Famous People Who Died In 1863

Discover the most famous people died who died in the year 1863. This list includes people like Sam Houston, Stonewall Jackson, Solomon Northup, Robert Gould Shaw, Eugène Delacroix and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include political leaders, military leaders, emperors & kings and poets who died in 1863. This list includes people from United States, France and many more countries.
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 1 
Sam Houston
(7th Governor of Texas (1859 - 1861))
Sam Houston
13
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: March 2, 1793
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Rockbridge County, Virginia, United States
Died: July 26
Sam Houston was the governor of Texas from 1859 to 1861. He was also the senator from Texas, the President of the Republic of Texas, and the governor of Tennessee. As part of the Texan Army, he won the Battle of San Jacinto. The city Houston is named after him.
 2 
Solomon Northup
6
Listed In: Activists
Birthdate: July 10, 1807
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Minerva, New York
Died: 1863 AD
Abolitionist Solomon Northup had authored the memoir Twelve Years a Slave, which was later adapted into the Academy Award-winning film 12 Years a Slave. Northup was abducted and sold as a slave to a planter in Louisiana. He was eventually freed with the help of the governor New York.
 3 
Robert Gould Shaw
(American Officer in the Union Army During the American Civil War)
Robert Gould Shaw
7
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 10, 1837
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died: July 18
Union Army officer Robert Gould Shaw commanded an all-Black regiment, the 54th Massachusetts, during the American Civil War. A staunch abolitionist, he died in the Second Battle of Fort Wagner in 1863, but became a hero after his death, especially among the Black community. He inspired the 1989 film Glory.
 4 
Eugène Delacroix
5
Birthdate: April 26, 1798
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Saint-Maurice, France
Died: August 13

Eugène Delacroix was a French Romantic artist who is widely regarded as the patriarch of the French Romantic school. As a muralist and painter, Delacroix's study of the optical effects of color inspired the work of the Impressionists. In fact, his work inspired a generation of impressionists.

 5 
William Makepeace Thackeray
(Author & Novelist)
William Makepeace Thackeray
4
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: July 18, 1811
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Died: December 24
 6 
Jacob Grimm
(Discoverer of ‘Grimm’s Law of Linguistics' and Co-author of the Largest German Dictionary 'Deutsches Wörterbuch')
Jacob Grimm
4
Birthdate: January 4, 1785
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Hanau, Germany
Died: September 20

Part of the legendary folklorist duo known as the Brothers Grimm, Jacob Grimm gave to the world Grimm’s Fairy Tales, along with his younger brother, Wilhelm Grimm. The son of a lawyer, he, too, had initially studied law. He also contributed immensely to Germanic linguistics, with his Grimm's law.

 7 
Kamehameha IV
(King)
Kamehameha IV
3
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: February 9, 1834
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Died: November 30
 8 
Lyman Beecher
(Clergyman)
Lyman Beecher
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 12, 1775
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: New Haven
Died: January 10

Known for his stance against alcoholism, publishing six time-honored sermons on it, Presbyterian minister Lyman Beecher also worked for women’s education. An active participant in theological controversies, adhering to the New School Presbyterian branch of schism, he was once tried for heresy. However, he is equally remembered for fathering thirteen children, seven of whom earned distinction in their chosen field.

 9 
Jane Pierce
(First lady)
Jane Pierce
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: March 12, 1806
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Hampton, New Hampshire, United States
Died: December 2
 10 
James Bruce, 8th earl of Elgin
(Government Official)
James Bruce, 8th earl of Elgin
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: July 20, 1811
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: London, England
Died: November 20
Born in British India, James Bruce was the son of Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin, who had lost much of his fortunes in buying the “Elgin Marbles.” Educated at Eton, he later rose to be the governor of Jamaica, the governor general of Canada, and the viceroy of India.
 11 
Clement Clarke Moore
(Author)
Clement Clarke Moore
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: July 15, 1779
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: New York City, New York
Died: July 10
 12 
Alfred de Vigny
(French Poet and Early French Romanticist)
Alfred de Vigny
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: March 27, 1797
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Loches, France
Died: September 17

Alfred de Vigny was a French poet whose poem La Maison du berger is regarded by some as the greatest 19th-century French poem. One of the leaders of French Romanticism, Vigny also wrote philosophical novels. Also regarded as a thinker, Alfred de Vigny was one of the first French poets to develop a serious interest in Buddhism.

 13 
Sam Davis
(Confederate Soldier Who was Executed by Union Forces and Remembered for His Courage and Loyalty)
Sam Davis
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 6, 1842
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States
Died: November 27

Confederate soldier Sam Davis, who was captured, convicted and executed by Union forces at just 21 years of age in Pulaski, Tennessee, during the American Civil War, is remembered for his courage and loyalty and lauded as the Boy Hero of the Confederacy. A martyr to the Confederate cause, Davis was eulogized by Middle Tennesseeans for his bravery and sacrifice.

