American People

Famous Political Activists from the United States

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3.5k views 47 items

List of notable or famous political activists from the United States, with bios and photos, including the top political activists born in the United States and even some popular political activists who immigrated to the United States. If you're trying to find out the names of famous American political activists then this list is the perfect resource for you. These political activists are among the most prominent in their field, and information about each well-known political activist from the United States is included when available.

List people include Kristen Bell, Robert De Niro and many more.

This historic political activists from the United States list can help answer the questions "Who are some American political activists of note?" and "Who are the most famous political activists from the United States?" These prominent political activists of the United States may or may not be currently alive, but what they all have in common is that they're all respected American political activists.

Use this list of renowned American political activists to discover some new political activists that you aren't familiar with. Don't forget to share this list by clicking one of the social media icons at the top or bottom of the page. (47 items)
1
Aaron Russo is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
Dec. at 64 (1943-2007)
Aaron Russo was an American entertainment businessman, film producer and director, and political activist. He was best known for producing such movies as Trading Places, Wise Guys, and The Rose. ...more
2
Afeni Shakur is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
age 72
Afeni Shakur Davis is an American music businesswoman, philanthropist, former political activist and ex-Black Panther. She is the mother of the late rapper Tupac Shakur. She acted as her own ...more
3
Angela Davis is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
age 75
Angela Yvonne Davis is an American political activist, scholar, and author. She emerged as a prominent counterculture activist and radical in the 1960s as a leader of the Communist Party USA, ...more
4
Benjamin Franklin is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
Dec. at 84 (1706-1790)
Benjamin Franklin FRS was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A renowned polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, ...more
5
Burt Wilson is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
age 86
Burt Wilson is a philosopher, writer, broadcaster, jazz musician, political activist, playwright, and former advertising executive.
6
Chuck D is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
age 58
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, better known by his stage name Chuck D, is an American rapper, author, and producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious rap music in the mid-1980s as ...more
7
Dashiell Hammett is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
Dec. at 67 (1894-1961)
Samuel Dashiell Hammett was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories, a screenplay writer, and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam ...more
8
David Bossie is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
age 53
David N. Bossie is an American political activist. Since 2000 he has been President and Chairman of conservative advocacy organization Citizens United.
9
Debbie Willhite is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
Debbie Willhite age 67
Debbie Willhite is a United States of America Democratic political consultant and activist who has worked on six presidential campaigns, served as Policy Director for the Speaker of the House in ...more
10
Doris
Dec. at 100 (1910-2010)
Doris Haddock was an American political activist from New Hampshire. Haddock achieved national fame when, between the ages of 88 and 90, starting on January 1, 1999, and culminating on February ...more
11
Ed Asner is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
age 89
Edward "Ed" Asner is an American film, television, and stage actor, voice actor, and a former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is primarily known for his Emmy Award-winning ...more
12
Eldridge Cleaver is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
Dec. at 63 (1935-1998)
Leroy Eldridge Cleaver, better known as Eldridge Cleaver, was an American writer, and political activist, who became an early leader of the Black Panther Party. His 1968 book Soul On Ice is a ...more
13
Elizabeth Anne Hull is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
age 82
Elizabeth Anne Hull, PhD, is an American academic, political activist and science fiction expert. She is Professor Emerita of William Rainey Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, where she ...more
14
Geo Anne Sosa is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
age 64
Born Joanne Sosa, began career in  1970's  series of  message films Billy Jack, The Trial of Billy Jack, Master Gunfighter directed by Tom Laughlin. In 1981 appeared opposite ...more
15
Gregory Žatkovich is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
Dec. at 81 (1886-1967)
Gregory Ignatius Zhatkovich was an American lawyer and political activist for Rusyns in the United States and Europe. He was the first governor of Carpathian Ruthenia, the Rusyn autonomous ...more
16
Harry Belafonte is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
age 92
Harry Belafonte is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and social activist. One of the most successful Jamaican-American pop stars in history, he was dubbed the "King of Calypso" ...more
17
Huey P. Newton is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
Dec. at 47 (1942-1989)
Huey Percy Newton was an African-American political activist and revolutionary, who along with Bobby Seale, co-founded the Black Panther Party in 1966. Newton had a long series of confrontations ...more
18
Jackson Browne is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
age 70
Clyde Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Coming to prominence in the 1970s, Browne has written and recorded ...more
19
Jane Fonda is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
age 81
Jane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model and fitness guru. She is a two-time Academy Award winner. In 2014, she was the recipient of the American Film ...more
20
Janeane Garofalo is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
age 51
Janeane Garofalo is an American film actress, stand-up comedian, liberal political activist, and writer. Garofalo began her career as a stand-up comedian and became a cast member on the Ben ...more
21
Jim Hightower is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
age 76
James Allen "Jim" Hightower is an American syndicated columnist, progressive political activist, and author who served from 1983 to 1991 as the elected commissioner of the Texas ...more
22
Kahn-Tineta Horn is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
age 78
Kahn-Tineta Horn is a renowned Mohawk political activist, civil servant, and former fashion model. "Since 1972 she has held various positions in the social, community and educational ...more
23
Kristen Bell is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
age 38
Kristen Anne Bell is an American actress and singer. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. She gained critical acclaim as the title character on ...more
24
M-1 is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
age 42
Mutulu Olugbala better known by his stage name M-1 is an American rapper, activist and author from Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for his work as one half of the Political hip hop duo Dead ...more
25
Marietta Peabody Tree is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list Famous Political Activists from the United States
Dec. at 74 (1917-1991)
Marietta Peabody Tree was an American socialite and political supporter, who represented the United States on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, appointed under the administration of ...more