Famous People Who Died In 1915

Discover the most famous people died who died in the year 1915. This list includes people like Booker T. Washington, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Frank James, Paul Ehrlich, Rupert Brooke and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include political leaders, poets, composers and spiritual & religious leaders who died in 1915. This list includes people from United States, United Kingdom, Russia & India and many more countries.
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 1 
Booker T. Washington
(American Educator Who was the Dominant Leader of the African-American Community Between 1890 and 1915)
Booker T. Washington
35
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: April 5, 1856
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Westlake Corner, Virginia, United States
Died: November 14
Booker T. Washington was born into slavery but rose to be an advisor to many U.S. presidents and also became the director of the Tuskegee Institute. His Atlanta Compromise, initially accepted and later rejected by black leaders, urged the blacks to work for their freedom through education and not revolt.
 2 
Ellen G White
14
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: November 26, 1827
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Gorham, Maine, United States
Died: July 16
 3 
Paul Ehrlich
(Scientist)
Paul Ehrlich
2
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: March 14, 1854
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Strzelin, Poland
Died: August 20

German scientist Paul Ehrlich is remembered for his contribution to immunology, which also won him a Nobel Prize. Known as the pioneer of chemotherapy, he also discovered the first-known treatment of syphilis. Born into a business family, he was introduced to the method of studying cells by his pathologist uncle.

 4 
Edith Cavell
(British Nurse Who Saved the Lives of Soldiers from Both Sides During the First World War)
Edith Cavell
7
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: December 4, 1865
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Swardeston, Norfolk, England
Died: October 12

Edith Cavell was a British nurse best remembered for saving the lives of many soldiers from both camps without discrimination. She helped nearly 200 Allied soldiers escape from Belgium during World War I. Her decision to help both German and Allied soldiers without discrimination landed her in trouble; Edith Cavell was accused of treason and sentenced to death.

 5 
Henry Moseley
(Physicist)
Henry Moseley
9
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: November 23, 1887
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Weymouth, Dorset, England
Died: August 10

Henry Moseley was an English physicist best known for his development of Moseley's law in X-ray spectra. He made major contributions to the fields of atomic physics, nuclear physics, and quantum physics. He was working at the University of Oxford when World War I broke out, following which he went to volunteer for the Royal Engineers of the British Army. 

 6 
Frederick Winslow Taylor
(American Mechanical Engineer Known for His Methods to Improve Industrial Efficiency)
Frederick Winslow Taylor
4
Listed In: Engineers
Birthdate: March 20, 1856
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: March 21

American inventor, mechanical engineer and an accomplished tennis and golf player, Frederick Winslow Taylor, regarded as the father of scientific management, sought to improve industrial efficiency. His approach on scientific management, referred to as Taylorism, has significantly influenced development of industrial engineering and production management. His monograph, The Principles of Scientific Management, laid out his views on principles of scientific management.

 7 
Rupert Brooke
2
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: August 3, 1887
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Rugby
Died: April 23
 8 
Alois Alzheimer
(Psychiatrist, Neuropathologist)
Alois Alzheimer
7
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: June 14, 1864
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Marktbreit
Died: December 19

German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer is noted for identifying the first published case of presenile dementia, which his colleague and German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin later identified as Alzheimer's disease.  Alois publicly discussed his findings on brain pathology and symptoms of presenile dementia in late-1906 and penned a larger paper giving details of the disease and his findings in 1907.

 9 
Anna Leonowens
(British Travel Writer, Educator, and Social Activist)
Anna Leonowens
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: November 5, 1834
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Ahmednagar, India
Died: January 19

Indian-born British author Anna Leonowens is best remembered for her memoir The English Governess at the Siamese Court, which related her experience as a governess of the children of King Mongkut of Siam. The musical The King and I and the novel Anna and the King of Siam were inspired by her life.

 10 
James Murray
(Lexicographer)
James Murray
5
Birthdate: February 7, 1837
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Denholm, Scotland
Died: July 26

James Murray was a Scottish philologist and lexicographer. He is best remembered as the main editor of the famous Oxford English Dictionary from 1879 until his demise in 1915. Murray's contribution to the dictionary and his collaboration with lexicographical researcher William Chester Minor inspired the 2019 film The Professor and the Madman, where the former was portrayed by Mel Gibson.

