List of people from New Mexico

State flag of New Mexico

Location of New Mexico in the U.S. map

This is a list of people from New Mexico, which includes notable people who were either born or have lived for a significant period of time in the U.S. state of New Mexico or its predecessor, the organized incorporated territory New Mexico Territory.

Athletics

• Ross Anderson (born 1971) – lives in Taos, record holder in speed skiing
• Hank Baskett (born 1982) – born in Clovis, former NFL player
• Notah Begay III (born 1972) – born in Albuquerque, golfer
• Ray Birmingham (born 1955) – born in Hobbs, baseball coach
• Alan Branch (born 1984) – born in Rio Rancho, NFL player
• Alex Bregman (born 1994) – baseball player
• Bill Bridges (born 1939) – born in Hobbs, former NBA player
• Brenda Burnside (born 1963) – born in Albuquerque, boxer
• Shelia Burrell (born 1972) – born in Albuquerque, heptathlete; fourth place in 2004 Olympic Games
• Edgar Castillo (born 1986) – born in Las Cruces, Liga MX
• Jackie Chavez (born 1983) – born in Albuquerque, lives in Las Cruces, boxer
• Carlos Condit (born 1984) – born in Albuquerque, UFC fighter
• Ryan Cook (born 1983) – born in Albuquerque, NFL player
• John Dodson (born 1984) – born in Albuquerque, mixed martial artist
• Michael Dunn (born 1985) – born in Farmington, MLB player
• Doug Eddings (born 1968) – born in Las Cruces, MLB umpire
• Arian Foster (born 1986) – born in Albuquerque, running back for the Miami Dolphins
• Bob Foster (born 1938) – born in Albuquerque, light-heavyweight boxing world champion
• Jack Gardner (1910–2000) – college men's basketball coach
• Frank "Bruiser Brody" Goodish (1946–1988) – professional wrestler
• Aaron Graham (born 1973) – former NFL center
• Fred Haney (1896–1977) – Major League Baseball manager
• Pat Henry (born 1951) – collegiate track-and-field head coach
• Holly Holm (born 1981) – born in Albuquerque, mixed martial artist
• Damion James (born 1987) – born in Hobbs, player for the New Jersey Nets
• Ralph Kiner (1922–2014) – Baseball Hall of Famer
• Nancy Lopez (born 1957) – raised in Roswell, Hall of Fame golfer
• Ronnie Lott (born 1959) – Pro Football Hall of Famer
• Colt McCoy (born 1986) – born in Hobbs, quarterback for the Washington Redskins
• Tommy McDonald (born 1934) – Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver
• Matt Moore (born 1989) – lived in Edgewood, MLB player
• Steve Ontiveros (born 1961) – baseball player
• André Roberson (born 1991) – born in Las Cruces, professional basketball player
• Cody Ross (born 1980) – MLB player
• Diego Sanchez (born 1981) – born in Albuquerque, UFC fighter
• Mike E. Smith (born 1965) – born in Roswell, Hall of Fame jockey
• Tony Snell (born 1991) – professional basketball player
• Vern Stephens (1920–1968) – born in McAlister, baseball player
• Blake Swihart (born 1992) – raised in Rio Rancho, MLB player
• Johnny Tapia (1967–2012) – born in Albuquerque, boxer
• Jeff Taylor (born 1960) – raised in Hobbs, former NBA player
• Jeffery Taylor (born 1989) – raised in Hobbs, player for the Charlotte Hornets
• Al Unser (born 1939) – born in Albuquerque, race car driver
• Al Unser, Jr. (born 1962) – born in Albuquerque, race car driver
• Bobby Unser (born 1934) – lives in Albuquerque, race car driver
• Brian Urlacher (born 1978) – grew up in Lovington, NFL player
• Kathy Whitworth (born 1939) - lived in Jal, New Mexico where her family owned a hardware store, professional golfer

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Crime

• Anwar al-Awlaki (1971–2011) – member of al-Qaeda
• Billy the Kid (1859–1881) – outlaw
• Jose Chavez y Chavez (1851–1924) – cowboy and outlaw
• Francisco Martin Duran – attempted assassin of Bill Clinton

