989), U.S. Air Force Major General (Milwaukee)
- Edward E. Lyon (1871–1931), Philippine–American War Medal of Honor recipient (Hixton)
- M–O
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- Arthur MacArthur, Jr. (1845–1912), Medal of Honor Civil War, "On Wisconsin", father of General Douglas MacArthur (Milwaukee)
- Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964), General of the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Chief of Staff, Medal of Honor recipient (Milwaukee)
- Alexander Mackenzie (1844–1921), U.S. Army Chief of Engineers (Postosi)
- Lester J. Maitland (1899–1990), U.S. Army Air Service general (Milwaukee)
- Francis Marshall, U.S. Army general (Darlington)
- Michael A. McAuliffe (born 1941), U.S. Air Force general (Ashland)
- Michael J. McCarthy, U.S. Air Force Major General (Niagara)
- John E. McCoy, U.S. Air National Guard general (Janesville, Stoughton)
- Robert Bruce McCoy (1867–1926), U.S. National Guard Major General (Kenosha, Lafayette, Sparta)
- Arthur L. McCullough, U.S. Air Force general (Milwaukee)
- Charles C. McDonald (born 1933), U.S. Air Force General (Barron)
- Edward McGlachlin, Jr., U.S. Army Major General (Fond du Lac, Stevens Point)
- Hugh J. McGrath (1858–1899), Philippine–American War Medal of Honor recipient (Fond du Lac)
- Andrew Miller (1916–1944), World War II Medal of Honor recipient (Manitowoc, Two Rivers)
- John S. Mills (1906–1996), U.S. Air Force Major General (Appleton)
- Billy Mitchell (1879–1936), U.S. general, aviation (raised in West Allis)
- Marc Mitscher (1887–1947), World War II admiral (Hillsboro)
- Robert J. Modrzejewski (born 1934), Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient (Milwaukee)
- Daniel B. Moore (1838–1914), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Mifflin)
- Charles E. Mower (1924–1944), World War II Medal of Honor recipient (Chippewa Falls)
- Dennis Murphy (1830–1901), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Green Bay)
- Beryl Newman (1911–1998), World War II Medal of Honor recipient (Baraboo)
- Richard J. Nolan (1848–1905), American Indian Wars Medal of Honor recipient (Milwaukee)
- William Nordeen (1936–1988), U.S. Navy officer, killed in terrorist attack (Amery, Centuria)
- Albert O'Connor, American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Lodi)
- Tad J. Oelstrom, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General (Milwaukee)
- Ralph A. Ofstie (1897–1956), U.S. Navy Vice Admiral (Eau Claire)
- Truman O. Olson (1917–1944), World War II Medal of Honor recipient (Christiana, Cambridge)
- Andrew P. O'Meara (1907–2005), U.S. Army General, Commander-in-Chief of United States Southern Command and United States Army Europe (West Bend)
- John Birdsell Oren (1909–2006), U.S. Coast Guard admiral (Madison)
- P–S
- Halbert E. Paine (1826–1905), Union Army general (Milwaukee)
- John Patterson (1838–1922), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Summit, Mauston)
- Ernest Dichmann Peek (1878–1950), U.S. Army Major General (Oshkosh)
- Oscar V. Peterson (1899–1942), World War II Medal of Honor recipient (Prentice)
- George F. Pond (1844–1911), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Fairwater)
- James Pond (1838–1903), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Janesville)
- Mitchell Red Cloud, Jr. (1924–1950), Korean War Medal of Honor recipient (Hatfield, Merrillan)
- Marcus Robbins (1851–1924), American Indian Wars Medal of Honor recipient (Elba)
- Carson Abel Roberts (1905–1983), U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General (Lancaster)
- Marcus W. Robertson (1870–1948), Philippine–American War Medal of Honor recipient (Suamico)
- Davis C. Rohr, U.S. Air Force Major General (Burlington)
- Thomas H. Ruger (1833–1907), Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (Janesville)
- Margaret A. Rykowski, U.S. Navy admiral (Milwaukee)
- Ben L. Salomon (1914–1944), World War II Medal of Honor recipient (Milwaukee)
- Frederick Salomon (1826–1897), Union Army general (Manitowoc)
- Elmer Salzman, U.S. Marine Corps Major General (Kiel)
- Walter Schindler (1897–1991), U.S. Navy Vice Admiral (New Glarus)
- Herman Alfred Schmid (1910–1985), U.S. Air Force general (Milwaukee)
- Carl Schurz (1829–1906), Union Army Major General (Town of Watertown, Milwaukee)
- Richard Severson, U.S. Air Force general (Brooklyn)
- James Shields (1810–1879), Union Army general
- Henry Hastings Sibley (1811–1891), Union Army general
- William Sickles (1844–1938), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Fall River)
- John Otto Siegel (1890–1973), World War I Medal of Honor recipient (Milwaukee)
- Lance Sijan (1942–1968), Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient (Milwaukee)
- Clayton K. Slack (1896–1976), World War I Medal of Honor recipient (Plover)
- Fred R. Sloan, U.S. Air National Guard Major General (Milwaukee)
- John Converse Starkweather (1829–1890), Union Army general (Milwaukee)
- Henry J. Stehling (1918–2001), U.S. Air Force general (Milwaukee)
- Joseph Stika (1889–1976), U.S. Coast Guard Vice Admiral (Milwaukee, Kewaunee)
- Kenneth E. Stumpf (born 1944), Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient (Neenah, Milwaukee)
- Jerome A. Sudut (1930–1951), Korean War Medal of Honor recipient (Wausau)
- Dennis B. Sullivan (born 1927), U.S. Air Force general (Chippewa Falls)
- Timothy S. Sullivan, U.S. Coast Guard admiral (Milwaukee)
- Woodrow Swancutt (1915–1993), U.S. Air Force Major General (Edgar)
- T–Z
- Eugene L. Tattini, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General (Madison)
- Claude Taugher (1895–1963), World War I Distinguished Service Cross and Navy Cross recipient (Marathon City)
- Thomas Toohey (1835–1918), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Milwaukee)
- Robin G. Tornow (1942–2010), U.S. Air Force general (Monroe)
- Charles Treat, U.S. Army general (Monroe)
- Clement A. Trott, U.S. Army Major General (Milwaukee)
- Edwin M. Truell (1841–1907), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (Mauston)
- Merrill B. Twining (1902–1996), U.S. Marine Corps General (Monroe)
- Nathan C. Twining (1869–1924), U.S. Navy admiral (Boscobel)
- Nathan Farragut Twining (1897–1982), U.S. Air Force general (Monroe)
- William J. Van Ryzin (1914–2002), U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General (Appleton)
- James M. Vande Hey (1916–2009), U.S. Air Force general
- Hoyt Vandenberg (1899–1954), U.S. Air Force general (Milwaukee)
- James R. Van Den Elzen (born 1931), U.S. Marine Corps general (Green Bay)
- Alfred Verhulst (1921–1975), U.S. Air Force general (Sheboygan Falls)
- Fred W. Vetter, Jr. (1921–2002), U.S. Air Force general (Milwaukee)
- Lutz Wahl (1869–1928), Adjutant General of the U.S. Army (Milwaukee)
- William Miller Wallace (1844–1924), U.S. Army general (Prairie du Chien)
- Francis A. Wallar (1840–1911), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (De Soto)
- Cadwallader C. Washburn (1818–1882), Union Army Major General (Mineral Point, La Crosse)
- Waldemar F.A. Wendt (1912–1997), U.S. Navy Admiral, Commander-in-Chief of the United States Naval Forces Europe
- Don S. Wenger (1911–1986), U.S. Air Force Major General (Monroe)
- Leslie J. Westberg (1920–1997), U.S. Air Force general (Menasha)
- Gary George Wetzel (born 1947), Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient (South Milwaukee, Milwaukee)
- Charles W. Whittlesey (1884–1921), World War I Medal of Honor recipient (Florence)
- Hugh E. Wild (born 1918), U.S. Air Force general (Elmwood)
- Albert H. Wilkening, U.S. Air National Guard Major General
- Donald Erwin Wilson, U.S. Navy admiral (Taylor County)
- Claron A. Windus, Indian Wars Medal of Honor recipient (Janesville)
- Arthur Wolcott Yates, U.S. Army general
- Cassin Young (1894–1942), World War II Medal of Honor recipient
- Frank Albert Young (1876–1941), China Relief Expedition Medal of Honor recipient (Milwaukee)
- Elmo Zumwalt (1920–2000), Chief of Naval Operations (Milwaukee)
