Famous People Who Died In 1887

Discover the most famous people died who died in the year 1887. This list includes people like Jenny Lind, Doc Holliday, Ike Clanton, Dorothea Dix, Henry Ward Beecher and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include poets, journalists, philosophers and chemists who died in 1887. This list includes people from United States, Russia and many more countries.
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 1 
Jenny Lind
(One of the Most Highly Regarded Singers of the 19th Century)
Jenny Lind
23
Listed In: Singers
Birthdate: October 6, 1820
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden
Died: November 2
Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind, also known as the "Swedish Nightingale,” was a prominent 19th-century soprano and performed all over Europe. She also donated generously to various charities, especially to the cause of free schools in Sweden. She also taught at the Royal College of Music in London. 
 2 
Dorothea Dix
(Social Reformer)
Dorothea Dix
4
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: April 4, 1802
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Maine, US
Died: July 17

Dorothea Dix was an American advocate who fought for the welfare of the mentally ill. She helped create the first generation of mental asylums in the United States. Dix also played a key role during the Civil War, serving as a Superintendent of Army Nurses. In 1979, Dorothea Dix was made an inductee of the National Women's Hall of Fame.

 3 
Savitribai Phule
(Social Reformer, Poet)
Savitribai Phule
22
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: January 3, 1831
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Naigaon, British India (now in Satara district, Maharashtra)
Died: March 10

Savitribai Phule was a revolutionary social reformer who dedicated her life to educate girls and bring about gender equality in the face of resistance from the conservative Indian society. Phule, who was illiterate till her marriage, went on to become a teacher, a feat considered first by an Indian woman. With her husband, she established schools for girls in Maharashtra.

 4 
Doc Holliday
(Gambler, Gunfighter)
Doc Holliday
26
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: August 14, 1851
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Griffin, Georgia, United States
Died: November 8

Doc Holliday was a well-known American gunfighter, gambler, and dentist. He played a major role in the events leading up to the most famous shootout in American Wild West history, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. His interesting life and character have inspired several books, films, and TV series; he has been portrayed by actors like Cesar Romero and Kirk Douglas.

 5 
Aleksandr Borodin
(Composer, Chemist)
Aleksandr Borodin
4
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: November 12, 1833
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg
Died: February 27

Aleksandr Borodin was a Russian musical composer. He was one of the popular 19th-century group of musicians known as The Five, who worked together to create a national style of classical music. A chemist and doctor by profession, Borodin also made important contributions to organic chemistry. His best known work as a chemist is his work pertaining to organic synthesis.

 6 
Henry Ward Beecher
(Clergyman, Preacher & Abolitionist)
Henry Ward Beecher
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: June 24, 1813
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Litchfield, Connecticut, U.S
Died: March 8

Congregational minister Henry Ward Beecher, the eighth child of Reverend Lyman Beecher, was a skilled orator and a prominent Protestant speaker. He was known for anti-slavery stance and his belief in God's love, One of his best works is the pamphlet Seven Lectures to Young Men.

 7 
Anandi Gopal Joshi
(First Indian Female Doctor)
Anandi Gopal Joshi
11
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: March 31, 1865
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Kalyan, Maharashtra, India
Died: February 26

Though she was married off at age 9 and had had a baby by 14, Anandi Gopal Joshi rose to become one of the first female doctors in India and the first Indian-origin woman to graduate with a medical degree in the US. Unfortunately, she died of tuberculosis shortly before her 22nd birthday.

 8 
Gustav Kirchhoff
(Physicist)
Gustav Kirchhoff
3
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: March 12, 1824
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Königsberg, Kingdom of Prussia
Died: October 17

Gustav Kirchhoff was a German physicist who is credited with coining the term black-body radiation. He is best remembered for his contribution to the basic understanding of spectroscopy, electrical circuits, and the emanation of black-body radiation. In 1862, he received the prestigious Rumford Medal. The Bunsen-Kirchhoff Award is named after Gustav Kirchhoff and German chemist Robert Bunsen.

