Famous People Who Died In 1868

Discover the most famous people died who died in the year 1868. This list includes people like James Buchanan, Thaddeus Stevens, Kit Carson, Gioachino Rossini, Black Kettle and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include physicists, political leaders, emperors & kings and composers who died in 1868. This list includes people from United States, France, England and many more countries.
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 1 
James Buchanan
(15th President of the United States)
James Buchanan
16
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: April 23, 1791
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Cove Gap, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: June 1

James Buchanan was a prominent American lawyer who served as the 15th president of the United States. He is often criticized for failing to address the issue of slavery and is consistently ranked among America's worst presidents. His life and work inspired the 2019 film Raising Buchanan in which he was played by René Auberjonois.

 2 
Kit Carson
(Explorer & Soldier)
Kit Carson
6
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: December 24, 1809
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Madison County
Died: May 23

A frontiersman and a fur-trapper, Kit Carson played a major role in the US’s westward expansion. Mostly known for guiding explorer John C. Frémont, he was criticized for his contribution to the displacement of native Americans as an Indian agent. He became part of folk legend for his exploits as a fighter, too.

 3 
Gioachino Rossini
(Italian composer Best Known for His Operas: ‘The Barber of Seville’, ‘La Cenerentola’ and ‘Semiramide’)
Gioachino Rossini
14
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: February 29, 1792
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Pesaro, Italy
Died: November 13

Gioachino Rossini was an Italian composer best remembered for composing 39 operas before retiring at the peak of his popularity when he was still in his 30s. Such is his influence on modern-day virtuosi that many of them have created piano fantasies or transcriptions based on Gioachino Rossini's melodies.  

 4 
Thaddeus Stevens
(Former United States Representative)
Thaddeus Stevens
3
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: April 4, 1792
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Danville
Died: August 11
Thaddeus Stevens was member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania and a Radical Republican leader. He played a major role in ending slavery and chaired the House Ways and Means Committee during the American Civil War. He was also known for ill-treating the ex-Confederates during Reconstruction.
 5 
Tewodros II of Ethiopia
(Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 to 1868)
Tewodros II of Ethiopia
2
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 1818 AD
Birthplace: Qwara, Dembiya
Died: April 13

Tewodros II of Ethiopia reigned as the Emperor of Ethiopia from 11 February 1855 until his demise on 13 April 1868. An important and influential ruler, Tewodros hold an important place in Ethiopian history. Many plays, books, songs, and art works have been influenced by the life of Tewodros II of Ethiopia.

 6 
James Brooke
(British Politician and Diplomat)
James Brooke
2
Birthdate: April 29, 1803
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Bandel, Hooghly, British India
Died: June 11

Born to an English judge in British India, James Brooke was educated in England and then served the Bengal Army. He later established the Brooke Raj, or the State of Sarawak, in Borneo and reigned as its first White Rajah. He was knighted and later handed over his Raj to his nephew.

 7 
Black Kettle
(Leader)
Black Kettle
3
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: December 7, 1803
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Black Hills
Died: November 27
 8 
Bhanubhakta Acharya
(Poet)
Bhanubhakta Acharya
3
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: July 13, 1814
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Chundi Ramgha, Nepal
Died: April 23
 9 
Okita Sōji
(Captain of the First Unit of the 'Shinsengumi', a Special Police Force in Kyoto During Late Shogunate Period)
Okita Sōji
2
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 1842 AD
Birthplace: Edo, Japan
Died: July 19

Okita Sōji was a Japanese military leader who served as the captain of the pilot batch of the Shinsengumi, Kyoto's special police force during the late shogunate period. Okita Sōji is often counted among the best swordsmen of the police force. Okita Sōji has been immortalized in various novels, manga series, and period dramas.

 10 
Léon Foucault
(Physicist)
Léon Foucault
3
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: September 18, 1819
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Paris
Died: February 11

Léon Foucault was a French physicist remembered for his presentation of the Foucault pendulum. Foucault is credited with measuring the speed of light and discovering eddy currents. He is also credited with coining the term gyroscope. Considered one of the most important physicists from France, Foucault's name is among the 72 names etched on the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris.

 11 
David Brewster
(Scientist)
David Brewster
2
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: December 11, 1781
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Jedburgh, Scotland
Died: February 10

David Brewster was a British scientist, inventor, and author. He conducted many experiments in physical optics, especially concerned with the study of the polarization of light. Fellow scientist William Whewell dubbed him the "father of modern experimental optics." He was also a pioneer in photography and invented an improved stereoscope. He wrote numerous works of popular science as well. 