- Ralph Wise Zwicker (1903–1991), U.S. Army Major General (Stoughton)
Nobel laureates
- John Bardeen (1908–1991), B.S. 1928 and M.S. 1929, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1956 and 1972 (Madison)
- Günter Blobel (born 1936), Ph.D. 1967, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1999 (Madison)
- Paul D. Boyer (born 1918), M.S. 1941, Ph.D. 1943, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1997 (Madison)
- Joseph Erlanger (1874–1965), recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1944 (Madison)
- Herbert Spencer Gasser (1888–1963), B.S. 1910, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1944 (Platteville)
- Jack Kilby (1923–2005), M.S. 1950, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics for the integrated circuit in 2000 (Milwaukee)
- Joshua Lederberg (1925–2008), recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1958 (Madison)
- Alan G. MacDiarmid (1927–2007), M.S. 1952, Ph.D. 1953, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000 (Madison)
- Stanford Moore (1913–1982), Ph.D. 1938, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1972 (Madison)
- William P. Murphy (1892–1987), recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1934 (Stoughton)
- Erwin Neher (born 1944), M.S. 1967, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1991 (Madison)
- Theodore Schultz (1902–1998), M.S. 1928, Ph.D. 1930, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1979 (Madison)
- Herbert A. Simon (1916–2001), B.A. 1936, Ph.D. 1943, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1978 (Milwaukee)
- Edward Lawrie Tatum (1909–1975), B.A. 1931, M.S. 1932, Ph.D. 1935, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1958 (Madison)
- John H. van Vleck (1899–1980), A.B. 1920, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1977 (Madison)
Politics and activism
- A–B
- Glenn A. Abbey (1898–1962), U.S. diplomat (Dodgeville)
- Alva Adams (1850–1922), Governor of Colorado (Iowa County)
- Billy Adams (1861–1954), Governor of Colorado (Blue Mounds)
- J. Frank Aldrich (1853–1933), U.S. Representative from Illinois (Two Rivers)
- William Aldrich (1820–1885), U.S. Representative from Illinois (Fond du Lac)
- William A. Anderson (1873–1954), Mayor of Minneapolis (Adams County)
- George R. Andrews (1808–1873), U.S. Representative from New York (Oshkosh)
- Walter Annenberg (1908–2002), U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom (Milwaukee)
- Les Aspin (1938–1995), Congressman and Secretary of Defense (Milwaukee)
- Gerhard A. Bading (1870–1946), U.S. diplomat (Milwaukee)
- John Miller Baer (1886–1970), U.S. Representative from North Dakota (Black Creek)
- Hiram Barber, Jr. (1835–1924), U.S. Representative from Illinois (Horicon, Juneau)
- Thomas M. Barrett (born 1953), Congressman and Mayor of Milwaukee (Milwaukee)
- William A. Barstow (1813–1865), Governor (Waukesha, Janesville)
- Coles Bashford (1816–1878), Governor, U.S. Congressional Delegate from the Arizona Territory (Oshkosh)
- David L. Bazelon (1909–1993), Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals (Superior)
- Charles S. Benton (1810–1882), U.S. Representative from New York (Milwaukee, La Crosse)
- Victor L. Berger (1860–1929), U.S. Representative (Milwaukee)
- Benjamin P. Birdsall (1858–1917), U.S. Representative from Iowa (Weyauwega)
- John J. Blaine (1875–1934), Governor and U.S. Senator (Wingville)
- C. A. Bottolfsen (1891–1964), Governor of Idaho (Superior)
- Matthias J. Bovee (1793–1872), U.S. Representative from New York (Milwaukee, Eagle)
- Edward S. Bragg (1827–1912), U.S. diplomat (Fond du Lac)
- John A. Bryan (1794–1864), U.S. diplomat (Milwaukee, Menasha)
- James Budd (1851–1908), California Governor (Janesville)
- George Bunn (1865–1918), Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court (Sparta)
- John H. Burke (1894–1951), U.S. Representative from California (Excelsior)
- John R. Burke (1924–1993), U.S. diplomat (Madison)
- Charles C. Butler, Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court (Milwaukee)
- John W. Byrnes (1913–1985), U.S. Representative (Green Bay)
- C–E
- Thomas Cale (1848–1941), U.S. Congressional Delegate from the Alaska Territory (Fond du Lac)
- John Benton Callis (1828–1898), U.S. Representative from Alabama (Lancaster)
- Lois Capps (born 1938), U.S. Representative from California (Ladysmith)
- Milton Robert Carr (born 1943), U.S. Representative from Michigan (Janesville)
- Carrie Chapman Catt (1859–1947), feminist (Ripon)
- Eugene W. Chafin (1852–1920), Prohibition Party candidate for President of the United States (East Troy, Waukesha)
- Liz Cheney (born 1966), U.S. Representative from Wyoming (Madison)
- Kathryn F. Clarenbach (1920–1994), first chairwoman of the National Organization for Women (Sparta)
- Paul Clement (born 1966), Solicitor General of the United States (Town of Cedarburg)
- Cliff Clevenger (1885–1960), U.S. Representative from Ohio (Appleton)
- Wilbur J. Cohen (1913–1987), U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (Milwaukee)
- Harmon Sweatland Conger (1816–1882), U.S. Representative from New York (Janesville)
- Willis C. Cook (1874–1942), U.S. diplomat (Gratiot)
- Henry A. Cooper (1850–1931), U.S. Representative (Spring Prairie, Burlington, Racine)
- Michael Copps (born 1940), Commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission (Milwaukee)
- John W. Cox Jr. (born 1947), U.S. Representative from Illinois (Hazel Green)
- Kenneth H. Dahlberg (born 1917), figure in the Watergate scandal, later cleared (Wilson)
- Henry C. A. Damm (1874–1929), U.S. diplomat (Waushara County)
- Joseph E. Davies (1876–1958), U.S. diplomat (Watertown)
- Charles G. Dawes (1865–1951), Vice President of the United States (La Crosse)
- Thomas Cleland Dawson (1865–1912), U.S. diplomat (Hudson)
- Ada Deer (born 1935), Native-American/Menominee activist, former BIA official (Keshena)
- Peter V. Deuster (1831–1904), U.S. diplomat (Milwaukee, Port Washington)
- Bernardine Dohrn (born 1942), activist (Milwaukee)
- Michael Dombeck, former Chief of the US Forest Service
- F. Ryan Duffy (1888–1979), Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals (Fond du Lac)
- Charles Durkee (1805–1870), U.S. Senator, Governor of the Utah Territory (Kenosha)
- Lawrence Eagleburger (1930–2011), Secretary of State (Milwaukee)
- John E. Erickson (1863–1946), U.S. Senator from Montana (Stoughton)
- John J. Esch (1861–1941), U.S. Representative (Norwalk, La Crosse)
- Experience Estabrook (1813–1894), U.S. Congressional Delegate from Nebraska Territory (Geneva)
- Evan Alfred Evans (1876–1948), Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals (Spring Green, Baraboo)
- F–I
- Lucius Fairchild (1831–1896), U.S. diplomat (Madison)
- Thomas E. Fairchild (1912–2007), Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals (Milwaukee)
- Jacob Fawcett, Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court (Benton)
- Russ Feingold (born 1953), U.S. Senator and co-author of McCain-Feingold Campaign Reform Act (Janesville, Middleton)
- William R. Finch (1847–1913), U.S. diplomat (Walworth County)
- Albert Fowler (1802–1883), Mayor of Rockford, Illinois (Milwaukee, Wauwatosa)
- James A. Frear (1861–1939), U.S. Representative (Hudson)
- George A. Garrett (1888–1971), U.S. diplomat (La Crosse)
- Hiram Gill (1866–1919), Mayor of Seattle (Watertown)
- James Gillett (1860–1937), U.S. Representative from California (Viroqua, Sparta)
- Callista Gingrich (born 1966), wife of former Speaker Newt Gingrich (Whitehall)
- Glory of the Morning, the only female chief ever recorded in the oral history of the Ho-Chunk nation
- Guy D. Goff (1866–1933), U.S. Senator from West Virginia (Milwaukee)
- William Goodell (1792–1878), prominent abolitionist, candidate for President of the United States (Janesville)
- Warren Green (1870–1945), Governor of South Dakota (Jackson County)
- John A. Gronouski (1919–1996), U.S. Postmaster General (Dunbar, Green Bay)
- Richard W. Guenther (1845–1913), U.S. diplomat (Oshkosh)
