Famous People From Portsmouth
- Wanda Sykes, born on March 7, 1964, in Portsmouth, Virginia, is a renowned figure in the American entertainment industry. She is best recognized for her distinctive voice and her unique, straightforward comedic style that often tackles social issues. Growing up in Maryland, she graduated from Hampton University with a degree in Marketing before starting her career in the National Security Agency (NSA). However, her passion for comedy made her divert her path towards stand-up routines in local clubs around Washington D.C. After gaining popularity as a stand-up comedian, Sykes transitioned to television and film. In 1997, she joined the writing team of the popular TV show The Chris Rock Show, earning an Emmy Award for her work. Her talent for writing was matched by her on-screen presence, which she demonstrated through appearances on shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm and The New Adventures of Old Christine. Notably, Sykes also voiced characters in several animated films such as Over the Hedge and Ice Age: Continental Drift. Sykes has consistently used comedy as a platform to vocalize societal issues and personal experiences. In 2008, she publicly announced she was a lesbian at a same-sex marriage rally in Las Vegas. Since then, she has been a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. As a result of her groundbreaking work in various areas of entertainment and her activism, Sykes has been honored with multiple awards, including a GLAAD Media Award.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
- Christopher Hitchens, a British-born journalist, essayist, and critic, was widely recognized for his sharp wit and controversial commentary. Born in 1949, he spent the early part of his life in Portsmouth, England, where he developed a passion for politics and literature. After graduating from Balliol College, Oxford University, with a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, Hitchens began a career in publishing that spanned over four decades. Hitchens's influence reached across the Atlantic when he relocated to the United States in 1981. His acerbic pen found a large audience through his work as a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, where he wrote on a wide array of topics, ranging from politics to literature, and everything in between. A prolific author, Hitchens penned more than twenty books throughout his career, including God is Not Great, a bold critique of religion, and the memoir Hitch-22. His ruthless honesty and intellectual rigor made him a formidable figure in public discourse. Despite being a controversial figure, Hitchens's impact on journalistic integrity and intellectual engagement is undeniable. A self-proclaimed contrarian, he never shied away from expressing unpopular opinions, often challenging the status quo and pushing readers to question their beliefs. Christopher Hitchens passed away in 2011, leaving behind a legacy of independent thought and fearless criticism that continues to inspire journalists and thinkers worldwide.
- Birthplace: England, Portsmouth
- Beverle Lorence "Bebe" Buell (born July 14, 1953) is an American singer and former fashion model, and Playboy magazine's November 1974 Playmate of the Month. Buell moved to New York in 1971 after signing a modeling contract with Eileen Ford, and garnered notoriety after her publicized relationship with musician Todd Rundgren from 1972 until 1979, as well as her liaisons with several rock musicians over the following four decades. She is the mother of actress Liv Tyler, whose father is Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. Buell was involved with Rundgren when she had a fling with Tyler and gave birth to Liv in 1977; she then resumed her relationship with Rundgren. In 2001 Buell wrote an autobiography (with Victor Bockris), Rebel Heart: An American Rock and Roll Journey. The book was a New York Times bestseller. The paperback was issued in 2002.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
- Amanda Lamb (born 19 July 1972) is an English television presenter and former model.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, England
- Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, (; 27 March 1912 – 26 March 2005), often known as Jim Callaghan, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980. To date, Callaghan remains the only person to have held all four Great Offices of State, having served as Chancellor of the Exchequer (1964–1967), Home Secretary (1967–1970) and Foreign Secretary (1974–1976) prior to his appointment as Prime Minister. As Prime Minister, he had some successes, but is mainly remembered for the "Winter of Discontent" of 1978–79. During a very cold winter, his battle with trade unions led to immense strikes that seriously inconvenienced the public, leading to his defeat in the polls by Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher. Upon entering the House of Commons in 1945, he was on the left wing of the party. Callaghan steadily moved towards the right, but maintained his reputation as "The Keeper of the Cloth Cap"—that is, he was seen as dedicated to maintaining close ties between the Labour Party and the trade unions. Callaghan's period as Chancellor of the Exchequer coincided with a turbulent period for the British economy, during which he had to wrestle with a balance of payments deficit and speculative attacks on the pound sterling (its exchange rate to other currencies was almost fixed by the Bretton Woods system). On 18 November 1967, the government devalued the pound sterling. Callaghan became Home Secretary. He sent the British Army to support the police in Northern Ireland, after a request from the Northern Ireland Government. After Labour was defeated at the 1970 general election, Callaghan played a key role in the Shadow Cabinet. He became Foreign Secretary in 1974, taking responsibility for renegotiating the terms of the UK's membership of the European Communities, and supporting a "Yes" vote in the 1975 referendum to remain in the EC. When Prime Minister Harold Wilson resigned in 1976, Callaghan defeated five other candidates to be elected as his replacement. Labour had already lost its narrow majority in the House of Commons by the time he became Prime Minister, and further by-election defeats and defections forced Callaghan to deal with minor parties such as the Liberal Party, particularly in the "Lib–Lab pact" from 1977 to 1978. Industrial disputes and widespread strikes in the 1978 "Winter of Discontent" made Callaghan's government unpopular, and the defeat of the referendum on devolution for Scotland led to the successful passage of a motion of no confidence on 28 March 1979. This was followed by a defeat at the ensuing general election. Callaghan remained Labour Party leader until November 1980, in order to reform the process by which the party elected its leader, before returning to the backbenches where he remained until he was made a life peer as Baron Callaghan of Cardiff. He went on to live longer than any other British prime minister in history—92 years and 364 days.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, England
- Amos Tappan Akerman (February 23, 1821 – December 21, 1880) served as United States Attorney General under President Ulysses S. Grant from 1870 to 1871. A native of New Hampshire, Akerman graduated from Dartmouth College in 1842 and moved South, where he had most of his career. He first worked as headmaster of a school in North Carolina and as a tutor in Georgia. Having become interested in law, Akerman studied and passed the bar in Georgia in 1850; where he and an associate set up a law practice. He also owned a farm and eleven slaves. When the Civil War started in 1861, Akerman joined the Confederate Army, where he achieved the rank of colonel. After the Civil War ended in 1865, Akerman joined the Republican Party during Reconstruction. He became an outspoken attorney advocate for freedmen's civil rights in Georgia. Akerman was appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant as his U.S. Attorney General; with Grant's support, he vigorously prosecuted the Klan in the South under the Enforcement Acts. Akerman was assisted by Sol. Gen. Benjamin Bristow in the newly established Department of Justice. Att. Gen. Akerman also prosecuted important land grant cases that concerned railroads in a rapidly expanding West. Akerman advised on the United States first federal Civil Service Reform law implemented by President Grant and the U.S. Congress. Due to Akerman's integrity against railroad magnates, and his zeal to prosecute the Ku Klux Klan, Grant was politically pressured to dismiss Akerman from the cabinet. Although Akerman left office in controversy, he continued to support Grant. He returned to Georgia, practiced law, and remained highly popular in the state.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA
- John Thomas Casteen III (born December 11, 1943 in Portsmouth, Virginia) is an American educator. He served as Professor of English and President of the University of Virginia from 1990 through 2010.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
- Roberta Brooke Astor (née Russell; March 30, 1902 – August 13, 2007) was an American philanthropist, socialite, and writer who was the chairwoman of the Vincent Astor Foundation, which had been established by her third husband, Vincent Astor, son of John Jacob Astor IV and great-great grandson of America's first multi-millionaire, John Jacob Astor. Brooke Astor was the author of two novels and two volumes of personal memoirs.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Bill Clarkson
Dec. at 72 (1898-1971)William Henry Clarkson (September 27, 1898 – August 27, 1971), nicknamed "Blackie", was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the New York Giants and Boston Braves.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Marcus Patric
Age: 45Marcus Patrick (born 17 August 1979 in Gosport, Hampshire) is an English actor.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, England
- Mark Sloan (born 7 July 1978) is a British professional wrestler. Sloan is best known for his work with the Frontier Wrestling Alliance due to founding the promotion and being head trainer in the company's training academy, FWA Academy.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, England
- John Barron McKay (December 8, 1922 – April 27, 1975) was an American naval officer, World War II pilot, aeronautical engineer, and test pilot. He was one of twelve pilots who flew the North American X-15, an experimental spaceplane jointly operated by the United States Air Force and NASA. On September 28, 1965, he flew the X-15 to an altitude above 50 miles, thereby qualifying as an astronaut according to the United States definition of the boundary of space. However, this altitude did not surpass the Kármán line, the internationally accepted boundary of 100 kilometers (62 miles). On November 9, 1962, McKay was injured when forced to make an emergency landing in the X-15-2, the second of three planes in the X-15 fleet. The craft rolled over, and McKay suffered crushed vertebrae. Subsequently, the damaged plane was refurbished to become the X-15A-2, a modified variant. Although McKay returned to flight as an X-15 pilot, his injuries contributed to an early death. He died on April 27, 1975.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
- Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford (born 2 October 1950) is an English guitarist, songwriter, and singer who co-founded the rock band Genesis in 1967. He is one of the group's two continuous members along with keyboardist Tony Banks.Initially serving as Genesis's bass guitarist and backing vocalist, Rutherford also performed most of the band's rhythm guitar parts—frequently on twelve-string guitar—in collaboration with successive Genesis lead guitarists Anthony Phillips and Steve Hackett. Following Hackett's departure from Genesis in 1977, Rutherford assumed the additional role of lead guitarist on the band's studio albums (beginning with ...And Then There Were Three... in 1978). Rutherford was one of the main Genesis songwriters throughout their career and wrote the lyrics for some of the band's biggest international hits, such as "Follow You Follow Me", "Turn It On Again", "Land of Confusion" and "Throwing It All Away". He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010. In addition to his work with Genesis, Rutherford released two solo albums in the early 1980s. In 1985, he formed the highly-successful band Mike and the Mechanics, which became a chart-topping act and significant live draw in its own right, and earned Rutherford an Ivor Novello Award for the 1988 single "The Living Years".
