Famous People Born In 1855

Discover the most famous people born in 1855. The list includes people like Eugene V. Debs, Robert M. La Follette, Sr., James S. Sherman, William Pitt (Architect), Andrew William Mellon and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include political leaders, inventors, essayists and composers born in 1855. This list includes people from United States, United Kingdom and many more countries.
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 1 
John Browning
(Firearms Designer)
John Browning
20
Listed In: Inventors
Birthdate: 23rd January
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Ogden, Utah, United States
Died: November 26, 1926
 2 
Eugene V. Debs
(Union Leader)
Eugene V. Debs
10
Birthdate: 5th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Terre Haute
Died: October 20, 1926
Eugene V. Debs, one of the founders of the Industrial Workers of the World, was a renowned socialist and a five-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party. He is remembered for founding the American Railway Union. He was convicted of sedition, but his sentence was later commuted.
 3 
Andrew William Mellon
(Industrialist, Philanthropist)
Andrew William Mellon
5
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: 24th March
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: August 27, 1937

The son of wealthy Pittsburgh banker Thomas Mellon, Andrew William Mellon had followed in his father’s footsteps, to be a banker. He had also been the American ambassador to the U.K. and the American secretary of the treasury. He owned companies such as Alcoa, Old Overholt whiskey, and Gulf Oil.

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 4 
William Mulholland
(Irish-American Self-Taught Civil Engineer Known for Building the Water System of Los Angeles)
William Mulholland
1
Listed In: Civil Engineers
Birthdate: 11th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Belfast, Ireland
Died: July 22, 1935

William Mulholland was initially hailed as a hero for building the first aqueduct system of Los Angeles, as the first chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. He later resigned taking responsibility for the collapse of the St. Francis Dam, which had caused countless deaths.

 5 
Sarah E. Goode
(Inventor)
Sarah E. Goode
11
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Toledo, Ohio, United States
Died: April 8, 1905
 6 
Percival Lowell
(Astronomer, Mathematician)
Percival Lowell
2
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: 13th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Boston
Died: November 12, 1916

Born into the famous Brahmin Lowell family of Massachusetts, Percival Lowell studied at Harvard, where he excelled in math. He managed a cotton mill and also spent time in Asia as a diplomat. He is best remembered for initiating the discovery of Pluto and for studying the canals on Mars.

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 7 
King Camp Gillette
(Businessman)
King Camp Gillette
3
Listed In: Investors
Birthdate: 5th January
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, United States
Died: July 9, 1932
Robert M. La Follette, Sr.
4
Birthdate: 14th June
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Primrose
Died: June 18, 1925
 9 
James S. Sherman
(27th Vice President of the United States (1909-12))
James S. Sherman
2
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 24th October
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Utica, New York, United States
Died: October 30, 1912
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 10 
Ernest Chausson
(Composer)
Ernest Chausson
0
Listed In: Composers
Birthdate: 20th January
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: June 10, 1899
 11 
William Friese-Greene
(Photographer, Inventor)
William Friese-Greene
0
Listed In: Inventors
Birthdate: 7th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Bristol
Died: May 5, 1921

William Friese-Greene was a British photographer and inventor. A pioneer of motion pictures, Friese-Greene is remembered for devising a series of cameras with which he shot moving pictures in London. Despite earning substantial amount of money throughout his career, Friese-Greene died in poverty as he spent his earnings on his inventions. His life inspired a biopic titled The Magic Box.

 12 
Olive Schreiner
(Writer)
Olive Schreiner
0
Birthdate: 24th March
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Lesotho
Died: December 11, 1920
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 13 
Robert de Montesquiou
(Poet)
Robert de Montesquiou
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 7th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: December 11, 1921
 14 
Evelyn De Morgan
(Painter)
Evelyn De Morgan
0
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 30th August
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: London
Died: May 2, 1919
 15 
Clarence W. Barron
(Publisher)
Clarence W. Barron
0
Birthdate: 2nd July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Died: October 2, 1928
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 16 
Jakub Schikaneder
(Painter)
Jakub Schikaneder
0
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 27th February
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Prague, Czec Republic
Died: November 15, 1924
 17 
Joseph Wright
(English Philologist and Academic)
Joseph Wright
1
Birthdate: 31st October
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Idle, Bradford, United Kingdom
Died: February 27, 1930
 18 
Clinton Hart Merriam
(Father of Mammalogy)
Clinton Hart Merriam
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: 5th December
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: March 19, 1942

Clinton Hart Merriam was an American mammalogist, zoologist, ornithologist, ecologist, entomologist, geographer, ethnographer, physician, and naturalist. Referred to as the father of mammalogy, Merriam owned a private collection of mammal specimens. Clinton Hart Merriam is also credited with co-founding the National Geographic Society and the American Ornithologists' Union.