 9 
Emma Lazarus
(Poet, Writer, Journalist)
Emma Lazarus
2
Listed In:
Birthdate: July 22, 1849
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: New York City
Died: November 19
 10 
William A. Wheeler
(19th Vice President of the U.S.A)
William A. Wheeler
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: June 30, 1819
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Malone
Died: June 4
 11 
Gustav Fechner
(Physicist, Psychologist, Statistician, University teacher, Philosopher)
Gustav Fechner
2
Birthdate: April 19, 1801
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Bad Muskau
Died: November 18

Gustav Fechner was a German physicist, philosopher, and experimental psychologist. A pioneer in the field of experimental psychology, Fechner is credited with founding psychophysics. Gustav Fechner inspired several philosophers and scientists like Jan Koenderink, David Heeger, and Farley Norman. In 1970, a crater on the Moon was named after him by the International Astronomical Union.

 12 
James Buchanan Eads
(American Civil Engineer and Inventor Best Known for His 'Triple-Arch Steel Bridge' Over the Mississippi River)
James Buchanan Eads
2
Birthdate: May 23, 1820
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Lawrenceburg, Indiana, United States
Died: March 8

Engineer James B. Eads spent most of his early life marine-salvaging along the Mississippi. Apart from building submarines, he also owned over 50 patents. He is best remembered for his triple-arch steel bridge over the Mississippi. He was the first American engineer to win the Royal Society of Arts’s Albert Medal.

 13 
Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein
(Noblewoman, Journalist)
Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: February 8, 1819
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Monastyryshche, Ukraine
Died: March 9
 14 
Shimazu Hisamitsu
(Samurai)
Shimazu Hisamitsu
0
Birthdate: November 28, 1817
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Kagoshima Castle, Kagoshima, Japan
Died: December 6
 15 
Lysander Spooner
(American Lawyer, Journalist, Essayist and Philosopher)
Lysander Spooner
2
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: January 19, 1808
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Athol, Massachusetts, United States
Died: May 14
 16 
Józef Ignacy Kraszewski
(Polish Writer Best Known for His Epic Series on the History of Poland)
Józef Ignacy Kraszewski
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: July 28, 1812
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland
Died: March 19

One of the greatest writers of the Romantic period in Poland, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski is best remembered for his historical novel An Ancient Tale. Accused of conspiring against the Russian government and imprisoned, he devoted his life to writing after his release. He was later imprisoned by Germany, too, for spying.

 17 
Eliza R. Snow
(American Poet and 2nd Relief Society General President (1866 - 1867))
Eliza R. Snow
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: January 21, 1804
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Becket, Massachusetts, United States
Died: December 5

Eliza R. Snow was an American poet and an important member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One of the most celebrated Mormon women of the 19th century, Snow is best remembered as a plural wife of Joseph Smith. As a poet, she achieved popularity within the LDS Church.

 18 
Joseph Hayne Rainey
(Politician)
Joseph Hayne Rainey
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: June 21, 1832
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Georgetown, South Carolina
Died: August 1
 19 
Albert Carrier-Belleuse
(Sculptor)
Albert Carrier-Belleuse
0
Birthdate: June 12, 1824
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Anizy-le-Chateau, France
Died: June 4
 20 
Robert Scott
(Philologist, Educator)
Robert Scott
1
Birthdate: January 26, 1811
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Bondleigh, England
Died: December 2
 21 
Richard Jefferies
(Author)
Richard Jefferies
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: November 6, 1848
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: near Swindon, England
Died: August 14
 22 
Henry Mayhew
(British Journalist, Playwright and One of the Co-founders of the Satirical Magazine 'Punch')
Henry Mayhew
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: November 25, 1812
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: London, England
Died: July 25

A co-founder of the iconic British satirical magazine Punch, Henry Mayhew ran away from home to work for the East India Company on a ship to Calcutta. He then worked as a trainee lawyer, before finding his footing in freelance journalism. He remains best-known for his 4-volume London Labour and the London Poor.