- Birthplace: Guildford, England
- LaShawn Merritt (born June 27, 1986) is an American track and field athlete who competes in sprinting events, specializing in the 400 metres. He is a former Olympic champion over the distance and his personal best of 43.65 seconds makes him the seventh fastest of all time. He was a successful junior athlete and won the 400 m gold at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics, as well as setting two world junior records in the relays. He became part of the American 4×400 meter relay team and helped win the event at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He established himself individually in 2007 by winning a silver medal in the 400 m at the 2007 World Championships. He came out on top of a rivalry with Jeremy Wariner in 2008 by winning in the 2008 Olympic final in a personal best time, and by a record margin of 0.99 secs. He also broke the Olympic record in the relay with the American team, recording the second fastest time ever. Merritt established himself as the World Champion with a win at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in the 400 m and the 4×400 m relay.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
- Toby Harnden (born 14 January 1966) is an Anglo-American journalist and author. He has been Managing Editor of the Washington Examiner since October 2018. He was Washington bureau chief of The Sunday Times from January 2013 until September 2018. He previously spent 17 years at The Daily Telegraph, based in London, Belfast, Washington, Jerusalem and Baghdad, finishing as US Editor from 2006 to 2011, and was also US Executive Editor of Mail Online and US Editor of the Daily Mail for a year in 2012. He is the author of two books: Bandit Country: The IRA & South Armagh (1999) and Dead Men Risen: The Welsh Guards and the Defining Story of Britain's War in Afghanistan (2011). Dead Men Risen won the 2012 Orwell Prize for Books. He was reporter and presenter of the BBC Panorama Special programme Broken by Battle about suicide and PTSD among British soldiers, broadcast on July 15, 2013.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
- Richard Aldington (8 July 1892 – 27 July 1962), born Edward Godfree Aldington, was an English writer and poet, and an early associate of the Imagist movement. He was married to the poet Hilda Doolittle (H. D.) from 1911 to 1938. Aldington's 50 year career included work in poetry, novels, criticism and biography. He edited The Egoist literary journal and wrote for magazines such as The Times Literary Supplement, Vogue, The Criterion and Poetry. His biography of Wellington (1946) was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. His circle included writers and critics such as T S Eliot, D H Lawrence, Ezra Pound, W. B. Yeats, Lawrence Durrell and C P Snow. He championed H.D. as the major poetic voice of the Imagist movement and helped to bring her work to international notice.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
- George Meredith (12 February 1828 – 18 May 1909) was an English novelist and poet of the Victorian era. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature seven times.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
- Anthony R. Pratkanis is a researcher, author, consultant, media commentator and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is the author of several books, and has published research papers in scientific journals on the topics of social influence, fraud, terrorist and dictator propaganda, marketing and consumer behavior, and subliminal persuasion. Pratkanis has been a consultant for civic groups, government agencies, regulatory organisations, law enforcement, and the United States Military. He has given expert testimony in many trials, and is often cited in the mainstream news media. In 2004 Pratkanis received an excellence in teaching award and was named the most revered professor by the psychology class of 2005.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
- A seasoned, versatile character actor, Russ began his career on the NY stage before segueing to films and TV. The tall (6') redhead played small supporting roles in such films as "The Border" (1981), "The Right Stuff" (1983), "Dead of Winter" (1987) "The Unholy" (1988) and "Disorganized Crime" (1989). Russ gained critical praise for his performance as a minor league past-his-prime relief pitcher in the late 1950s with dreams of the majors in "Pastime" (1991).
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
- William Thomas Sali (born February 17, 1954) is a former American politician and former congressman from Idaho. A Republican, he served a single term in the United States House of Representatives, representing Idaho's 1st congressional district, from 2007 to 2009. Sali previously served in the Idaho Legislature as a member of the House. Sali was elected to an open seat in Congress in 2006. He was defeated for reelection in 2008 by Democrat Walt Minnick. Sali was the first Idaho congressman to fail to win a second term in 56 years, since Republican John Travers Wood was defeated in 1952. Minnick also served only one term before being defeated by Raúl Labrador in 2010.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Ohio, USA
Bill Deal
Dec. at 59 (1944-2003)Bill Deal was a singer and a keyboardist.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Stuart Jonathan Russell (born 1962) is a computer scientist known for his contributions to artificial intelligence. He is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley and Adjunct Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. He holds the Smith-Zadeh Chair in Engineering at Berkeley University. He founded and leads the Center for Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence (CHAI) at UC Berkeley.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
William Moseley Jones
Dec. at 82 (1905-1988)William Moseley Jones (1905–1988) was a Democratic attorney from Montebello, California who served several terms in the California State Assembly, including one term as Speaker.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Ohio, USA
- William Nicolas Dawes (1762–1836) was an officer of the British Marines, an astronomer, engineer, botanist, surveyor, explorer, abolitionist and colonial administrator. He traveled to New South Wales with the First Fleet on board HMS Sirius.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
- Roger Anthony Black MBE (born 31 March 1966) is a British retired athlete. During his athletics career, he won individual silver medals in the 400 metres sprint at both the Olympic Games and World Championships, two individual gold medals at the European Championships, and 4 × 400 metres relay gold medals at both the World and European Championships. Since retiring from athletics, he has worked as a television presenter and motivational speaker. In 2008, Black joined forces with fellow athlete Steve Backley and operate BackleyBlack LLP delivering Olympic Performance in the Workplace. Black has a collection of fifteen medals from major senior athletics competitions to add to his two European junior championship gold medals.