 12 
James Mayer de Rothschild
(French Banker and Art Collector)
James Mayer de Rothschild
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: May 15, 1792
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Frankfurt
Died: November 15

German-French banker and the youngest child of Mayer Amschel Rothschild, James Mayer de Rothschild. He took over the reins of his family banking firm after the death of his brother Nathan and headed the French Rothschild banking family. The Légion d'honneur winner later also invested in a vineyard.

 13 
Henry Deringer
(Gunsmith)
Henry Deringer
0
Birthdate: October 26, 1786
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Easton, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: February 28
 14 
James Thomas Brudenell, 7th earl of Cardigan
(Military Officer)
James Thomas Brudenell, 7th earl of Cardigan
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: October 16, 1797
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Hambleden, England
Died: March 28
 15 
Emanuel Leutze
(Painter best known for his 1851 painting Washington Crossing the Delaware)
Emanuel Leutze
1
Birthdate: May 24, 1816
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany
Died: July 18
 16 
Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux
(Politician)
Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: September 19, 1778
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Cowgate, Edinburgh, Scotland
Died: May 7
 17 
Nakano Takeko
(Warrior)
Nakano Takeko
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: July 12, 1847
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Edo, Japan
Died: October 10
 18 
Ludwig I of Bavaria
(King)
Ludwig I of Bavaria
0
Birthdate: August 25, 1786
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Strasbourg, France
Died: February 29
 19 
Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, 1st Baronet
(Brewer)
Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, 1st Baronet
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: November 1, 1798
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: May 19
 20 
Adele Foucher
(Writer)
Adele Foucher
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: September 27, 1803
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: August 27
 21 
John Elliotson
(Physician, University teacher)
John Elliotson
0
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: October 29, 1791
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Southwark
Died: July 29
 22 
Linus Yale Jr.
(Inventor)
Linus Yale Jr.
0
Birthdate: April 4, 1821
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Salisbury, New York, United States
Died: December 25

Best known for inventing the cylinder lock named after him, Linus Yale Jr. was a descendant of the benefactor of Yale University. While working in his father’s lock shop, Yale introduced many innovative designs for bank locks. He also put to use his painting skills in drawing lock designs.

 23 
Alexandre Colonna-Walewski
(Statesman)
Alexandre Colonna-Walewski
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: May 4, 1810
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Walewice, Poland
Died: September 27

Widely known as the illegitimate son of Napoleon Bonaparte and his Polish noblewoman mistress, Countess Marie Walewska, Alexandre Colonna-Walewski was a French diplomat and politician. Apart from serving as a foreign minister, he is also believed to have collaborated with Alexandre Dumas on an opera.

 24 
Adah Isaacs Menken
(Actress)
Adah Isaacs Menken
3
Birthdate: June 15, 1835
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Bordeaux, France
Died: August 10
 25 
Franz Berwald
(Composer)
Franz Berwald
0
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: July 23, 1796
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden
Died: April 3
 26 
Laura Secord
(Canadian loyalist)
Laura Secord
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: September 13, 1775
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Great Barrington, Massachusetts, United States
Died: October 17
 27 
Mswati II
(King)
Mswati II
0
Birthdate: 1825 AD
Birthplace: Eswatini
Died: 1868 AD
 28 
Christian Friedrich Schönbein
(German-Swiss Chemist Best Known for Inventing the 'Fuel Cell')
Christian Friedrich Schönbein
0
Birthdate: October 18, 1799
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Metzingen, Germany
Died: August 29

German chemist Christian Friedrich Schönbein is best remembered for his discovery of ozone and the fuel cell. He also discovered guncotton, or nitrocellulose, as a result of a kitchen accident. He was an apprentice at a chemical firm at 13 and grew up to teach at the at the University of Basel.

 29 
August Schleicher
(German linguist)
August Schleicher
0
Birthdate: February 19, 1821
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Meiningen
Died: December 6
 30 
Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius
(German Botanist Who Is Known for His Research on Brazilian Flora)
Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: April 17, 1794
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Erlangen, Germany
Died: December 13

German botanist and explorer Karl Friedrich Philipp von Martius is remembered for his Austrian expedition to Brazil. He went on to conduct extensive research on Brazilian flora. His best-known work remains the 3-volume Historia naturalis palmarum. He also taught and maintained a botanic garden in Munich.

