List of people from Delaware

• Wilbur L. Adams (1884–1937) – U.S. Representative from Delaware
• J. Edward Addicks (1841–1919) – gas tycoon; his attempts to buy a U.S. Senate seat bolstered support for the Seventeenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; lived in Claymont
• J. Frank Allee (1857–1938) – jeweler; Senator from Delaware
• Richard Allen (1760–1831) – founder, African Methodist Episcopal Church
• William F. Allen (1883–1946) – U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Ann Althouse (born 1951) – law professor, legal blogger; born in Wilmington
• Thomas L. Ambro (born 1949) – Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals; worked in Wilmington
• John Andrews (1746–1813) – minister; academic
• Anthony J. Arduengo, III (born 1952) – chemist; material scientist; discoverer of stable carbenes
• Adrienne Arsht (born 1942) – lawyer; philanthropist; born in Wilmington

• John Backus (1924–2007) – computer scientist; invented Fortran and Backus–Naur form; raised in Wilmington
• Walter W. Bacon (1879–1962) – Mayor of Wilmington; Governor of Delaware
• L. Heisler Ball (1861–1932) – U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Samuel Bancroft (1840–1915) – industrialist; art philanthropist; born in Wilmington
• William Poole Bancroft (1835–1928) – industrialist; land conservationist
• Phineas Banning (1830–1885) – businessman and entrepreneur in Delaware and California
• Richard Bassett (1745–1815) – U.S. Senator from Delaware; Governor of Delaware
• Alice M. Batchelder (born 1944) – attorney; judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
• Martin W. Bates (1786–1869) – State Representative; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Alexis I. du Pont Bayard (1918–1985) – veteran, World War II; Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
• James A. Bayard, Sr. (1767–1815) – U.S. Representative; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• James A. Bayard, Jr. (1799–1880) – lawyer; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Richard H. Bayard (1796–1868) – Chief Justice, Delaware Supreme Court; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Thomas F. Bayard (1828–1898) – U.S. Senator from Delaware; U.S. Secretary of State
• Thomas F. Bayard, Jr. (1868–1942) – U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Paul Lorin Bechly (born 1958) – chemical engineer
• Gunning Bedford, Sr. (1742–1797) – Revolutionary officer; Governor of Delaware
• Gunning Bedford, Jr. (1747–1812) – lawyer; Continental Congressman from Delaware
• Caleb P. Bennett (1758–1836) – Revolutionary officer; Governor of Delaware
• Sheena Benton (born 1982) – Miss Delaware USA 2005
• Valerie Bertinelli (born 1960) – actress (One Day at a Time, Hot in Cleveland); born in Wilmington
• Huck Betts (1897–1987) – Major League Baseball player, born in Millsboro
• Mahlon Betts (1795–1867) – banker; transportation businessman
• Stephen Biddle (born 1959) – author; historian; policy analyst; columnist
• Beau Biden (real name Joseph R. Biden III) (1969–2015) – son of Joe; lawyer; Attorney General of Delaware
• Jill Biden (born 1951) – college professor; Second Lady of the United States
• Joe Biden (born 1942) – 47th Vice President of the United States; former longtime Senator from Delaware (1973–2009)
• Benjamin T. Biggs (1821–1893) – U.S. Representative; Governor of Delaware
• John Biggs, Jr. (1895–1979) – former Chief Judge of the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
• Clyde Bishop – U.S. Ambassador to the Marshall Islands
• Emily Bissell (1861–1948) – anti-suffragist; introduced Christmas seals to the U.S.