- Birthplace: England, Portsmouth
Fitz John Porter
Dec. at 78 (1822-1901)Fitz John Porter (August 31, 1822 – May 21, 1901) (sometimes written FitzJohn Porter or Fitz-John Porter) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general during the American Civil War. He is most known for his performance at the Second Battle of Bull Run and his subsequent court martial. Although Porter served well in the early battles of the Civil War, his military career was ruined by the controversial trial, which was called by his political rivals. After the war, he worked for almost 25 years to restore his tarnished reputation and was finally restored to the army's roll.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Todd Book
Age: 57Todd Book is a former Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives who was first elected in 2002. He served the 89th House District, which includes all of Scioto County, the western half of Lawrence County and the eastern half of Adams County in Southern Ohio. Book was raised in Portsmouth, Ohio. His father, Tom Book, operated a trenching business and his mother, Delores Book, raised Todd and his two sisters. Todd attended the local public high school, Portsmouth West High School. Book attended undergraduate college at Western Michigan University where he majored in Political Science. In 1990, Todd earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honors. After completing his undergraduate studies, he enrolled at the College of William & Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law where he was awarded his Juris Doctor degree in 1993. After law school, Todd returned to the Portsmouth, OH area where he started practicing law. He and his father started a small business, Old Hickory Golf Co., Ltd. The business conducts golf outings using hickory shafted clubs, period clothing and old style golf balls. He began teaching business law at Shawnee State University as an adjunct faculty member. In 1997, Todd Book married Emily. After joining with a local attorney, Howard Harcha, Jr., in 1998 to form the law firm Harcha & Book, LLC, Todd and Emily had their first child, Cassidy Mae, in 1999. In 2001, Todd and Emily had a son, Avery Todd, and in 2006 they had another daughter, Meredith. Book was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2002 after a hotly contested race for the 89th House District's open seat. During his second term, Book was elected to be the Assistant House Minority Leader. In 2004, the Council of State Governments Midwestern Office selected Book as a Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Fellow. Book served as the Chairman of the Rules and Reference Committee after the Democratic Party captured the majority in the Ohio House in 2008. Book left the House in 2010 due to term limits. In 2009, Book explored running for the United States House of Representatives, but declined due to obligations in the Ohio House and lackluster fundraising.In 2012, Book unsuccessfully ran for State School Board.In 2010, Book began working for the Ohio State Bar Association as its Director of Policy and Government Affairs. He is the author of the "Word on the Square," a weekly blog that focuses on legislative issues, OSBA priority bills and general Statehouse news.- Birthplace: West Portsmouth, Ohio
Liza Johnson
Age: 54Filmmaker Liza Johnson has used her background as an artist and non-narrative storyteller to explore new ways of approaching film. Her 2011 drama "The Return" thrust her into the spotlight, but it was in fact the culmination of years working in the medium. Johnson has an art school background that informed her approach to the short films she made, beginning with 1998's "Giftwrap," on which she also served as writer, editor, and producer. Her feature debut came two years later with the German-set drama "Fernweh - The Opposite of Homesick," before she spent the rest of the decade honing her skills with a series of shorts. "South of Ten" debuted at the New York Film Festival and dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, while "In the Air" portrayed a circus school in the Southeastern Ohio town that Johnson is from. The latter was nominated for a Golden Bear at Berlin's International Film Festival. Johnson's short films have received wide acclaim and have been shown at many of the world's most prestigious museums, including New York's MoMA, Centre Pompidou, and the Berlinale. Starring Linda Cardellini as an alienated soldier returning to her hometown, "Return" was widely lauded by critics and announced Johnson as a new original voice in film.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Ohio
Elizabeth A. Duke
Age: 72Elizabeth (“Betsy”) Ashburn Duke (born July 23, 1952) is an American bank executive, most notable for being a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States from 2008 through 2013. She was confirmed by the Senate June 27, 2008 to fill an unexpired term ending January 31, 2012. She was the seventh woman to be appointed to the board. In July 2013 she announced her resignation from the board. On 1 January 2018, she became the Chair of the Board of Directors of Wells Fargo, having served as Vice-Chair from 12 October 2016.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
- Houston Stewart Chamberlain (; 9 September 1855 – 9 January 1927) was a British-born German philosopher who wrote works about political philosophy and natural science; he is described by Michael D. Biddiss, a contributor to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, as a "racialist writer". Chamberlain married Eva von Bülow, the daughter of composer Richard Wagner, in December 1908, twenty-five years after Wagner's death.Chamberlain's best known book is the two-volume Die Grundlagen des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts (The Foundations of the Nineteenth Century), published in 1899, which became highly influential in the pan-Germanic völkisch movements of the early 20th century and later influenced the antisemitism of Nazi racial policy. Indeed, Chamberlain has been referred to as "Hitler's John the Baptist".
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
- Bill Staines (born February 6, 1947 in Medford, Massachusetts) is an American folk musician and singer-songwriter from New Hampshire, who writes and performs songs about a wide array of topics. He has also written and recorded children's songs. Raised in Lexington, Massachusetts, Staines began his professional career in the early 1960s in the Cambridge area. He began touring nationwide a few years later. In 1975 he won the National Yodeling Championship at the Kerrville Folk Festival. He performs about 200 times a year and has appeared on A Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, and The Good Evening Show.Staines's songs include "Bridges", "Crossing the Water", "Sweet Wyoming Home", "The Roseville Fair", "A Place in the Choir", "Child of Mine", and "River". His songs have been recorded by many other artists, including Peter, Paul and Mary, Makem and Clancy, Nanci Griffith, Mason Williams, The Highwaymen, Glenn Yarbrough, Jerry Jeff Walker, Schooner Fare, Grandpa Jones, The Grace Family, Hank Cramer, Coty Hogue and Priscilla Herdman. Staines has recorded 22 of his own albums, 15 of which were still in print as of 2005. Staines's songs have been published in four songbooks, If I Were a Word, Then I'd Be a Song; River; Music to Me: The Songs of Bill Staines, and All God's Critters Got a Place in the Choir. Staines is left-handed and plays a right-handed guitar upside-down, with the bass strings on the bottom. Consequently, he has developed his own fingerings and picking style. In 2004 his memoir, The Tour: A Life Between the Lines, was published. Staines currently lives in the town of Rollinsford, New Hampshire with his wife, Karen; his son, Bowen; and his springer spaniel, Andy, who was featured on the cover of his album Old Dogs. His son also pursues a career as folk singer.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Wayman Carver
Dec. at 61 (1905-1967)Wayman Carver (December 25, 1905, Portsmouth, Virginia - May 6, 1967, Atlanta) was an American jazz flutist and reeds player.Carver was one of the earliest flute soloists to perform jazz; while Alberto Socarras preceded him by about five years, Carver was one of very few jazz flautists active in the swing era. His first professional experience was with J. Neal Montgomery. After he moved to New York City in 1931, he recorded with Dave Nelson, and played with Elmer Snowden (1931–32), Benny Carter, and Spike Hughes (1933).From 1934 to 1939 he played with Chick Webb on both saxophone and flute. After Webb died he continued in the orchestra during its period of leadership under Ella Fitzgerald until 1941. After leaving the jazz scene he became a professor of music at Clark College, where he taught saxophonists George Adams and Marion Brown, among others.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
- Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson (born 21 March 1950) is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman and founder member of progressive rock band Supertramp. Hodgson composed and sang the majority of the hits such as "Dreamer", "Give a Little Bit", "Breakfast in America", "Take the Long Way Home", "The Logical Song" and "It's Raining Again". Hodgson left Supertramp in 1983 and moved his family away from the Los Angeles music scene to live a simpler lifestyle close to nature and be home with his children as they were growing up. Hodgson returned to touring in 2001. He often writes about spiritual and philosophical topics, and his lyrics have been described as personal and meaningful.
- Birthplace: England, Portsmouth
Peter Taylor
Dec. at 75 (1922-1997)For other people named Peter Taylor, see Peter Taylor. Peter Taylor (18 February 1922 – 17 December 1997) was an English film editor with more than 30 film credits. Perhaps his best remembered contribution is the editing of the 1957 film The Bridge on the River Kwai. In his obituary for Taylor, Tony Sloman gives several examples to illustrate Taylor's editing. He writes:By 1963 the British New Wave had beached, and Peter Taylor edited the superb This Sporting Life, the debut feature of the cine-literate director Lindsay Anderson. It is a remarkable study of working-class angst, with a cutting style like no other British feature before it, an ever-underrated achievement by Taylor, as Anderson received all the credit, as directors do. This Sporting Life remains, with The Bridge on the River Kwai, the supreme testament to Peter Taylor's craft and talent. Taylor won an Academy Award for Film Editing for The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), which was placed as the 36th best American film ever made in the 2007 American Film Institute listing. David Lean directed the film, about whom Ken Dancyger has noted that, "Lean may have made few films, but his influence has far exceeded those numbers. The role of editing in his films may help explain that influence." Lean himself had begun his own career as a film editor. Sloman comments on the relationship of Lean, Taylor, and the film's editing: ...film industry wags may assert that the editing Oscar came with the letter of engagement on a David Lean film - and in later years it is certainly true that Lean, a former editor, would himself dictate the precise nature of the cutting - none the less, Peter Taylor had served a long apprenticeship with Lean. His Oscar for Kwai was an honest vindication of his talent, for Taylor physically edited the film into shape, working closely with Lean only on the final cut. Taylor moved to Rome, Italy around 1966. He cut three films with Italian director Franco Zeffirelli; both La Traviata (1983) and Otello (1986) were nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Film.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Mary Barnes
Dec. at 78 (1923-2001)Mary Edith Barnes (9 February 1923 in Portsmouth, England – 29 June 2001 in Tomintoul, Scotland) was an English artist and writer who suffered from schizophrenia and became a successful painter. She is particularly known for her documentation of her experience at R. D. Laing's experimental therapeutic community at Kingsley Hall, London. She is also referenced in the book 'The Psychopath Test' by Jon Ronson- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
- Paul Chequer is an English actor best known for starring in the British drama As If as Jamie Collier on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2004 and the BBC Three drama Sinchronicity, as Nathan, in 2006. He later appeared as Eugene Jones in the British science fiction television series Torchwood in the episode "Random Shoes", broadcast on 10 December 2006.
