List of personalities of the city of Gotha
The list of personalities of the city of Gotha includes important personalities of the city of Gotha who were born, worked or died here.
See also
Personalities born in Gotha
The following overview contains a list of personalities who were born in Gotha, regardless of whether they lived and worked in the city.
aristocracy
image | Surname | * | † | title | Remarks |
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Friedrich II. Von Meissen , called the Serious (1324-1349), also Friedrich the Bitten (1307-1324) and Friedrich the Strict (1349-1381) | 1310 | 1349 | Landgrave of Thuringia , Margrave of Meissen | The picture shows him in the Fürstenzug, Dresden | |
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Johann Casimir (also Johann Casimir) of Saxe-Coburg | 1564 | 1633 | Duke of Saxe-Coburg | The picture is from 1597, oil on wood, Callenberg Castle , Coburg |
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Johann Ernst of Saxony-Eisenach | 1566 | 1638 | Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Eisenach | |
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Friedrich I of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1646 | 1691 | Second Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | |
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Albrecht of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1648 | 1699 | Duke of Saxe-Coburg | |
Bernhard of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1649 | 1706 | As Bernhard I first Duke of Saxe-Meiningen | ||
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Heinrich of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1650 | 1710 | Sole Duke of Saxony-Römhild | The picture shows the Duke as a half-right portrait in armor with an allonge wig , lace scarf and shoulder sash in oval with his motto Si deus pro nobis, quis contra nos? (Eng. "If God is for us, who can then be against us?") and a large coat of arms with a princely hat, on a console with ornaments; Copper engraving by Peter Schenk the Elder Ä. , today in the Dresden Kupferstichkabinett , Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden , Dresden |
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Christian of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1653 | 1707 | Sole Duke of Saxony-Eisenberg | |
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Ernst of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1655 | 1715 | First Duke of Saxony-Hildburghausen | |
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Johann Ernst of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1658 | 1729 | First Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld | |
Ernst Ludwig I of Saxe-Meiningen | 1672 | 1724 | Second Duke of Saxe-Meiningen | ||
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Friedrich II of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1676 | 1732 | Third Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | |
Johann Wilhelm of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1677 | 1707 | Imperial general | ||
Friedrich III. of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1699 | 1772 | Fourth Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | The picture shows a painting by Christian Schilbach , 1720 | |
Wilhelm of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1701 | 1771 | Imperial General Feldzeugmeister | ||
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Johann August of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1704 | 1767 | Reich Field Marshal General | |
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Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1719 | 1772 | Princess of Wales, mother of King George III. of Great Britain | The picture shows Augusta in an oil painting by Charles Philips , 1736 |
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Ernst II of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1745 | 1804 | Fifth Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | |
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August of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1747 | 1806 | Brother of Ernst II | The painting is by Ernst Christian Specht , 1795 |
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August of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1772 | 1822 | Sixth Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | |
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Friedrich IV of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1774 | 1825 | Seventh and last Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | The picture shows a painting by Christian Gottlieb Schick of Friedrich IV of Saxe-Gotha in Rome, oil on canvas, 1806, art collections of the Veste Coburg |
