Frederick Reines – Nobel Prize-winning physicist who co-discovered the neutrino.
William Graham Sumner – Influential Yale professor and one of America’s first sociologists.
Peter Kreeft – Well-known Catholic philosopher and author.
Morris Janowitz – Distinguished sociologist and military scholar.
J. Michael Straczynski – Creator of the television series Babylon 5.
Politics & Public Life
Bill Pascrell – Longtime Mayor of Paterson and U.S. Representative.
Edward L. Masry – Attorney made famous by the Erin Brockovich case.
Business & Industry
Catholina Lambert – One of Paterson’s greatest silk industrialists and builder of Lambert Castle.
John Ryle – Often called the “Father of the American Silk Industry.”
Rogers Locomotive Works – While not a person, this Paterson company employed many notable engineers and produced some of America’s most famous locomotives.
Art & Sculpture
Gaetano Federici – The “Sculptor Laureate of Paterson,” whose works decorate many public buildings throughout North Jersey.
Historical Figures Associated with Paterson
Alexander Hamilton – Founder of Paterson through the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.).
Samuel Colt – Operated one of his earliest firearms factories in Paterson.
John Philip Holland – Built and tested early submarines in Paterson.