- Birthplace: England, Portsmouth
William K. Suter
Age: 87William Kent Suter (born August 24, 1937) is an American jurist who served as the 19th Clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States, a position he held for twenty-two years. Prior to this, he was a major general in the United States Army; at the time of his retirement in 1991, he had served for over a year as the acting Judge Advocate General.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Ohio
- Jacqueline Ruth "Ilene" Woods (May 5, 1929 – July 1, 2010) was an American actress and singer. Woods was the original voice of the title character of the Walt Disney animated feature Cinderella, for which she was named a Disney Legend in 2003.
- Birthplace: New Hampshire, USA, Portsmouth
Chandler Harper
Dec. at 90 (1914-2004)John Chandler Harper (March 10, 1914 – November 8, 2004) was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the PGA Championship in 1950. He won seven times on the PGA Tour and played in the Ryder Cup in 1955.Harper was born, raised and lived his entire life in Portsmouth, Virginia. He was prominent in Virginia golf, winning the Virginia State Amateur three times (1930, 1932, 1934) and the Virginia State Open nine times (1932, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1952, 1960, 1967, 1968, 1970), a record which stands today. His golfing career was interrupted by service in the U.S. Navy during World War II.Harper's competitive career lasted from 1938 to 1955; and like most professional golfers of his generation, he spent most of his time as a club professional. Harper compensated for his lack of driving distance with a strong short game; Ben Hogan said that Harper was the best putter on Tour.After Curtis Strange's father died when he was 14, Harper became Strange's mentor. He was also a long-time friend of Bobby Jones. He was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1973 and to the PGA Hall of Fame in 1968. In 1956, Harper founded Bide-A-Wee Golf Course in his hometown of Portsmouth, and managed the course until he retired in 1992. He died at the age of 90 of complications from pneumonia.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Celia Thaxter
Dec. at 59 (1835-1894)Celia Laighton Thaxter (June 29, 1835 – August 25, 1894) was an American writer of poetry and stories. For most of her life, she resided with her father on the Isles of Shoals at his Appledore Hotel. How she grew up to become a writer is detailed in her early autobiography (published by St. Nicholas), and her book entitled Among the Isles of Shoals. Thaxter became one of America's favorite authors in the late 19th century. Among her best-known poems are "The Burgomaster Gull", "Landlocked", "Milking", "The Great White Owl", "The Kingfisher", and "The Sandpiper".- Birthplace: Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Aaron Faulls (born February 6, 1975), is an American television personality, filmmaker, musician and marine conservationist. He is best known for his role as the original host of the television series Into The Drink, a Travel documentary-style series based around Faulls's background as an underwater filmmaker and journalist. He is also known for his appearances on Gangland, a documentary television series on the History Channel.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
- John Wheeler was an American educator, the second principal of Baldwin Institute and the first president of Baldwin University in Berea, Ohio. Baldwin University would eventually merge with nearby German Wallace College to become Baldwin–Wallace College. Wheeler has a building named after him on the Baldwin Wallace University campus.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
- Bobby Stokes (30 January 1951 – 30 May 1995) was an English footballer, well known for scoring the winning goal in the 83rd minute of the FA Cup Final for Southampton F.C. against Manchester United in 1976.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Ray Crawford
Age: 88Raymond Crawford (born 13 July 1936 in Portsmouth) is an English former international footballer, who played as a striker in a career that saw him score over 300 goals at club level.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
- Zack Conroy (born April 19, 1985 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire) is an American actor. He graduated from Boston College with a bachelor's degree in finance and management. Later, in June 2015, he also earned a master's degree in business administration from UCLA.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA
Richard Thomas Shea
Dec. at 26 (1927-1953)Richard Thomas Shea, Jr. (January 3, 1927 – July 8, 1953) was a soldier in the United States Army in the Korean War. He was listed as missing in action on July 8, 1953 during the Second Battle of Pork Chop Hill, and was later declared killed in action. Lt. Shea received the Medal of Honor posthumously. In 1987, Shea was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Claire Johnstone
Age: 43Claire Johnstone is a Scottish football goalkeeper, currently playing for Glasgow City in the Scottish Women's Premier League.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
John Frayn Turner
Age: 102John Frayn Turner (9 August 1923 – 2 March 2015) was a British author specializing in military history.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Jerome Henderson
Age: 55Jerome Virgil Henderson (born August 8, 1969) is a former American football Cornerback for the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets of the National Football League. He played college football at Clemson University and was drafted in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He is currently the defensive passing game coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. Prior to coming to Atlanta, Henderson the defensive backs coach for the Dallas Cowboys. He played in two Super Bowls; one with the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII and another with the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. In the 2016 season, Henderson and the Falcons reached Super Bowl LI, where they faced the New England Patriots on February 5, 2017. In the Super Bowl, the Falcons fell in a 34–28 overtime defeat.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
- Matthew Wingett is a screenwriter and the brother of Mark Wingett.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
- Paul Andrew Williams (born 1973 in Portsmouth, England) is a British film writer and director. He won the New Director's Award for his film London to Brighton in the 2006 Edinburgh International Film Festival.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
- Mike D'Orso is an American journalist based in Norfolk, Virginia. D'Orso authored the books Like Judgment Day: The Ruin and Redemption of a Town Called Rosewood and Eagle Blue: A Team, A Tribe and a High School Basketball Season in Arctic Alaska — and co-authored Walking With the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement, written with U.S. Congressman and former civil rights leader John Lewis, Body For Life, written with fitness expert Bill Phillips and "Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do to Save Them", written with actor/activist Ted Danson.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Frederick Franklin
Dec. at 33 (1840-1873)Frederick Franklin (1840–1873) was a United States Navy sailor who received the Medal of Honor for actions during the 1871 Korean Campaign.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Delbert Rice Jr. (27 October 1922 – 26 January 1983) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played for 17 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1961, most notably for the St. Louis Cardinals. Although Rice was a relatively weak hitter, he sustained a lengthy career in the major leagues due to his valuable defensive abilities.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Ohio
Phil Gunter
Dec. at 75 (1932-2007)Philip Edward Gunter was an English footballer who played for Portsmouth and Aldershot.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Nick Dear
Age: 69Nick Dear (born 11 June 1955 in Portsmouth) is an English writer for stage, screen and radio. He received a BAFTA for his first screenwriting credit, a TV adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Ian Mikardo
Dec. at 84 (1908-1993)Ian Mikardo (9 July 1908 – 6 May 1993), commonly known as Mik, was a British Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament. An ardent socialist and a Zionist, he remained a backbencher throughout his four decades in the House of Commons. He was a member of National Executive Committee of the Labour Party in 1950–59 and 1960–78, and Chairman of the Labour Party in 1970–1971. He was also Chairman of the International Committee of the Labour Party in 1973–78, Vice-President of the Socialist International (1978–1983) and Honorary President (1983–1993).Mikardo was a Labour Member of Parliament for Reading 1945–50, Reading South 1950–55, Reading 1955–59, Poplar 1964–74, Bethnal Green and Bow 1974–83 and Bow and Poplar 1983–87. He was Chairman of the House of Commons Select Committee on Nationalised Industries, 1966–70. He issued many pamphlets, the most famous were Keep Left (1947) and Keeping Left with Dick Crossman, Michael Foot and Jo Richardson, 1950. He was also a Fabian essayist, staunch friend of Israel, as well as friend and mentor to many in the Labour movement, where he made a great impact.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, England