 23 
Infante Juan, Count of Montizón
(Infante)
Infante Juan, Count of Montizón
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: May 15, 1822
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Royal Palace of Aranjuez, Aranjuez, Spain
Died: November 18
 24 
Alfred Krupp
(Industrialist)
Alfred Krupp
1
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: April 26, 1812
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Essen, Germany
Died: July 14
 25 
Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden
(US Geologist Who Made Pioneering Research on the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains)
Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: September 7, 1829
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Westfield, Massachusetts, United States
Died: December 22

US geologist Ferdinand Vandiveer Hayden is remembered for his ground-breaking research on the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains. He also served as a Union Army surgeon during the American Civil War and taught geology at the University of Pennsylvania. He also played a major role in the formation of the Yellowstone National Park.

 26 
Fran Levstik
(Slovene Writer and Political Activist Know for His Short Tale ‘Martin Krpan From Vrh’)
Fran Levstik
0
Listed In: Activists
Birthdate: September 28, 1831
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Dolnje Retje, Slovenia
Died: November 16

Fran Levstik was a Slovene writer, playwright, political activist, and critic. He is best remembered for his itinerary and contributions to Slovene literature. Fran Levstik's works had a significant influence on future Slovene authors like Josip Jurčič, Josip Stritar, Janez Trdina, and Janko Kersnik. There is a literary award named in his honor.

 27 
Spencer Fullerton Baird
(US Naturalist, Ornithologist, and Zoologist Who Mostly Studied North American Birds and Mammals)
Spencer Fullerton Baird
0
Birthdate: February 3, 1823
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Reading, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: August 19

American naturalist, ornithologist, and vertebrate zoologist Spencer Fullerton Baird was an expert on North American birds and mammals. Initially a professor of natural history, he was later associated with the Smithsonian Institution as a curator and assistant secretary. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the US Commission of Fish and Fisheries.

 28 
Joseph Whitworth
(British Engineer, Entrepreneur, Inventor and Philanthropist Who Devised the 'British Standard Whitworth System')
Joseph Whitworth
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: December 21, 1803
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Stockport, Cheshire, England
Died: January 22

Mechanical engineer Joseph Whitworth is best remembered for devising the British Standard Whitworth system for screw threads. He contributed a lot to the development of Owens College, introduced a scholarship, and left most of his fortunes to the people of Manchester. He was also made a baronet of the U.K.

 29 
Multatuli
(Dutch Writer Best Known for His Satirical Novel 'Max Havelaar')
Multatuli
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: March 2, 1820
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died: February 19

Eduard Douwes Dekker, better known as Multatuli, soared to fame with his anticolonial satire Max Havelaar. A colonial officer in the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia), he hoped to bring about a change in the Dutch colonial policy through his works. He is now regarded as the pioneer of contemporary Dutch literature.  

 30 
Friedrich Theodor Vischer
(Novelist)
Friedrich Theodor Vischer
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: June 30, 1807
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Ludwigsburg, Germany
Died: September 14
 31 
Johann Jakob Bachofen
(Antiquarian)
Johann Jakob Bachofen
0
Birthdate: December 22, 1815
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Basel, Switzerland
Died: November 25
 32 
Jules Laforgue
(Franco-Uruguayan Poet)
Jules Laforgue
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: August 16, 1860
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Montevideo, Uruguay
Died: August 20
Jules Laforgue was a Franco-Uruguayan poet whose poetry has been referred to as part-symbolist, part-impressionist. Apart from being a poet, Jules Laforgue also served as a model for a French artist named Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
 33 
Ivan Kramskoi
(Russian Painter and Art Critic)
Ivan Kramskoi
0
Birthdate: June 8, 1837
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Ostrogozhsk, Russia
Died: April 6

Ivan Kramskoi was a Russian art critic and painter. Kramskoi played an important role as an intellectual leader of a popular Russian art movement called The Itinerants between 1860 and 1880. He was also considered an eccentric as he would not charge money for expensive frames while giving his works to his customers.

 34 
Mary Frances Clarke
(Irish Nun Who Founded the Catholic Order of the 'Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary')
Mary Frances Clarke
2
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: November 15, 1802
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: December 4

Best remembered for establishing the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Irish nun Mary Frances Clarke made significant contributions to the spread of education in America. While she initially worked for her father’s leather business, she changed her mind after nursing people during a cholera epidemic.