- Herbert James Hagerman (1871–1935), Governor of the New Mexico Territory (Milwaukee)
- Darwin Hall (1844–1919), U.S. Representative from Minnesota (Wheatland, Grand Rapids)
- John Hammill (1875–1936), Governor of Iowa (Linden)
- Henry C. Hansbrough (1848–1933), U.S. Senator from North Dakota (Baraboo)
- Ole Hanson (1874–1940), Mayor of Seattle (Racine County)
- Mildred Harnack (1902–1943), resistance fighter in Nazi Germany (Milwaukee)
- Gilbert N. Haugen (1859–1933), U.S. Representative from Iowa (Orfordville)
- Everis A. Hayes (1855–1942), U.S. Representative from California (Waterloo)
- Ned R. Healy (1905–1977), U.S. Representative from California (Milwaukee)
- Charles N. Herreid (1857–1928), Governor of South Dakota (Madison)
- Lorena Hickok (1893–1968), friend of Eleanor Roosevelt, helped Harry Hopkins with fact-finding missions during the New Deal (East Troy)
- Fred H. Hildebrandt (1874–1956), U.S. Representative from South Dakota (West Bend, Waupun)
- George H. Hodges (1866–1947), Governor of Kansas (Orion)
- Adoniram J. Holmes (1842–1902), U.S. Representative from Iowa (Palmyra)
- Timothy O. Howe (1816–1883), U.S. Postmaster General (Green Bay)
- Daniel Hugunin, Jr. (1790–1850), U.S. Representative from New York (Kenosha)
- Merlin Hull (1871–1953), U.S. Representative (Black River Falls)
- Paul O. Husting (1866–1917), U.S. Senator (Fond du Lac)
- J–L
- Franklin M. Jahnke (born 1990), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
- Edward H. Jenison (1907–1996), U.S. Representative from Illinois (Fond du Lac)
- J. Leroy Johnson (1888–1961), U.S. Representative from California (Wausau)
- Martin N. Johnson (1850–1909), U.S. Senator from North Dakota (Racine County)
- Charles Jonas (1840–1896), U.S. diplomat (Racine)
- Edgar A. Jonas (1885–1965), U.S. Representative from Illinois (Mishicot)
- Francis B. Keene, U.S. diplomat (Milwaukee)
- Oscar Keller (1878–1927), U.S. Representative from Minnesota (Helenville)
- John Edward Kelley (1853–1941), U.S. Representative from South Dakota (Portage)
- George F. Kennan (1904–2005), diplomat (Milwaukee)
- Rufus King (1814–1876), U.S. diplomat (Milwaukee)
- Jerry Kleczka (born 1943), U.S. Representative (Milwaukee)
- Herb Kohl (born 1935), U.S. Senator and sports-franchise owner (Milwaukee)
- Ken Kratz (born 1960-61), former district attorney of Calumet County, Wisconsin; law license was suspended for four months after sexting scandal
- Julius Albert Krug (1907–1970), U.S. Secretary of the Interior (Madison)
- Paul John Kvale (1896–1960), U.S. Representative from Minnesota (Orfordville)
- Robert M. La Follette (1855–1925), Congressman, Governor and U.S. Senator (Primrose, Madison)
- Robert M. La Follette Jr. (1895–1953), U.S. Senator (Madison)
- Mel Laird (born 1922), Congressman and Secretary of Defense (Marshfield)
- Richard D. Lamm (born 1935), Governor of Colorado, Reform Party candidate for President of the United States (Madison)
- Gilbert L. Laws (1838–1907), U.S. Representative from Nebraska (Richland Center)
- Irvine Lenroot (1869–1949), U.S. Senator (Superior)
- Jerris G. Leonard (1931–2006), Administrator of the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (Milwaukee)
- Debbie Lesko (born 1958), U.S. Representative from Arizona (Sheboygan)
- Francis O. Lindquist (1869–1924), U.S. Representative from Michigan (Marinette)
- Thomas A. Livesley (1863–1947), Mayor of Salem, Oregon (Ironton)
- Thomas A. Loftus (born 1945), U.S. diplomat (Stoughton)
- James B. Loken (born 1940), Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals (Madison)
- Don Lathrop Love (1863–1940), Mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska (Janesville)
- Patrick Joseph Lucey (born 1918), U.S. diplomat, Independent candidate for Vice President of the United States (La Crosse, Prairie du Chien)
- M–O
- William Josiah MacDonald (1873–1946), U.S. Representative from Michigan (Potosi)
- Henry Markham (1840–1923), U.S. Representative from California (Milwaukee)
- John McCarthy (1857–1943), U.S. Representative from Nebraska (Stoughton)
- Joseph McCarthy (1908–1957), U.S. Senator (Grand Chute, Shawano)
- James McCleary (1853–1924), U.S. Representative from Minnesota (Maiden Rock)
- James B. McLeran, state assembly member
- Myron Hawley McCord (1840–1908), U.S. Representative, Governor of the Arizona Territory (Shawano, Merrill)
- K. T. McFarland (born 1951), Deputy National Security Advisor (Madison)
- George de Rue Meiklejohn (1857–1929), U.S. Representative from Nebraska (Weyauwega)
- Golda Meir (1898–1978), Israeli Prime Minister (Milwaukee)
- Abner J. Mikva (born 1926), U.S. Representative from Illinois (Milwaukee)
- John L. Mitchell (1842–1904), Congressman and U.S. Senator (Milwaukee)
- Charles Henry Morgan (1842–1912), U.S. Representative from Missouri (Pewaukee)
- John Morrow (1865–1935), U.S. Representative from New Mexico (Darlington)
- Wayne L. Morse (1900–1974), U.S. Senator from Oregon (Madison)
- Mary Mullarkey (born 1943), Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court (New London)
- Robert Daniel Murphy (1894–1978), U.S. diplomat (Milwaukee)
- Philleo Nash (1909–1987), Commissioner of the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs (Wisconsin Rapids)
- Gaylord Nelson (1916–2005), Governor and U.S. Senator (Clear Lake, Madison)
- Knute Nelson (1843–1923), U.S. Senator from Minnesota (Palmyra, Madison)
- Orsen N. Nielsen, U.S. diplomat (Beloit)
- William Nordeen (1936–1988), U.S. diplomat assassinated by the terrorist group Revolutionary Organization 17 November (Amery, Centuria)
- Frank Nye (1852–1935), U.S. Representative from Minnesota (River Falls, Hudson)
- Gerald Nye (1892–1971), U.S. Senator from North Dakota (Hortonville, Wittenberg)
- Dave Obey (born 1938), U.S. Representative (Wausau)
- Mike O'Callaghan (1929–2004), Governor of Nevada (La Crosse)
- Kenneth J. O'Connell (1909–2000), Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court (Bayfield)
- Alvin O'Konski (1904–1987), U.S. Representative (Kewaunee, Rhinelander)
- Ole H. Olson (1872–1954), Governor of North Dakota (Mondovi)
- P–S
- Halbert E. Paine (1826–1905), U.S. Representative (Milwaukee)
- Henry C. Payne (1843–1904), Postmaster General of the United States (Milwaukee)
- James Breck Perkins (1847–1910), U.S. Representative from New York (St. Croix Falls)
- Russell W. Peterson (born 1916), Governor of Delaware (Portage)
- Tom Petri (born 1940), U.S. Representative (Marinette, Fond du Lac)
- Augustus Herman Pettibone (1825–1918), U.S. Representative from Tennessee (La Crosse)
- Milton Rice Polland (1909–2006), Marshall Islands diplomat (Milwaukee)
- John F. Potter (1817–1899), U.S. diplomat (Town of East Troy)
- Steve Preston (born 1960), SBA administrator, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Janesville)
- J. A. O. Preus (1883–1961), Governor of Minnesota (Columbia County)
- Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, White House Chief of Staff (Kenosha)
- William Proxmire (1915–2005), U.S. Senator (Madison)
- Joseph V. Quarles (1943–1911), U.S. Senator (Kenosha)
- Alexander Randall (1819–1872), U.S. Postmaster General (Waukesha)
- Edwin M. Randall (1822–1895), Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court (Waukesha)
- Louise Goff Reece (1898–1970), U.S. Representative from Tennessee (Milwaukee)
- William Rehnquist (1924–2005), U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice (Milwaukee, Shorewood)
- Paul Samuel Reinsch (1869–1923), U.S. diplomat (Milwaukee)
- Henry S. Reuss (1912–2002), U.S. Representative (Milwaukee)
- James DeNoon Reymert (1821–1896), State legislator and newspaper publisher (Muskego, Norway)
- William A. Richards (1849–1912), Wyoming Governor (Town of Hazel Green)
- Ben A. Riehle (1897–1967), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
- Jim Risch (born 1943), U.S. Senator from Idaho (Milwaukee)
- Charles R. Robertson (1889–1951), U.S. Representative from North Dakota (Madison)
- Thomas J. B. Robinson (1868–1958), U.S. Representative from Iowa (New Diggings)
- Thomas H. Ruger (1833–1907), Governor of Georgia (Janesville)
