People of New York

The Empire State was home to 19,190,115 people as of July 2003, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That makes New York the third most populated state in the nation (behind California and Texas).

Among New York's natives are famous philanthropists and politicians, such as John D. Rockefeller and four presidents of the United States:

And, Uncle Sam (yes, there was an Uncle Sam!) was a native of Troy, New York.

The Empire State also has produced famous authors, composers, and poets, such as:

The state has also produced some of the finest artists known in the country, including Louis Comfort Tiffany (New York City). The Hudson River School, the first truly American style of landscape painting, flourished here in the mid-1800s.

And New York can boast several important inventors among its native sons, such as:

If you’re looking for some more entertaining New York natives, all four of the Marx brothers (Chico, Groucho, Harpo, and Zeppo) were from the Big Apple. So were Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Jackie Gleason.

Other parts of the state produced world-famous entertainers, too. Lucille Ball was from Jamestown (now home to the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnez Center) and Tom Cruise was raised in Syracuse.