• J. Caleb Boggs (1909–1993) – Governor of Delaware; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Cedella Booker (1926–2008) – singer; Jamaica native, lived in Delaware; mother of singer Bob Marley
• Nicole Bosso (born 1986) – Miss Delaware USA 2007
• William H. Boyce (1855–1942) – Justice of the Superior Court; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• John Walter Bratton (1867–1947) – Tin Pan Alley composer
• Madison Brengle (born 1990) – tennis player; 2007 Juniors Wimbledon runner-up
• Jay Briscoe (born 1984) – professional wrestler; ROH World Champion and eight-time ROH World Tag Team Champion with his brother Mark Briscoe
• Mark Briscoe (born 1985) – professional wrestler; eight-time ROH World Tag Team Champion with brother Jay
• Dennis Brockenborough – trombone player
• Franklin Brockson (1865–1942) – State Representative and U.S. Representative from Delaware
• James M. Broom (1776–1850) – lawyer and U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Hugh T. Broomall (born 1948) – Major General, Delaware Air National Guard
• Clifford Brown (1930–1956) – jazz trumpeter, born in Wilmington
• C. Douglass Buck (1890–1965) – Governor of Delaware; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• David P. Buckson (born 1920) – Attorney General of Delaware; Governor of Delaware
• Edward G. Budd (1870–1946) – automotive inventor; founder, Budd Company
• Colin Burns (born 1982) – professional soccer player in Norway
• Hiram R. Burton (1841–1927) – physician and U.S. Representative from Delaware
• William Burton (1789–1866) – physician and Governor of Delaware
• Randy Bush (born 1958) – MLB pitcher and executive; born in Dover
• William Sharp Bush (1786–1812) – U.S. Marine-award winner, War of 1812; born in Wilmington

• Henry Seidel Canby (1878–1961) – educator; editor, The Saturday Review of Literature
• Annie Jump Cannon (1863–1941) – pioneering female astronomer
• Philip L. Cannon (1850–1929) – Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
• William Cannon (1809–1865) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Joseph M. Carey (1845–1924) – Wyoming politician; born in Delaware
• Louis Carlet (born 1966) – union activist
• John Carney (born 1956) – U.S. Representative for Delaware
• Wallace Carothers (1896–1937) – chemist; inventor of neoprene and nylon
• Charles I. Carpenter (1906–1994) – Major General; first Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force
• R. R. M. Carpenter (1877–1949) – businessman; DuPont executive; owner, Philadelphia Phillies
• R. R. M. Carpenter, Jr. (1915–1990) – owner, Philadelphia Phillies
• Ruly Carpenter (born 1940) – former owner, Philadelphia Phillies
• Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. (1888–1976) – businessman; oversaw construction of Manhattan Project facilities
• Thomas R. Carper (born 1947) – Governor of Delaware; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Vincenza Carrieri-Russo – Miss Delaware USA 2008; second runner up, Miss United States 2014
• Elbert N. Carvel (1910–2005) – businessman; Governor of Delaware
• Michael N. Castle (born 1939) – U.S. Representative; Governor of Delaware
• John W. Causey (1841–1908) – farmer; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Peter F. Causey (1801–1871) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• John T. Chain, Jr. (born 1934) – U.S. Air Force General; commander, Strategic Air Command
• Alfred D. Chandler, Jr. (1918–2007) – business history professor, Harvard University; born in Guyencourt
• Thomas H. Chilton (1899–1972) – pioneer, modern chemical engineering; member, Manhattan Project
• Uma Chowdhry (born 1947) – scientist
• Anne Rogers Clark (1929–2006) – dog breeder and trainer
• John Clark (1761–1821) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• John M. Clayton (1796–1856) – U.S. Senator from Delaware; U.S. Secretary of State
• Joshua Clayton (1744–1798) – Governor of Delaware; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Thomas Clayton (1777–1854) – Chief Justice; U.S. Senator from Delaware

• John P. Cochran (1809–1898) – farmer; Governor of Delaware
• Ashley Coleman (born 1981) – Miss Teen USA 1999
• Isaac Collins (1746–1817) – early American printer; freedom-of-the-press activist
• John Collins (1776–1822) – manufacturer; Governor of Delaware
• Thomas Collins (1732–1789) – General Assemblymann; President of Delaware
• Cornelius P. Comegys (1780–1851) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Joseph P. Comegys (1813–1893) – U.S. Senator from Delaware; Chief Justice of Delaware
• John Cook (1730–1789) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Charles "Tarzan" Cooper (1907–1980) – Philadelphia professional basketball player
• Thomas Cooper (1764–1829) – General Assemblyman; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• William B. Cooper (1777–1849) – General Assembly and U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Lammot du Pont Copeland (1905–1983) – president, DuPont (1962–1967); co-founder, Population Action International
• Louise E. du Pont Crowninshield (1877–1958) – philanthropist; preservationist; founding trustee, National Trust for Historic Preservation
• Robert Crumb (born 1943) – artist; illustrator; lived in Milford and Dover
• Elisha D. Cullen (1799–1862) – lawyer; U. S. Representative from Delaware
• Nancy Currie (born 1958) – astronaut, born in Wilmington