 11 
Fanny Crosby
(Poet)
Fanny Crosby
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: March 24, 1820
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Brewster, New York, United States
Died: February 12
 12 
Sandford Fleming
(Scottish Canadian Engineer and Inventor of 'Worldwide Standard Time')
Sandford Fleming
1
Birthdate: January 7, 1827
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Kirkcaldy, Scotland
Died: July 22
Hailed as the Father of Standard Time, Canadian engineer ,Sandford Fleming, promoted worldwide standard time zones, a prime meridian, and the use of the 24-hour clock. He also designed Canada's first postage stamp and founded the Royal Canadian Institute in 1849. Fleming gained the reputation as one of the primary railway engineers and was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1897.
 13 
Robert Smalls
(Politician)
Robert Smalls
8
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: April 5, 1839
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Beaufort, South Carolina, United States
Died: February 23
 14 
Joe Hill
(Songwriter, Trade unionist)
Joe Hill
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: October 7, 1879
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Gävle
Died: November 19
 15 
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
(Indian Political Leader and a Social Reformer During the Indian Independence Movement)
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
8
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: May 9, 1866
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Kothluk, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra
Died: February 19
 16 
Susan La Flesche Picotte
(American doctor)
Susan La Flesche Picotte
2
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: June 17, 1865
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Omaha Reservation, Nebraska, United States
Died: September 18
 17 
Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild
(Politician, Banker)
Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild
1
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: November 8, 1840
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: London
Died: March 31
 18 
Keir Hardie
(Former Leader of the Labour Party of the United Kingdom (1906 - 1908))
Keir Hardie
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: August 15, 1856
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Newhouse, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Died: September 26

Scottish-born labor leader and trade unionist J. Keir Hardie is best remembered for establishing the Labour Party of the UK. He also supported the suffragist revolt organized by activist Emmeline Pankhurst. A pacifist, he objected to Britain’s participation in World War I but eventually ended up being sidelined by his party.

 19 
Clara Immerwahr
(German Chemist)
Clara Immerwahr
2
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: June 21, 1870
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Wojczyce, Poland
Died: May 2

Clara Immerwahr was a German chemist who became the first German woman to receive a doctorate in chemistry. Apart from being a chemist, Clara Immerwahr was also a pacifist and a women's rights activist. Her work, marriage with the popular chemist Fritz Haber, and her suicide at the age of 44 have inspired films, novels, and TV series.

 20 
William Gilbert Grace
(English Amateur Cricketer)
William Gilbert Grace
1
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: July 18, 1848
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Downend, England
Died: October 23
 21 
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt
(Businessperson, Socialite)
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt
0
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: October 20, 1877
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: May 7
 22 
Albert Spalding
(American Baseball Pitcher, Manager and Co-founder of 'A.G. Spalding' Sporting Goods Company)
Albert Spalding
1
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: September 2, 1849
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Illinois, United States
Died: September 9

Apart from being a baseball player, A. G. Spalding was also sports goods manufacturer who co-owned A.G. Spalding and Brothers. Named to the Baseball Hall of Fame, he also penned the annual Spalding’s Official Baseball Guide and the history of baseball named America’s National Game.

 23 
Elbert Hubbard
(Writer)
Elbert Hubbard
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: June 19, 1856
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Bloomington, Illinois, United States
Died: May 7
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 24 
Lawrence Hargrave
(Inventor & Explorer)
Lawrence Hargrave
2
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: January 29, 1850
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Greenwich
Died: July 14
Australian aeronautical engineer Lawrence Hargrave is best remembered for inventing the box kite, or the cellular kite. He went on several expeditions at sea before devoting himself to aeronautics. His initial monoplane models were built after detailed research on the flight of insects and birds.
 25 
Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich of Russia
(Grandson of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, and a poet)
Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich of Russia
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: August 22, 1858
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: June 15
 26 
Carlos Finlay
(Epidemiologist)
Carlos Finlay
0
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: December 3, 1833
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Camagüey, Cuba
Died: August 20
 27 
Fannie Farmer
(Cook)
Fannie Farmer
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: March 23, 1857
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Died: January 15
 28 
Victor Trumper
(Australian Cricketer)
Victor Trumper
0
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: November 2, 1877
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
Died: June 28
 29 
Vazha-Pshavela
(Poet)
Vazha-Pshavela
2
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: July 26, 1861
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire, now Georgia
Died: July 10
 30 
Amanda Smith
(American Methodist Preacher and Former Slave Who Opened an Orphanage for African-American Girls)
Amanda Smith
2
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: January 23, 1837
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Long Green, Maryland, United States
Died: February 24

Born into slavery, Amanda Smith later stepped into freedom after her father bought his and his family’s freedom. Starting as a domestic help, she later became a missionary and a Holiness movement leader, who invested in women’s education wholeheartedly and even established an orphanage for Black girls.

 31 
Walter Crane
(Painter, Illustrator)
Walter Crane
0
Birthdate: August 15, 1845
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Liverpool
Died: March 14
 32 
Theodor Leschetizky
(Polish Pianist Known for Composing Over a Hundred Characteristic Piano Pieces)
Theodor Leschetizky
0
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: June 22, 1830
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Lancut, Poland
Died: November 14

Theodor Leschetizky was a Polish composer, pianist, and professor. A child prodigy, Leschetizky performed a Czerny piano concerto, at age 11, with Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart conducting. He had his own students at age 15 and by the time he was 18, Theodor Leschetizky had become a well-known virtuoso. He composed over a 100 characteristic piano pieces during his career.

