Famous People Born In 1862

Discover the most famous people born in 1862. The list includes people like Gustav Klimt, Claude Debussy, O. Henry, Ida B. Wells, David Hilbert and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include political leaders, poets, novelists and playwrights born in 1862. This list includes people from United States, United Kingdom, Germany & France and many more countries.
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 1 
Claude Debussy
(French Impressionist Composer Best Known for His Opera 'Pelléas et Mélisande')
Claude Debussy
17
Listed In: Composers
Birthdate: 22nd August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
Died: March 25, 1918

Claude Debussy was a French composer whose career spanned over 30 years. Regarded as one of the most influential composers of his generation, Claude Debussy's works have influenced several other composers, such as Bill Evans, George Benjamin, Olivier Messiaen, and Béla Bartók. Claude Debussy is also regarded as the first Impressionist composer, though he rejected the term.

 2 
Ida B. Wells
(Women's Rights Activist and Civil Rights Leader)
Ida B. Wells
21
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 16th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Holly Springs, Mississippi, United States
Died: March 25, 1931
Civil rights and women's rights activist Ida B. Wells is remembered for speaking up against the lynching of Blacks in the U.S. She was born a slave and freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. She later co-founded the NAACP. She also co-owned and wrote for Memphis Free Speech and Headlight.
 3 
O. Henry
(Short Story Writer)
O. Henry
14
Birthdate: 11th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Greensboro, North Carolina
Died: June 5, 1910
William Sydney Porter, better known by his pseudonym, O. Henry, is remembered as one of the world’s greatest short story writers. One of his most notable works is The Gift of the Magi. His signature style included plot twists in the end. He was once jailed for embezzlement. 
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 4 
Gustav Klimt
(Austrian Symbolist Painter and One of the Most Prominent Members of the ‘Vienna Secession’ Movement)
Gustav Klimt
20
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 14th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Baumgarten, Vienna, Austria
Died: February 6, 1918

Austrian symbolist painter, Gustav Klimt, was one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. His primary subject was the female body, and he produced numerous paintings, murals, sketches, and other art objects. He was known for his deliberate painting style. He successfully avoided personal scandal despite having an active sex life.

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 5 
David Hilbert
(Mathematician)
David Hilbert
6
Listed In: Mathematicians
Birthdate: 23rd January
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Königsberg or Wehlau, Province of Prussia (today Znamensk, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia)
Died: February 14, 1943

German mathematician David Hilbert was first drawn to math inspired by his mother, who was a budding math enthusiast. He contributed to a host of concepts, theories, and postulates, such as Hilbert space, Hilbert's program, and Hilbert's problems. He died in oblivion, with a handful of people at his funeral.

 6 
Edith Wharton
5
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 24th January
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New York City
Died: August 11, 1937
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 7 
J. Bruce Ismay
(Businessman)
J. Bruce Ismay
7
Birthdate: 12th December
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Crosby, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom
Died: October 17, 1937

J. Bruce Ismay was an English businessman. He served as managing director and chairman of the popular shipping company White Star Line, which operated the ill-fated passenger liner RMS Titanic. In 1912, Ismay was subjected to severe criticism after surviving the sinking of the Titanic. In the 1997 film Titanic, J. Bruce Ismay was played by actor Jonathan Hyde.

 8 
Hilma af Klint
(Swedish Artist and Mystic Best Known for Her 'Temple' Paintings)
Hilma af Klint
3
Birthdate: 26th October
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Solna, Sweden
Died: October 21, 1944

Hilma af Klint was a Swedish mystic and artist whose paintings represented complex spiritual ideas. English musician and singer-songwriter Jane Weaver cited af Klint's work as inspiration for her 2017 album, Modern Kosmology. In 2019, Hilma af Klint became the subject of a feature-length documentary titled Beyond the Visible — Hilma af Klint.