• Carl C. Danberg (born 1964) – lawyer; Attorney General of Delaware
• F. O. C. Darley (1822–1888) – painter; illustrator
• Samuel Davies (1723–1761) – writer, preacher, 4th President of Princeton University
• Jehu Davis (1738–1802) – General Assemblyman; President of Delaware
• Elena Delle Donne (born 1989) – Women's National Basketball Association player
• Matthew P. Denn (born 1966) – Insurance Commissioner; Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
• William D. Denney (1873–1953) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Delino DeShields (born 1969) – Major League Baseball player; born in Delaware
• John Dickinson (1732–1808) – President of Delaware; President of Pennsylvania
• Mary Norris Dickinson (1740–1803) – owner of one of the largest libraries in colonial America
• Philemon Dickinson (1739–1809) – Continental Congressman from Delaware; U.S. Senator from New Jersey
• John Dossett – actor; singer
• Dave Douglas (1918–1978) – professional golfer (1940s and 1950s)
• Alexis Felix du Pont, Jr. (1905–1996) – aviator; co-founder, predecessor of US Airways
• Alfred I. du Pont (1864–1935) – businessman; philanthropist; established the Nemours Foundation
• Alfred V. du Pont (1798–1856) – head of the DuPont Company (1837–1850)
• Charles I. du Pont (1797–1869) – manufacturer; Delaware General Assemblyman
• E. Paul du Pont (1887–1950) – founder, Du Pont Motors; president, Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company
• Éleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771–1834) – founder, DuPont Company
• Eugene du Pont (1840–1902) – head of the DuPont Company (1889–1902)
• Henry du Pont (1812–1889) – head of the DuPont Company; Major General, American Civil War
• Henry A. du Pont (1838–1926) – veteran, American Civil War; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Henry Francis du Pont (1880–1969) – art collector; established the Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library
• Irénée du Pont (1876–1963) – president, DuPont Company (1919–1926)
• Lammot du Pont I (1831–1884) – scientist; inventor; soldier, American Civil War
• Lammot du Pont II (1880–1952) – president, DuPont Company (1926–1940)
• Pierre S. du Pont (1870–1954) – inventor; president, DuPont Company and General Motors
• Pierre S. du Pont IV (born 1935) – U. S. Representative; Governor of Delaware
• Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739–1817) – helped negotiate the 1783 Treaty of Paris and the Louisiana Purchase
• Richard C. du Pont (1911–1943) – aviator, co-founder, All American Aviation, the forerunner of US Airways
• Samuel Francis Du Pont (1803–1865) – Rear Admiral, United States Navy
• T. Coleman du Pont (1863–1930) – president, DuPont Company; U. S. Senator from Delaware
• Victor Marie du Pont (1767–1827) – manufacturer; Delaware General Assemblyman
• Sara Dylan (born 1939) – first wife of Bob Dylan; born in Delaware

• Mark Eaton (born 1977) – professional ice hockey player; born in Delaware
• Richard H. Ellis (1919–1989) – General; commander in chief, Strategic Air Command; from Delaware
• Raúl Esparza (born 1970) – actor, born in Delaware
• Oliver Evans (1755–1819) – inventor, born in Delaware
• Thomas B. Evans, Jr. (born 1931) – lawyer; U. S. Representative from Delaware

William Fetters 1980– Academy award nominated screenwriter of A Star is Born (2018)

• George P. Fisher (1817–1899) – U. S. Representative from Delaware; Justice of District Court
• William H. Forwood (1838–1915) – 19th Surgeon General of the United States Army
• Wayne Franklin (born 1974) – professional baseball player; born in Wilmington
• J. Allen Frear, Jr. (1903–1993) – veteran, World War II; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Louis Freeh (born 1950) – fifth director, Federal Investigation Bureau; lives in Wilmington
• Yvette Freeman (born 1957) – actress; born in Wilmington