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Luise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 1800 | 1831 | Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and mother of the British Prince Consort Albert The picture shows a painting by William Corden : Luise von Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg 1844, Greinburg Castle |
Fine arts
image | Surname | * | † | Profession / activity | Remarks |
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Friedrich Leopold Döll | 1791 | 1856 | sculptor | Son of Friedrich Wilhelm Eugen Döll | |
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Duchess Anna Amalia Library , Weimar
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Nikolaus Gromann | around 1500 | 1566 | Court architect of the Wettins, a. a. the Grimmenstein Castle | |
City church "Zur Gotteshilfe" in Waltershausen
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Wolf Christoph Zorn from Plobsheim | 1665 | 1721 | Builder u. a. of Friedrichsthal Castle in Gotha | |
Johann Leonhard Prey | around 1700 | 1757 | Architect and stonemason | ||
Johann Friedrich Anthing | 1753 | 1805 | Silhouetteur | ||
Albert Geutebrueck | 1801 | 1868 | architect | ||
Paul Emil Jacobs | 1802 | 1866 | last Gotha court painter | ||
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Johannes Niessen painted his friend Richard Freytag, Düsseldorf 1841
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Richard Freytag | 1820 | 1894 | painter | |
Christian Behrens | 1852 | 1905 | sculptor | ||
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Church of the Redeemer in Fröttstädt
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Alfred Cramer | 1872 | 1938 | Architect and ducal building councilor | |
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Chris Lebeau : Portrait of Hanna Höch (1933)
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Hannah Höch | 1889 | 1978 | Dadaist collage artist | |
Hans Winkler | 1919 | 2000 | painter | ||
Paul Woenne | 1880 | 1952 | Arts and crafts teacher | ||
Bruno Voigt | 1912 | 1988 | Painter, graphic artist, museum director |
Movie
image | Surname | * | † | Profession / activity | Remarks |
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Andreas Kieling | 1959 | Documentary filmmaker, film producer (animal films), adventurer and author |
Church and Education
image | Surname | * | † | Profession / activity | Remarks |
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Cyriacus Lindemann | 1516 | 1568 | Pedagogue | |
Georg Hess | 1613 | 1694 | Rector of the illustrious grammar school and philologist | ||
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Johann Andreas Danz | 1654 | 1727 | Lutheran theologian and orientalist | |
Martin Christian Goeldelius | 1665 | after 1719 | Lutheran theologian, educator and author | ||
Johann Elias Reichardt | 1668 | 1731 | Teacher and inspector | ||
Albrecht Meno Verpoorten | 1672 | 1752 | Educator and Lutheran theologian | ||
Johann Michael Heusinger | 1690 | 1751 | Theologian, pedagogue and local history researcher | ||
Johann Ernst Wenigk | 1702 | 1745 | Clergyman, theologian and hymn poet | ||
Johann Friedrich Salomon cold water | 1752 | 1813 | Classical philologist, illustrious professor at grammar school | ||
Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer | 1800 | 1873 | Theologian and clergyman | ||
Christian Gotthold Neudecker | 1807 | 1866 | Church historian, private scholar and educator | ||
Adolf Moritz Schulze | 1808 | 1881 | Pastor, author and teacher | ||
August Trostbach | 1811 | 1877 | Pastor, writer and politician | ||
Hermann Gebhardt | 1824 | 1899 | theologian | ||
Walter Ernst | 1857 | 1928 | Lawyer and Consistorial President of the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau | ||
Léon Wespy | 1858 | 1933 | City school council, author and editor | ||
Carl Rohrbach | 1861 | 1932 | Pedagogue and amateur astronomer | ||
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Wolfgang Ipolt | 1954 | Roman Catholic Bishop of Görlitz |
literature
image | Surname | * | † | Profession / activity | Remarks |
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Juliane Magdalene Cyprian , b. Hunter | 1697 | 1721 | Poet and wife of Ernst Salomon Cyprian | ||
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Friedrich Wilhelm Gotter | 1746 | 1797 | Writer and poet | Father of Pauline Gotter |
Johann Kaspar Steube | 1747 | 1795 | Shoemaker, soldier, language teacher and writer | ||
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Heinrich August Ottokar Reichard | 1751 | 1828 | Writer and journalist, author of the world's first travel guide | |