- Loret Miller Ruppe (1936–1996), U.S. diplomat (Milwaukee)
- Jeremiah McLain Rusk (1830–1893), U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (Viroqua)
- Paul Ryan (born 1970), U.S. Representative (Janesville), Speaker of the House, and 2012 Republican nominee for Vice President under Mitt Romney
- George Myron Sabin (1833–1890), U.S. District Court Judge in Nevada (Madison)
- Elmore Y. Sarles (1859–1929), Governor of North Dakota (Wonewoc)
- Charles R. Savage (1906–1976), U.S. Representative from Washington (La Farge)
- John G. Schmitz (1930–2001), U.S. Representative from California, American Independent Party candidate for President of the United States (Milwaukee)
- Lester Schnare, U.S. diplomat (Mondovi)
- Carl Schurz (1829–1906), U.S. Secretary of the Interior (Watertown, Milwaukee)
- Lewis B. Schwellenbach (1894–1948), U.S. Secretary of Labor (Superior)
- Stuart Nash Scott (1906–1991), U.S. diplomat (Madison)
- Jim Sensenbrenner (born 1943), U.S. Representative (Shorewood)
- Carlos D. Shelden (1840–1904), U.S. Representative from Michigan (Walworth)
- James Shields (1806–1879), U.S. Senator from Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri
- Henry Hastings Sibley (1811–1891), U.S. Congressional Delegate, Governor of Minnesota
- Steve Sisolak (born 1953), Governor of Nevada (Milwaukee)
- Albert Smith (1805–1870), U.S. Representative from New York (Milwaukee)
- Daniel V. Speckhard (born 1959), U.S. diplomat (Clintonville)
- William H. Stafford (1869–1957), U.S. Representative (Milwaukee)
- Pete Stark (1931–2020), U.S. Representative from California (Milwaukee)
- George A. Starkweather (1794–1879), U.S. Representative from New York (Milwaukee)
- Halvor Steenerson (1852–1926), U.S. Representative from Minnesota (Pleasant Springs)
- Janet Dempsey Steiger (1939–2004), Chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission (Oshkosh)
- William Story (1843–1921), Lieutenant Governor of Colorado (Milwaukee)
- William H. H. Stowell (1840–1922), U.S. Representative from Virginia (Appleton)
- Robert C. Strong (1915–1999), U.S. diplomat (Beloit)
- Bart Stupak (born 1952), Michigan Congressman (Milwaukee)
- T–Z
- Clark W. Thompson, U.S. Representative from Texas (La Crosse)
- Tommy Thompson (born 1941), Governor, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and 2008 candidate for President (Elroy)
- Peter G. Torkildsen (born 1958), U.S. Representative from Massachusetts (Milwaukee)
- William M. Treloar (1850–1935), U.S. Representative from Missouri (Linden)
- Ben Tremain (born 1888)
- Fran Ulmer (born 1947), Lieutenant Governor of Alaska (Horicon)
- Robert Scadden Vessey (1858–1929), Governor of South Dakota (Oshkosh)
- William Freeman Vilas (1840–1908), U.S. Postmaster General and U.S. Secretary of the Interior (Madison)
- Aad J. Vinje (1857–1929), Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court (Superior)
- Davis H. Waite (1825–1901), Governor of Colorado (Princeton)
- Thomas J. Walsh (1859–1933), U.S. Senator and main prosecutor in the Teapot Dome Scandal hearings (Two Rivers)
- William Warner (1840–1916), U.S. Senator from Missouri (Shullsburg, Madison)
- Cadwallader C. Washburn (1818–1882), U.S. Representative (Mineral Point, La Crosse)
- Paul Weyrich (1942–2008), commentator (Racine)
- Alexander Wiley (1884–1967), U.S. Senator (Chippewa Falls)
- Frances Willard (1839–1898), suffragist and temperance activist (Janesville)
- John A. Williams (1835–1900), U.S. District Court Judge in Arkansas (Delafield)
- Gardner R. Withrow (1892–1964), U.S. Representative (La Crosse)
- Leonard G. Wolf (1925–1970), U.S. Representative from Iowa (Mazomanie)
- Frank P. Woods (1868–1944), U.S. Representative from Iowa (Sharon)
- Clement J. Zablocki (1912–1983), U.S. Representative (Milwaukee)
- Carl Zeidler (1908–1942), mayor of Milwaukee
- Frank Zeidler (1912–2006), mayor of Milwaukee, Socialist Party candidate for president in 1976 (Milwaukee)
- Roger H. Zion (born 1921), U.S. Representative from Indiana (Milwaukee)
Religion
- Anton Anderledy (1819–1892), Superior General of the Society of Jesus (Green Bay)
- Stuart E. Barstad (1929–2009), Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force (Colfax)
- David Benke (born 1946), President of the Atlantic District of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (Milwaukee)
- Thea Bowman (1937–1990), Roman Catholic nun (La Crosse)
- Fabian Bruskewitz (born 1935), Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln (Milwaukee)
- Raymond Leo Burke (born 1948), Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura (Richland Center)
- Solanus Casey (1870–1957), Roman Catholic priest, declared Venerable by Blessed John Paul II (Oak Grove)
- W. Patrick Donlin, Supreme Advocate of the Knights of Columbus (Madison)
- Selena Fox (born 1949), Wiccan priestess, religious-rights activist, and founder of Circle Sanctuary (Barneveld) and Pagan Spirit Gathering
- Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-founder of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (Madison)
- Augustus F. Gearhard (1893–1975), Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force (Milwaukee)
- Zenas H. Gurley Sr. (1801–1871), Apostle of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Yellowstone)
- Francis J. Haas (1889–1953), Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids (Racine)
- Jerome J. Hastrich (1914–1995), Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup (Milwaukee)
- Carl Christian Hein (1868–1937), President of the American Lutheran Church (Marion)
- Keith K. Hilbig (born 1942), General authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Milwaukee)
- Francis Peter Leipzig (1895–1981), Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baker (Chilton)
- Felix Ley (1909–1972), Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Naha (Hewitt)
- Arthur C. Lichtenberger (1900–1968), Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (Oshkosh)
- Albert Gregory Meyer (1903–1965), Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
- Aloisius Joseph Muench (1889–1962), Roman Catholic Cardinal (Milwaukee)
- Joseph Perry (born 1948), Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago (Mount Calvary, Milwaukee)
- Franz Pieper (1852–1931), President of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (Manitowoc)
- Herman Amberg Preus (1825–1894), President of the Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Spring Prairie)
- Vincent James Ryan (1884–1951), Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck (Arlington)
- Augustine Francis Schinner (1863–1937), Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Superior and Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane (Milwaukee)
- Mark Francis Schmitt (born 1923), Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette (Algoma)
- James Strang (1813–1856), founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) (Voree)
- Hans Gerhard Stub (1849–1931), Bishop of the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America (Muskego)
- Paul Francis Tanner (1905–1994), Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine (Milwaukee)
Science, including medicine
- Frank Ackerman (born 1946), economist (Madison)
- Roy Chapman Andrews (1884–1960), naturalist (Beloit)
- John Bardeen (1908–1991), Nobel Prize-winning physicist (Madison)
- George Harold Brown (1908–1987), developer of color television (Portage)
- Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin (1843–1928), geologist (Beloit)
- John Henry Comstock (1849–1931), entomologist (Janesville)
- Edwin Copeland, noted botanist and founder of the University of the Philippines Los Banos College of Agriculture
- Seymour Cray (1925–1996), computer designer (Chippewa Falls)
- John Thomas Curtis (1913–1961), botanist and ecologist; the Bray Curtis dissimilarity is partially named for him (Milwaukee)
- Marshall E. Cusic Jr., Chief of the U.S. Navy Medical Reserve Corps (Marshfield)
- Farrington Daniels (1889–1972), pioneer researcher in Solar energy (Madison)