• John Gallagher, Jr. (born 1984) – actor; musician
• Thomas Garrett (1789–1871) – abolitionist; leader in the Underground Railroad
• Michael Gibson (1944–2005) – Broadway trombonist and musical arranger; born in Wilmington
• Commodore John P. Gillis (1803–1873) – officer, United States Navy, born in Wilmington
• Paul Goldschmidt (born 1987) – first baseman for St. Louis Cardinals, born in Wilmington
• Bill Gore (1912–1986) – scientist, founder of W. L. Gore and Associates
• Robert W. Gore (born 1937) – businessman; inventor of Gore-Tex; lived in Newark
• Joseph (Joey) Graham (born 1982) – professional basketball player; born in Wilmington
• Stephen Graham (born 1982) – professional basketball player; born in Wilmington
• George Gray (1840–1925) – Judge of U.S. Court of Appeals; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Dallas Green (1934–2017) – pitcher, manager, and executive in Major League Baseball; born in Newport
• Crawford Hallock Greenewalt (1902–1993) – president, DuPont Company and the American Philosophical Society
• Crawford Hallock Greenewalt, Jr. (1937–2012) – award-winning archaeologist

• David Hall (1752–1817) – Continental Army officer; Governor of Delaware
• John W. Hall (1817–1893) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Willard Hall (1780–1875) – U. S. Representative; Justice for the United States District Court
• L. Irving Handy (1861–1922) – educator; U. S. Representative from Delaware
• Duron Harmon (born 1991) – professional football player; born in Magnolia
• Kwame Harris (born 1982) – professional football player; born in Newark
• Orien Harris (born 1983) – professional football player; born in Newark
• Harry G. Haskell, Jr. (born 1921) – businessman; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• John Haslet (c. 1727–1777) – soldier, American Revolutionary War; from Milford
• Joseph Haslet (1769–1823) – farmer; Governor of Delaware
• Daniel O. Hastings (1874–1966) – lawyer; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• David Hazzard (1781–1864) – Associate Justice; Governor of Delaware
• Walt Hazzard (1942-2011) – college, Olympic and professional basketball player; college basketball coach; born in Wilmington
• William H. Heald (1864–1939) – lawyer; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Henry Heimlich (1920–2016) – physician; inventor, Heimlich Maneuver; born in Wilmington
• Anthony Higgins (1840–1912) – lawyer;U.S. Senator from Delaware
• John H. Hoffecker (1827–1900) – engineer; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Walter O. Hoffecker (1854–1934) – businessman; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• General Thomas Holcomb (1879–1965) – 17th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps; born in New Castle
• Outerbridge Horsey (1777–1842) – General Assembly; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Cisco Houston (1918–1961) – folk singer; closely associated with Woody Guthrie; born in Wilmington
• Henry A. Houston (1847–1925) – businessman; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• John W. Houston (1814–1896) – U.S. Representative; Justice, Delaware Superior Court
• Robert G. Houston (1867–1946) – lawyer; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Richard Howell (1754–1802) – 3rd Governor of New Jersey; born in Newark
• James H. Hughes (1867–1953) – lawyer; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• John Hunn (1818–1894) – farmer; abolitionist; from Odessa
• John Hunn (1849–1926) – businessman; Governor of Delaware
• Morgan Hurd (born 2001) – artistic gymnast; world gold medalist; hometown Middletown
• Doug Hutchison (born 1960) – actor; born in Dover

• John Johns (1796–1876) – college president; bishop; brother of Kensey Johns, Jr.
• Kensey Johns, Jr. (1791–1857) – U.S. Representative and Chancellor of Delaware; brother of John Johns
• Eldridge R. Johnson (1867–1945) – co-creator, Victor Talking Machine Company; born in Wilmington
• Judy Johnson (1899–1989) – Negro league baseball player; National Baseball Hall of Famer; lived and died in Wilmington
• Absalom Jones (1746–1818) – abolitionist; minister
• Commodore Jacob Jones (1768–1850) – officer, U.S. Navy; born near Smyrna
• Kent A. Jordan (born 1957) – judge, U.S. Court of Appeals

• Dorothy Andrews Elston Kabis (1917–1971) – Treasurer of the United States; lived in Middletown
• Edward E. Kaufman (born 1939) – U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Dyre Kearney (died 1791) – lawyer; delegate, Continental Congress from Delaware
• Pat Kenney (born 1968) – professional wrestler (stage name: Simon Diamond); born in Wilmington
• Richard R. Kenney (1856–1931) – lawyer; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Patrick Kerr (born 1956) – television actor; born in Wilmington
• Muqtedar Khan (born 1966) – Islamic intellectual; professor, University of Delaware
• Robert Kirkwood (1746–1791) – officer, American Revolutionary War
• Horace G. Knowles (1863–1937) – diplomat (U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia – Bulgaria, the Dominican Republic, Romania, Serbia); served under three different U.S. presidents
• Ellen J. Kullman (born 1956) – president and chief executive officer, DuPont Company
• Stephanie Kwolek (1923–2014) – scientist; inventor, Kevlar