Government

• Toney Anaya (born 1941) – former governor
• Clinton Presba Anderson (1895–1975) – former U.S. senator
• Elfego Baca (1865–1945)
• Jeff Bingaman (born 1943) – former U.S. senator
• Dennis Chavez (1888–1962) – former U.S. senator
• Bronson M. Cutting (1888–1935) – former U.S. senator
• Pete Domenici (born 1932), former U.S. senator
• Ed Foreman (born 1933) – former U.S. representative
• Pat Garrett (1850–1908)
• Gary Johnson (born 1953) –former governor; Libertarian presidential candidate, 2012 & 2016
• Bruce King (1924–2009) – former governor
• Timothy Kraft (born 1941) – campaign manager for U.S. President Jimmy Carter in 1980
• Manuel Lujan (born 1928) – former U.S. representative
• Joseph Montoya (1915–1978) – former U.S. senator
• Janet Napolitano (born 1957) – United States Secretary of Homeland Security
• Steve Pearce (born 1947) – U.S. representative
• William T. Redmond (born 1954) – former U.S. representative
• Bill Richardson (born 1947) – Energy Secretary, Ambassador to the United Nations, former Governor, first Hispanic candidate for the U.S. Presidency
• Edward R. Roybal (1916–2005) – U.S. representative from California, Member of the Los Angeles City Council
• Joe Skeen (1927–2003) – former U.S. representative

Native Americans

• Albert Looking Elk (1888–1940) – Taos Pueblo painter
• Cochise (1812–1874) – Chiricahua Apache chief
• Popé (ca. 1630 – ca. 1688) – leader of the Pueblo Revolt
• Geronimo (1829–1909) – Chiricahua Apache chief
• R. C. Gorman (1931–2005) – Navajo artist
• Albert Lujan (1892–1948) – Taos Pueblo painter
• Juan Mirabal (1903–1970) – Taos Pueblo painter
• Robert Mirabal (born 1966) – Taos Pueblo musician
• N. Scott Momaday (1934) – Kiowa, Cherokee Pulitzer Prize-winning author
• Joseph Rael (born 1935) – ceremonial dancer, shaman, writer, and artist
• Willard Hughes Rollings (1948–2008) – part Cherokee, historian of Native Americans
• Lori "Pop Wea" Tanner (died 1966) – Taos Pueblo painter and potter
• Victorio (1825–1880) – Chiricahua Apache chief
• Annie Dodge Wauneka (1895–1997) – Navajo health educator, winner of Presidential Medal of Freedom