Harry Blake
Dec. at 45 (1874-1919)Harry Cooper Blake (June 16, 1874 – October 14, 1919), sometimes known by the nickname "Dude", was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball who played in the late 19th century. He played for the Cleveland Spiders (1894–1898) and for the St. Louis Perfectos in 1899.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Ohio
Patrick Hall
Dec. at 47 (1894-1941)Patrick Martin Hall (14 March 1894 – 5 August 1941) was an English first-class cricketer who played as a right-handed batsman.Hall made his debut for Oxford University in 1919 against the Free Foresters, where on debut Hall made his maiden and only century with a score of 101. Hall played a further two matches for the University, both coming in the 1919 season against Sussex and Surrey. In the same season Hall made his debut for Hampshire in the County Championship against Sussex. From 1919 to 1926 Hall played infrequently for Hampshire, playing a total of eleven first-class matches. Hall's final first-class match for the county came against Somerset in the 1926 County Championship. In his eleven matches for the county, Hall scored 164 runs at a batting average of 10.25, with one half century and a high score of 94* against Lancashire in 1920. During the First World War Hall served with the Royal Field Artillery and was awarded the Military Cross. He was a botanist and edited the Botanical Society and Exchange Club's Report 1936–41. He died at Fareham, Hampshire, on 5 August 1941.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Charles Fleetford Sise
Dec. at 83 (1834-1918)Charles Fleetford Sise, Sr. (27 September 1834 – 9 April 1918) was a U.S.-Canadian businessman and one of the first presidents of Bell Canada. He was also part of its first board of directors, and that of the Northern Electric and Manufacturing Company (Nortel), the telephone company's equipment manufacturer, from 1895 to 1918. He had formerly been a "hard nosed" sea captain before being commissioned as an agent by the newly formed National Bell Telephone Company of Boston, Massachusetts, to help lead its incipient Canadian division.From the time he was hired as an agent to Bell Canada in 1880 until his death in 1918 he was the company's single greatest advocate and leader, also overseeing its necessary divestiture of territories in the Maritime Provinces in 1887–89 and from the Prairie Provinces during 1908–09. His moulding influence and direction during those many years was extensive, pivotal and decisive, with his influence ultimately enduring until the last of his proteges retired in 1944.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Robert B. Pippin
Age: 76Robert Buford Pippin (born September 14, 1948) is an American philosopher. He is the Evelyn Stefansson Nef Distinguished Service Professor in the John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought, the Department of Philosophy, and the College at the University of Chicago.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
- Ricky Martin, born Enrique Martín Morales on December 24, 1971, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a globally recognized singer, actor, and author who has made considerable contributions to the music industry. He began his career at a tender age, joining the all-boy pop group Menudo at just twelve years old. His five-year tenure with Menudo launched him into the limelight, paving the way for his subsequent solo career which would solidify his status as an international superstar. In 1991, Martin released his eponymous debut solo album, the success of which led to a string of albums that were well-received across Latin America and Spain. However, it was his 1999 English-language album, also titled Ricky Martin, that catapulted him into global stardom. The album featured the hit single "Livin' la Vida Loca", which topped various charts worldwide and is widely credited with leading the late '90s Latin pop explosion. Over the course of his career, he has sold over 70 million albums and has won numerous awards, including multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards. Beyond his musical career, Ricky Martin has also made significant strides in acting and writing. He starred in the American television soap opera General Hospital and the Broadway revival of Evita. Additionally, he authored a children's book titled Santiago the Dreamer in Land Among the Stars, inspired by his own experiences as a child. Despite his numerous professional achievements, Martin remains committed to philanthropic efforts. He established the Ricky Martin Foundation, which advocates for the wellbeing of children around the world.
- Birthplace: San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Clarence McKay "Ace" Parker (May 17, 1912 – November 6, 2013) was an American football and baseball player and coach. He played professional football as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1937–1941) and Boston Yanks (1945) and in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for the New York Yankees. He was an All-American halfback at Duke University in 1936. Parker also played Major League Baseball during 1936 and 1937 with the Philadelphia Athletics. He served as the head baseball coach at Duke from 1953 to 1966. Parker was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
- James Savage (born December 18, 1972), better known by his stage name Jayo Felony, is an American rapper from southeast San Diego, California. He was a member of a southeast San Diego gang called Rolling 40's Neighborhood Crips and went by the street name Bullet Loco.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, USA, Virginia
Edward Didymus
Age: 138Edward John Didymus (13 April 1886 – 12 April 1918), sometimes known as Fred Didymus, was an English professional footballer who played as an inside right in the Football League for Blackpool. He also played for Portsmouth, Huddersfield Town, Northampton Town and Port Vale.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Ralph Parr
Dec. at 88 (1924-2012)Ralph Sherman Parr, Jr. was an American double-flying ace of the Korean War. He was credited with a total of ten downed enemy aircraft. He also flew in World War II and the Vietnam War, and is the only person to have been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the medal that replaced it, the Air Force Cross.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
William G. M. Davis
Dec. at 85 (1812-1898)William George Mackey Davis was a Confederate States Army brigadier general and blockade runner during the American Civil War. He was a lawyer and cotton speculator before the war and a lawyer in Washington, D.C. after the war.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
- Kirk Herman Schulz (born May 11, 1963) is an American educator, currently serving as the 11th president of Washington State University, a position he began on June 13, 2016. Prior to serving at Washington State, Schulz was the 13th president of Kansas State University.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
William Robertson
Dec. at 71 (1908-1980)William Robertson was an actor.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, USA, Virginia
Brooke Chaplen
Age: 35Brooke Amberlee Chaplen is an association footballer currently playing for Everton Ladies. She plays as a midfielder and has represented England at U-19, U-20 and U-23 level. Brooke has also played for Portsmouth and Chelsea.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Jean Kasem
Age: 70Jean Thompson Kasem (born c. 1955) is an American actress. She is the widow of radio personality and actor Casey Kasem.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA
Mike Stowell
Age: 59Michael Stowell (born 19 April 1965) is an English former professional football goalkeeper, and now first team coach and goalkeeping coach at Leicester City, as well as joint caretaker-manager. As a player, he spent twenty years as a professional, eleven of which were with Wolverhampton Wanderers. He is married to women's footballer Rachel Stowell. Gaining his chance in the professional game at Preston North End in 1985, he impressed enough to receive a contract with top-flight Everton later in the year. In his five years at the club he was loaned out to Chester City, York City, Manchester City, Port Vale, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Preston North End. He signed permanently with Wolves in 1990, and was their goalkeeper of choice throughout the decade, making 378 league appearances. In 2001, he signed with Bristol City, before retiring in 2005. He had five separate spells as caretaker manager at Leicester City in 2007, 2010, 2011, 2017 and 2019.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
William G. T. Tuttle, Jr.