• Henry Latimer (1752–1819) – U.S. Representative; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Caleb R. Layton (1851–1930) – physician; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Daniel J. Layton (1879–1960) – Chief Justice; Attorney General of Delaware
• Isaac Lea (1792–1886) – conchologist; geologist; businessman; born in Wilmington
• Preston Lea (1841–1916) – businessman; Governor of Delaware
• Judith LeClair (born 1958) – bassoonist, New York Philharmonic; faculty, Juilliard School; from Newark
• Jennifer Leigh (also known as Jennicide) (1983) – professional poker player; Playboy model
• Warren K. Lewis (1882–1975) – chemical engineer; professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• John Bernard "Hans" Lobert (1881–1968) – Major League Baseball player, coach, manager and scout; born in Wilmington
• Henry Hayes Lockwood (1814–1899) – co-founder, U.S. Naval Academy; Brigadier General, American Civil War
• James R. Lofland (1823–1894) – lawyer; U. S. Representative from Delaware
• Edward L. Loper, Sr. (1916–2011) – impressionist and colorist artist; from Wilmington
• Charles B. Lore (1831–1911) – lawyer; U. S. Representative from Delaware

• John Mabry (born 1970) – professional baseball player; born in Wilmington
• Isaac J. MacCollum (1889–1968) – physician; Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
• Thomas MacDonough (1783–1825) – commodore, U.S. Navy; victor, Battle of Lake Champlain in the War of 1812
• Jack A. Markell (born 1960) – State Treasurer; Governor of Delaware
• Edward L. Martin (1837–1897) – lawyer; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Joshua H. Marvil (1825–1895) – merchant; Governor of Delaware
• Joseph Maull (1781–1846) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Dave May (1943–2012) – professional baseball player; born in New Castle
• Sarah McBride (born 1990) – transgender rights activist
• Thomas M'Clintock (1792–1876) – abolitionist; women's rights activist
• Eleazer McComb (died 1798) – Continental soldier; Continental Congressman from Delaware
• Harris B. McDowell, Jr. (1906–1988) – General Assemblyman; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• James D. McGinnis (1932–2009) – realtor; Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
• Bill McGowan (1896–1954) – Baseball Hall of Fame umpire; born in Wilmington
• Bernie McInerney (born 1936) – actor; born in Wilmington
• Thomas McKean (1734–1817) – Chief Justice; Governor of Pennsylvania; educated in Delaware
• Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan (1794–1852) – 2nd U.S. Secretary of the Interior
• John McKinly (1721–1796) – General Assemblyman; President of Delaware
• Marshall Kirk McKusick (born 1954) – computer scientist
• Louis McLane (1786–1857) – U.S. Representative from Delaware; U.S. Secretary of the Treasury; U.S. Secretary of State; father of Robert Milligan McLane; born in Smyrna
• Robert Milligan McLane (1815–1898) – diplomat (U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, France and China; Governor of Maryland; son of Louis McLane; born in Wilmington
• Richard C. McMullen (1868–1944) – manufacturer; Governor of Delaware
• William Medill (1802–1865) – Governor of Ohio; Commissioner of Indian Affairs; Comptroller of the Treasury (U.S.)
• Kevin Mench (born 1978) – professional baseball player, born in Wilmington
• Charles R. Miller (1857–1927) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Thomas W. Miller (1886–1973) – lawyer; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Henry Milligan (born 1958) – AAU boxing champion (1983)
• John J. Milligan (1795–1875) – lawyer; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• David L. Mills (born 1938) – computer engineer; Internet pioneer
• Ruth Ann Minner (born 1935) – Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Delaware
• Nathaniel Mitchell (1753–1815) – Continental Congressman; Governor of Delaware
• Roxanne Modafferi (born 1982) – mixed martial artist, born in Wilmington
• Henry Molleston (1762–1819) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Hugh Montgomery (died 1780) – sea captain, raised the first American flag in a foreign port
• Jacob Moore – Attorney General of Delaware
• John Bassett Moore (1860–1947) – member, Permanent Court of Arbitration (also known as the Hague Tribunal); first American judge, International Court of Justice (also known as the World Court)
• Vinnie Moore (born 1964) – musician, born in New Castle
• Morgan Morgan (1688–1766) – pioneer
• Hugh M. Morris – federal judge
• John Morris (born 1941) – MLB pitcher, born in Lewes