 14 
John B. Floyd
(Politician)
John B. Floyd
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: June 1, 1806
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Blacksburg, Virginia, United States
Died: August 26
 15 
Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde
(Officer)
Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: October 20, 1792
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland
Died: August 14
 16 
Franz Xaver Gruber
(Organist)
Franz Xaver Gruber
0
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: November 25, 1787
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Hochburg-Ach, Austria
Died: June 7
 17 
Andrew Hull Foote
(Naval officer)
Andrew Hull Foote
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: September 12, 1806
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Died: June 26
 18 
Frederick VII of Denmark
(King)
Frederick VII of Denmark
1
Birthdate: October 6, 1808
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark
Died: November 15
 19 
William Lowndes Yancey
(Journalist)
William Lowndes Yancey
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: August 10, 1814
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Warren, Georgia, United States
Died: July 27
 20 
Shi Dakai
(Chinese Poet and Revolutionary Who Led the 'Taiping Rebellion')
Shi Dakai
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: March 1, 1831
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Guigang, China
Died: June 26

Shi Dakai was a Chinese poet and one of the most important leaders in the Taiping Rebellion. Shi Dakai's heroics as a magnificent general inspired his fellow clansman Zhu De who went on to establish the Red Army, which came to be known as the People's Liberation Army.

 21 
Richard Whately
(British Philosopher, Economist, Theologian and Former Archbishop of Dublin)
Richard Whately
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: February 1, 1787
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Cavendish Square, London, England
Died: October 8

Richard Whately was an English logician, academic, rhetorician, economist, theologian, and philosopher. His influential work Elements of Logic, which popularized the study of logic in the United States of America and in Britain, inspired several logicians including Charles Sanders Peirce, who read the book when he was 12 years old.

 22 
Natalia Pushkina
(Former Poet who was wife of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin)
Natalia Pushkina
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: September 8, 1812
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Tambov Oblast, Russia
Died: November 26
 23 
Christian Friedrich Hebbel
(Poet)
Christian Friedrich Hebbel
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: March 18, 1813
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Wesselburen, Germany
Died: December 13
 24 
Radama II
(King of Madagascar)
Radama II
0
Birthdate: September 23, 1829
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Queen's Palace, Antananarivo, Madagascar
Died: May 12
 25 
Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli
(Poet)
Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: September 7, 1791
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Died: December 21
 26 
Ignacio Comonfort
(25th President of Mexico)
Ignacio Comonfort
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: March 12, 1812
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Amozoc de Mota, Mexico
Died: November 13
 27 
Horace Vernet
(Painter)
Horace Vernet
1
Birthdate: June 30, 1789
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: January 17
 28 
Maria Martin
(Artist)
Maria Martin
0
Birthdate: July 6, 1796
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Charleston, South Carolina, United States
Died: December 18
 29 
Angus MacAskill
(Canadian Giant, the Strongest Man Who Ever Lived)
Angus MacAskill
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 1825 AD
Birthplace: Berneray, Scotland
Died: August 8

At 7’9”, Angus MacAskill was known as the world’s talent natural giant. The Scottish-born Canadian earned the nickname Gille Mòr, or Big Boy, in his neighborhood. Apart from touring the world for shows, he also worked at P.T. Barnum's circus and performed in front of Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle.

 30 
Stonewall Jackson
(One of the Best-Known Confederate Commanders During the American Civil War)
Stonewall Jackson
68
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: January 21, 1824
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Clarksburg, West Virginia, United States
Died: May 10

Stonewall Jackson was a commander of the Confederate States Army. He played a major role as a Confederate general in the American Civil War, winning several significant battles in the Eastern Theater of the war. Considered one of the most tactically sound commanders in the history of the US, Jackson was idolized by George Patton, Chesty Puller, and Alexander Vandegrift.

 31 
Frederick William Faber
(Writer)
Frederick William Faber
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: June 28, 1814
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Calverley, England
Died: November 26
 32 
Robert John Simmons
(Who served in the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War)
Robert John Simmons
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 1837 AD
Birthplace: Bermuda
Died: July 31
 33 
Augustus Egg
(Artist)
Augustus Egg
0
Birthdate: May 2, 1816
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: London, England
Died: March 26
 34 
William Le Lacheur
(Guernsey sea captain who played an important role in the economic and spiritual development of Costa Rica.)
William Le Lacheur
0
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: October 15, 1802
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Guernsey
Died: June 27
 35 
Christian Friedrich, Baron Stockmar
(Physician)
Christian Friedrich, Baron Stockmar
0
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: August 22, 1787
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Coburg, Germany
Died: July 9

Christian Friedrich was a German physician and statesman. He served as the physician and secretary to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and eventually became influential in Belgian and British politics. Queen Victoria approved of him, and with her support, he played a major role in British politics. He was raised to the rank of baron by the king of Saxony.

