List of people from Parkersburg, West Virginia
This is a list of people who were born in, lived in, or are closely associated with the city of Parkersburg, West Virginia.
Athletics
- Walt Barnes, professional football player and actor[1]
- Dick Biddle, college football coach
- Zac Boggs, soccer player
- Kim Caldwell, basketball coach
- Chase Fieler, professional basketball player
- Paul Goldsmith, member of Motorcycle Hall of Fame
- Dick Hoblitzel, outfielder in Major League Baseball
- Tom Lopienski, NFL player
- Macguire McDuff, NCAA champion swimmer
- Earle "Greasy" Neale (1891–1973), professional football and baseball player
- Harold Newhart, Olympic gymnast
- Mary Ostrowski, former U.S. National Team gold medalist, West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.[2][3][4]
- Brenton Strange, NFL Player for the Jacksonville Jaguars[5]
- Nick Swisher, professional baseball player and Steve's son
- Steve Swisher, professional baseball player and Nick's father
- Gibby Welch, professional football player
- Deron Williams, professional basketball player
Arts & Entertainment
- Allen Appel, novelist
- Sybil Carmen, Ziegfeld Girl and silent film actress
- Edwin Catmull, president of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios
- Paul Dooley, Hollywood character actor
- Leah Bodine Drake, poet
- Linda Goodman, astrology author
- Tommy Hanlon Jr., Australian television presenter
- Cy Hungerford, political cartoonist for Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- Lily Irene Jackson (1848–1928), artist and daughter of John Jay Jackson Jr.
- Robert Lichello, author
- Leon Claire Metz, historian, author, documentary personality, lecturer on American West
- Gary Null, nutritionist and author
- Devon Odessa, actress and film producer
- Bill Robinson, jazz singer
- Morgan Spurlock, Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker, humorist, television producer, screenwriter, and political activist

- Richard Watts Jr., film critic for New York Herald Tribune and New York Post[6]
Politics
- Edmund Burke Fairfield, 12th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan and Chancellor of University of Nebraska[7]
- Dave Foggin, member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, born in Parkersburg[8]
- John D. Hoblitzell Jr., U.S. Senator, born and raised in Parkersburg
- Jacob B. Jackson, Governor of West Virginia 1881–85
- Hunter Holmes Moss Jr., Republican U.S. Representative
- Buck Rinehart, Republican, Mayor of Columbus, Ohio
- Mick Staton, Republican, U.S. Representative
- William E. Stevenson, Governor of West Virginia, 1869–71
- Peter G. Van Winkle, Republican U.S. Senator
- Albert B. White, Governor of West Virginia, 1901–05
- Jay Wolfe, West Virginia State Senator and U.S. Senate candidate
Other
- Harman Blennerhassett, ally of Aaron Burr and owner of Blennerhassett Island
- Jim Dawson, cultural historian[9]
- Homer A. Holt, justice of West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals
- John Jay Jackson Jr., U.S. federal judge
- Felix Stump, admiral in U.S. Navy and Commander, United States Pacific Fleet
See also
References
- ^ "Walt Barnes". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
- ^ "W.Va. Sports Hall of Famer Ostrowski dies". newsandsentinel.com/. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
- ^ Jenkins, Jeff (July 20, 2013). "'Mary O' succumbs to cancer at 51". WV MetroNews. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
- ^ "UT Hall of Famer Mary Ostrowski Dies". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
- ^ "Jaguars draft Penn State TE Brenton Strange with No. 61 pick". jaguarswire.usatoday.com. April 28, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
- ^ Kihss, Peter (January 3, 1981). "Richard Watts, Drama Critic at Tribune and Post". The New York Times. p. 26.
- ^ Onofrio, Jan (1999). West Virginia Biographical Dictionary. North American Book Dist LLC. p. 72. ISBN 978-0403098446. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
- ^ "WV Legislature". www.wvlegislature.gov. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ Dawson, Jim; Propes, Steve (2003). 45 Rpm: The History, Heroes and Villains of a Pop Music Revolution. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 170. ISBN 978-1617745034. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