- Richard Davidson (born 1951), psychologist, pioneer of affective neuroscience (Madison)
- Hector DeLuca, Vitamin D metabolism (Madison)
- Michael Dhuey (born 1958), co-developer of the Macintosh II and the iPod (Milwaukee)
- Olin J. Eggen (1919–1998), astronomer (Orfordville)
- Milton Erickson (1901–1980), founding president of the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis, NLP (Lowell)
- Ernst Guillemin (1898–1970), recipient of the IEEE Medal of Honor (Milwaukee)
- Ned Hollister (1876–1924), biologist (Delavan)
- Donald Knuth (born 1938), computer scientist (Milwaukee)
- Elmer Kraemer (1898–1943), chemist (Liberty)
- Donald Laub (born 1935), plastic surgeon (Milwaukee)
- Albert Lehninger (1917–1986), biochemist (Madison)
- Aldo Leopold (1887–1948), ecologist (Madison)
- Karl Paul Link (1901–1978), discovered warfarin (named for the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation) (Madison)
- William Shainline Middleton (1890–1975), co-founder and Secretary-Treasurer of the American Board of Internal Medicine (Madison)
- John Muir (1838–1914), environmentalist (Portage)
- John Benjamin Murphy (1857–1916), inventor of Murphy's punch sign, Murphy's sign, and the Murphy drip (Appleton)
- Robert B. Pinter (1937–2001), biomedical engineer (Milwaukee)
- Carl Rogers (1902–1987), psychologist and originator of "client-centered therapy" (Madison)
- Francis G. Slack (1897–1985), physicist (Superior)
- Harry Steenbock (1886–1967), Vitamin D catalyzed by sunlight, D-fortified milk; rickets cured (Charlestown, New Holstein, Madison)
- Jeremiah Burnham Tainter (1836–1920), inventor of the Tainter gate (Prairie du Chien)
- James Thomson (born 1958), first scientist to isolate human embryonic stem cells (Madison)
- Darold Treffert, psychiatrist (Fond du Lac)
- Charles R. Van Hise (1857–1918), geologist and academic (Fulton)
- Thorstein Veblen (1857–1929), sociologist, economist, social theorist (Cato)
- Warren Weaver (1894–1978), pioneer of machine translation (Reedsburg)
- Louis Jolyon West (1924–1999), psychiatrist (Madison)
- Daniel Hale Williams (1858–1931), surgeon (Janesville)
- Oliver E. Williamson (born 1932), economist (Superior)
- Joseph Zimmermann (1912–2004), inventor of the answering machine (Kenosha)
- Otto Julius Zobel (1887–1970), inventor of the m-derived filter and the Zobel network (Ripon)
Space exploration
- Daniel Brandenstein (born 1943), astronaut (Watertown)
- Raja Chari (born 1977), astronaut candidate
- Leroy Chiao (born 1960), astronaut (Milwaukee)
- Laurel Clark (1961–2003), astronaut; died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster (Racine)
- Mark C. Lee (born 1952), astronaut (Viroqua)
- Nathan J. Lindsay (born 1936), astronaut (Monroe)
- Jim Lovell (born 1928), astronaut (Milwaukee)
- Deke Slayton (1924–1993), astronaut (Sparta)
- Eugene L. Tattini, Deputy Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Madison)
- Jeffrey Williams (born 1958), astronaut (Superior, Winter)
Sports
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- A–B
- Earl Abell (1892–1956), head coach of Colgate Raiders and Virginia Cavaliers football teams, member of College Football Hall of Fame (Portage)
- Ellen Ahrndt (1922–2009), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player (Racine, Brodhead)
- Bill Albright (born 1929), football player (Racine)
- Alan Ameche (1933–1988), football player, Heisman Trophy winner (Kenosha)
- Austin Aries (born 1978), professional wrestler (Milwaukee)
- Morrie Arnovich (1910–1959), MLB All-Star outfielder
- Ben Askren (born 1984), amateur wrestler, mixed martial artist (Hartland)
- Ed Aspatore, football player (Fond du Lac)
- Glena Avila (born 1975), mixed martial artist (Sparta)
- Pete Banaszak (born 1944), football player (Crivitz)
- Jimmy Banks (born 1964), soccer player (Milwaukee)
- Peter Barrett (1935–2000), Olympic gold medalist (Madison)
- Sam Barry (1892–1950), head coach, Iowa and USC, basketball, baseball, football; member of Basketball Hall of Fame (Madison)
- Myrt Basing, football player (Appleton)
- Mistie Bass (born 1983), basketball player (Janesville)
- Lemoine Batson (1898–1991), Olympic athlete (Eau Claire)
- Ginger Beaumont (1876–1956), baseball player, first player to bat in World Series (Rochester, Honey Creek, Burlington)
- Wayland Becker (1910–1984), football player (Soperton)
- Travis Beckum (born 1987), football player (Milwaukee)
- Ken Behring (born 1928), former Seattle Seahawks owner (Monroe)
- Chuck Belin (born 1970), football player (Milwaukee)
- Michael Bennett (born 1978), football player (Milwaukee)
- Tony Bennett (born 1969), basketball coach at Virginia men's basketball, player at UW-Green Bay (Green Bay)
- Jason Berken (born 1983), baseball player (Green Bay)
- Dennis Berkholtz (born 1945), Olympic athlete (Appleton)
- Ray Berres (1907–2007), baseball player and coach (Kenosha)
- George Berry, football player (Milwaukee)
- Rich Bickle (born 1961), NASCAR driver (Edgerton)
- Tom Bienemann, football player (Kenosha)
- Dick Bilda, football player (Milwaukee)
- Josh Bilicki, NASCAR driver (Menomonee Falls)
- Kelly Bires (born 1984), NASCAR driver (Mauston)
- Rocky Bleier (born 1946), football player, Pittsburgh Steelers (Appleton)
- Bob Blewett (1877–1958), baseball player (Fond du Lac)
- Dick Bosman (born 1944), MLB player and coach (Kenosha)
- Timmy Bowers (born 1982), basketball player, 2006 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP (Milwaukee)
- Pat Bowlen (born 1944), owner of Denver Broncos (Prairie du Chien)
- Gene Brabender (1941–1996), baseball player (Madison)
- Gil Brandt (born 1933), NFL executive, Dallas Cowboys (Milwaukee)
- Tyrone Braxton (born 1964), football player (Madison)
- Erika Brown (born 1973), national champion curler (Madison)
- J.T. Bruett (born 1967), baseball player (Milwaukee)
- Maureen Brunt (born 1982), Olympic medalist, world champion curler (Portage)
- Cub Buck (1892–1966), NFL player, college football coach (Eau Claire)
- Ray Busler, football player (Watertown)
- Brian Butch (born 1984), basketball player (Appleton)
- Caron Butler (born 1980), basketball player (Racine)
- Karyn Bye, Olympic gold medalist (River Falls)
- C–E
- Dave Cahill (born 1942), football player (Stanley)
- Mike Cahill (born 1952), tennis player (Waukesha, Germantown)
- Jim Caldwell (born 1955), NFL head coach (Beloit)
- Dick Campbell (born 1935), football player (Green Bay)
- Gabe Carimi (born 1988), All-American and NFL football player
- Bill Carollo (born 1951), NFL referee (Brookfield, Shorewood)
- Kip Carpenter (born 1979), Olympic medalist, world champion speed skater (Brookfield)
- Anthony Carter (born 1975), basketball player (Milwaukee)
- Rick Chryst, Commissioner of the Mid-American Conference (Madison)
- Franklin Clarke (born 1934), football player (Beloit)
- John Coatta (1929–2000), NFL scout (Madison)
- Colin Cochart (born 1987), football player (Kewaunee)
- Eddie Cochems (1877–1953), college football coach (Sturgeon Bay, Madison)
- Sandy Cohen (born 1995), American-Israeli basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Craig Counsell (born 1970), player and manager for Milwaukee Brewers (Whitefish Bay)
- Lave Cross (1866–1927), baseball player (Milwaukee)
- Press Cruthers (1890–1976), baseball player (Kenosha)
- Abner Dalrymple (1857–1939), baseball player, first player to ever be intentionally walked with the bases loaded (Gratiot)
- Margaret Danhauser (1921–1987), baseball player (Racine)
- Ralph Davis, football player (Seymour)
- Claire Decker (born 1995), NASCAR driver (Eagle River)
- Natalie Decker (born 1997), NASCAR driver (Eagle River)
- Paige Decker (born 1993), NASCAR driver (Eagle River)
- Sam Dekker (born 1994), basketball player (Sheboygan)
- Jay DeMerit (born 1979), soccer player (Green Bay)
- John DeMerit (born 1936), baseball player (West Bend)
- Dan Devine (1924–2002), Notre Dame and Green Bay Packers head coach, College Football Hall of Fame (Augusta)
- Travis Diener (born 1982), basketball player (Fond du Lac)
