Notable burials · IL
Notable people buried in Illinois
Wikidata records 3,508 notable people as buried in Illinois, spread over 421 of the cemeteries we list, the 6th highest count of any state. Graceland Cemetery in Chicago holds the most, with 578 (16% of the state total).
3,508
notable burials
421
cemeteries with one or more
578
at Graceland Cemetery
By theme
Who is buried in Illinois
Government
First Ladies of the United States1Governors31Presidents of the United States1Supreme Court justices2United States representatives260United States senators25Vice Presidents of the United States2
Military
American Civil War veterans88Korean War veterans5Medal of Honor recipients57Mexican-American War veterans12Spanish-American War veterans7Vietnam War veterans6War of 1812 veterans5World War I veterans70World War II veterans71
Arts and entertainment
Science and work
Aviators and astronauts14Business leaders265Inventors and engineers55Nobel Prize laureates7Physicians93Scientists66
From occupations, offices, awards and military service recorded on Wikidata. One person can appear in several lists.
People
Best-documented burials in Illinois
- Abraham Lincoln1809-1865President of the United States from 1861 to 1865Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, IL
- Enrico Fermi1901-1954Italian, American physicistOakwoods Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Emma Goldman1869-1940Russian-born American anarchistForest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, IL
- Al Capone1899-1947American gangsterMount Carmel Cemetery, Hillside, IL
- Joseph Smith1805-1844American religious leader and founder of the Latter Day Saint movementSmith Family Cemetery, Nauvoo, IL
- Roger Ebert1942-2013American film critic and authorGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Jane Addams1860-1935American feminist social activist, reformer, social worker, sociologist, philosopher, and writerCedarville Cemetery, Freeport, IL
- Jesse Owens1913-1980American track and field athleteOakwoods Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Ludwig Mies van der Rohe1886-1969German architectGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- James Franck1882-1964German-American physicistOakwoods Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Aaron Swartz1986-2013American computer programmer and internet-political activistShalom Memorial Park, Arlington Heights, IL
- Charles G. Dawes1865-1951Vice president of the United States from 1925 to 1929Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Jesse Jackson1941-2026American Baptist minister, activist, civil rights leader, politician, and founder of the Rainbow PUSH CoalitionOakwoods Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Mircea Eliade1907-1986Romanian-American historian, writer, philosopher and professor at the University of ChicagoOakwoods Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Gary S. Becker1930-2014American economistOakwoods Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Ronald Coase1910-2013British economist and Nobel laureateGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Bernie Mac1957-2008American actorWashington Memory Gardens Cemetery, Thornton, IL
- Louis Sullivan1856-1924American architectGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Adlai Stevenson II1900-1965American politician and diplomat (1900-1965); 31st governor of Illinois from 1949 to 1953Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, Bloomington, IL
- Muddy Waters1913-1983American blues musicianRestvale Cemetery, Alsip, IL
- Robert Wadlow1918-1940American who was the tallest recorded person in historyOakwood Cemetery, Upper Alton, IL
- George Wendt1948-2025American actorSaint Mary Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleums, Evergreen Park, IL
- Mary Todd Lincoln1818-1882First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, IL
- Jack Ruby1911-1967American nightclub operator who killed American presidential assassin Lee Harvey OswaldWestlawn Cemetery and Mausoleum, Norridge, IL
- Adlai Stevenson I1835-1914American politician (1835-1914); Vice President of the United States from 1893 to 1897Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, Bloomington, IL
- László Moholy-Nagy1895-1946Hungarian artistGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Ida B. Wells1862-1931American journalist and civil rights activistOakwoods Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Burl Ives1909-1995American musicianMound Cemetery, Oblong, IL
- Harold Ramis1944-2014American actor, comedian, and filmmakerShalom Memorial Park, Arlington Heights, IL
- Dale T. Mortensen1939-2014American economistMemorial Park Cemetery, Skokie, IL
- Jerry Springer1944-2023American television personality and politicianMemorial Park Cemetery, Skokie, IL
- Gwendolyn Brooks1917-2000American writerLincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, IL