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 19 
Alexandre Darracq
(French Investor, Engineer, Cycle Manufacturer and Automobile Manufacturer)
Alexandre Darracq
0
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: 10th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Bordeaux, France
Died: November 2, 1931
Alexandre Darracq was a French engineer, investor, cycle manufacturer and automobile manufacturer. He established Automobiles Darracq France in Suresnes and was one of the first to plan mass production of motor vehicles. By 1904, Darracq was producing more than ten percent of all automobiles in France. He also built racing cars and founded a school for racing drivers.
 20 
Alice Freeman Palmer
(Educator)
Alice Freeman Palmer
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 21st February
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Colesville, New York, United States
Died: December 6, 1902
 21 
Anatoly Lyadov
(Composer)
Anatoly Lyadov
0
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: 12th May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: August 28, 1914
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 22 
William Grenfell, 1st Baron Desborough
(British Politician and Fencer)
William Grenfell, 1st Baron Desborough
0
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: 30th October
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: London, England
Died: January 9, 1945

Apart from winning medals for fencing and heading the Oxford University Boat Club, William Grenfell, 1st Baron Desborough was also an adventurer who had rowed across the English Channel. A public servant, too, he had been part of the House of Commons for both the Liberals and the Conservatives.

 23 
Léon Teisserenc de Bort
(Meteorologist)
Léon Teisserenc de Bort
0
Listed In: Meteorologists
Birthdate: 5th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: January 2, 1913
 24 
Marie Corelli
(Novelist)
Marie Corelli
1
Listed In: Novelists
Birthdate: 1st May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: London, England
Died: April 24, 1924
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 25 
Marie-Joseph Lagrange
(Priest)
Marie-Joseph Lagrange
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 7th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Bourg-en-Bresse, France
Died: March 10, 1938
 26 
Walter Hines Page
(Journalist)
Walter Hines Page
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 15th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Cary, North Carolina, United States
Died: December 21, 1918
 27 
Robert Koldewey
(Archaeologist)
Robert Koldewey
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 10th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Blankenburg am Harz, Duchy of Brunswick, German Confederation
Died: February 4, 1925
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 28 
Georges Rodenbach
(Poet)
Georges Rodenbach
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 16th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Tournai, Belgium
Died: December 25, 1898
 29 
August Spies
(Editor)
August Spies
0
Listed In: Editors
Birthdate: 10th December
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Landecker Berg, Schenklengsfeld, Germany
Died: November 11, 1887
 30 
Cecilia Beaux
(Painter)
Cecilia Beaux
1
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 1st May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: September 17, 1942
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 31 
Emile Verhaeren
(One of the Founders of the School of Symbolism)
Emile Verhaeren
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 21st May
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Sint-Amands, Belgium
Died: November 27, 1916
 32 
Houston Stewart Chamberlain
(Philosopher)
Houston Stewart Chamberlain
2
Listed In: Philosophers
Birthdate: 9th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Southsea, Hampshire, England
Died: January 9, 1927
 33 
William Rutherford Benn
(Journalist and a member of the political Benn family)
William Rutherford Benn
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Poplar, London, England
Died: 1921 AD
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 34 
Giovanni Pascoli
(Poet)
Giovanni Pascoli
0
Listed In: Poets
Birthdate: 31st December
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: San Mauro Pascoli, Italy
Died: April 6, 1912
 35 
John Warne Gates
(Industrialist)
John Warne Gates
0
Birthdate: 18th May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Winfield, Illinois, United States
Died: August 9, 1911
 36 
Marieta de Veintemilla
(Former Ecuadorian First Lady and a Feminist Author)
Marieta de Veintemilla
0
Listed In: Feminists
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Guayaquil, Ecuador
Died: 1907 AD

Ecuadorian feminist author Marieta de Veintemilla served as the First Lady of Ecuador during the presidency of her uncle, Ignacio de Veintemilla, who was unmarried. She introduced the norm of women going out without male guardians and wearing bright colors in Ecuador. She also controlled the army in her uncle’s absence.