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Emilie von Berlepsch | 1755 | 1830 | Writer | |
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Friedrich Jacobs | 1764 | 1847 | Philologist, librarian and educator, honorary citizen of Gotha | Father of the doctor and writer Friedrich Wilhelm Josias Jacobs |
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Ludwig Wachler | 1767 | 1838 | Literary historian, librarian and university professor | |
Friedrich Wilhelm Josias Jacobs | 1793 | 1833 | Doctor and writer | Son of the philologist Friedrich Jacobs , brother of Paul Emil Jacobs | |
Wolf-Dieter from Tippelskirch | 1920 | 1991 | writer | ||
Siegfried Schmidt-Joos | 1936 | Music and culture journalist and author of books from jazz, pop and rock music culture | |||
Sigrid dam | 1940 | Literary scholar and author | First honorary citizen of Gotha | ||
Olaf R. Spittel | 1953 | Editor, writer, translator, media scholar and publisher | |||
Kathrin Schmidt | 1958 | Writer | |||
Matthias Wenzel | 1962 | Non-fiction author and publicist | |||
Katrin McClean , b. mandrel | 1963 | Writer and theater pedagogue | |||
Miku Sophie Kühmel | 1992 | Writer |
military
- Heinrich Ernst von Hoff (1782–1851), captain in the coalition wars and in the Tyrolean uprising
- Gustav von Henning auf Schönhoff (1830–1905), Prussian lieutenant general
- Curt von Wangenheim (1862–1937), commander in World War I and knight of the Pour le Mérite order, most recently a colonel
- Ernst Meusel (1881–1933), naval officer of the Imperial German Navy and the Reichsmarine , most recently rear admiral
- Hermann von Hanneken (1890–1981), general of the infantry and Wehrmacht commander in Denmark
- Werner Stichling (1895–1979), naval officer, most recently Rear Admiral of the Navy, naval commander of Normandy in World War II
- Karl Hans Walther (1895–1965), General Physician of the Wehrmacht, Major General of the NVA
- Heinrich Liebe (1908–1997), naval officer and submarine commander in World War II
- Jürgen Möller (* 1959), military historian, author, research on the end of the war in 1945 in Central Germany
Music and Performing Arts
- Emanuel Kegel (1655–1724), composer
- Ludwig Andreas Gotter (1661–1735), hymn poet and lawyer
- Johann Ludwig Backhaus (1715–1771), organist
- Johann Frischmuth (actor) (1741–1790), 1775 ff. Actor and composer
- Johann "Hans" Beck (1754 - unknown), actor, brother of Heinrich Beck
- Heinrich Beck (1760–1803), actor and playwright, brother of Hans Beck
- Friederike Bethmann-Unzelmann (1760–1815), actress and singer
- Dorette Spohr (1787–1834), pianist and harpist
- Friederike Bognár (1840–1914), actress
- Alfred Thienemann (1858–1923), conductor and composer
- Max Wagner (1865–1944), composer
- Joachim Hackethal (1924–2003), actor and cabaret artist
- Brigitte Renner (* 1925), stage actress and television actress
- Günther Leib (* 1927), opera singer
- Manfred Lindner (* 1937), jazz musician
- Peter Bause (* 1941), actor and lecturer at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin
- Rolf Junghanns (1945–1993), pianist and musicologist
- Peter Zintner (1951–2018), actor
politics
- Johann Friedrich Bachoff von Echt (1643–1726), Chancellor, Government Director and Reichshofrat
- Gustav Adolf Reichsgraf von Gotter (1692–1762), diplomat
- Karl August von Wangenheim (1773–1850), lawyer and politician, briefly Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Württemberg
- Friedrich Gottlieb Becker (1792–1865), publisher and politician, President of the Landtag of Gotha
- Ernst von Wangenheim (1797–1860), District President of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
- Karl August Heß (1800–1871), First Mayor of Gotha
- Gustav Zimmermann (1808–1874), politician and publicist
- Wilhelm Adolph von Trützschler (1818–1849), politician
- Hans von Thümmel (1824–1895), lawyer and politician in the Kingdom of Saxony
- Adolf Stölzel (1831–1919), secret councilor, member of the manor house
- Julius Hopf (1839–1886), member of the Reichstag
- Hans Barthold von Bassewitz (1867–1949), Minister of State
- Agnes Schmidt (1875 – unknown), politician
- Gustav Adolf von Wulffen (1878–1945), major general and SS brigad leader
- Ernst Meusel (1881–1933), naval officer, most recently rear admiral
- Otto Krauss (1884–1971), party functionary of the LDPD bloc party , member of the People's Chamber
- Walter Ortlepp (1900–1971), SS brigade leader, Weimar police president, Thuringian interior minister, member of the Reichstag
- Georg Appell (1901–1970), politician ( DDP / SPD / SED ) and lawyer
- Paul Sterzing (1901 - unknown), politician ( NSDAP )
- Maria Krüger (1907–1987), politician ( KPD )
- Detlev Karsten Rohwedder (1932–1991), manager and politician (SPD), murdered by the RAF
- Marie-Luise Kuhn (1945–1999), politician (SPD), member of the Saarland state parliament
