List of Mennonites
Encyclopedia
General list
- Harold S. BenderHarold S. BenderHarold Stauffer Bender was a prominent professor of theology at Goshen College and Goshen Biblical Seminary. His accomplishments include founding both the Mennonite Historical Library and the Mennonite Quarterly Review...
, professor of theology at Goshen CollegeGoshen CollegeGoshen College, is a private Mennonite liberal arts college in Goshen, Indiana, USA with an enrollment of around 1,000 students. The college is accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities...
. - David BergenDavid BergenDavid Bergen is a Canadian novelist from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He has published six novels and one collection of short stories since 1993...
, Giller Prize winning author - J.C. Chasez, solo artist and singer for 'N Sync'N SyncN Sync was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich, *NSYNC consisted of JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick...
- Christopher DockChristopher DockChristopher Dock was a Mennonite educator.-Biography:He immigrated to the United States by 1714, becoming a teacher at Skippack in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania by 1718. After teaching for ten years, he turned primarily to farming, and bought in Salford Township in 1735...
, Educator - Howard DyckHoward DyckHoward Dyck, CM is a Canadian conductor and broadcaster. He was born in Winkler, Manitoba. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, he has a long and distinguished career in classical music...
, Canadian conductor and broadcaster - Brendan FehrBrendan FehrBrendan Jacob Joel Fehr is a Canadian actor. He portrayed Michael Guerin on the WB television series Roswell and Laboratory Tech Dan Cooper in CSI: Miami.-Early life:...
, actor linked to TV show RoswellRoswell (TV series)Roswell is an American science fiction television series developed, produced, and co-written by Jason Katims. The series debuted on October 6, 1999 on The WB and moved to UPN for the third season. The last episode aired May 14, 2002...
. - Henry FriesenHenry FriesenHenry George Friesen, is a Canadian endocrinologist, a distinguished professor emeritus of the University of Manitoba and the discoverer of prolactin, a hormone which stimulates lactation in mammary glands....
, endocrinologist who discovered ProlactinProlactinProlactin also known as luteotropic hormone is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PRL gene.Prolactin is a peptide hormone discovered by Henry Friesen... - Johann FunkJohann FunkJohann Funk was a Mennonite bishop in early Canadian history.Funk was born on the Bergthal Colony, a Mennonite settlement near Mariupol, Ukraine in 1836. In 1874, bishop Gerhard Wiebe persuaded the colony to emigrate to Canada...
, early Canadian Mennonite bishop - Joseph FunkJoseph FunkJoseph Funk was a pioneer American music teacher, publisher, and one of the first American composers.Joseph Funk was born April 6, 1778 , in Berks County, Pennsylvania, the son of Henry and Barbara Funk, and a grandson of Bishop Henry Funck...
, US music teacher and publisher. - Owen GingerichOwen GingerichDr. Owen Jay Gingerich is a former Research Professor of Astronomy and of the History of Science at Harvard University, and a senior astronomer emeritus at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory...
, Smithsonian Astronomer. - John GoerzenJohn GoerzenJohn Goerzen is a prominent member of the Internet Gopher community and a former president/chairman of Software in the Public Interest. He is the developer for the PyGopherd Gopher server and runs [gopher://gopher.quux.org/ gopher.quux.org], one of the largest maintained Gopher servers...
, known in connection to Software in the Public InterestSoftware in the Public InterestSoftware in the Public Interest, Inc. is a non-profit organization formed to help other organizations create and distribute free/open-source software and open-source hardware...
and member of the Board of Trustees of the Mennonite Bethesda Society - Joseph B. HageyJoseph B. HageyJoseph B. Hagey was the Bishop of the Mennonite Church in Ontario from 1852 until his death in 1876. Bishop Hagey presided over a time of disagreement and schism within the Mennonite Church in Canada. He was married to Sophia Bricker, the daughter of notable Mennonite Samuel Bricker...
, bishop - Hans HerrHans HerrHans Herr was born in Zürich, Switzerland, a descendant of the Knight, Hugo Herr. He joined the religious society...
, bishop - Jeff HostetlerJeff HostetlerWilliam Jeffrey Hostetler is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the New York Giants, Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, and Washington Redskins. His nickname is "Hoss".-Penn State:...
, NFL quarterback - Julia KasdorfJulia Kasdorf-Life:Julia Spicher Kasdorf is the author of three poetry collections--Sleeping Preacher , Eve's Striptease , and Poetry in America --all published by the University of Pittsburgh Press. Sleeping Preacher won the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize and the Great Lakes College’s Association Award for...
, poet. - Graham KerrGraham KerrGraham Kerr is a cooking personality who is best known for his television cooking show The Galloping Gourmet.- Biography :...
, "The Galloping Gourmet" - Cindy KlassenCindy KlassenCindy Klassen, OM is a Canadian long track speed skater. Klassen is a six-time medalist at the Winter Olympics. She is tied with Clara Hughes for Canada's all-time most decorated Olympian with 6 medals each...
