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Famous Residents
Convicted of killing Martin Luther King Jr., Alton native, James Earl Ray came from humble beginnings. Born March 10, 1928, Ray was one of nine children and a high school drop out. He tried the military and was discharged. Ray spent the next 18 years living a life of crime as a petty thief. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated April 4, 1968 and James Earl Ray was arrested for the murder June 8, 1968. Although he confessed and pled guilty to the murder, Ray spent the remainder of his life trying to withdraw his guilty plea. He died in prison on April 23, 1998.
Cultural icon, Miles Davis, was born May 26, 1926 in Alton, Illinois. He grew up in East St. Louis playing in his high school band as well as in local R&B groups. Young Davis studied at the world-famous Julliard before he set out to start his professional music career. His music and styles varied in different periods of his life. Davis became an accomplished trumpet player, composer, and band leader. He died September 28, 1991 and continues to influence music today.
Elijah
Lovejoy was born in Albion, Maine on November 9, 1802. He
moved to St. Louis as a young man and became an outspoken writer on the
abolition of slavery. Missouri, a slave state, became too dangerous for
Lovejoy so he moved across the river to Alton and continued to write.
As editor of the Alton Observer, Lovejoy continued to speak out against
slavery. He also became the pastor of Alton’s Presbyterian Church.
Although Illinois was a free state, Lovejoy and his abolitionist views
attracted many enemies. While protecting his 4th printing press, the other
three had been tossed in the Mississippi River by angry mobs, Lovejoy
was killed at the age of 34. Lovejoy is honored in Alton with a 17-foot
bronze statue as well as a 93-foot granite monument.
The tallest man in the world, Robert
Pershing Wadlow, was born and lived in Alton, Illinois. Wadlow
was born February 22, 1918, and weighed in at 8 pounds and 6 ounces. A
pituitary gland problem allowed Wadlow to grow to 8' 11 ½”.
Wadlow was a shy, yet friendly man who was respected and loved by the
citizens of Alton. He died at the young age of 22 and more than 30,000
mourners attended his funeral. He is honored in Alton with a life-sized
statue on College Street.