Age: 89General William Gilbert Townsend Tuttle Jr. (born November 26, 1935) is a retired United States Army four-star general who served as Commanding General, United States Army Materiel Command (CG AMC) from 1989 to 1992.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
John C. Acton
John C. Acton is a retired United States Coast Guard rear admiral who served as the Director of Operations Coordination for DHS. Acton formerly served as Director of the DHS Presidential Transition Team.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Donna Creighton
Age: 39Donna Creighton is a skeleton racer.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
- Alexander Piers William Hibbert (born 19 April 1986) is a British polar expedition leader, public speaker, author and photographer. He lives in London.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
- Darryl Anthony Tapp (born September 13, 1984) is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round (62nd overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia Tech. Tapp has also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, and New Orleans Saints.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Charles Veale
Dec. at 34 (1838-1872)Charles Veale or Veal was an African American Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions at the Battle of Chaffin's Farm.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Ryan Fogelsonger
Age: 43Ryan Fogelsonger (born May 26, 1981 in Portsmouth, Virginia) is an American Champion jockey in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. Based in Maryland, Fogelsonger began riding in 2002 but was late getting started, earning his first win on May 1 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. He immediately became a consistent winner and on September 18 he rode five winners on a ten-race card at Pimlico Race Course then won five races there again on the October 2nd racecard. At the end of the year, he was voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Daniel Marcy
Dec. at 83 (1809-1893)Daniel Marcy (November 7, 1809 – November 3, 1893) was a United States Representative from New Hampshire. He was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire where he attended the common schools. Becoming a sailor, he followed the sea and later engaged in shipbuilding. Marcy was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives 1854-1857. He also served in the New Hampshire Senate in 1857 and 1858. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Thirty-sixth Congress in 1858 and to the Thirty-seventh Congress in 1860. However, he was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1864 to the Thirty-ninth Congress. After leaving Congress, he again served in the New Hampshire Senate in 1871 and 1872. He died in Portsmouth in 1893 and was buried in the Proprietors’ Burying Ground.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA
Sonja Haney
Age: 81Sonja Haney appeared in the 1982 film Annie.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, USA, Virginia
- Joshua Matthew Rupe (born August 18, 1982) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, and Baltimore Orioles.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
William Wintersole
Age: 93William Wintersole is an actor.- Birthplace: USA, Portsmouth, Ohio
Larry Hisle
Age: 77Larry Eugene Hisle (born May 5, 1947) is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played with the Philadelphia Phillies (1968–71), Minnesota Twins (1973–77) and Milwaukee Brewers (1978–82). He batted and threw right-handed.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Ohio
George F. Pearson
Dec. at 68 (1799-1867)George Fredrick Pearson was Rear-Admiral of the United States Navy, commanding the Pacific Squadron during the later part of the American Civil War.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Joseph Reinagle
Dec. at 74 (1762-1836)Joseph Reinagle (1762–1825) was a music composer and popular cellist of the 18th century.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Edward St. Loe Livermore
Dec. at 70 (1762-1832)Edward St. Loe Livermore (April 5, 1762 – September 15, 1832), son of Samuel Livermore and brother of Arthur Livermore, was a United States Representative from Massachusetts. He was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on April 5, 1762. Livermore pursued classical studies, studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Concord, New Hampshire and later practised in Portsmouth. Livermore served as United States district attorney 1794-1797. Livermore also served as State Solicitor for Rockingham County 1791-1793, Associate Justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court of Judicature 1797-1799, and a naval officer for the port of Portsmouth 1799-1802. He moved to Newburyport, Massachusetts in 1802 and was elected as a Federalist to the Tenth and Eleventh Congresses (March 4, 1807 – March 3, 1811). Livermore was not a candidate for renomination in 1810. Livermore resumed the practice of law, moved to Boston in 1811, then to Zanesville, Ohio. Livermore returned to Boston, and then moved to Tewksbury where he lived in retirement until his death there on September 15, 1832. His interment was in the Granary Burying Ground in Boston. He was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1815.Livermore was the father of Samuel Livermore, the authority on civil law and of Harriet Livermore (1788–1868), a prominent Millerite preacher.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA
John Palmer
Dec. at 73 (1760-1833)John Palmer (17 June 1760 – 27 September 1833) was a commissary of New South Wales, responsible for the colony's supplies. He arrived with the First Fleet in 1788, and was opposed to those who plotted against Governor William Bligh. One of eight children, John Palmer was born in Portsmouth. He first came to Sydney in 1788 as Purser on the Sirius, the flagship of the First Fleet. In September 1796 he left briefly for England in the Britannia to bring back his family to settle permanently in New South Wales. He returned in November 1800 on board the Porpoise with his wife and two surviving sons out of his then six children. One son had been born on the voyage out at Cape Town, but had died at sea less than one month later and before they had reached Sydney. Also with him was an unmarried naval officer brother Christopher Palmer (1767–1821), and two unmarried sisters Sarah Sophia Palmer (1774–?) and Sophia Palmer (1777–1833). In 1801, Sophia married the merchant Robert Campbell and John Palmer acted as his agent during Campbell's absence in England in 1805 and 1806. Palmer was appointed commissary general of New South Wales on 2 June 1791. In this post, he was responsible for the reception and issue of all government stores, virtually the only supplies in the colony, and their supplement by purchase from private merchants. He negotiated payment for official business and was empowered to draw bills on the British Treasury. In effect, he kept the public accounts and funds of the colony and was at once official supplier, contractor and banker to the settlement. Whilst in England in the period 1810 to 1814, Palmer was demoted to Assistant Commissary in 1811, but in June 1813 was re-employed in the Commissariat. He returned to New South Wales in May 1814, where he continued to work for the Commissariat until he was retired on half-pay in 1819. Palmer received his first land grant of 100 acres (40 ha) in 1793, which he named Woolloomooloo Farm. Here, he planted an extensive orchard, built one of the colony's first permanent residences, and elegantly entertained the first rank of colonial society. In 1795, he was described as one of the three principal farmers and stockholders in the colony. In 1803, Palmer was hailed as the first exponent of improved farming methods when he reduced the men employed on his 300-acre (121 ha) Hawkesbury farm from a hundred to fifteen. Also by 1803, he owned several small colonial-built craft. Palmer also owned a windmill on the margin of the Domain and a bakery near the present Conservatorium of Music. In 1818, he was granted 1500 acres (607 ha) at Bathurst, which he named Hambledon, where he ran a handful of stock. In the 1820s, Palmer received a grant in the Limestone Plains known as Jerrabombera. At Waddon, near Parramatta, he farmed 3000 acres (1214 ha), one-third of which was cleared. By the 1830s, he was running more than 3000 sheep and nearly 500 cattle. In his judicial capacity as a magistrate, which he had been appointed by Lieutenant Governor Francis Grose in 1793, and as one of the principal civil officers, Palmer was familiar with most of the disturbances that occurred in the colony. He was no friend of John Macarthur, or of most of the New South Wales Corps. A supporter of Governor William Bligh, he had in 1809 briefly been placed in gaol in Sydney on a charge of sedition for having declaring New South Wales to be in a state of mutiny. Palmer denied the competency of the court and refused to plead, but was found guilty and sentenced to three months imprisonment and directed to pay a fine of £50. He also continued to refuse to allow Lieutenant Governor George Johnston access to his ledgers without the authority of the British Treasury. In 1810, he was ordered to England with Bligh. Considered a hostile witness by Bligh's opponents, his evidence was considered as indispensable in proving charges against Bligh. Instead he was one of Bligh's chief witnesses against Johnston. Palmer was a member of the Committee of the Female Orphan Institution from August 1803 to January 1824. As a magistrate, he sat frequently on the bench at Parramatta until dismissed by Governor Sir Thomas Brisbane over a quarrel in 1822. He was restored to the magistracy on 3 November 1825 and continued to sit until within a year or two of his death. When he died at Waddon near Parramatta on 27 September 1833, he was the last surviving officer of the first fleet that arrived in this part of His Majesty's Dominions.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Der'Woun Greene
Age: 30Der'Woun Greene is an American Football free safety for the Virginia Tech Hokies.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Sarah McCarthy-Fry
Age: 70Sarah McCarthy-Fry (born 4 February 1955) is a British Labour Co-operative politician. She was the Member of Parliament for Portsmouth North from the 2005 general election to 2010. She was Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury in the last phase of the Labour government of Gordon Brown.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, England
Ernest Read
