List of people from Davenport, Iowa

The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Davenport, Iowa.

Fine arts and music

 * Bix Beiderbecke, jazz musician; the Bix 7 Road Race and Memorial Jazz Festival are named for him
 * Isabel Bloom, sculpture artist; raised in Davenport
 * Branden Campbell, bassist for Neon Trees; born in Davenport
 * Julia Michaels, singer-songwriter; born in Davenport
 * Helen Vanni, opera singer; born in Davenport

Media

 * Matthew Ashford, actor (Jack Deveraux on Days of Our Lives)
 * Lara Flynn Boyle, actress (Twin Peaks and The Practice)
 * Louise Carver, silent film and stage actress
 * Dana Davis, actress (Franklin & Bash and 10 Things I Hate About You)
 * Joe Frisco, jazz dancer and performer in vaudeville
 * John Getz, stage and film actor (Blood Simple, Zodiac)
 * Hazel Keener, silent-film actress
 * Perry Lafferty, executive TV producer (All in the Family, M*A*S*H, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show)
 * Sue Lyon, actress (Lolita)
 * Stuart Margolin, actor and director (The Rockford Files)
 * Vanessa McNeal, activist
 * Mary Beth Peil, actress and singer (The Good Wife)
 * Roger Perry, actor (Harrigan and Son)
 * James Philbrook, actor (The Thin Red Line)
 * Linnea Quigley, actress, known as a B movie scream queen
 * Robin Thede, comedian, writer and actress; lived here as a child; first African-American woman host of a late-night TV talk show, The Rundown
 * Hynden Walch, voice actress

Politics

 * Ken Croken, Iowa state representative since 2023
 * Lyda Krewson, Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri
 * Jim Leach, U.S. congressman; chairperson of National Endowment for the Humanities
 * Larry Leonard, Illinois state senator
 * Hiram Price, U.S. congressman
 * Phyllis Thede, Iowa state representative from 2009 to 2023
 * Anthony Van Wyck, Wisconsin state senator
 * Mike Vondran, Iowa state representative since 2023
 * Jarvis White, Wisconsin state assemblyman

Professional

 * Frederick G. Clausen, architect
 * Samuel Cody, aviation pioneer; native of Davenport
 * Edward Hammatt, architect
 * Daniel David Palmer, founder of chiropractic and the Palmer College of Chiropractic
 * Oran Pape, first Iowa state patrolman murdered in the line of duty
 * Otto Frederick Rohwedder, inventor of mass-produced sliced bread; grew up in Davenport
 * James A. Skinner, Executive Chairman of Walgreens Boots Alliance, and former CEO and Vice President of McDonald's; graduated from West High School (1962)

Religion

 * Ambrose Burke, priest and eighth president of Saint Ambrose University
 * Martin Cone, priest and sixth president of Saint Ambrose University
 * John Flannagan, priest and second president of Saint Ambrose University
 * Mary Porter Gamewell (1848-1906), American missionary to China
 * Gail Karp, cantor of Temple Emanuel
 * Cletus Madsen, priest
 * Carl Meinberg, priest and seventh president of Saint Ambrose University
 * Sebastian Menke, priest and tenth president of Saint Ambrose University
 * Marvin Mottet, priest
 * Gerald Francis O'Keefe, bishop of the Diocese of Davenport

Sports

 * Gene Baker, infielder for Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates
 * Mike Busch, infielder for Los Angeles Dodgers
 * Mike Butcher, pitcher for California Angels, coach for Arizona Diamondbacks
 * Ed Conroy, college basketball head coach
 * Roger Craig, running back for San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders, and Minnesota Vikings
 * Ricky Davis, basketball shooting guard for multiple NBA teams
 * Justin Diercks, driver with NASCAR
 * Greg Engel, center for San Diego Chargers and Detroit Lions
 * Bill Fennelly, head women's basketball coach at Iowa State University
 * Bill Fitch, two-time NBA Coach of the Year
 * Dana Holgorsen, head coach of the University of Houston football team
 * Austin Howard, offensive tackle for Oakland Raiders
 * James Jones, defensive tackle for multiple NFL teams
 * Josh Kroeger, outfielder for Arizona Diamondbacks
 * Elmer Layden, fullback for three NFL teams, Notre Dame coach, College Football Hall of Famer
 * Colby Lopez, professional wrestler known as Seth "Freakin'" Rollins in WWE
 * Pat Miletich, mixed martial artist, inaugural UFC welterweight champion
 * Michael Nunn, middleweight boxing champion; born in Davenport
 * Nat Pendleton, Olympic wrestler (silver medalist); actor
 * Scott Pose, outfielder for Florida Marlins, New York Yankees, and Kansas City Royals
 * Rebecca Quin, professional wrestler known as Becky Lynch in WWE
 * Kenny Shedd, wide receiver for multiple NFL teams, including Oakland Raiders
 * Bob Stull, football head coach, University of Missouri and UTEP Miners football

Writing

 * Alice Braunlich (1888–1989), classical philologist; taught at Shimer and Goucher colleges
 * George Cram Cook, novelist, poet, and playwright
 * Lillien Blanche Fearing (1863–1901), American lawyer and poet
 * Susan Glaspell, writer, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright
 * Charles Edward Russell (1860–1941), muckraking journalist; co-founder of the NAACP; 1927 Pulitzer Prize winner