- Daniel Rausch (* 1963 ), politician ( AfD ), from April to June 2016 Vice President of the State Parliament of Saxony-Anhalt
Sports
- Gotthilf Albert Sterzing (1822–1889), founder of the German Rifle Federation
- Walter Hollstein (1899–1977), football coach
- Siegfried Woitzat (1933–2008), football player
- Stefan Schreyer (* 1946), track and field athlete
- Melitta Sollmann (* 1958), luge and Olympic champion
- Yves Mankel (* 1970), luge rider
- Sebastian Helbig (* 1977), soccer player
- Sandra Rübesam (* 1988), cyclist
- Juliane Frühwirt (* 1998), biathlete
economy
- Wilhelm von Rotberg (1718–1795), founder of Thuringia's first porcelain factory in Gotha (1757)
- Ernst-Wilhelm Arnoldi (1778–1841), businessman, "father of the German insurance industry"
- Rudolf André (1792–1825), farmer, systematized sheep breeding
- Joseph Meyer (1796–1856), founder of the Bibliographical Institute , editor of Meyer's Konversationslexikon
- Theodor Krause (1819–1906), councilor, founder of the pewter toy factory Theodor Krause
- Herrmann Julius Meyer (1826–1909), publisher in Leipzig ( Bibliographisches Institut ), son of Joseph Meyer
- Carl Bechstein (1826–1900), piano maker
- Fritz Bothmann (1858–1928), entrepreneur, founder of Gothaer Waggonfabrik AG
- Karl August Friedrich Samwer (1861–1946), General Director of Gothaer Insurance and an honorary citizen of Gotha
- Hugo Woenne (1863–1930), master butcher and councilor of state
- Adolf Rohrbach (1889–1939), aircraft designer and entrepreneur
- Friedrich Dorn (1906–1970), manager in the paper and pulp industry
- Edgar Jannott (* 1934), lawyer, honorary citizen of Gotha
science
- Johannes Stigel (1515–1562), philologist and poet
- Wolfgang Hirschbach (1570–1620), legal scholar
- Caspar Hofmann (1572–1648), professor of medicine at the University of Altdorf in Nuremberg
- Thomas Reinesius (1587–1667), physician and philologist
- Johann Caspar Heimburg (1702–1773), legal scholar
- Johann Justin Schierschmid (1707–1778), legal scholar and philosopher
- Johann August von Hellfeld (1717–1782), legal scholar
- Heinrich Gottfried Scheidemantel (1739–1788), lawyer and university professor
- Johann Heinrich Voigt (1751–1823), mathematician, astronomer and physicist
- Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752–1840), zoologist and anthropologist
- Karl Ernst Adolf von Hoff (1771–1837), geologist, natural scientist, explorer
- Adolf Stieler (1775–1836), cartographer
- Johann Georg Dittrich (1783–1842), court chef and pomologist
- August Kellner (1794-1883), entomologist
- Karl Ernst Georges (1806–1895), classical philologist and lexicographer
- Emil Braun (1809–1856), classical archaeologist
- August Beck (1812–1874), historian and educator
- Eduard von Regel (1815–1892), gardener and botanist
- Hermann Credner (1841–1913), geoscientist
- Rudolf Credner (1850–1908), geographer and geologist
- Joseph Kürschner (1853–1902), lexicographer and writer
- Karl Tuempel (1855–1940), high school teacher, classical philologist and historian
- Emil Jacobs (1868–1940), director of the Freiburg im Breisgau University Library and the Berlin State Library
- August Thienemann (1882–1960), biologist and limnologist
- Hermann Lautensach (1886–1971), geographer, university professor
- Wilhelm Goetsch (1887–1960), zoologist
- Hilde Mangold (1898–1924), zoologist
- Reinhold Rabich (1902–1974), civil engineer
- Martin Schmeißer (1912–1981), chemist and rector of the RWTH Aachen and the University of Dortmund
- Peter Haasen (1927–1993), metal physicist and professor at the University of Göttingen
- Dietrich Grille (1935–2011), political scientist and historian
- Gerrit Winter (* 1935), insurance lawyer, advisory board member of the Gotha Cultural Foundation
- Joachim Dingel (* 1938), classical philologist
- Bernt Krebs (* 1938), chemist and professor at the University of Münster
- Herbert Hömig (1941–2020), historian and university professor
- Rainer Marr (* 1942), economist
- Tilo Schabert (* 1942), university professor for political science
- Franz Quarthal (* 1943), historian
- Michael Niedermeier (* 1954), literary and art historian
- Hans-Joachim Herrmann (* 1958), biologist, zoologist, author and journalist
- Dominique Görlitz (* 1966), amateur experimental archaeologist and author
Temporary celebrities
- Johann Friedrich Joel (1792–1852), legendary decorator, to whom Herbert Roth set a musical monument
- Marie Magdalene Charlotte Baroness von Stoltzenberg (1763–1838), actress, mistress, lord of the castle and ancestor of the von Stoltzenberg and Lauer von Münchhofen families
Personalities who worked in Gotha
The following overview contains personalities who lived and worked in Gotha, but were not born in the city.