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 37 
Joaquim Augusto Mouzinho de Albuquerque
(Politician, Military personnel)
Joaquim Augusto Mouzinho de Albuquerque
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 12th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Batalha, Portugal
Died: January 8, 1902

Joaquim Augusto Mouzinho de Albuquerque was a Portuguese cavalry officer best remembered for his service as the Governor-General of Portuguese Mozambique from 1896 to 1897. He helped Portugal annex Mozambique by defeating and capturing the tribal king Gungunhana in 1895.  

 38 
Henry Nicholas Ridley
(British Botanist, Geologist and Naturalist Known for Establishing the Rubber Industry in the 'Malay Peninsula')
Henry Nicholas Ridley
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: 10th December
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Harling, England
Died: October 24, 1956

English botanist Henry Nicholas Ridley is best remembered for his contribution to the cultivation of rubber in the Malay peninsula. His passion to achieve his goal earned him the nickname Mad Ridley. Of his written works, one of the most significant was the 5-volume Flora of the Malay Peninsula.

 39 
Henry Cuyler Bunner
(Novelist)
Henry Cuyler Bunner
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 3rd August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Oswego, New York, United States
Died: May 11, 1896
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 40 
Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi
(Syrian Author and Pan-Arab Solidarity Supporter)
Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Aleppo, Ottoman Empire
Died: June 13, 1902
Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi was a Syrian author and one of the most important intellectuals of his time. A Pan-Arab solidarity supporter, Al-Kawakibi's criticisms of the Ottoman Empire was the basis for Pan-Arab nationalism. Among his most influential books are Mother of All Villages and The Nature of Despotism. Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi’s ideas influenced many Pan-Arab nationalists like Gamal Abdel Nasser.
 41 
Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
(Princes)
Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 12th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Kiel, Germany
Died: January 21, 1934
 42 
Mbandzeni
(King of Swaziland)
Mbandzeni
0
Listed In: Emperors & Kings
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Swaziland
Died: October 7, 1889
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 43 
Fannie Barrier Williams
(Educator)
Fannie Barrier Williams
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 12th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Brockport, New York, United States
Died: March 4, 1944
 44 
George de Forest Brush
(Painter)
George de Forest Brush
0
Birthdate: 28th September
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Tennessee, United States
Died: April 24, 1941
 45 
John Hays Hammond
(Engineer)
John Hays Hammond
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 31st March
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: San Francisco, California, United States
Died: June 8, 1936
 46 
C. V. Boys
(Physicist)
C. V. Boys
0
Listed In: Physicists
Birthdate: 15th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Wing, Rutland, England
Died: March 30, 1944
 47 
William Pitt (Architect)
0
Birthdate: 4th June
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Melbourne, Victoria
Died: May 25, 1918

William Pitt was an Australian politician and architect best remembered as one of the greatest architects during the 1880s in Melbourne. Pitt is credited with designing some of Melbourne's most popular and detailed High Victorian commercial buildings like The Federal Coffee Palace, Old Rialto Building, Sir Charles Hotham Hotel, and Princess' Theatre.    

 48 
Henry Jackson
(Naval Officer)
Henry Jackson
0
Listed In: Military Leaders
Birthdate: 21st January
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Barnsley, Yorkshire, England
Died: December 14, 1929
 49 
Arthur Nikisch
(Hungarian Conductor)
Arthur Nikisch
1
Listed In: Conductors
Birthdate: 12th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Mosonszentmiklós, Hungary,
Died: January 23, 1922

One of the greatest 19th-century conductors, Arthur Nikisch was born to a Hungarian father and a Czech mother. Excelling as a student at the Vienna Conservatory, he later joined the Vienna Philharmonic. He was later associated with top-notch orchestras in Berlin, Budapest, and Boston. He also conducted the Ring Cycle operas.

Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
6
Birthdate: 14th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Belgravia, Middlesex, England
Died: November 7, 1944