- Mary Docter (born 1961), Olympic athlete (Madison)
- Sarah Docter (born 1964), Olympic athlete (Madison)
- John Doehring (1909–1972), football player (Milwaukee)
- Chad Dombrowski (born 1980), soccer player (West Allis)
- Tighe Dombrowski (born 1982), soccer player (West Allis)
- Gus Dorais (1891–1954), NFL head coach, College Football Hall of Fame (Chippewa Falls)
- Jake Dowell (born 1985), hockey player for Minnesota Wild (Eau Claire)
- Davis Drewiske (born 1984), hockey player for Los Angeles Kings (Hudson)
- Alyson Dudek (born 1990), Olympic athlete (Hales Corners)
- Mike Dunleavy, Jr. (born 1980), basketball player (Mequon)
- Ryne Duren (1929–2011), baseball player (Cazenovia)
- Claude Elliott (1876–1923), baseball player (Pardeeville)
- Brent Emery (born 1957), Olympic medalist (Milwaukee)
- Molly Engstrom (born 1983), Olympic medalist (Siren)
- Louise Erickson (born 1929), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player (Arcadia)
- Cory Everson (born 1958), bodybuilder, six-time Ms. Olympia (Racine)
- F–G
- Yasmin Farooq (born 1965), Olympic rower (Waupun)
- Suzy Favor-Hamilton (born 1967), Olympic runner (Stevens Point)
- Happy Felsch, baseball player (Milwaukee)
- Bill Fischer (born 1930), MLB pitcher and coach (Wausau)
- Clarke Fischer, football player (Milwaukee)
- Jim Fitzgerald (born 1926), basketball team owner (Janesville)
- Stan Fox (1952–2000), Indycar driver (Janesville)
- Travis Frederick (born 1991), football player (Sharon)
- Tucker Fredricks (born 1984), Olympic athlete, world champion speedskater (Janesville)
- Doug Free (born 1984), football player (Manitowoc)
- Lewis R. Freeman (1878–1960), football head coach, USC (Genoa Junction)
- Ted Fritsch (1920–1979), football player and basketball player (Spencer)
- Ted Fritsch, Jr. (born 1950), football player (Green Bay)
- Bruce Froemming (born 1939), MLB umpire (Milwaukee)
- Reece Gaines (born 1981), basketball player (Madison)
- Jim Gantner (born 1953), baseball player (Fond du Lac, Eden)
- Charlie Ganzel (1862–1914), baseball player (Waterford)
- Warren Giese (born 1924), football head coach, South Carolina (Milwaukee)
- George N. Gillett, Jr. (born 1938), co-owner of Liverpool F.C. and Richard Petty Motorsports, owned Montreal Canadiens (Racine)
- Earl Girard (1927–1997), football player (Marinette)
- Ed Glick (1900–1976), football player (Marinette)
- Charles Goldenberg (1911–1986), All-Pro NFL player (Milwaukee)
- Melvin Gordon (born 1993), NFL football player (Kenosha)
- Bud Grant (born 1927), football player and coach, basketball player (Superior)
- Jabari Greer (born 1982), football player (Milwaukee)
- Chris Greisen (born 1976), football player (Berlin)
- Nick Greisen (born 1979), football player (Sturgeon Bay)
- Burleigh Grimes (1893–1985), MLB player and manager, Baseball Hall of Fame (Emerald)
- Ryan Groy (born 1990), football player (Middleton)
- Paul Gruber (born 1965), football player (Prairie du Sac)
- Mark Grudzielanek (born 1970), baseball player (Milwaukee)
- Ruth Grulkowski (born 1930), Olympic athlete
- Tim Gullikson (1951–1996), tennis player (La Crosse)
- Tom Gullikson (born 1951), tennis player (La Crosse)
- H–J
- Dennis Hall (born 1971), Olympic silver medalist, World champion in Greco-Roman wrestling (Milwaukee)
- Jim Haluska (born 1932), football player (Racine)
- Becca Hamilton (born 1990), Olympic curler (McFarland)
- Matt Hamilton (born 1989), Olympic curler (McFarland)
- Morgan Hamm (born 1982), Olympic medalist (Waukesha)
- Paul Hamm (born 1982), Olympic gold medalist (Waukesha)
- Hal Hanson (1895–1973), NFL player and head coach (La Crosse)
- Pat Harder (1922–1992), football player, College Football Hall of Fame (Milwaukee)
- Devin Harris (born 1983), basketball player (Milwaukee)
- Art Hauser (born 1929), NFL player (Rubicon)
- Joe Hauser (1899–1997), baseball player (Milwaukee, Sheboygan)
- Nick Hayden (born 1986), football player (Hartland)
- Beth Heiden (born 1959), speedskater and cyclist (Madison)
- Eric Heiden (born 1958), athlete, Olympic champion (Madison)
- Ben Heller (born 1991), baseball player for New York Yankees (Milwaukee)
- Russ Hellickson (born 1948), Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling (Madison)
- Phil Hellmuth (born 1964), professional poker player (Madison)
- Arnie Herber (1910–1969), football player (Green Bay)
- Eric Hinske (born 1977), baseball player for Atlanta Braves (Menasha)
- Elroy Hirsch (1923–2004), football player, college administrator, actor, Pro Football Hall of Fame (Wausau, Madison)
- Ed Hochuli (born 1950), NFL referee (Milwaukee)
- Aaron Hohlbein (born 1985), soccer player (Middleton)
- Larry Hough (born 1944), Olympic medalist (Janesville)
- Mitch Jacoby (born 1973), football player (Port Washington)
- Jeff Jagodzinski (born 1963), NFL assistant coach, Boston College coach (Milwaukee)
- Dan Jansen (born 1965), speedskater (West Allis)
- Chuck Jaskwhich (1911–1988), basketball coach, Ole Miss (Kenosha)
- Mike Jirschele (born 1959), baseball coach, Kansas City Royals (Clintonville)
- Larry Johnson (1909–1972), football player (Odanah)
- Mark Johnson (born 1957), NHL player; gold medalist 1980 Winter Olympics Miracle on Ice team (Madison)
- Swede Johnston (1910–2002), football player (Appleton)
- Davy Jones (1880–1972), baseball player (Cambria)
- Whip Jones (1909–2001), founder Aspen Highlands Skiing (Oconomowoc)
- Nicole Joraanstad (born 1980), Olympic athlete, national champion curler (Madison)
- Barbara Jordan (born 1957), tennis player (Milwaukee)
- Addie Joss (1880–1911), baseball player, Hall of Fame (Woodland)
- K–L
- Colin Kaepernick (born 1987), football player (Milwaukee)
- John Kaiser (born 1962), NFL player (North Lake)
- Coby Karl (born 1983), basketball player (Mequon)
- Karl Kassulke (1941–2008), football player (Milwaukee)
- Bill Kazmaier (born 1953), powerlifter (Burlington)
- Ken Keltner (1916–1991), baseball player (Milwaukee)
- Lance Kendricks (born 1988), football player (Milwaukee)
- Ken Kennedy (born 1976), professional wrestler (Wisconsin Rapids, Two Rivers, Green Bay)
- Matt Kenseth (born 1972), NASCAR driver (Cambridge)
- Amanda Kessel (born 1991), ice hockey player (Madison)
- Phil Kessel (born 1987), ice hockey player for the Arizona Coyotes (Madison)
- Walt Kichefski (1916–1992), NFL player and head coach of the Miami Hurricanes football team (Rhinelander)
- Carl Kiekhaefer (1906–1983), NASCAR owner, Motorsports Hall of Fame (Mequon)
- Ed Killian (1876–1928), baseball player (Racine)
- Gordon King (born 1956), football player (Madison)
- A. J. Klein (born 1991), football player (Appleton)
- Nap Kloza (1903–1962), baseball player and manager (Milwaukee)
- Todd Kluever (born 1978), NASCAR driver (Sun Prairie)
- Gene Knutson (1932–2008), football player (Beloit)
- Herman Koehler, football coach, Army Black Knights
- Phyllis Koehn (1922–2007), baseball player (Madison)
- Ed Konetchy (1885–1947), baseball player (La Crosse)
- Peter Konz (born 1989), football player (Oshkosh)
- Dave Koslo (1920–1975), baseball player (Menasha)
- Alvin Kraenzlein (1876–1928), Olympic champion (Milwaukee)
- Wayne Kreklow (born 1957), basketball player (Neenah)
- Dave Krieg (born 1958), football player (Iola)
- Clint Kriewaldt (born 1976), football player (Shiocton)
- Rocky Krsnich (born 1927), baseball player (West Allis)
- Tony Kubek (born 1935), baseball player (Milwaukee)
- Harvey Kuenn (1930–1988), baseball player and manager (West Allis)
- Duane Kuiper (born 1950), baseball player and sportscaster (Racine)
- Alan Kulwicki (1954–1993), NASCAR driver (Greenfield)
- Garrott Kuzzy (born 1982), Olympic athlete
- Travis Kvapil (born 1976), NASCAR driver (Janesville)
- Steve Lacy (born 1957), Olympic athlete-runner (McFarland)
- Maria Lamb (born 1986), Olympic athlete, national champion speedskater (River Falls)
- Curly Lambeau (1898–1965), football player and coach (Green Bay)
- Carl Landry (born 1983), NBA basketball player (Milwaukee)
- Marcus Landry (born 1985), basketball player (Milwaukee)