 31 
William T. G. Morton
(Dentist)
William T. G. Morton
1
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: August 9, 1819
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Charlton, Massachusetts, United States
Died: July 15
 32 
Mongkut
(King of Thailand)
Mongkut
8
Birthdate: October 18, 1804
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bangkok, Thailand
Died: October 1
 33 
Lafayette C. Baker
(American Detective and Spy Who Served the Union Army during the 'American Civil War')
Lafayette C. Baker
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 13, 1826
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Stafford, New York, United States
Died: July 3

American detective Lafayette C. Baker who served the Union Army during the American Civil War, is also remembered for his espionage activities. He apparently spied on the Confederate Army for General Winfield Scott. However, in spite of heading the Union intelligence forces, he was sacked for allegedly spying on President Andrew Johnson.

 34 
William Sidney Mount
(Painter)
William Sidney Mount
0
Birthdate: November 26, 1807
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Setauket- East Setauket, New York, United States
Died: November 19
 35 
James David Forbes
(Scottish Physicist and Glaciologist Known for His Research on Heat Conduction and Glaciers)
James David Forbes
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: April 20, 1809
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland
Died: December 31

Scottish physicist James David Forbes is best remembered for his research on glaciers and heat conduction and for his invention of the seismometer. A University of Edinburgh professor, he later won both the Rumford Medal and the Gold Medal of The Royal Society for his achievements.

 36 
William Rutter Dawes
(Astronomer)
William Rutter Dawes
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: March 19, 1799
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: West Sussex, England
Died: February 15
 37 
Tiruwork Wube
(The Empress of Ethiopia as the Wife of Emperor Tewodros II)
Tiruwork Wube
0
Birthplace: Ethiopia
Died: May 16

Tiruwork Wube reigned as the empress consort of Ethiopia by her marriage to Emperor Tewodros II, who was once a rival of Tiruwork’s father, Dejazmatch Wube, with regard to the throne of Ethiopia. She came under British protection after the defeat and suicide of her husband.

 38 
Eduard van der Nüll
(Former architect, who was one of the great masters in the historicist style of Vienna's Ringstrasse)
Eduard van der Nüll
0
Listed In: Architects
Birthdate: January 9, 1812
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: April 4
 39 
Chauncey Jerome
(Clockmaker)
Chauncey Jerome
0
Birthdate: June 10, 1793
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Canaan, United States
Died: April 20
 40 
Felicien Mallefille
(Writer)
Felicien Mallefille
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: May 3, 1813
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Port Louis, Mauritius
Died: November 24
 41 
John Crawfurd
(Diplomat)
John Crawfurd
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: August 13, 1783
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Islay, Scotland
Died: May 11
 42 
Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker
(Classical philologist)
Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker
0
Birthdate: November 4, 1784
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Grünberg, Germany
Died: December 17
 43 
Seba Smith
(Humorist)
Seba Smith
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: September 14, 1792
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Buckfield, Maine, United States
Died: July 28
 44 
Charles Kean
(Actor)
Charles Kean
0
Birthdate: January 18, 1811
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Waterford, Ireland
Died: January 22
 45 
Charles Harpur
(Australian Poet)
Charles Harpur
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: January 23, 1813
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Windsor, Australia
Died: June 10

Initially a postal clerk and then a teacher, Charles Harpur would often cut out poems written by him and collect them in a scrapbook, to be published later. His poetry depicted the untamed natural beauty of Australia. The Bush-Rangers, his second book, contains some of his best poems.

 46 
Jacques Boucher de Crèvecœur de Perthes
(Archaeologist)
Jacques Boucher de Crèvecœur de Perthes
0
Birthdate: September 10, 1788
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Perthes, France
Died: August 5
 47 
Pierre-Antoine Berryer
(Advocate)
Pierre-Antoine Berryer
1
Listed In: Lawyers & Judges
Birthdate: January 4, 1790
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: November 29
 48 
Ramón María Narváez, 1st Duke of Valencia
(Spanish Statesman and General)
Ramón María Narváez, 1st Duke of Valencia
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: August 5, 1799
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Loja, Spain
Died: April 23
 49 
Thomas D'Arcy McGee
(Former Member of the Canadian Parliament for Montreal West (1867 - 1868))
Thomas D'Arcy McGee
1
Birthdate: April 13, 1825
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Carlingford, Ireland
Died: April 7

Thomas D'Arcy McGee was an Irish-Canadian politician, Catholic spokesman, journalist, and poet. As a young man, he opposed British rule in Ireland and was in favor of creating an independent Irish Republic. He later became conservative in his beliefs and moved to Canada. He helped create the Canadian Confederation in 1867 but was assassinated the following year.  

 50 
Ernest Doudart de Lagrée
(Explorer)
Ernest Doudart de Lagrée
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: March 31, 1823
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Grenoble, France
Died: March 12