- Bessie Coleman1892-1926American aviatorLincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, IL
- John Hughes1950-2009American filmmakerLake Forest Cemetery, Lake Forest, IL
- Dinah Washington1924-1963American singerBurr Oak Cemetery, Alsip, IL
- George Ellery Hale1868-1938American astronomerOakwoods Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Voltairine de Cleyre1866-1912American anarchist writer and feministForest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, IL
- Josephine Cochrane1839-1913American inventorGlenwood Cemetery, Shelbyville, IL
- Jack Johnson1878-1946American boxerGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Howlin' Wolf1910-1976American blues musicianGlen Oak Cemetery, Hillside, IL
- Avery Brundage1887-1975President of the International Olympic Committee from 1952 to 1972Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Shel Silverstein1930-1999American poet, cartoonist, songwriter, and children's writerWestlawn Cemetery and Mausoleum, Norridge, IL
- Elizabeth Gurley Flynn1890-1964American politicianForest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, IL
- Dennis Farina1944-2013American actorMount Carmel Cemetery, Hillside, IL
- Kazys Grinius1866-1950Third President of Lithuania from 7 June 1926 until 17 December 1926Lithuanian National Cemetery, Justice, IL
- Emmett Till1941-1955African-American lynching victimBurr Oak Cemetery, Alsip, IL
- Joe Hill1879-1915Swedish-American labor activist, songwriter, and member of the Industrial Workers of the WorldForest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, IL
- Edgar Lee Masters1868-1950American writerOakland Cemetery, Petersburg, IL
- William Le Baron Jenney1832-1907American architectGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Cyrus McCormick1809-1884American inventor and businessmanGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- King Von1994-2020American rapperBurr Oak Cemetery, Alsip, IL
- Elijah Muhammad1897-1975American religious leaderMount Glenwood Memory Gardens Cemetery South, Glenwood, IL
- Ken Norton1943-2013American boxerJacksonville East Cemetery, Jacksonville, IL
- Daniel Burnham1846-1912American architect and urban designerGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Willie Dixon1915-1992American blues musicianBurr Oak Cemetery, Alsip, IL
- Lucy Parsons1851-1942American communist anarchist labor organizerForest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, IL
- Elisha Gray1835-1901American electrical engineerRosehill Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Frances Willard1839-1898American temperance activist and suffragistRosehill Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Gene Krupa1909-1973American drummer, composer, and bandleaderHoly Cross Catholic Cemetery, Calumet City, IL
- Little Walter1930-1968American blues harmonica playerSaint Mary Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleums, Evergreen Park, IL
- Nelsan Ellis1977-2017American actorCedar Park Cemetery, Calumet Park, IL
- Mary Alice1936-2022American actressOakwoods Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Gene Siskel1946-1999American film criticWestlawn Cemetery and Mausoleum, Norridge, IL
- Michael S. Hart1947-2011American author, founder of Project GutenbergWoodlawn Cemetery, Urbana, IL
- George Pullman1831-1897Engineer and businessman from the United StatesGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Allan Pinkerton1819-1884Scottish-American civil war detective and spyGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Francis George1937-2015Catholic cardinalAll Saints Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, Des Plaines, IL
- Joseph Dietzgen1828-1888German philosopherForest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, IL
- Jimmy Reed1925-1976American blues musician and songwriterLincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, IL
- John Deere1804-1886American blacksmith and manufacturerRiverside Cemetery, Moline, IL
- Saul Alinsky1909-1972American community organizer and writerRosemont Park Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Florian Znaniecki1882-1958Polish sociologistRoselawn Cemetery, Champaign, IL
- Koko Taylor1928-2009American Chicago blues musicianWashington Memory Gardens Cemetery, Thornton, IL
- Fazlur Khan1929-1982Bangladeshi architectGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Ralph Metcalfe1910-1978American athlete and politician
- Big Bill Broonzy1893-1958American blues singer, songwriter and guitaristLincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, IL
- Elaine Stritch1925-2014American actress and singer in film, television, and the theatreMemorial Park Cemetery, Skokie, IL