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 9 
Charles M. Schwab
(American Steel Magnate & Businessman)
Charles M. Schwab
26
Listed In: Steel
Birthdate: 18th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Williamsburg, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: October 18, 1939
 10 
Connie Mack
(Baseball manager)
Connie Mack
1
Listed In: Baseball Players
Birthdate: 22nd December
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: East Brookfield, Massachusetts, United States
Died: February 8, 1956
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 11 
Billy Sunday
(The Most Influential American Evangelist During the First Two Decades of the 20th Century)
Billy Sunday
8
Listed In: Baseball Players
Birthdate: 19th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Story County, Iowa, U.S
Died: November 6, 1935
 12 
Charles Evans Hughes
(Politician)
Charles Evans Hughes
3
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 11th April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Glens Falls, New York, U.S.
Died: August 27, 1948
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 13 
Homer Plessy
(Activist)
Homer Plessy
8
Birthdate: 17th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Died: March 1, 1925
 14 
Ugyen Wangchuck
(The First Druk Gyalpo (King of Bhutan))
Ugyen Wangchuck
16
Listed In: Emperors & Kings
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Bumthang District
Died: August 7, 1926

Ugyen Wangchuck reigned as the first king of Bhutan from 1907 until his death in 1926. He is remembered for his efforts to unite Bhutan and gain the trust of his subjects. Wangchuck is credited with founding the Buddhist monarchy in 1907. A spiritual person who had close relationships with spiritual masters, Wangchuck oversaw the construction of the Kurjey temple.

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 15 
Joseph Merrick
(Elephant Man)
Joseph Merrick
14
Birthdate: 5th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Leicester
Died: April 11, 1890
Joseph Merrick was an English man with several physical deformities, including a lump on his forehead, caused by Proteus syndrome and neurofibromatosis type I. He initially went around England, as a freak-show exhibit, nicknamed “The Elephant Man” and eventually joined a circus. Filmmaker David Lynch made a movie on him.
 16 
Loie Fuller
(Actor, Lighting designer, Choreographer, Artist, Dancer, Stage actor, Model)
Loie Fuller
0
Listed In: Dancers
Birthdate: 15th January
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Illinois
Died: January 1, 1928
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 17 
Louis Botha
(Politician)
Louis Botha
0
Listed In: Military Leaders
Birthdate: 27th September
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Greytown
Died: August 27, 1919
 18 
Frederick Delius
0
Listed In: Composers
Birthdate: 29th January
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Bradford, England
Died: June 10, 1934
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 19 
Arthur Schnitzler
(Austrian Playwright and Novelist )
Arthur Schnitzler
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 15th May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: October 21, 1931

Born to a doctor, Arthur Schnitzler had initially followed in his father’s footsteps and practiced medicine, gaining expertise in psychiatry. He later made a mark as an author and playwright with works such as Anatol and None but the Brave, which became hallmarks of modernism and the decadent movement.

 20 
William Henry Bragg
(Physicist and Mathematician Who Invented the ‘X-Ray’ Spectrometer)
William Henry Bragg
1
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: 2nd July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Wigton, England, United Kingdom
Died: March 12, 1942

William Henry Bragg was an English physicist, chemist, and mathematician. He is best known for sharing the  1915 Nobel Prize in Physics with his son Lawrence Bragg for their work in the analysis of crystal structure by means of X-rays. William Henry Bragg had an illustrious academic career and was elected president of the Royal Society in 1935. 

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 21 
Mary Kingsley
(British Ethnographer, Scientific Writer and Explorer Known for Her Travels and Writings on West Africa)
Mary Kingsley
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 13th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Islington, London, England
Died: June 3, 1900

English ethnographer and traveler Mary Kingsley was the daughter of renowned physician and traveler George Kingsley and the niece of Charles Kingsley. Unlike girls of her era, she was well-educated and later ventured on an exploratory trip to West Africa, becoming the first European to enter remote areas such as Gabon.