 35 
Mother Angela Gillespie
(Religious leader)
Mother Angela Gillespie
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: February 21, 1824
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: near Brownsville, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: March 4
 36 
C. F. W. Walther
(Theologian)
C. F. W. Walther
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 25, 1811
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Langenchursdorf, Germany
Died: May 7
 37 
Isabella Valancy Crawford
(Canadian Writer and Poet)
Isabella Valancy Crawford
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: December 25, 1846
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: February 12

Isabella Valancy Crawford was a Canadian poet and writer. The author of Malcolm's Katie, a popular poem held in high regard in the history of Canadian poetry, Crawford is widely regarded as Canada's first major poet. She made a living using her skills as a freelance writer, one of the first Canadians to do so.

 38 
Jean-Baptiste Boussingault
(French Chemist Who Made Significant Contributions to Agricultural Science, Petroleum Science and Metallurgy)
Jean-Baptiste Boussingault
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: February 2, 1801
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: May 11

Credited with establishing the first agricultural research station, French agricultural scientist and chemist Jean-Baptiste Boussingault made significant discoveries in agricultural science. Establishing the importance of nitrogen in plant growth, busting the myth that plants absorb the element from the atmosphere and proving that nitrogen content in soil increases after the cultivation of legumes are some of his contributions in this field.  

 39 
Mark Hopkins
(Theologian, Educator)
Mark Hopkins
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: February 4, 1802
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Died: June 17
 40 
Agostino Depretis
(Statesman)
Agostino Depretis
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: January 31, 1813
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Mezzana Corti, Italy
Died: July 29
 41 
William Burnham Woods
(Jurist)
William Burnham Woods
0
Listed In: Lawyers & Judges
Birthdate: August 3, 1824
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Newark, Ohio, United States
Died: May 14
 42 
Bamba Muller
(Known for a modern 'Cinderella')
Bamba Muller
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: July 6, 1848
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Cairo, Egypt
Died: September 18
 43 
August Spies
(Editor)
August Spies
0
Birthdate: December 10, 1855
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Landecker Berg, Schenklengsfeld, Germany
Died: November 11
 44 
Mikhail Katkov
(Journalist)
Mikhail Katkov
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: February 13, 1818
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Died: August 1
 45 
Thomas Ustick Walter
(American Architect)
Thomas Ustick Walter
0
Listed In: Architects
Birthdate: September 4, 1804
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: October 30

Thomas Ustick Walter was an American architect who worked as the fourth architect of the Capitol, largely overseeing the addition of the north and south wings and the central dome, which can be viewed today. Walter is also revered for his work as one of the founders of the American Institute of Architects where he served as the second president.

 46 
Friedrich von Amerling
(Former Portrait Painter)
Friedrich von Amerling
2
Birthdate: April 14, 1803
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: January 14

Austrian portrait painter Friedrich von Amerling was a favorite of the Viennese aristocrats. The court painter of Austro-Hungarian king Franz Josef, he was known for his skilled use of colors. He was well-traveled and had been married four times. He had managed to acquire the Gumpendorf Castle, too.

 47 
Aleksandr Ulyanov
(Russian Revolutionary and Elder Brother of Vladimir Lenin)
Aleksandr Ulyanov
4
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: April 12, 1866
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Died: May 20

Russian revolutionary Aleksandr Ulyanov was the elder brother of Vladimir Lenin, who founded the Soviet Union. Though initially not interested in politics, he later became involved in St. Petersburg student politics and was part of a plot to kill Alexander III. He was hanged along with four of his comrades.

 48 
Alfred Domett
(Statesman)
Alfred Domett
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: May 20, 1811
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Camberwell Grove, London, England
Died: November 2
 49 
John Ceiriog Hughes
(Welsh Poet and Collector of Folk Tunes)
John Ceiriog Hughes
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: September 25, 1832
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, Wales
Died: April 23

Welsh poet John Ceiriog Hughes initially worked odd jobs, as a grocer’s assistant, a clerk, and a railway station master. After winning several poetry prizes, he published his first volume, Evening Hours. Often compared to Robert Burns due to his impact on poetry, he explored Welsh folk tunes extensively.

 50 
Hans von Marées
(Painter)
Hans von Marées
1
Birthdate: December 24, 1837
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Wuppertal, Germany
Died: June 5