- Junior Wells1934-1998American Chicago blues vocalist, harmonica player, and recording artistOakwoods Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Algis Budrys1931-2008Lithuanian-American author, editor, and criticMaryhill Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, Niles, IL
- Francis Lane1874-1927Athletics competitorGreenwood Cemetery, Rockford, IL
- Bob Fitzsimmons1863-1917British boxerGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Michael O'Hare1952-2012American actor
- Karl Menger1902-1985Austrian mathematicianGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Elihu B. Washburne1816-1887American politician and diplomatGreenwood Cemetery, Galena, IL
- Leo Burnett1891-1971American advertising executiveRosehill Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Milton Sills1882-1930American stage and film actorRosehill Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Vachel Lindsay1879-1931American poetOak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, IL
- William Dudley Haywood1869-1928Labor organizerForest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, IL
- Ezzard Charles1921-1975American boxerBurr Oak Cemetery, Alsip, IL
- Dorothy Hansine Andersen1901-1963American physicianOakwoods Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Herbert Jamison1875-1938American sprinterSpringdale Cemetery, Peoria, IL
- Annette Rogers1913-2006Athletics competitorAll Saints Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, Des Plaines, IL
- Mary Wickes1910-1995American actressShiloh Valley Cemetery, Shiloh, IL
- Sam Giancana1908-1975American mobsterMount Carmel Cemetery, Hillside, IL
- Sybil Bauer1903-1927American swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, former world record-holderMount Olive Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Melville Fuller1833-1910Chief justice of the United States from 1888 to 1910Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Robert Reed1932-1992American actor, directorMemorial Park Cemetery, Skokie, IL
- Iva Toguri D'Aquino1916-2006World War II propaganda announcer "Orphan Ann", and best-known "Tokyo Rose" announcerMontrose Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Mary Agnes Chase1869-1963U.S. botanist, botanical collector and scientific illustratorRosehill Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Maurice Tillet1903-1954French professional wrestlerLithuanian National Cemetery, Justice, IL
- Mike Todd1909-1958American theatre and film producerJewish Waldheim Cemeteries, Forest Park, IL
- Robert R. Wilson1914-2000American physicistPioneer Cemetery, Batavia, IL
- Jacqueline Logan1901-1983American actressGreenwood Cemetery, Decatur, IL
- Ernie Banks1931-2015American baseball player and coachGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Sarah E. Goode1855-1905American inventorGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Dinkha IV1935-2015120th Patriarch of the Church of the EastMontrose Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Henry Darger1892-1973Author, artistAll Saints Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, Des Plaines, IL
- Dankmar Adler1844-1900ArchitectRosemont Park Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Gus Hall1910-2000American politicianForest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, IL
- Florence Price1887-1953American composerLincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, IL
- Alan Curtis1909-1953American actorMemorial Park Cemetery, Skokie, IL
- Big Walter Horton1921-1981American blues harmonica playerRestvale Cemetery, Alsip, IL
- Marian McPartland1918-2013British pianist, composer, writer and radio hostArlington Cemetery, Elmhurst, IL
- Harry Hebner1891-1968American swimmer, water polo player and coachSaint Boniface Catholic Cemetery, Lincolnwood, IL
- August Vincent Theodore Spies1855-1887American upholsterer, radical labor activist, and newspaper editorForest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, IL
- Bill Mulliken1939-2014American swimmer, Olympic gold medalistRoselawn Cemetery, Champaign, IL
- Harry Gallatin1927-2015American basketball player and coachSunset Hill Cemetery, Glen Carbon, IL
- Ira Murchison1933-1994American athletic competitorCedar Park Cemetery, Calumet Park, IL
- Luther Allison1939-1997American blues guitaristWashington Memory Gardens Cemetery, Thornton, IL
- Conrad Magnusson1874-1924American tug of war competitorAcacia Park Cemetery and Mausoleum, Norridge, IL
- Otis Spann1930-1970American Chicago blues pianistBurr Oak Cemetery, Alsip, IL
- Jermaine Stewart1957-1997American musician, singer, actor, dancerHomewood Memorial Gardens, Homewood, IL
- Lil Hardin Armstrong1898-1971American jazz musicianLincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, IL
- Willye White1939-2007American athlete, long jumper and sprinterOakwoods Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Louie Bellson1924-2009American jazz drummerRiverside Cemetery, Moline, IL
