The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Cairo, Illinois. For a similar list organized alphabetically by last name, see the category page People from Cairo, Illinois.
Academics
Business
Name
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Image
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Birth
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Death
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Known for
|
Association
|
Reference
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William P. Halliday
|
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Jul 21, 1827
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Sep 22, 1899
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Banker, steamboat captain, owner of the Riverlore mansion, and businessman
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Lived in and started several businesses in Cairo
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Charles T. Hinde
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Jul 12, 1832
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Mar 10, 1915
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Riverboat captain, railroad executive, founder of the Hotel del Coronado
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Started his own shipping business in Cairo
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|
Name
|
Image
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Birth
|
Death
|
Known for
|
Association
|
Reference
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Rex Ingram
|
|
Oct 20, 1895
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Sep 19, 1969
|
Stage, film, and television actor; first African-American actor to be hired for a contract role on a soap opera (The Brighter Day, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Sahara)
|
Born in Cairo
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|
Christopher Jackson
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|
Sep 30, 1975
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|
An award-winning actor, singer, musician, and composer. Known for his Tony Award nominated Broadway performance as George Washington in Hamilton.
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Graduated from Cairo High School in 1993.
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[2]
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Military
Music
Name
|
Image
|
Birth
|
Death
|
Known for
|
Association
|
Reference
|
Ray Butts
|
|
Sep 22, 1919
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Apr 20, 2003
|
inventor of the EchoSonic, a guitar amplifier with a built-in tape echo, and the Filter'Tron pickup, the first humbucker guitar pickup (used extensively on Gretsch guitars).
|
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Chris Clavin
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|
Aug 23, 1973
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Owner of Plan-It-X Records; musician in Ghost Mice
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|
[3]
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Ted Joans
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|
Jul 4, 1928
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Apr 25, 2003
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Musician, poet and painter
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Born in Cairo
|
[4]
|
Kyle Lehning
|
|
|
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Record producer and recording executive
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Born in Cairo
|
|
George "Harmonica" Smith
|
|
Apr 22, 1924
|
Oct 2, 1983
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Blues musician (harmonica)
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Grew up in Cairo
|
|
Henry Townsend
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|
Oct 27, 1909
|
Sep 24, 2006
|
Blues musician
|
Grew up in Cairo
|
|
Estelle Yancey
|
|
Jan 1, 1896
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Apr 19, 1986
|
Blues vocalist
|
Born in Cairo
|
[5]
|
Politics
Religion
Sports
Name
|
Image
|
Birth
|
Death
|
Known for
|
Association
|
Reference
|
Chet Covington
|
|
Nov 6, 1910
|
Jun 11, 1976
|
Pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies
|
Born in Cairo
|
|
Vern Curtis
|
|
May 24, 1920
|
Jun 24, 1992
|
Pitcher for the Washington Senators
|
Born and died in Cairo
|
|
Egyptian Healy
|
|
Oct 27, 1866
|
Mar 16, 1899
|
Pitcher for seven Major League Baseball teams
|
Born in Cairo
|
|
Ed Morgan
|
|
May 22, 1904
|
Apr 9, 1980
|
Infielder for the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox
|
Born in Cairo
|
|
Tyrone Nesby
|
|
Jan 31, 1976
|
|
Small forward for the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards, as well as four European teams
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Born in Cairo
|
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Caroline Smith
|
|
Jul 21, 1906
|
Nov 10, 1994
|
Diving gold medalist at 1924 Summer Olympics
|
Born in Cairo
|
|
Ken Trickey
|
|
Aug 30, 1933
|
Dec 4, 2012
|
College basketball coach for Oral Roberts University
|
Raised in Cairo; graduated from and coached at Cairo High School
|
[6]
|
References
- ^ Fischer, Leroy H. (1961). "Cairo's Civil War Angel, Mary Jane Stafford". Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (54).
- ^ Parker, Molly (March 8, 2016). "FROM CAIRO TO BROADWAY Actor Christopher Jackson clings to his roots as his star rises". The Southern. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
- ^ Smith, Aaron Lake. "Trying to Revitalize a Dying Small Town", TIME, February 15, 2010.
- ^ Kelley, Robin D. G. (May 20, 2003). "Ted Joans, 1928-2003". The Village Voice.
- ^ Harris, Sheldon (1994). Blues Who's Who (rev. ed.). New York: Da Capo Press. p. 591. ISBN 0-306-80155-8.
- ^ "Trickey returns 'home' to ORU for hoop revival", The Southeast Missourian, July 17, 1987.