aristocracy
- Elisabeth , Countess of Lobdeburg - Arnshaugk (* 1286 - † August 22, 1359 in Gotha)
- Wilhelm von Grumbach (1503–1567), knight and adventurer
- Johann Friedrich II., The Middle (1529–1595), Duke of Saxony
- Ernst I, the Pious, of Saxe-Gotha (-Altenburg) (1601–1675), first Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
- Luise Dorothea of Saxe-Meiningen (1710–1767), Duchess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
- Karoline Amalie of Hessen-Kassel (1771–1848), Duchess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
- Ernst I of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1784–1844)
- Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1818–1893)
- Alfred von Sachsen-Coburg and Gotha (1844–1900)
- Auguste Viktoria von Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (1858–1921), last German empress, spent part of her youth in Gotha
- Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1863–1950), Regent of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
- Carl Eduard von Sachsen-Coburg and Gotha (1884–1954), last Duke of Gotha
Fine arts
- Lucas Cranach the Elder Ä. (1472–1553), painter
- Casper Vogell (around 1600–1663), architect a. a. of Friedenstein Castle
- Andreas Rudolph (1601–1679), master builder a. a. of Friedenstein Castle
- Johann Erhard Straßburger (1675–1754), Gothaischer Oberlandbaumeister
- Friedrich Joachim Stengel (1694–1787), master builder
- Gottfried Heinrich Krohne (1703–1756), master builder a. a. the orangery
- Johann David Weidner (1721–1784), Gotha master builder
- Carl Christoph Besser (1724–1800), master builder a. a. the Seeberg observatory and the tea castle
- Caroline Louise Seidler (1786–1866), painter
- Heinrich Justus Schneider (1811–1884), painter
- Raden Saleh (1811–1880), romantic painter ("father of Javanese painting")
- Ludwig Bohnstedt (1822–1885), architect, Gotha city architect
- Julius Krusewitz (1850–1923), architect
- Wilhelm Goette (1873–1927), architect, Gotha City Planning Officer
- Fritz Koch-Gotha (1877–1956), draftsman, caricaturist, illustrator and writer
Church and Education
- Mutianus Rufus (1470–1526), theologian and humanist
- Friedrich Myconius (1490–1546), Protestant theologian and church reformer
- Johannes Dinckel (1545–1601), Protestant theologian
- Salomo Glassius (1593–1656), Protestant theologian
- Andreas Reyher (1601–1673), educator
- Adam Tribbechov (1641–1687), Protestant theologian, historian and ethnologist
- August Hermann Francke (1663–1727), Protestant theologian and educator
- Johann Heinrich Feustking (1672–1713), professor of theology and prorector of the University of Leucorea in Wittenberg, senior preacher, senior consistorial councilor and church councilor at Friedenstein Palace, author of numerous theological writings
- Ernst Salomon Cyprian (1673–1745), theologian, librarian, Reformation historian
- Johann Heinrich Stuß (1686–1775), educator, rector at the grammar school illustrious
- Johann Adam Löw (1710–1775), general superintendent
- Just Christian Stuß (1725–1788), classical philologist, writer and clergyman, pupil at the illustrious grammar school, page steward and garrison preacher in Gotha
- Wilhelm Friedrich Schäffer (1750–1831), court preacher and consistorial councilor in Gotha
- Friedrich Andreas Stroth (1750–1785), classical philologist and theologian, church councilor in Gotha and rector of the Illustre grammar school
- Friedrich Wilhelm Döring (1756–1837), classical philologist, senior consistorial advisor in Gotha and rector of the Illustre grammar school