, five time Olympic medalist. - Clayton KratzClayton KratzClayton Kratz was a Mennonite relief worker from the U.S state of Pennsylvania, best known for his disappearance from the village of Halbstadt in the Russian Mennonite settlement of Molotschna during the Russian Civil War...
, relief worker. - Alan KreiderAlan KreiderAlan Kreider is Professor of Church History and Mission at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary. His main interests are mission, worship, peace, and ecclesiastical history...
, author and employee of the Associated Mennonite Biblical SeminaryAssociated Mennonite Biblical SeminaryAssociated Mennonite Biblical Seminary is an accredited Christian seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, affiliated with Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA....
. - Floyd LandisFloyd LandisFloyd Landis is an American retired cyclist who after initially being awarded victory in the 2006 Tour de France was stripped of his title for a doping offense. He was an all-around rider, with special skills in climbing and time-trialing, and is also known to be a very fast descender.Landis...
, professional road bicycle racer. - John Paul LederachJohn Paul LederachJohn Paul Lederach is Professor of International Peacebuilding at the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, and concurrently Distinguished Scholar at Eastern Mennonite University. He has written widely on conflict resolution and mediation. He holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University...
, professor of International Peacebuilding. - Le Thi Hong LienLe Thi Hong LienLe Lien is a Christian teacher from Vietnam. She taught forthe Mennonite Church in Vietnam. She was arrested in June 2004 along with other members of her church.She was released from Bien Hoa Mental Hospital on April 28, 2005.- External links :*...
, teacher and former political prisoner. - María G. Penayo Solaeche, Paraguayan first lady, her husband Nicanor Duarte FrutosNicanor Duarte FrutosÓscar Nicanor Duarte Frutos is a Paraguayan politician who served as President of Paraguay from 2003 to 2008. He currently holds the title of Senator for life.- Career :...
, is a nominal Catholic who attends her church. - Nguyen Hong QuangNguyen Hong QuangNguyễn Hồng Quang is the Vietnamese pastor and lawyer, general secretary and vice-president of the Mennonite Church in Vietnam, chairman of the Legal Committee of the Vietnam Evangelical Fellowship....
, Vice President of the Mennonite Church in VietnamMennonite Church in VietnamThe Mennonite Church in Vietnam is a Protestant denomination of Christianity in Vietnam. It has about 10,000 members. Substantial part of the Mennonite house church members are montagnards living in Central and Southern Highlands of Vietnam....
. - A. James ReimerA. James ReimerAllen James Reimer was a Canadian Mennonite theologian who held a dual academic appointment as Professor of Religious Studies and Christian Theology at Conrad Grebel University College, a member college of the University of Waterloo, and at the Toronto School of Theology, a consortium of divinity...
, Canadian Mennonite theologian - James Reimer, hockey player
- John D. RothJohn D. RothJohn D. Roth is the current editor of the Mennonite Quarterly Review. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago. His books include Beliefs: Mennonite Faith and Practice, Choosing Against War: A Christian View, and Stories: How Mennonites Came to Be. He discussed his book on war in several...
, Mennonite scholar - Menno SimonsMenno SimonsMenno Simons was an Anabaptist religious leader from the Friesland region of the Low Countries. Simons was a contemporary of the Protestant Reformers and his followers became known as Mennonites...
, theologian; Mennonitism named for him. - Dan SnyderDan SnyderDaniel Snyder was a professional Canadian ice hockey player. He played as a centre in the National Hockey League for the Atlanta Thrashers...
, hockey player - Pierre WidmerPierre WidmerPierre Widmer was a French Mennonite pastor, editor of the journal Christ Seul.-Early life:Born in Brognard, France, in the department of Doubs near Montbéliard, Pierre Widmer was raised in a Mennonite family. Widmer attended the Mennonite church at Montbéliard as a young man and was baptised there...
, French Mennonite pastor and editor - Rudy WiebeRudy WiebeRudy Henry Wiebe, OC is a Canadian author and professor emeritus in the department of English at the University of Alberta since 1992.-Life:...
, Canadian author and professor who was raised Mennonite so knew no English until age 6. - Harvey L. WollmanHarvey L. WollmanHarvey Lowell Wollman was the 26th Governor of South Dakota. He was the first Lieutenant Governor in the history of South Dakota to move into the Governor's office. As of 2009, he is also the most recent Democrat to hold the title of South Dakota governor.Wollman was born in 1935 in Frankfort,...
, former Governor of South DakotaGovernor of South DakotaThe Governor of South Dakota is the head of the executive branch of the government of South Dakota. They are elected to a four year term on even years when there is no Presidential election. The current governor is Dennis Daugaard, a Republican elected in 2010....
. - John Howard YoderJohn Howard YoderJohn Howard Yoder was a Christian theologian, ethicist, and Biblical scholar best known for his radical Christian pacifism, his mentoring of future theologians such as Stanley Hauerwas, his loyalty to his Mennonite faith, and his 1972 magnum opus, The Politics of Jesus.-Life:Yoder earned his...