Dec. at 86 (1879-1965)Ernest Read (22 February 1879 – 9 October 1965) was an English conductor, organist, and music educator. He had a profound impact on the development of music education within England during the first half of the 20th century, and published several books on music pedagogy. He was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1956. Read was born in Guildford. From 1896 to 1906 he studied at the Royal Academy of Music under Tobias Matthay and Henry Joseph Wood. He served as the principal of the Watford School of Music from 1913-1920. He also taught conducting and ear training on the faculty of the RAM from 1919–1950. Two of his notable students were Edwin Bélanger and William Ifor Jones. In 1926 he founded the London Junior Orchestra, one of the earliest youth symphonies in England. That orchestra spawned 4 more youth orchestras in the city of London and 11 affiliate youth orchestras throughout Great Britain. In 1931 Read founded the Ernest Read Symphony Orchestra (ERSO), a professional orchestra with a commitment to performing concerts accessible to children as well as adults. He conducted the orchestra up until his death 34 years later, taking it to concerts in schools, concert halls and for the BBC. For some years (running until the late 1990s) the related organisation ERMA (Ernest Read Music Association) ran summer schools for talented musical students and keen adult amateur musicians. These primarily featured orchestras playing the large-scale symphonic orchestral repertoire, but also with associated choral, conducting, percussion and listeners' courses. These took place initially at Queenswood School, Herts, then ran for a while at Roedean School, and latterly at St Mary's School, Wantage. Read was a keen exponent of Dalcroze Eurhythmics, a holistic approach to music through bodily movement, developed by Swiss musician Émile Jaques-Dalcroze. In 1945 he established the lauded Ernest Read Concerts for Children, which ran until the late 1990s. ERSO remain active today (2015). Read died, aged 86, in London.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Billy Gonsalves
Dec. at 68 (1908-1977)Adelino William "Billy" Gonsalves (August 10, 1908 – July 17, 1977) was an American soccer player, sometimes described as the "Babe Ruth of American Soccer". He spent over 25 years playing in various American professional leagues and was a member of the U.S. squad at the FIFA World Cup in 1930 and 1934. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Tia Walker
Age: 54Tia Walker is an American blogger and publisher of The Quest for "it", a blog created in 2005, that is best known for its Fashion Week reporting in New York, as well as its in-depth coverage of the worlds of art, fashion, media, and society.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Washington L. Capps
Dec. at 71 (1864-1935)Rear Admiral Washington Lee Capps (31 January 1864 – 31 May 1935) was an officer of the United States Navy, who served during the Spanish–American War and World War I. In the first years of the 20th century, he served as Constructor of the Navy and Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repair, with responsibility for naval shipbuilding.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
- Albert Oliver Jr. (born October 14, 1946) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1968–1977), Texas Rangers (1978–1981), Montreal Expos (1982–1983), San Francisco Giants (1984), Philadelphia Phillies (1984), Los Angeles Dodgers (1985), and Toronto Blue Jays (1985), over the course of his 18-year MLB career. Nicknamed "Scoop", Oliver batted and threw left-handed. Although Oliver played all three outfield positions, he was primary a center fielder, who also occasionally filled in at first base. He was signed by the Pirates as an amateur free agent in 1964. From 1970 to 1976 he played on five Pirates division champions, including the team that defeated the Baltimore Orioles in the 1971 World Series.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Ohio, USA
Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones
Dec. at 65 (1868-1933)Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones, known as Sissieretta Jones, (January 5, 1868 or 1869 – June 24, 1933) was an American soprano. She sometimes was called "The Black Patti" in reference to Italian opera singer Adelina Patti. Jones' repertoire included grand opera, light opera, and popular music. Trained at the Providence Academy of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music, Jones made her New York debut in 1888 at Steinway Hall, and four years later she performed at the White House for President Benjamin Harrison. She eventually sang for four consecutive presidents and the British royal family, and met with international success. Besides the United States and the West Indies, Jones toured in South America, Australia, India, southern Africa, and Europe.The highest-paid African-American performer of her time, later in her career she founded the Black Patti Troubadours (later renamed the Black Patti Musical Comedy Company), a musical and acrobatic act made up of 40 jugglers, comedians, dancers and a chorus of 40 trained singers. She remained the star of the Famous Troubadours for around two decades while they established their popularity in the principal cities of the United States and Canada, Jones retired from performing in 1915. In 2013 she was inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Henry Westmoreland
Age: 71Henry Westmoreland is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League. Westmoreland attended Florida International University, playing on the men’s soccer team in 1979 and 1980. In 1980, he turned professional with the Phoenix Inferno of the Major Indoor Soccer League. He spent two seasons with the Inferno. He later coached the Florida State University School boy’s soccer team.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Ohio
Richard Smith
Age: 37Richard Smith is an English field hockey player.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
- Robert Glenn Baumhower (born August 4, 1955) is a restaurateur and a former American football player who played college football for the University of Alabama under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant from 1973 to 1976 and professional football for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) under coach Don Shula.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Johnnie LeMaster
Age: 70Johnnie Lee LeMaster (born June 19, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He played for 12 seasons (1975–1985 and 1987) for four teams, including 10 seasons for the San Francisco Giants. He batted and threw right-handed. On September 2, 1975 LeMaster became the second player in major league history to hit an inside-the-park home run in his first at bat, during a 7–3 win over the Dodgers. LeMaster hit only 21 home runs during the rest of his career (3,191 at bats). LeMaster is remember for a game in July 1979, when he took the field wearing the phrase on his back that Giants fans often welcomed him with; in place of his last name was the word "BOO".In 1983, LeMaster amassed over 100 hits for the only time in his career, batting .240 and finishing seventh in the National League with 39 stolen bases while finishing third in the National League with 19 times caught stealing. During the 1985 season, he played for three teams: the San Francisco Giants, the Cleveland Indians, and the Pittsburgh Pirates; all three teams ended up in last place in their respective divisions.LeMaster was a career .222 hitter with 22 home runs and 229 runs batted in in 1039 games.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Ohio
Lew Woodroffe
Age: 103Lewis Christopher Woodroffe (29 October 1921 – 2015) was an English professional footballer. He played at inside or outside forward. Born in Portsmouth in October 1921, his early adult life coincided with the Second World War, at a time when professional football competitions such as the Football League and FA Cup were suspended. He joined Manchester City as a professional in October 1945, and in the 1946–47 season he played and scored for the club in the Second Division. However, he was released on a free transfer at the end of the season, and joined Watford, of the Third Division South. He played 64 matches in all competitions for the side, scoring 6 goals, before leaving on a free transfer at the end of the 1950–51 season. He later played for Canterbury City, who at the time were playing in the Kent League.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Cam Boyd
Cam Boyd is an American football running back for the Old Dominion Monarchs.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Christopher Le Brun
Age: 73Christopher Le Brun PRA (born 1951) is a British artist, known primarily as a painter. He has been President of the Royal Academy of Arts since his election in 2011.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Charlie Amesbury
Age: 38Charlie Amesbury (born 8 April 1986 in Portsmouth) is a former rugby union footballer who last played professionally on the wing or full back for Bristol in the RFU Championship, and previously for Harlequins, Sale Sharks and Newcastle Falcons in the Aviva Premiership. He has his own Wikipedia page. He also played for England Sevens. Amesbury played for Cambridge University in The Varsity Match in 2016 and in 2017, when he scored a try and captained the side to victory over Oxford.Amesbury started playing rugby at the age of six; playing mini-rugby at Petersfield R.F.C.. He attended Lord Wandsworth College from the age of 13 and by the age of 15 was of a good enough standard to represent the Under 16's.In 2004, Amesbury played full back for the London & South East Division and was selected for the England training group. Also in 2004 he played for England Under 18's and during the 2004/05 season played regularly for Quins in the Zurich A League. He made his First XV debut for Quins during the 2005–06 season; scoring twice in the 43–3 victory over Otley at the Stoop.Amesbury was part of the England Sevens squad that competed in the 2006-07 IRB Sevens World Series.Amesbury made his starting debut for Quins against Leeds at the beginning of the 2007–08 season. A Quins academy player, he was rewarded with a first team contract. At the end of the 2008–09 season he chose to move on due to the lack of game time at Quins and signed for Premiership side Newcastle Falcons.During the 2011/12 season he played on from January 2012 whilst suffering from appendicitis, which was operated on in the Summer off season period.During the 2013–14 season Bristol signed Amesbury from Sale Sharks to help their push for promotion for the remainder of the season. After losing in the playoff final against London Welsh he stayed on for the 2014–15 in the RFU Championship- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Michael Bates
Age: 34Michael David Bates (born 10 October 1990) is an English cricketer. Bates is a right-handed batsman who plays as a wicket-keeper. Bates is regarded by some as England's best wicket-keeper, but consider his batting is not up to the same standards.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Mahlon Clark