- Friedrich Christian Kries (1768–1849), mathematician, physicist and educator
- Christian Ferdinand Schulze (1774–1850), classical philologist and historian, councilor and teacher at the grammar school, editor of the Gotha calendar and the Gotha national newspaper
- Karl Gottlieb Bretschneider (1776–1848), Protestant theologian
- Eduard Adolf Jacobi (1796–1865), court preacher, teacher and Ministerialrat in Gotha
- Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer (1800–1873), Lutheran clergyman and theologian
- Friedrich Ernst Feller (1802-1859), director of the public commercial school in Gotha (1848-1859)
- August Köhler (1821–1879), kindergarten teacher ( kindergarten ), successor to Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel
- Otto Dreyer (1837–1900), theologian and Gotha superintendent, honorary citizen of the city
- Eckardt Hoffmann (* 1934), theologian and Gotha superintendent, honorary citizen of the city
literature
- Friedrich Melchior Baron von Grimm (1723–1807), writer and diplomat
- Johann Georg August Galletti (1750–1828), historian and father of the "catheter blossom"
- Rudolph Zacharias Becker (1752–1822), writer, journalist and bookseller
- Wilhelm Hey (1789–1854), fable and hymn poet, pastor, attended the Illustre grammar school in Gotha
- Joachim Marquardt (1812–1882), historian and successor to Galletti regarding "catheter blossoms"
- Gustav Freytag (1816–1895), historian and writer
- Friedrich Gerstäcker (1816–1872), writer and adventurer
- Eduard Wilhelm Sievers (1820-1894), Shakespeare researcher
- Kurd Laßwitz (1848–1910), writer
- Oskar Hoffmann (1866–1928), novelist
- Hans Dominik (1872–1945), writer, journalist and engineer, attended the Ernestinum grammar school in Gotha
- Kurt Kauter (1913–2002), writer
- Hanns Cibulka (1920–2004), writer
- Alexander Kluge (* 1932), writer, filmmaker and producer, started school in Gotha in 1938 ( Reyherschule )
- Martin Jankowski (* 1965), writer
- Nancy Hünger (* 1981), writer, has lived in Gotha since 2019
military
- Josef Ritter von Gadolla (1897–1945), last combat commandant of the city, posthumous Gotha honorary citizen
Music and Performing Arts
- Joachim Bartholomäus Meyer (1624–1701), librarian and hymn poet
- Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706), composer, city organist (1692–1695)
- Johann Ludwig Bach (1677–1731), composer
- Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel (1690–1749), composer
- Hans Adam von Studnitz (1711–1788), court marshal and director of the Gotha court theater
- Conrad Ekhof (1720–1778), actor, "father of German acting"
- Georg Anton Benda (1722–1795), composer, Gotha court conductor and conductor
- Ernst Christoph Dressler (1734–1779), tenor, composer, bandmaster, violinist, music documentary, lyricist
- Friedrich Wilhelm Eugen Döll (1750–1816), sculptor
- August Wilhelm Iffland (1759–1814), actor, director and playwright
- Regina Strinasacchi (1761–1839), violinist, probably one of the first female conductors in the world
- Andreas Romberg (1767–1821), violinist and composer, Gotha court conductor
- Heinrich Ofen (1768–1830), clarinetist and composer
- Louis Spohr (1784-1859), violinist and composer, Gothic concertmaster
- Eduard von Winterstein (1871–1961), film and theater actor, spent his childhood in Gotha
- Klaus Hähnel (* 1941), music teacher and founder of the Gotha Children's Choir
- Sylvia Leifheit (* 1975), actress , singer and model agency owner
politics
- Georg Dasch (* around 1510–1578), Gotha Mayor