 22 
Victoria of Baden
(Queen)
Victoria of Baden
0
Birthdate: 7th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Karlsruhe, Germany
Died: April 4, 1930
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 23 
Niko Pirosmanashvili
(Painter)
Niko Pirosmanashvili
2
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 5th May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Kakheti
Died: April 9, 1918
 24 
Robert Hotung
(The grand old man of Hong Kong)
Robert Hotung
1
Birthdate: 22nd December
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
Died: April 26, 1956
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 25 
Pyotr Stolypin
(3rd Prime Minister of Russia (1906 - 1911))
Pyotr Stolypin
2
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 14th April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Dresden, Germany
Died: September 18, 1911

German-born Russian conservative statesman Pyotr Stolypin had been the minister of interior and the third prime minister of Russia. His agrarian reform, also known as the Stolypin land reform, was highly significant. He also initiated multiple court-martials to execute rebels, causing people to call the hangman’s noose Stolypin’s necktie.

 26 
Aristide Briand
(Prime Minister)
Aristide Briand
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 28th March
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Nantes
Died: April 7, 1932

Nobel Peace Prize-winning French stateman Aristide Briand had been the prime minister of his country for 11 terms, apart from holding 26 ministerial posts throughout his career. He played major roles in the drafting of the Pact of Locarno and Kellogg-Briand Pact, and had founded journals such as l’Humanité.

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 27 
Amos Alonzo Stagg
(American Athlete and College Coach)
Amos Alonzo Stagg
0
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: 16th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: West Orange, New Jersey, United States
Died: March 17, 1965
 28 
Julius Rosenwald
(Businessman)
Julius Rosenwald
0
Listed In: Philanthropists
Birthdate: 12th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Springfield, Illinois, United States
Died: January 6, 1932
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 29 
Johanna van Gogh-Bonger
(Multilingual Dutch Editor and Translator)
Johanna van Gogh-Bonger
1
Listed In: Linguists
Birthdate: 4th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Amsterdam
Died: September 2, 1925
 30 
Maurice Barrès
(Novelist)
Maurice Barrès
0
Birthdate: 19th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Charmes, France
Died: December 4, 1923
 31 
James Clark McReynolds
(Attorney General)
James Clark McReynolds
1
Listed In: Lawyers & Judges
Birthdate: 3rd February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Elkton, Kentucky, United States
Died: August 24, 1946
 32 
George Washington Vanderbilt II
16
Birthdate: 14th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: New Dorp
Died: March 6, 1914
 33 
Gustav Ritter von Kahr
(German Jurist and Politician)
Gustav Ritter von Kahr
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 29th November
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Weissenburg, Germany
Died: June 30, 1934
 34 
Nikolai Yudenich
(Military commander)
Nikolai Yudenich
0
Listed In: Military Leaders
Birthdate: 30th July
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Died: December 5, 1933
 35 
Gerhart Hauptmann
(German Dramatist and Novelist)
Gerhart Hauptmann
0
Listed In: Novelists
Birthdate: 15th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Szczawno-Zdrój, Poland
Died: June 6, 1946

Nobel Prize-winning German author Gerhart Hauptmann initially trained and worked as a sculptor but later deviated to poetry and drama. Known for works such as The Weavers and Before Dawn, he is considered one of the pioneers of literary naturalism. His novel Atlantis inspired a Danish silent movie.

 36 
Nicholas Murray Butler
(Philosopher, Educator)
Nicholas Murray Butler
2
Birthdate: 2nd April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Elizabeth
Died: December 7, 1947
 37 
Okakura Kakuzō
(Art critic)
Okakura Kakuzō
1
Listed In: Art Critics
Birthdate: 14th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Yokohama, Japan
Died: September 2, 1913
 38 
Allauddin Khan
(One of the Most Notable Music Teachers of the 20th Century in Indian Classical Music)
Allauddin Khan
1
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: 8th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Nabinagar, Bangladesh
Died: September 6, 1972

Allauddin Khan was an Indian multi-instrumentalist and composer best remembered as a sarod player. He was also one of the 20th century's most notable music teachers in Indian classical music. Allauddin Khan was a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Padma Vibhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, and Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for his immense contribution to Indian music.