Dec. at 84 (1923-2007)Mahlon Clark (March 7, 1923 – September 20, 2007) was an American musician who was a member of the Lawrence Welk orchestra from 1962 to 1968. His primary instrument was the clarinet. Born and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia, Clark started out in vaudeville as a child. Later as a teenager, he became a big band musician playing for the Ray McKinley and Will Bradley bands, among others. Relocating to California during World War II, after serving in the armed forces, found employment at Paramount Pictures where he performed music on many movie soundtracks. He was hired by Welk in 1962 to join his orchestra and his television show. For six years, he played both the clarinet and saxophone for a weekly national television audience and on stage when the Musical Family went out on tour. He was replaced by reedman Dave Edwards before the new TV taping sessions in 1968. After leaving the Welk organization, Clark continued to perform on many more movie soundtracks and with numerous artists such as Frank Sinatra and Madonna.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Shyrone Stith
Age: 46Shyrone Stith (born April 2, 1978 in Portsmouth, Virginia) is a former running back in the National Football League for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts. He played college football at Virginia Tech and was drafted in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL Draft.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Steve Brine
Age: 51Stephen Charles "Steve" Brine (born 28 January 1974) is a British Conservative Party politician and has served as the Member of Parliament for Winchester since 2010. At the 2010 general election, he defeated Martin Tod of the Liberal Democrats; with a majority of 3,048 votes. Brine was re-elected to the House of Commons at the 2015 general election, with a significantly increased majority of 16,914 votes, and again at the 2017 general election, with a strong, but reduced majority of 9,999 votes.He served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health from 2017-19.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, England
Eugene Van Taylor
Age: 71Eugene Van Taylor is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who spent two seasons in the North American Soccer League, three in the American Soccer League and five in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He is currently the men's soccer coach at Lander University.Van Taylor graduated from West Essex High School where he was a Parade Magazine High School All American soccer player. He attended Erskine College where he was a 1973 Honorable Mention (third team) All American soccer player. He graduated in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education. In 1982, he was inducted into the Erskine College Athletic Hall of Fame. He is ranked fourth on the NAIA single-game saves list.In 1975, the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League selected Van Taylor in the first round of the NASL draft, but he never made the first team. The Cosmos traded him to the Miami Toros in 1976 where he was Runner-Up for NASL 'Rookie of the Year'. In 1977, he played for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers as Gordon Banks' backup before moving to the New York Eagles of the American Soccer League in 1978. In 1979 and 1980, he played of the Columbus Magic. In the fall of 1980, Van Taylor signed with the expansion Baltimore Blast of the Major Indoor Soccer League. He played six games then was traded to the Phoenix Inferno. He remained with the Inferno through the 1983-1984 season when the team was known as the Phoenix Pride. In 1985, he was hired as the head coach of the Lander University men's soccer team where he amassed over 350 wins and retired in 2015 as one of the winningest coaches in NCAA Division II history. He is also former manager of PDL outfit, Palmetto FC Bantams.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Ohio
Terry Johnson
Age: 67Dr. Terry Johnson (born November 3, 1956) is a Republican, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives for the 90th district. He is an osteopathic physician who was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 2011 to 2018. He was unopposed in the primary and faced Democrat construction worker Ron Hadsell in the general election. Johnson won with 58.38% of the vote. In 2012, he carried 64.07% of the vote as he was easily re-elected to a second term over Portsmouth City Council President John Haas. He earned a third term in 2014, again carrying 64% of the vote over Thom Davis.Johnson's 2010 election made him the first Republican to capture the seat since 1954, and his 2012 re-election campaign saw him become the first Republican to earn major endorsements and support from area labor unions.In 2011, Johnson was named Family Physician of the Year by the Ohio State chapter of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Ohio
Ken Hatfield
Age: 72Kenneth David Hatfield (born November 18, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist, who is also a composer, arranger, producer, and educator.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Charlie McGibbon
Dec. at 74 (1880-1954)Charles Edward McGibbon (21 April 1880 – 2 May 1954) was an English footballer who played for several teams, including Woolwich Arsenal and Southampton, on a part-time basis while serving with the Royal Engineers. He also played one cricket match for Hampshire County Cricket Club.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
David Orton
Dec. at 77 (1934-2011)David Keith Orton was a Canadian writer, thinker and environmental activist who played a leading role in developing "left biocentrism" within the philosophy of deep ecology. Orton and his collaborators added the word "left" to biocentrism to indicate their anti-industrial, anti-capitalist orientation and their concern for social justice. Their 10-point Left Biocentrism Primer, published in 1998, accepts the idea that the natural world belongs to all living things, but it also calls for the ethical principles of deep ecology to be applied to sensitive political issues such as working for a reduction in the human population, achieving justice for aboriginal peoples, struggling for workers' rights and redistributing wealth. Orton, however, frequently asserted that the rights of nature had to come first. "Social justice is only possible in a context of ecological justice," he wrote. "We have to move from a shallow, human-centered ecology to a deeper all-species centered ecology." Elsewhere he added: "There is no justice for people on a dead planet."- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Stuart Bonham Carter
Dec. at 83 (1889-1972)Vice Admiral Sir Stuart Sumner Bonham Carter, KCB, CVO, DSO (9 July 1889 – 5 September 1972) was an officer in the Royal Navy who served in both world wars.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Peter Cheeseman
Dec. at 78 (1932-2010)Peter Barrie Cheeseman, CBE (27 January 1932, Cowplain, Hampshire – 27 April 2010) was a British theatre director who is credited with having pioneered "theatre in the round".- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
James Riordan
Dec. at 75 (1936-2012)James Riordan (10 October 1936 – 10 February 2012) was an English novelist, broadcaster, sports historian, association football player and Russian scholar.He was well known for his work Sport in Soviet Society, the first academic look at sport in the Soviet Union, and for his children's novels. He claims to have been the first Briton to play football in the USSR, playing for FC Spartak Moscow in 1963. There are, however, no documents, match reports or eyewitness accounts that support his claim, and many details in the story were inaccurate.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Sara Levinson
Age: 75Sara Levinson is the Chairman of ClubMom and is also President of the Women's Publishing Group at Rodale, Inc. Since joining Rodale, she has engineered a redesign of Prevention (January 2004), the 11th largest consumer magazine in the U.S., which has been well received by readers and the advertising community.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
- John Thomas Ralph Augustine James Facenda (August 8, 1913 – September 26, 1984) was an American broadcaster and sports announcer. He was a fixture on Philadelphia radio and television for decades, and achieved national fame as a narrator for NFL Films and Football Follies. Through his work with NFL Films, Facenda was known by many National Football League fans as "The Voice of God."
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
LaTasha Colander
Age: 48LaTasha Colander (born August 23, 1976, in Portsmouth, Virginia) is a retired track and field sprinter who competed internationally for the United States. In 1994, on athletic scholarship, Colander enrolled at, and later graduated from, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1994, in the 100 m hurdles, Colander was the USA Juniors champion, and placed second in the World Junior Champs. Yet soon, she switched to sprints. In 2000 and 2001, she was the U.S. champion in the 400 m. In April 2000, her team set the women's world record in the 4 × 200 m relay, a record standing over 15 years onward.In the 2000 Olympics, Colander won a Gold Medal in the 4 × 400 m relay. Upon her teammate Marion Jones's 2007 admission of illegal doping, the International Olympic Committee stripped the whole team's medals; in 2010, however, by a successful appeal, all team members except Jones had their medals restored.Colander missed the 2001 World Championships because of a quadriceps injury. In 2003, she switched concentration to the 100 m, and won the 2004 US Olympic Trials in this shorter event. At the 2005 World Championships, she placed fifth in the 200 meters. In 2000, Colander had established the LC Treasures Within Foundation, its mission to strengthen kids, families, and the world through education, sports, and spirituality. In 2014, Colander was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
- Patton Oswalt, born on January 27, 1969 in Portsmouth, Virginia, pursued an illustrious career in entertainment that encompassed stand-up comedy, acting, and writing. His imaginative style of humor, characterized by sharp wit and cultural references, has left a distinct mark in the world of comedy. Oswalt's early life was spent in a military environment due to his father's career as a Marine Corps officer, an experience that greatly shaped his worldview and contributed to the development of his comedic persona. Oswalt moved to San Francisco to begin his stand-up career after graduating from the College of William & Mary with a degree in English. Although he initially struggled, his unique brand of humor soon caught the attention of comedy enthusiasts. He then moved to Los Angeles where he became part of the alternative comedy scene, frequently performing at the Largo nightclub. His comedy career took a significant turn when he landed a role in the hit sitcom King of Queens, where he played Spence Olchin for nearly a decade. In addition to his successful comedy career, Oswalt has made significant contributions to film and literature. He has voiced numerous characters in animated films, most notably Remy in Pixar's Ratatouille. Oswalt has also authored several books, including the critically acclaimed Zombie Spaceship Wasteland. His distinctive narrative voice is appreciated by readers and listeners alike, making him an influential figure in both the literary and entertainment fields.
- Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