Popular culture

Art, literature, and journalism

• Edward Abbey – novelist, graduated from the University of New Mexico
• Rudolfo Anaya – novelist
• Richard Artschwager – painter, illustrator and sculptor
• Jimmy Santiago Baca – poet and author
• Oscar E. Berninghaus (1874–1952) – founding member of Taos Society of Artists
• Ernest L. Blumenschein (1974–1960) – founding member of Taos Society of Artists
• Fray Angelico Chavez – poet and painter
• Linda Chavez (born 1947) – author, commentator, radio talk show host
• E. Irving Couse (1866–1936) – founding member of Taos Society of Artists
• Stanley Crawford (born 1937) – writer and farmer
• W. Herbert Dunton (1878–1936) – founding member of Taos Society of Artists
• Nicolai Fechin (1881–1955) – painter known for his portraits and works featuring Native Americans
• R. C. Gorman – Navajo artist
• Grant Hayunga (born 1970) – artist and musician
• Tony Hillerman (1925–2008) – journalist, mystery writer, "Edgar" award winner, MWA Grand Master
• Peter Hurd (1904–1984) – artist
• Barbara Latham (1896–1989) – painter, printmaker, illustrator
• D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930) – novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter
• Mabel Dodge Luhan (1879–1962) – writer and patroness of Taos art colony
• Charles Fletcher Lummis (1859–1928) – journalist and Indian activist, photographer
• Agnes Martin (1912–2004) – abstract painter
• George R. R. Martin (born 1948) – lives in Santa Fe, screenwriter and author of fantasy, horror, and science fiction, including Game of Thrones
• Maria Martinez (1887–1980) – pottery artist, famous for her pioneering work in black on black pottery.
• Bill Mauldin (1921–2003) – editorial cartoonist, Pulitzer Prize, 1945 and 1958
• Cormac McCarthy – author of No Country for Old Men, The Road, Pulitzer Prize winner
• Michael McGarrity – novelist, former deputy sheriff of Santa Fe County
• Agnes Morley Cleaveland (1874–1958) – writer, cattle rancher, women's basketball player
• Howard Morgan – television weather forecaster
• Dan Namingha – Hopi artist
• Bruce Nauman – artist
• Georgia O'Keeffe (1887–1986) – artist
• Bert Geer Phillips (1868–1956) – founding member of Taos Society of Artists
• Ernie Pyle (1900–1945) – war correspondent, Pulitzer Prize 1944
• Joseph Rael (born 1935) – Native American ceremonial dancer, shaman, writer, and artist
• Anita Rodriguez (born 1941) – artist and painter
• Antonio Roybal – artist
• Hib Sabin (born 1935) – sculptor
• George I. Sánchez (1906–1972) – scholar and activist
• Joseph Henry Sharp (1859–1953) – founding member of Taos Society of Artists
• Anne Trujillo – television news anchor and reporter, KMGH (ABC) in Denver
• Sabine Ulibarri (1919–2003) – poet and teacher
• Alisa Valdes – New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, staff writer Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times, screenwriter and producer
• Harold Joe Waldrum (1934–2003) – artist
• Linda Wertheimer – Senior National Correspondent for NPR
• Cody Willard – anchor for Fox Business Network and co-host of Fox Business Happy Hour
• Jack Williamson – novelist, professor at Eastern New Mexico University

Fashion

• Tom Ford – grew up in Santa Fe, fashion designer and businessman
• Arizona Muse – fashion model
• Millicent Rogers (1902–1953) – socialite, fashion icon, and art collector

Film and theater

• Aviva – actress, Superbad
• Kathy Baker (born 1950) – actress, CBS's Picket Fences, Fox's Boston Public
• Greg Baldwin (born 1960) – actor, Uncle Iroh on the Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Bruce Cabot (1904–1972) – actor, King Kong, Dodge City, The War Wagon
• Ronny Cox (born 1938) – actor, Deliverance, RoboCop
• Jesse Tyler Ferguson (born 1975) – actor, ABC's Modern Family
• Tony Genaro, actor – Anger Management, Phenomenon
• Annabeth Gish (born 1971) – actress, Fox's The X-Files and Showtime's Brotherhood
• Drew Goddard (born 1975) – screenwriter, producer
• Jeremy Foley (born 1983) – actor, Nickelodeon's Caitlin's Way
• Adrian Grenier (born 1976) – actor, HBO's Entourage
• Anna Gunn (born 1968) – actress, HBO's Deadwood, AMC's Breaking Bad
• William Hanna (1910–2001) – animator, director, producer, cartoon artist, and co-founder of Hanna-Barbera
• Neil Patrick Harris (born 1973) – actor, How I Met Your Mother, Doogie Howser, M.D.
• Alexa Havins (born 1980) – actress, BBC's Torchwood, ABC's All My Children and One Life to Live
• Judy Herrera – actress
• Dennis Hopper (1936–2010) – actor, filmmaker, photographer, and artist
• Mike Judge (born 1962) – actor, animator, producer
• Minka Kelly (born 1980) – actress, Lee Daniels' The Butler, The Roommate
• Val Kilmer (born 1959) – actor, Heat, Tombstone, Top Gun
• Benito Martinez (born 1971) – actor, FX's The Shield
• Patrice Martinez (born 1963) – actress, The Family Channel's Zorro
• Demi Moore (born 1962) – actress, Ghost, Indecent Proposal, A Few Good Men
• Freddie Prinze Jr. (born 1975) – actor, I Know What You Did Last Summer, She's All That
• Steven Michael Quezada (born 1963) – actor, Breaking Bad
• Tracy Reiner (born 1964) – actress, When Harry Met Sally..., A League of Their Own, Apollo 13
• Jay Roach (born 1957) – director, producer, the Austin Powers films, Meet the Parents
• Julia Roberts (born 1967) – actress and producer, Erin Brockovich, Pretty Woman
• Willow Shields (born 2000) – child actress, Hunger Games
• Ron Shock (1942–2012) – comedian
• Madolyn Smith (born 1957) – actress, Urban Cowboy, Funny Farm
• Austin St. John (born 1975) – former actor, Jason Lee Scott, the original Red Ranger, on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
• Kim Stanley (1925–2001) – actress, The Goddess, To Kill a Mockingbird
• French Stewart (born 1964) – actor, 3rd Rock from the Sun
• Heidi Swedberg (born 1966) – actress, Seinfeld
• Raoul Trujillo (born 1955) – actor
• Jeremy Ray Valdez (born 1980) – actor
• Kristen Vigard (born 1963) – actress, Annie, Guiding Light, The Survivors
• Ally Walker (born 1961) – actress, NBC's Profiler, FX's Sons of Anarchy
• Nick Wechsler (born 1978) – actor, The WB's and UPN's Roswell