 39 
Helene Schjerfbeck
(Finnish Modernist Painter Best Known for Her Self-Portraits and Realist Arts)
Helene Schjerfbeck
0
Birthdate: 10th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland
Died: January 23, 1946

Modernist painter Helene Schjerfbeck is best-remembered for her realist-works and self-portraits, besides landscapes and still-lifes. She started with French-influenced realism and plein-air paintings and was later drawn towards portraits and still-life paintings. One of the most popular works of Schjerfbeck, whose birthday is celebrated in Finland as national day for the painted arts, is Dancing Shoes, done in Realist style.      

 40 
Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon
(Foreign Secretary)
Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon
3
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 25th April
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: London, England
Died: September 7, 1933

Sir Edward Grey spent a long 11-year stint as the British foreign secretary, the longest uninterrupted tenure anybody has had in the same post. He is known for his support of France in the Moroccan crises and his iconic “the lamps are going out” remark made to the Westminster Gazette.

 41 
Henri Pirenne
(Belgian Scholar and Historian)
Henri Pirenne
0
Listed In: Historians
Birthdate: 23rd December
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Verviers, Belgium
Died: October 25, 1935

One of the most prominent scholars of the Middle Ages, Belgian historian Henri Pirenne had started his career as a professor at the University of Ghent. The Francqui Prize winner was imprisoned by the Germans during their occupation of Belgium and penned A History of Europe while in prison.

 42 
Florence Bascom
(The First Woman to Become a Geologist in the US)
Florence Bascom
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: 14th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States
Died: June 18, 1945

The first female geologist from the US, Florence Bascom had both a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin and was the second American woman to get a PhD in geology. She was also the first female assistant geologist at the US Geological Survey.

 43 
Prince Henry of Prussia
(Prince)
Prince Henry of Prussia
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 14th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: April 20, 1929
 44 
Auguste Lumière
0
Listed In: Inventors
Birthdate: 19th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Besançon, France
Died: April 10, 1954

Auguste Lumière was a French engineer, illusionist, industrialist, and biologist. Alongside his brother Louis Jean Lumière, Auguste is credited with inventing a projection device and animated photographic camera called the cinematograph, which attracted worldwide acclaim. He is also remembered for his innovations in military aircraft and his pioneering work in the use of X-rays.

 45 
Carolyn Wells
(Former Writer remembered largely for her popular mysteries, children’s books, and humorous verse.)
Carolyn Wells
0
Birthdate: 18th June
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Rahway, New Jersey, United States
Died: March 26, 1942
 46 
Walter Damrosch
(American Conductor and Composer)
Walter Damrosch
0
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: 30th January
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Wrocław, Poland
Died: December 22, 1950

German-born American conductor and composer Walter Damrosch, best-known in his day as an avowed propagandist and conductor of the music of Richard Wagner, directed the New York Symphony Orchestra for over four decades. He conducted world premiere performances of George Gershwin's An American in Paris and Piano Concerto in F. He played key role in founding of the Carnegie Hall.

 47 
Hawley Harvey Crippen
(Homeopath & Killer of His Wife)
Hawley Harvey Crippen
7
Listed In: Murderers
Birthdate: 11th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Coldwater, Michigan, United States
Died: November 23, 1910
 48 
Victor, Prince Napoléon
(Politician)
Victor, Prince Napoléon
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 18th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Domaine National du Palais-Royal, Paris, France
Died: May 3, 1926
 49 
Maironis
(Poet)
Maironis
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 2nd November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Raseiniai District Municipality, Lithuania
Died: June 28, 1932
 50 
Philipp Lenard
(Physicist)
Philipp Lenard
4
Listed In: Physicists
Birthdate: 7th June
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Pressburg, Kingdom of Hungary, Austrian Empire
Died: May 20, 1947
Philipp Lenard was a German physicist whose work on cathode rays earned him the 1905 Nobel Prize for Physics. He is credited with making certain discoveries that led to the understanding of the Photoelectric effect. An ardent supporter of the Nazi ideology, Philipp Lenard was regarded as a role model for the Aryan Physics movement in Nazi Germany.