 33 
Leo Frank
(Criminal)
Leo Frank
3
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: April 17, 1884
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Cuero, Texas, United States
Died: August 17
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
 34 
Jean-Henri Fabre
(French Entomologist Who is Widely Regarded as the Father of Modern Entomology)
Jean-Henri Fabre
1
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: December 21, 1823
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Saint-Leons, France
Died: October 11

Jean-Henri Fabre was a French entomologist, naturalist, teacher, chemist, physicist, botanist, and author. He is best remembered for his study of insects; Fabre is widely regarded as the father of modern entomology. He is also remembered for his interesting literary work on the lives of insects. Jean-Henri Fabre's life and career inspired the 1951 biographical movie Monsieur Fabre.

 35 
Mary Elizabeth Braddon
(Novelist)
Mary Elizabeth Braddon
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: October 4, 1835
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: London, England
Died: February 4
 36 
William Cornelius Van Horne
(Railroad Executive)
William Cornelius Van Horne
0
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: February 3, 1843
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Frankfort, Illinois, United States
Died: September 11
 37 
Sergei Witte
(1st Prime Minister of Russia)
Sergei Witte
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: June 29, 1849
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Tbilisi, Georgia
Died: March 13
 38 
Akaki Tsereteli
(Poet)
Akaki Tsereteli
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: June 9, 1840
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Skhvitori, Imereti
Died: January 26
 39 
Eleanor Thornton
(Artist's model)
Eleanor Thornton
1
Listed In: Fashion
Birthdate: April 15, 1880
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Stockwell, London, United Kingdom
Died: December 30
 40 
Konstantin Makovsky
(Painter)
Konstantin Makovsky
1
Birthdate: June 20, 1839
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Died: September 17

Konstantin Makovsky was a Russian painter best remembered for his association with the popular group The Wanderers. Widely regarded as an exponent of Academic art, Makovsky portrayed Russian life in the past centuries through his historical paintings like Beneath the Crown. One of the highest-paid and most respected Russian artists, Konstantin Makovsky is also considered the primogenitor of Russian impressionism.

 41 
William Shakespear
(British civil servant and explorer who mapped uncharted areas of Northern Arabia and made the first official British contact with Ibn Sa'ud, future king of Saudi Arabia)
William Shakespear
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 29, 1878
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Mumbai, India
Died: January 24
 42 
Anthony Comstock
(Political writer)
Anthony Comstock
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: March 7, 1844
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New Canaan
Died: September 21
 43 
Karl Goldmark
(Hungarian Composer)
Karl Goldmark
0
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: May 18, 1830
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Keszthely, Hungary
Died: January 2

Born to a Jewish cantor in Hungary, Karl Goldmark began his music lessons with the violin but later struggled to fund his music education. His best-known works include the concert overture Sakuntala and the opera The Queen of Sheba. A music critic, too, he also headed the Eintracht Choral Society.

 44 
Kobayashi Kiyochika
(Japanese Artist Best Known for His Colour Woodblock Prints and Newspaper Illustrations)
Kobayashi Kiyochika
0
Birthdate: September 10, 1847
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Edo, Japan
Died: November 28

Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock printer Kobayashi Kiyochika had also mastered oil painting and photography. He pioneered the kōsen-ga technique, which included Western traditions and a play of light and shade. Cat on the Canvas and Tokyo and Its Suburbs remain two of his best-known series of paintings.

 45 
Kartar Singh Sarabha
(Revolutionary)
Kartar Singh Sarabha
3
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: May 24, 1896
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Punjab, India
Died: November 16
 46 
Pherozeshah Mehta
(President of the Indian National Congress in 1890)
Pherozeshah Mehta
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: August 4, 1845
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Died: November 5

Sir Pherozeshah Mehta was an Indian lawyer and politician. In 1904, the British Government in India honored Mehta with a knighthood for his work and service to the law. Between 1884 and 1911, he was the president of the Bombay Municipality on four occasions. Pherozeshah Mehta also played an important role as a founding member of the Indian National Congress.

 47 
I. L. Peretz
(Author)
I. L. Peretz
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: May 18, 1852
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Zamosc, Poland
Died: April 3
 48 
Theodor Boveri
(Biologist)
Theodor Boveri
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: October 12, 1862
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bamberg, Germany
Died: October 15
 49 
Anton von Werner
(Painter)
Anton von Werner
0
Birthdate: May 9, 1843
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany
Died: January 4
 50 
Abigail Scott Duniway
(Writer)
Abigail Scott Duniway
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: October 22, 1834
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Groveland, Illinois, United States
Died: October 11