Music

• Consuelo Luz Arostegui – lives in Angel Fire, Ladino musician
• Ryan Bingham (born 1981) – born in Hobbs, singer-songwriter
• Zach Condon (born 1986) – born in Santa Fe, musician in Beirut
• John Denver (1943–1997) – born in Roswell, singer-songwriter
• Al Hurricane (born 1936) – born in Dixon, singer-songwriter, dubbed "The Godfather" of New Mexican music
• Demi Lovato (born 1992) – born in Albuquerque, raised in Dallas, Texas, singer-songwriter
• James Mercer (born 1970), singer, musician and leader of the Shins and Broken Bells
• Jim Morrison (1943–1971) – lived in Albuquerque for several years during his childhood
• Michael Martin Murphey (born 1945) – author of New Mexico's state ballad, "The Land of Enchantment"
• Norman Petty (1927–1984) – musician, songwriter, record producer
• James Tenney (1934–2006) – born in Silver City, composer
• Kristen Vigard (born 1963) – lives in Taos, singer (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fishbone)

Science and technology

• Edward Condon (1902–1974) – nuclear physicist
• Robert H. Goddard (1882–1945) – built the world's first liquid-fueled rocket
• Sidney M. Gutierrez (born 1951) – astronaut
• Jaron Lanier (born 1960) – computer scientist
• Edgar Mitchell (born 1930) – aeronautical engineer, NASA astronaut
• Harrison Schmitt (born 1935) – astronaut, geologist and former U.S. Senator from New Mexico
• Mark Spencer – computer engineer
• John Stapp – pioneer in studying the effects of acceleration and deceleration forces on humans, "the fastest man on earth"
• Clyde Tombaugh – astronomer and discoverer of the celestial body Pluto (at the time considered to be the 9th planet in the solar system)

Other

• Adolph Francis Alphonse Bandelier (1840–1914) – archaeologist after whom Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico is named
• Maria Gertrudis "Tules" Barceló (c. 1800–1852) – entrepreneur and gambler
• Anton Docher (1852–1928) – missionary and defender of the Indians
• John Lewis Dyer (1812–1901) – Methodist circuit rider, preached in New Mexico as well as Colorado and Minnesota
• Pete Jimenez (1917-2006) - US Army soldier in World War II
• Dorothy Page (1921–1989) – known as the "Mother of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race"
• Mike Reynolds – architect, designer of Earthships
• Mai Shanley – Miss USA 1984
• Addie Peed Swearingen (1904–2008) – Portales philanthropist
• Michael Wartell – chancellor of Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne
• Lonnie Zamora (1933–2009) – police officer who reported a famous UFO sighting outside Socorro in 1964

See also

• List of New Mexico State University people
• List of people from Albuquerque
• List of St. John's College (Annapolis/Santa Fe) people
• List of University of New Mexico alumni
• List of University of New Mexico faculty
• List of University of New Mexico presidents
• Lists of Americans