- Christian Brück (* around 1516–1567), Electoral Saxon Chancellor
- Johannes Francke (1625–1670), Justice and Councilor
- Siegmund Ehrenfried von Oppel (1687–1757), President of the Chamber , Chief Tax Director and President of the Secret Council of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
- Bernhard August von Lindenau (1779–1854), lawyer, minister of state, astronomer, honorary citizen of Gotha
- Franz Adolf von Trützschler (1792–1873), councilor, honorary citizen of Gotha
- Camillo Richard Freiherr von Seebach (1808–1894), lawyer, Gotha State Minister and honorary citizen of the city
- Carl Heinrich Hünersdorf (1817–1897), Lord Mayor and Honorary Citizen of Gotha
- Heinrich Heß (1844–1927), civil servant, local history researcher and politician
- Wilhelm Bock (1846–1931), social democratic trade unionist and politician, member of the Reichstag
- Otto Geithner (1876–1948), politician, 1918 to 1920 head of government of the Free State of Saxony-Gotha
- Otto Liebetrau (1855–1928), Lord Mayor and Honorary Citizen of Gotha
- Wilhelm Busch (1892–1968), MdR , from 1932 to 1945 NSDAP district leader in Gotha
- Josef Duchač ( CDU ) (* 1938), first Minister-President of Thuringia after reunification (1990-1992)
- Werner Kukulenz ( CDU ) (* 1948), Mayor and Lord Mayor of Gothas
- Konrad Gießmann ( CDU ) (* 1951), District Administrator of the Gotha district
- Knut Kreuch ( SPD ) (* 1966), Mayor of Gotha
- Matthias Hey ( SPD ) (* 1970), member of the state parliament
economy
- Johann Christian Dieterich (1722–1800), bookseller and publisher
- Carl Wilhelm Ettinger (1741–1804), bookseller and publisher
- Justus Perthes (1749-1816), publisher
- Friedrich Christoph Perthes (1772–1843), bookseller and publisher
- Arwed Emminghaus (1831–1916), lawyer, general director of Gothaer Lebensversicherungsbank and honorary citizen of the city
- Johannes Doebel (1835–1908), director of the Gothaer fire insurance bank and honorary citizen of Gotha
- Christian Gottfried Moßler (1844–1927), factory owner , local politician and honorary citizen of Gotha
- Dirk Kollmar (1963–2014), manager and sports official
science
- Christian Schlegel (1667–1722), numismatist, librarian, writer and member of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences
- Johann Gottfried Geißler (1726–1800), librarian
- Adam Weishaupt (1748–1830), legal scholar and philosopher, founder of the Illuminati Order
- Franz Xaver von Zach (1754–1832), astronomer, first director of the Gotha observatory
- Ernst Friedrich von Schlotheim (1764–1832), paleontologist and geologist, founder of palaeobotany
- Friedrich von Schlichtegroll (1765–1822), philologist and numismatist
- Friedrich August Ukert (1780–1851), philologist and historian
- Christian Ludwig Brehm (1787–1864), pastor and ornithologist ("bird pastor"), attended the Illustre grammar school in Gotha
- Johann Franz Encke (1791–1865), astronomer
- Peter Andreas Hansen (1795–1874), astronomer and geodesist
- Carl Anton Bretschneider (1808–1878), mathematician and lawyer
- Karl Friedrich Heinrich Credner (1809–1876), geologist
- August Heinrich Petermann (1822–1878), geographer and cartographer
- Ernst Dannenberg (1831–1904), pharmacist, medical advisor, chairman of the Gothaer Kunstverein, board commissioner of the fire insurance bank
- Ernst Anding (1860–1945), astronomer, last head of the Gotha observatory
- Paul Langhans (1867–1952), geographer and cartographer
- Hermann Haack (1872–1966), cartographer, honorary citizen of Gotha
- Adolf Schmidt (1860–1944), geophysicist