• Daniel Nathans (1928–1999) – microbiologist; recipient, 1978 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Arnold Naudain (1790–1892) – General Assemblyman; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Garrett Neff (born 1984) – fashion model
• Alice Dunbar Nelson (1875–1935) – poet; journalist; anti-lynching activist
• David M. Nelson (1920–1991) – football coach; College Football Hall of Famer
• John A. Nicholson (1827–1906) – lawyer; U. S. Representative from Delaware

• Brett Oberholtzer – baseball pitcher, Houston Astros; born in Christiana
• John W. O'Daniel – general, U.S. Army; commander, 3rd Infantry Division during World War II
• Christine O'Donnell (born 1969) – Republican candidate, U.S. Senate (2006, 2008 and 2010)
• Ed Oliver (1915–1961) – professional golfer; born in Wilmington
• Montell Owens – professional football player
• Mehmet Oz – surgeon; television personality; attended Tower Hill School

• William Jackson Palmer (1836–1909) – general, American Civil War; railroad developer; philanthropist; born in Leipsic
• Rudolph Pariser (born 1923) – scientist; formulator, Pariser–Parr–Pople method
• George Parshall (born 1929) – scientist; chemical weapons destruction activist
• John Patten (1746–1800) – General Assemblyman; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Samuel Paynter (1768–1845) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Charles J. Pedersen (1904–1989) – co-recipient, 1987 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; lived in Delaware (1927–1969)
• William Peery (1743–1800) – General Assemblyman; Continental Congressman from Delaware
• John B. Penington (1825–1902) – Attorney General of Delaware; U. S. Representative from Delaware
• Simeon S. Pennewill (1867–1935) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Arthur Perry (born 1946) – basketball player and coach
• Russell W. Peterson (born 1916) – scientist; Governor of Delaware; chairman, White House Council on Environmental Quality; president, National Audubon Society
• Daniel Pfeiffer (born 1975) – Senior Advisor to the President under U.S. President Barack Obama
• Ryan Phillippe (born 1974) – actor; born in New Castle
• Aubrey Plaza (born 1984) – actress; comedian; April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation
• David Plouffe (born 1967) – Senior Advisor to the President under U.S. President Barack Obama; born in Wilmington
• Albert F. Polk (1869–1955) – lawyer; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Charles Polk, Jr. (1788–1857) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Teri Polo (born 1969) – actress; born in Dover
• James Ponder (1819–1897) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• William Poole (born 1937) – member, Council of Economic Advisers; chief executive, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
• Bill Press (born 1940) – talk radio host; liberal commentator; author; raised in Delaware City
• Ellen Bernard Thompson Pyle (1876–1936) – illustrator of covers for The Saturday Evening Post; student and sister-in-law of Howard Pyle
• Howard Pyle (1853–1911) – illustrator; author; founder, Brandywine School, brother-in-law of Ellen Bernard Thompson Pyle
• Katharine Pyle (1863–1938) – illustrator; author
• Joe Pyne – broadcaster, worked in Delaware