- Austen Lane (born 1987), football player (Iola)
- Dan Lanphear (born 1938), football player (Madison)
- Mykel Larrin (born 1987), professional BMX rider (Racine)
- Debi Laszewski (born 1969), IFBB professional bodybuilder (Madison)
- Alphonse Leemans (1912–1979), football player, member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Superior)
- Jim Leonhard (born 1982), football player (Ladysmith)
- DeAndre Levy (born 1987), football player (Milwaukee)
- Reggie "The Crusher" Lisowski (1926–2005), world champion professional wrestler (South Milwaukee, Milwaukee)
- Garrett Lowney (born 1979), Olympic bronze medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling (Appleton)
- Fred Luderus (1885–1961), baseball player (Milwaukee)
- Craig Ludwig (born 1961), NHL player and assistant coach (Rhinelander)
- D. Wayne Lukas (born 1935), horse trainer (Antigo)
- Gavin Lux (born 1997), baseball player (Kenosha)
- M–O
- Rick Majerus (1948–2012), basketball coach, head coach of Marquette, Utah, Ball State and Saint Louis men's basketball teams (Sheboygan)
- Edgar Manske (1913–2002), football player, member of the College Football Hall of Fame (Nekoosa)
- Chris Maragos (born 1987), football player (Racine)
- Kevin Mather, baseball executive (Madison)
- Wesley Matthews (born 1986), basketball player (Madison)
- Greg Mattison (born 1949), NFL assistant coach (Madison)
- John Matuszak (1950–1989), football player (Milwaukee, Oak Creek)
- Debbie McCormick (born 1974), Olympic athlete, world champion curler (Rio, Madison)
- Francis J. McCormick, football player (Antigo)
- Chris McIntosh (born 1977), football player (Pewaukee)
- John McNally (1903–1985), NFL player and head coach, member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (New Richmond)
- Jack Mead (born 1921), football player (Appleton)
- John Menard, Jr. (born 1940), owner of Team Menard (Eau Claire)
- Paul Menard (born 1980), NASCAR driver (Eau Claire)
- David Merkow (born 1985), golfer (Hartland)
- Candice Michelle (born 1978), professional wrestler (Milwaukee)
- Chris Mihm (born 1979), basketball player (Milwaukee)
- Damian Miller (born 1969), baseball player (La Crosse)
- Bob Mionske (born 1962), former Olympic and professional bicycle racer (Madison)
- John Morrissey (1856–1884), baseball player (Janesville)
- Tom Morrissey (1860–1941), baseball player (Janesville)
- Bob Morrow (born 1918), football player (Madison)
- Dom Moselle (1926–2010), football player (Gile)
- Pat Neshek (born 1980), baseball player (Madison)
- Rick Neuheisel (born 1961), NFL player and assistant coach, head coach of the UCLA Bruins (Madison)
- Kid Nichols (1869–1953), MLB player and manager, member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame (Madison)
- Andy North (born 1950), professional golfer (Thorp, Monona)
- Brad Nortman (born 1989), NFL player (Brookfield)
- Steve Novak (born 1983), basketball player (Brown Deer)
- Scott O'Brien (born 1957), NFL player and assistant coach (Superior)
- John Offerdahl (born 1964), football player (Wisconsin Rapids)
- Leslie Osborne (born 1983), soccer player (Milwaukee, Brookfield)
- Jim Otto (born 1938), football player (Wausau)
- P–R
- Andy Pafko (born 1921), baseball player (Boyceville)
- Karl Pagel (born 1955), baseball player (Madison)
- Marvin Panch (born 1926), NASCAR driver (Menomonie)
- Danica Patrick (born 1982), Indycar and NASCAR driver (Beloit)
- Joe Pavelski (born 1984), ice hockey player for the Dallas Stars (Stevens Point)
- Nick Pearson (born 1979), Olympic athlete, national champion speedskater (Vernon)
- Hal Peck (1917–1995), baseball player (Big Bend)
- Joe Perrault (born 1924), Olympic athlete (Green Bay)
- Ben Peterson (born 1950), Olympic gold and silver medalist in freestyle wrestling (Cumberland)
- John Peterson (born 1948), Olympic gold and silver medalist in freestyle wrestling (Cumberland)
- Phil Pettey (born 1961), NFL player and assistant coach (Kenosha)
- Anthony Pettis (born 1987), former UFC and WEC lightweight champion (Milwaukee)
- Sergio Pettis (born 1993), MMA/UFC-fighter and brother of Anthony Pettis (Milwaukee)
- Dick Phillips (1931–1998), MLB player and coach (Racine)
- Dan Plante, professional ice hockey player (Hayward)
- George Poage (1880–1962), athlete (La Crosse)
- Terry Porter (born 1963), NBA player and head coach (Milwaukee)
- Dylan Postl (born 1986), professional wrestler (Oshkosh)
- Armintie Price (born 1985), basketball player (Milwaukee)
- Casey Rabach (born 1977), football player (Sturgeon Bay)
- Brad Radke (born 1972), baseball player (Eau Claire)
- Catherine Raney-Norman (born 1980), Olympic athlete, national champion speedskater (Elm Grove)
- Shane Rawley (born 1955), baseball player (Racine)
- Russ Rebholz (1909–2002), football player (Portage)
- Joel Rechlicz (born 1987), hockey player (Milwaukee, Brookfield)
- Hans Reese (1891–1973), Olympic athlete (Madison)
- Tom Regner (born 1944), football player (Kenosha)
- Andrew Rein (born 1958), Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling (Stoughton)
- Mike Reinfeldt (born 1953), NFL player and general manager (Baraboo)
- Lee Remmel (born 1924), NFL historian (Shawano)
- Pat Richter (born 1941), football player, member of the College Football Hall of Fame (Madison)
- Joe Riggert (1886–1973), baseball player (Janesville)
- Nick Roach (born 1985), football player (Milwaukee)
- Chester J. Roberts, head coach of the Miami Redskins football and men's basketball teams (Birnamwood)
- Andrew Rock (born 1982), track (Marshfield, Stratford)
- Ryan Rohlinger (born 1983), third baseman for San Francisco Giants (West Bend)
- Tony Romo (born 1980), football player (Burlington)
- Aaron Ross (born 1982), football player (Hartford)
- Braggo Roth (1892–1936), baseball player (Burlington)
- Frank Roth (1878–1955), baseball player (Burlington)
- Nina Roth (1988), Olympic curler (McFarland)
- Ben Rothwell (born 1981), MMA fighter (Kenosha)
- Pants Rowland (1879–1969), baseball manager (Platteville)
- Steve Russ (born 1972), football player and assistant coach (Stetsonville)
- Terry Ryan (born 1953), baseball general manager (Janesville)
- S–T
- Tracy Sachtjen (born 1969), Olympic athlete, world champion curler (Lodi)
- Zeke Sanborn (1899–1991), Olympic gold medalist (Jefferson)
- Jay Sauter (born 1964), NASCAR driver (Necedah)
- Jim Sauter (born 1943), former NASCAR driver (Necedah)
- Johnny Sauter (born 1978), NASCAR driver (Necedah)
- Tim Sauter (born 1964), NASCAR driver (Necedah)
- Owen Schmitt (born 1985), football player (Gilman)
- Mike Schneck (born 1977), football player (Whitefish Bay)
- Dave Schreiner (1921–1945), football player, Hall of Fame (Lancaster)
- Bill Schroeder (born 1923), football player (Sheboygan)
- Bill Schroeder (born 1971), football player (Eau Claire, Sheboygan)
- Jay Schroeder (born 1961), football player (Milwaukee)
- Champ Seibold (1911–1971), football player (Oshkosh)
- Bud Selig (born 1934), baseball commissioner (Milwaukee)
- Rich Seubert (born 1979), football player (Stratford)
- John Shinners (born 1947), football player (Hartford)
- Al Simmons (1902–1956), baseball player, member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame (Milwaukee)
- Jack Skille (born 1987), hockey player (Madison)
- Shaka Smart (born 1977), basketball head coach, VCU (Madison)
- Bill Southworth (born 1945), baseball player (Madison)
- Latrell Sprewell (born 1970), basketball player (Milwaukee)
- David Steckel (born 1982), ice hockey player for Nürnberg Ice Tigers (West Bend)
- Aaron Stecker (born 1975), football player (Green Bay, Ashwaubenon)
- Kevin Stemke (born 1978), football player (Green Bay)
- Greg Stiemsma (born 1985), basketball player (Randolph)
- Terry Stieve (born 1954), football player (Baraboo)
- Bob Strampe (born 1950), baseball player (Janesville)
- Steve Stricker (born 1967), golfer (Edgerton, Madison)
- Eric Studesville (born 1967), NFL head coach (Madison)
- Billy Sullivan (1875–1965), baseball player (Oakland)