- Robert Daniel Carmichael1879-1967American mathematicianGriggsville Cemetery, Griggsville, IL
- Raya Dunayevskaya1910-1987American philosopherForest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, IL
- Joseph Gurney Cannon1836-1926American politicianSpringhill Cemetery, Danville, IL
- Frank Nitti1886-1943Boss of Chicago OutfitMount Carmel Cemetery, Hillside, IL
- Antoni Zygmund1900-1992Polish-American mathematician
- Emma Smith1804-1879American leader in the Latter Day Saint MovementSmith Family Cemetery, Nauvoo, IL
- Marion Mahony Griffin1871-1961American architect and artistGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- James Thomas Farrell1904-1979American writerCalvary Catholic Cemetery, Evanston, IL
- Albert Parsons1848-1887American socialist and anarchist newspaper editorForest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, IL
- Helen Morgan1900-1941American jazz singer and actress
- Gene Ammons1925-1974American tenor saxophonistLincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, IL
- Johnny Dodds1892-1940American jazz clarinetist and alto saxophonistLincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, IL
- Baby Dodds1898-1959American musicianLincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, IL
- Wilfred Hudson Osgood1875-1947American zoologistOakwoods Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- William Z. Foster1881-1961American labor organizer and Communist politicianForest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, IL
- Gaston Strobino1891-1969American long-distance runnerEvergreen Cemetery, Evergreen Park, IL
- Tampa Red1904-1981American Chicago blues musicianArcher Woods Memorial Park Cemetery, Justice, IL
- Tony Bettenhausen1916-1961American racecar driverTinley Park Memorial Cemetery, Orland Hills, IL
- Paul Marcinkus1922-2006Catholic archbishop, former head of the Vatican BankSaint Casimir Catholic Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Baby Face Nelson1908-1934American bank robberSaint Joseph Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleums, River Grove, IL
- Robert Henry Lawrence1935-1967American astronautGraceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL
- Tony Accardo1906-1992Chicago Outfit bossQueen of Heaven Cemetery, Hillside, IL
- Barbara Acklin1943-1998American singer-songwriterBurr Oak Cemetery, Alsip, IL
- George Peter Alexander Healy1813-1894American painterCalvary Catholic Cemetery, Evanston, IL
- Albert Ammons1907-1949American jazz pianist, recording artistLincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, IL
Showing 150 of 3,508. Each cemetery page lists everyone recorded there.
Ordered by the number of Wikipedia language editions with an article about the person.
Cemeteries
Where they are buried
- Graceland Cemetery · Chicago578
- Rosehill Cemetery · Chicago433
- Oakwoods Cemetery · Chicago212
- Forest Home Cemetery · Forest Park142
- Calvary Catholic Cemetery · Evanston100
- Oak Ridge Cemetery · Springfield75
- Lake Forest Cemetery · Lake Forest75
- Memorial Park Cemetery · Skokie72
- Mount Carmel Cemetery · Hillside57
- All Saints Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum · Des Plaines53
- Queen of Heaven Cemetery · Hillside49
- Lincoln Cemetery · Blue Island45
- Burr Oak Cemetery · Alsip40
- Evergreen Memorial Cemetery · Bloomington34
- Bohemian National Cemetery of Chicago · Chicago34
- Springdale Cemetery · Peoria33
- Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum · Alsip33
- Mount Hope Cemetery · Chicago33
- Saint Adalbert Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleums · Niles32
- Acacia Park Cemetery and Mausoleum · Norridge28
- Glen Oak Cemetery · Hillside27
- Restvale Cemetery · Alsip26
- Chippiannock Cemetery · Rock Island25
- Mount Olivet Cemetery · Chicago24
- Jewish Waldheim Cemeteries · Forest Park23
Method
About this list
Names, years and descriptions come from Wikidata, where each person’s entry gives the cemetery as their place of burial. It covers people with an encyclopedia entry, not every grave. How we build it.
Other states
Notable burials in other states
- Alabama635
- Alaska139
- Arizona297
- Arkansas378
- California9,351
- Colorado247
- Connecticut1,850
- Delaware100
- District of Columbia1,261
- Florida478
- Georgia859
- Hawaii172
- Idaho150
- Indiana1,269
- Iowa748
- Kansas487
- Kentucky889
- Louisiana450
- Maine589
- Maryland1,397
- Massachusetts5,034
- Michigan1,368
- Minnesota839
- Mississippi289
- Missouri1,271
- Montana137
- Nebraska404
- Nevada250
- New Hampshire422
- New Jersey1,938
- New Mexico222
- New York10,713
- North Carolina560
- North Dakota46
- Ohio2,567
- Oklahoma376
- Oregon566
- Pennsylvania3,541
- Rhode Island699
- South Carolina391
- South Dakota151
- Tennessee902
- Texas1,599
- Utah626
- Vermont437
- Virginia5,460
- Washington487
- West Virginia252
- Wisconsin1,183
- Wyoming107