• John J. Raskob (1879–1950) – businessman; builder, Empire State Building
• Harold R. "Tubby" Raymond (born 1926) – University of Delaware football coach; College Football Hall of Famer
• George Read (1733–1798) – U.S. Senator from Delaware; Chief Justice of Delaware
• George Read, Jr. (1765–1836) – U.S. Attorney, U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware; built the Read House and Gardens
• Thomas Read (1740–1788) – first Commodore, Continental Navy
• Louis L. Redding (1901–1998) – civil rights attorney; participant, Brown v. Board of Education case
• Judge Reinhold (born 1957) – actor; born in Wilmington
• Eugene Reybold (1884–1961) – Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II
• Robert J. Reynolds (1838–1909) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Harry A. Richardson (1853–1928) – businessman; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• John E. Rickards (1848–1927) – 2nd Governor of Montana; born in Delaware City
• George R. Riddle (1817–1867) – U.S. Representative; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Henry M. Ridgely (1779–1847) – U.S. Representative; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Robert P. Robinson (1869–1939) – banker; Governor of Delaware
• Thomas Robinson, Jr. (1800–1843) – lawyer; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Caesar Rodney (1728–1784) – Continental Congressman; President of Delaware
• Caesar A. Rodney (1772–1824) – U.S. Senator from Delaware; U.S. Attorney General
• Caleb Rodney (1767–1840) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Daniel Rodney (1764–1846) – Governor of Delaware; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• George B. Rodney (1803–1883) – lawyer; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Thomas Rodney (1744–1811) – General Assemblyman; Continental Congressman from Delaware
• Daniel Rogers (1754–1806) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• John W. Rollins (1916–2000) – businessman; Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
• David Roselle (born 1939) – mathematician; academic administrator
• George Ross (1730–1779) – represented Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress
• William H. H. Ross (1814–1887) – farmer; Governor of Delaware
• Jane Richards Roth (born 1935) – judge, U.S. Court of Appeals
• William V. Roth, Jr. (1923–2003) – U.S. Representative; U.S. Senator from Delaware; namesake of Roth IRA and the Roth 401(k) retirement savings plans
• Cynthia Rothrock (born 1957) – martial artist; actress; born in Wilmington

• Eli M. Saulsbury (1817–1893) – General Assemblyman; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Gove Saulsbury (1815–1881) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Willard Saulsbury, Sr. (1820–1892) – Chancellor of Delaware; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Willard Saulsbury, Jr. (1861–1927) – lawyer; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Frank Schoonover (1877–1972) – illustrator, Brandywine School
• Marion duPont Scott (1894–1983) – preservationist; last private owner of Montpelier, the mansion and land estate of former U.S. President James Madison; born in Wilmington
• Collins J. Seitz (1914–1998) – judge, U.S. Court of Appeals; presided over Gebhart v. Belton case
• Virginia A. Seitz (born 1956) – U.S. Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel
• Frederic Kimber Seward (1878–1943) – corporate attorney; survivor, RMS Titanic
• Mary Ann Shadd (1823–1893) – educator; newspaper publisher; abolitionist; suffragist; born in Wilmington
• Dave Sheridan (born 1969) – actor, born in Newark
• Chris Short – Major League Baseball player, born in Milford
• Andrew Shue (born 1967) – actor; born in Wilmington
• Elisabeth Shue (born 1963) – actress; born in Wilmington
• John C. Sigler (born 1945) – former president, National Rifle Association
• Helen Farr Sloan (1911–2005) – art philanthropist; former wife of John French Sloan
• Melanie Sloan – executive director, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
• Devin Smith – professional basketball player, Maccabi Tel Aviv
• Nathaniel B. Smithers (1818–1896) – lawyer; U. S. Representative from Delaware
• Thomas Alfred Smyth – last Union Army general killed in the American Civil War

• Ian Snell (born 1981) – Major League Baseball player; born in Dover
• Peter Spencer (1782–1843) – founder, A.U.M.P. Church
• Presley Spruance (1785–1863) – General Assemblyman; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• E. R. Squibb (1819–1900) – pharmaceutical inventor; founder, E. R. Squibb and Sons, a forerunner of Bristol-Myers Squibb
• W. Laird Stabler, Jr. (1930–2008) – lawyer; Attorney General of Delaware
• Walter King Stapleton (born 1934) – judge, U.S. Court of Appeals
• J. George Stewart (1890–1970) – architect; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Michael Stewart (born 1977) – professional boxer, lived in New Castle
• Charles C. Stockley (1819–1901) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Thomas Stockton (1781–1846) – soldier; Governor of Delaware
• Jacob Stout (1764–1857) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Susan Stroman (born 1954) – choreographer; director; born in Wilmington
• George Sykes (1822–1880) – major general, American Civil War
• James Sykes (1725–1792) – General Assemblyman; Continental Congressman
• James Sykes (1761–1822) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware

• William Temple (1814–1863) – Governor of Delaware; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Charles L. Terry, Jr. (1900–1970) – Chief Justice; Governor of Delaware
• William Tharp (1803–1865) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Charles Thomas (1790–1848) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Lorenzo Thomas (1804–1875) – adjutant general, U.S. Army; acting U.S. Secretary of War
• Sean Patrick Thomas (born 1970) – actor; born in Wilmington
• Jim Thompson (born 1906) – businessman; born in Greenville
• George Thorogood (born 1951) – blues-rock musician; from Wilmington
• James Tilton (1745–1822) – 7th Surgeon General of the United States Army; delegate, Continental Congress; from Dover
• Alfred Thomas Archimedes Torbert (1833–1880) – general, Union Army; diplomat; born in Georgetown
• Reorus Torkillus (1608–1643) – first Swedish Lutheran minister to New Sweden
• Jeff Townes, also known as DJ Jazzy Jeff (born 1965) – hip hop, R&B disc jockey; record producer; turntablist; actor; has lived in Delaware since 2004
• John G. Townsend, Jr. (1871–1964) – Governor of Delaware; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Philip A. Traynor (1874–1962) – dentist, U.S. Representative from Delaware; born in Wilmington
• Sherman W. Tribbitt (1922–2010) – Lieutenant Governor of Delaware; Governor of Delaware
• George Truitt (1756–1818) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Ebe W. Tunnell (1844–1917) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• James M. Tunnell (1879–1957) – lawyer; U.S. Senator from Delaware

• Nicholas Van Dyke (1738–1789) – Continental Congressman; President of Delaware
• Nicholas Van Dyke (1770–1826) – U.S. Representative; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• James C. Van Sice – rear admiral, U.S. Coast Guard; born in Wilmington
• Francis D. Vavala (born 1947) – major general, Army National Guard; adjutant general, Delaware National Guard
• Tom Verlaine – musician
• Mabel Vernon (1883–1975) – leader, women's suffrage movement (1910s); born in Wilmington
• John M. Vining (1758–1802) – U.S. Representative; U.S. Senator from Delaware

• John Wales (1783–1863) – lawyer; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Herbert B. Warburton (1916–1983) – lawyer; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Herta Ware (1917–2005) – actress; political activist; born in Wilmington
• William T. Watson (1849–1917) – General Assemblyman; Governor of Delaware
• Dave Weigel – journalist, born in Wilmington
• Johnny Weir (born 1984) – figure skater; three-time U.S. national champion; lived in Newark
• William H. Wells (1769–1829) – General Assemblyman; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Joey Wendle (born 1990) – second baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays
• George Alexis Weymouth (born 1936) – painter; land conservationist; founder, Brandywine River Museum; born in Wilmington
• Samuel Wharton (1732–1800) – merchant; Continental Congressman
• John P. Wheeler III (1944–2010) – government official; chair, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
• William G. Whiteley (1819–1886) – Mayor of Wilmington; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• Randy White – Pro Football Hall of Famer; attended high school in Delaware
• Samuel White (1770–1809) – lawyer; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Kathleen Widdoes (born 1939) – actress; born in Wilmington
• Earle D. Willey (1889–1950) – lawyer; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• George S. Williams (1877–1961) – businessman; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• James Williams (1825–1899) – General Assemblyman; U. S. Representative from Delaware
• John J. Williams (1904–1988) – businessman; U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Jonathan S. Willis (1830–1903) – minister; U.S. Representative from Delaware
• James H. Wilson (1837–1925) – major general, American Civil War (captured Jefferson Davis and Henry Wirz)
• Josiah O. Wolcott (1877–1938) – U.S. Senator from Delaware; Chancellor of Delaware
• Dale E. Wolf (born 1924) – Lieutenant Governor of Delaware; Governor of Delaware
• Shien Biau Woo (born 1937) – professor; Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
• Daniel Woodall (1841–1880) – brigadier general, American Civil War
• Victor Baynard Woolley (1867–1945) – judge, U.S. Court of Appeals
• Paul Worrilow (born 1990) – professional football player; born in Wilmington
• Thomas Wynne (1627–1691) – physician; justice, Sussex County (1687–1691)

• Cori Yarckin (born 1982) – actress; singer; born in Seaford

• Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm (born 1949) – writer; of Polish origin; lives in Wilmington

• List of Delaware State Senators
• List of governors of Delaware
• List of justices of the Delaware Supreme Court
• List of lieutenant governors of Delaware
• List of mayors of Wilmington, Delaware
• List of people from Wilmington, Delaware
• List of United States congressional delegations from Delaware
• List of United States Representatives from Delaware
• List of United States Senators from Delaware
• List of University of Delaware people