- Bob Suter (born 1957), hockey player, 1980 Winter Olympics Miracle on Ice team (Madison)
- Gary Suter (born 1964), NHL player, Olympic medalist (Madison)
- Ryan Suter (born 1985), NHL player, Olympic athlete (Madison)
- Jerry Tagge (born 1950), football player (Green Bay)
- Tyree Talton (born 1976), football player (Beloit)
- Lindsay Tarpley (born 1983), soccer player, Olympic gold medalist (Madison)
- Claude Taugher (1895–1963), football player (Marathon City)
- Mark Tauscher (born 1977), football player (Marshfield)
- Matt Tegenkamp (born 1982), professional distance runner (Madison)
- Doris Tetzlaff (1921–1998), baseball player (Watertown)
- Joe Thomas (born 1984), football player (Brookfield)
- Mike Thompson (born 1971), football player (Portage)
- Fuzzy Thurston (born 1933), football player (Altoona)
- Dick Trickle (born 1941), racecar driver (Wisconsin Rapids)
- Matt Turk (born 1968), punter for Houston Texans (Greenfield)
- U–Z
- Bob Uecker (born 1935), baseball player, sportscaster and actor (Milwaukee)
- Nick Van Exel (born 1971), basketball player (Kenosha)
- Ron Vander Kelen (born 1939), football player (Green Bay)
- Gary Varsho (born 1961), MLB player and manager (Marshfield)
- Joe Vavra (born 1959), MLB hitting coach (Chippewa Falls)
- Jessie Vetter (born 1985), Olympic athlete, world champion hockey player (Cottage Grove)
- John Wallace (1903–1990), Olympic athlete (Prescott)
- Jimmie Ward (born 1991), football player (Racine)
- Jarrod Washburn (born 1974), baseball player (La Crosse)
- Derek Watt (born 1992), football player (Waukesha)
- J. J. Watt (born 1989), football player (Waukesha)
- T. J. Watt (born 1994), football player (Pewaukee)
- Kyle Weaver (born 1986), basketball player (Beloit)
- Bruce Weber (born 1956), college basketball coach (Milwaukee)
- Garrett Weber-Gale (born 1985), US Olympic swimmer (Stevens Point)
- Mike Webster (1952–2002), football player (Rhinelander)
- Lee Weigel (born 1963), football player (Marshfield)
- Gus Welch (1892–1970), Olympic athlete, NFL player, coach at Washington State and Virginia, College Football Hall of Fame (Spooner)
- Don Werner (born 1953), baseball player (Appleton)
- Charlie Whitehurst (born 1982), football player (Green Bay)
- Mitchell Whitmore (born 1989), Olympic athlete, national champion speedskater (Waukesha)
- Bob Wickman (born 1969), baseball player (Abrams)
- Jamil Wilson (born 1990), basketball player for Hapoel Jerusalem in the Israeli Basketball Premier League (Racine)
- Mark Wilson (born 1974), golfer (Menomonee Falls)
- Chris Wimmer (born 1979), NASCAR driver (Wausau)
- Scott Wimmer (born 1976), NASCAR driver (Wausau)
- Joe Wolf (born 1964), NBA player and assistant coach (Kohler)
- Jinelle Zaugg-Siergiej (born 1986), Olympic athlete (Eagle River)
- Kevin Zeitler (born 1990), football player (Waukesha)
- Jordan Zimmermann (born 1986), pitcher for Washington Nationals (Auburndale)
- Reed Zuehlke (born 1960), Olympic athlete (Eau Claire)
Notorious and infamous Wisconsinites
- Aldrich Ames (born 1941), convicted spy (River Falls)
- Dwight Armstrong (1951–2010), accomplice in the Sterling Hall bombing
- Steven Avery (born 1962), convicted of murder after DNA exoneration from rape conviction
- Lawrencia Bembenek (1958–2010), convicted murderer (Milwaukee)
- Arthur Bremer (born 1950), would-be assassin of George Wallace (Milwaukee)
- Mary Brunner (born 1943), member of the Manson Family
- Jeffrey Dahmer (1960–1994), serial killer (West Allis)
- Jeane Dixon (1904–1997), psychic
- Bernardine Dohrn (born 1942), co-founder and former leader of the Weather Underground (Whitefish Bay)
- Evelyn Frechette (1907–1969), lover and accomplice of John Dillinger (Neopit, Shawano)
- Ed Gein (1906–1984), murderer (Plainfield)
- Charles J. Guiteau (1841–1882), assassin of 20th President James A. Garfield, lived in Ulao, 1850–1855
- Eugene Hasenfus (born 1941), CIA cargo handler (Marinette)
- Kato Kaelin (born 1959), person of interest, O. J. Simpson criminal trial (Glendale)
- Bridey Murphy, alleged previous life
- Oleg Nikolaenko (born 1987), fugitive (Milwaukee)
Fictional characters
- Characters from the television series The Bold and the Beautiful
- Characters from the television series Happy Days
- Characters from the television series Laverne and Shirley
- Characters from the television series Liv and Maddie
- Characters from the television series Picket Fences
- Characters from the television series That '70s Show
- Characters from the television series The Young and the Restless
- Larry Appleton (portrayed by Mark Linn-Baker), from the television series Perfect Strangers
- Barbie, a doll manufactured by Mattel, Inc. and a character from a series of novels published by Random House
- Ryan Bingham (portrayed by George Clooney), from the film Up in the Air (2009)
- Robert Harrison Blake, from the short story "The Haunter of the Dark" by H.P. Lovecraft
- Paul Bunyan, mythological lumberjack (various origins cited)
- William Cross, the alter ego of the comic book supervillain Crossfire
- Ashley Crawford, the alter ego of the comic book superhero Big Bertha
- Jack Dawson (portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio), from the film Titanic (1997)
- Roz Doyle (portrayed by Peri Gilpin), from the television series Frasier; from Bloomer
- Alan Fagan, the fourth alter ego of the comic book supervillain Mister Fear
- Grand Slam, a character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic book series, and cartoon series
- Richard Harrow (portrayed by Jack Huston), from the television series Boardwalk Empire
- Jennifer-Lynn Hayden, the alter ego of the comic book superhero Jade
- Craig Hollis, the alter ego of the comic book superhero Mister Immortal
- Jordan, a character in the novel Cell by Stephen King
- Conrad Josten, the alter ego of the comic book superhero Smuggler
- Erik Josten, a comic book superhero from Marvel Comics
- Karl Kaufman, the second alter ego of the comic book superhero Phantom Eagle
- Jennifer Keller (portrayed by Jewel Staite), from the television series Stargate Atlantis
- Hannibal King (portrayed by Ryan Reynolds), from Marvel Comics and the film Blade: Trinity (2004)
- Vlad Masters (portrayed by Martin Mull), the alter ego of the supervillain Vlad Plasmius from the television series Danny Phantom
- Donna Moss (portrayed by Janel Moloney), from the television series The West Wing
- Sonny Munroe (portrayed by Demi Lovato), from the television series Sonny with a Chance
- Mike Nelson (portrayed by Michael J. Nelson), from the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000
- Pickles the Drummer (portrayed by Brendon Small), from the television series Metalocalypse
- Daniel Plainview (portrayed by Daniel Day Lewis), from the film There Will Be Blood (from Fond du Lac)
- Gwen Raiden (portrayed by Alexa Davalos), from the television series Angel and the comic book series Angel: After the Fall
- Recondo, a character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic book series, and cartoon series
- Todd Rice, the alter ego of the comic book superhero Obsidian
- Stan Ross (portrayed by Bernie Mac), a Milwaukee baseball star from the film Mr. 3000
- President Andrew Shepherd (portrayed by Michael Douglas), a character from the film The American President
- Samantha Spade (portrayed by Poppy Montgomery), from the television series Without a Trace
- Norbert Sykes, the alter ego of the comic book superhero The Badger
- Albert Tappman from the novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
- Martha and Steven Thompson, from the South Park episode "How to Eat with Your Butt" when a practical joke leads them to mistake Kenny for their missing son, Tommy Thompson, who has a butt on his face
- Wendell Vaughn, the alter ego of the comic book superhero Quasar
- Seth Voelker, the alter ego of the comic book supervillain Sidewinder
- Greg Willis, the alter ego of the comic book superhero Gravity
See also
- by educational institution affiliation
- by location
References
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