, theologian and pacifist
Canadian politicians connected to the Mennonites
- Harold NeufeldHarold NeufeldHarold Neufeld is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1988 to 1993, and a cabinet minister in the government of Gary Filmon from 1988 to 1992....
, cabinet minister under Gary FilmonGary FilmonGary Albert Filmon, PC, OC, OM is a Manitoba politician. He was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 1983 to 2000, and served as the 19th Premier from 1988 to 1999.-Early life and municipal career:...
and currently Chair of the Menno Simons College Foundation
Note: Several Canadian political figures have a Mennonite background. This might be more common in Canada than in most nations. This is most true in the case of Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
and so politicians from other provinces will be designated as such. Hence the explanation for this slightly unusual subdivision. As this more concerns "connected to" not all the names here stayed committed to Mennonitism.
People of Mennonite ancestry or background
This is mostly people whose Mennonite ancestry or upbringing is important to them, but who are not currently Mennonite. In some cases names listed here include people whose current status as Mennonites is undetermined.- Sandra BirdsellSandra BirdsellSandra Louise Birdsell, CM is a Canadian novelist and short story writer of Métis and Mennonite heritage....
, Canadian poet - Di BrandtDi BrandtDi Brandt is an award-winning Canadian poet and literary critic. Despite the similarity of their names, she should not be confused with poet Dionne Brand.-Biography:...
, Canadian poet - Greg BrennemanGreg BrennemanGregory D. Brenneman is the Chairman of CCMP Capital, a private equity firm. Most recently, Brenneman had served as president and CEO of CCMP-owned Quiznos Sub, a fast-food sandwich chain. Brenneman also serves on the board of directors of The Home Depot, Inc...
, former CEO of Burger KingBurger KingBurger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain... - John DenverJohn DenverHenry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
, folk singer-songwriter - Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. EisenhowerDwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, thirty-fourth President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
(1953–1961). Eisenhower's direct ancestor, Hans Nicol Eisenhauer, was a Mennonite who settled in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1741. - Katherine EsauKatherine EsauKatherine Esau was a German-American botanist.She was born in Yekaterinoslav, Russian Empire to a family of Mennonites of German descent. After the Revolution her family moved to Germany, and then to California, where she achieved her doctorate in 1931...
, American botanist - Patrick FriesenPatrick FriesenPatrick Frank Friesen is a Canadian author. He has written many works, from poetry to stage plays. He began his works in 1970, writing books of poetry. This Canadian poet, who was born in Steinbach, Manitoba, studied at the University of Manitoba. While there, he received a Bachelor of Arts ...
, Canadian poet - Philip D. GingerichPhilip D. GingerichPhilip D. Gingerich is a Professor of Paleontology, Professor of Geological Sciences, Professor of Biology, Professor of Anthropology and Director, Museum of Paleontology at the University of Michigan. His research focus is in vertebrate paleontology, especially the Paleocene-Eocene transition and...
, paleontologist - Jon GnagyJon GnagyJon Gnagy was a self-taught artist most remembered for being America's original television art instructor, hosting You Are an Artist, which began on the NBC network. On May 16, 1946, Jon Gnagy was the first "act" on the first television program broadcast from the antenna atop the Empire State...
, American art instructor on television - Matt GroeningMatt GroeningMatthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
, American cartoonist, creator of the The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. His father, Homer Groening, was born and raised in a PlautdietschPlautdietschPlautdietsch, or Mennonite Low German, was originally a Low Prussian variety of East Low German, with Dutch influence, that developed in the 16th and 17th centuries in the Vistula delta area of Royal Prussia, today Polish territory. The word is another pronunciation of Plattdeutsch, or Low German...
-speaking Mennonite family from SaskatchewanSaskatchewanSaskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
. - James L. KraftJames L. KraftJames Lewis Kraft was a Canadian-American entrepreneur and inventor. Born near Stevensville, Ontario in Canada to Mennonite parents, George and Minerva Tripp Kraft, he was the first to patent processed cheese...
, founder of Kraft FoodsKraft FoodsKraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang... - Milton Hershey, founder of The Hershey CompanyThe Hershey CompanyThe Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...
- Robyn RegehrRobyn RegehrRobyn Regehr is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League . He was a first round draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche, selected 19th overall at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, but was traded to Calgary while still playing junior hockey for the...
, hockey player - Adolph RuppAdolph RuppAdolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching...
, college basketball coach - Hermann SudermannHermann SudermannHermann Sudermann was a German dramatist and novelist.- Early career :He was born at Matzicken, a village just to the east of Heydekrug in the Province of Prussia , close to the Russian frontier...
, German dramatist and novelist - Dick Winters, US Army Major and WWII commander of Band of Brothers Easy CompanyE Company, 506th Infantry Regiment (United States)Easy Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, the "Screaming Eagles", is one of the most well-known companies in the United States Army. Their experiences in World War II are the subject of the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers based on the book...
People incorrectly identified as Mennonite
- George Armstrong CusterGeorge Armstrong CusterGeorge Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
, erroneously identified as coming from Mennonite background by biographer Milo Milton Quaife.