 36 
William Mulready
(Irish Painter)
William Mulready
0
Birthdate: April 1, 1786
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Ennis, County Clare, Ireland
Died: July 7

Remembered for his depictions of rural life, Irish painter William Mulready had initially gained fame for his still-life paintings and was then inspired by Dutch painters to paint detailed narratives. He also designed the Mulready stationery, including the first postage envelopes and lettersheets in Britain.

 37 
Edward Robinson
(Translator)
Edward Robinson
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: April 10, 1794
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Southington, Connecticut, United States
Died: January 27

Edward Robinson was a biblical scholar best remembered for his work Biblical Researches in Palestine. Regarded as the first major work in Biblical Archaeology and Biblical Geography, his work earned him the titles, Founder of Modern Palestinology and Father of Biblical Geography. He is also remembered for translating scriptural works.

 38 
Dost Mohammad Khan
(Emir of Afghanistan from 1826 to 1863)
Dost Mohammad Khan
6
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: December 23, 1793
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Kandahar
Died: June 9
Dost Mohammad Khan reigned as the Emir of Afghanistan from 1826 to 1863. His rule played an important role in the creation of present-day Afghanistan. Dost Mohammad Khan defeated the British in the First Anglo-Afghan War and secured Afghanistan's independence from foreign powers. He is also credited with reuniting Afghanistan after it had split into multiple principalities. 
 39 
Peter Andreas Munch
(Norwegian Historian Known for His Work on the Medieval History of Norway)
Peter Andreas Munch
0
Birthdate: December 15, 1810
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Oslo, Norway
Died: May 25

Professor and historian Peter Andreas Munch is regarded as one of the pioneers of the Norwegian nationalist school of historiography. He was also known for his translations of Norse legends and for his History of the Norwegian People. He believed in the racial superiority of Norwegians over Danes and Swedes.

 40 
John J. Crittenden
(Politician)
John J. Crittenden
2
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: September 10, 1787
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Versailles, Kentucky, United States
Died: July 26
 41 
Eilhard Mitscherlich
(Chemist)
Eilhard Mitscherlich
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: January 7, 1794
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Died: August 28
 42 
Henriette Pressburg
(Mother of Karl Marx)
Henriette Pressburg
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: September 20, 1788
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Nijmegen, Netherlands
Died: November 30
 43 
Prince Frederick of Prussia
(Prince)
Prince Frederick of Prussia
2
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 30, 1794
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: July 27
 44 
Mary Burns
(Political Activist)
Mary Burns
1
Listed In: Activists
Birthdate: September 29, 1821
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Manchester, England
Died: January 7

Born to working-class parents in Ireland, Mary Burns is remembered as the lifelong companion of German philosopher, political theorist, and socialist Friedrich Engels. Burns and Engels didn’t believe in the institution of marriage and thus co-habited without marrying. Following her death, Engels began living with her sister.

 45 
Henry L. Pinckney
(Politician)
Henry L. Pinckney
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: September 24, 1794
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Charleston, South Carolina, United States
Died: February 3
 46 
Giovanni Battista Amici
(Italian Astronomer, Microscopist, and Botanist Best Known for Invention of the 'Achromatic Lens')
Giovanni Battista Amici
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: March 25, 1786
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Modena, Italy
Died: April 10

Italian astronomer, microscopist and botanist Giovanni Battista Amici is best-remembered for effecting significant improvements in mirrors of reflecting telescopes and development of microscope. His subjects of studies included the satellites of Jupiter and double stars in astronomy and infusoria and fructification of plants in biology. He invented dipleidoscope and direct vision prism and was the first to discover pollen tubes.

 47 
Mikhail Shchepkin
(The Father of Realist Acting in Russia)
Mikhail Shchepkin
0
Birthdate: November 17, 1788
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Belogrod, Russia
Died: August 11

Mikhail Shchepkin was an actor who is regarded as the most popular actor of the Russian Empire during the 19th century. Referred to as the father of realist acting in Russia, Shchepkin was instrumental in the development of the Stanislavski's system of acting through his student Glikeriya Nikolaevna Fedotova, who would later have a major influence on Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski.

 48 
Sa'id of Egypt
(Wāli)
Sa'id of Egypt
3
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: March 17, 1822
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Cairo, Egypt
Died: January 17
 49 
John Henry Belter
(Cabinetmaker)
John Henry Belter
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 1804 AD
Birthplace: Hilter, Germany
Died: October 15
 50 
Joshua Field
(Civil engineer)
Joshua Field
0
Listed In: Engineers
Birthdate: 1786 AD
Birthplace: Hackney, Middlesex, England
Died: August 11

Engineer Joshua Field was not just part of the firm Maudslay, Sons, and Field but also co-created the combined steam engines that powered the Great Western’s maiden trans-Atlantic journey. He also co-established the Institution of Civil Engineers and was named a fellow of both the Royal Society and the Society of Arts.