List of personalities from the city of Leer

The list of personalities in the city of Leer includes those born in the East Frisian city ​​of Leer as well as those who were not born there, but worked for a long time.

sons and daughters of the town

• Focko Ukena (1370–1436), East Frisian chief
• Coenraad Zijtsema (1702–1788), well-known linen owner and ship owner
• Simon van Hoorn (1704–1793), linen ship owner
• Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff (1705–1750), Governor of the Dutch East Indies 1743–1750
• Gottfried Arnold Lehmann (1766–1819), engraver and lithographer
• Reinhard van Hoorn (1781–1860), merchant at Leer
• Carl Emanuel Groß (1800–1873), lawyer and politician
• Onno Klopp (1822–1903), publicist and historian
• Heinrich Vosberg (1833–1891), landscape painter
• Fanny Witt (1838–1900), stage actress
• Heinrich Witte (1854–1903), historian and high school teacher
• Friedrich Ritter (1856–1944), local history researcher
• Bernhard Bavink (1879–1947), natural scientist and philosopher
• Albrecht Janssen (1886–1972), writer and translator
• Wilhelmine Siefkes (1890–1984), writer
• Hermann Fritz Hoffmann (1891–1944), psychiatrist, neurologist and university professor
• Carl Theodor Schneider (1902–1964), animal breeder
• Bruno Loets (1904–1969), writer and translator
• Arend Lang (1909–1981), physician, National Socialist, private scholar and cartographer
• Hermann Lange (1912–1943), beatified priest and Nazi victim
• Hermann Behrens (1915-2006), prehistorian and director of the State Museum for Prehistory in Halle (Saale)
• Wilhelm Doden (1919–1994), ophthalmologist
• Lena Stumpf (1924–2012), track and field athlete , sportswoman of the year 1949
• Karl-Ludwig Böke (1927–1996), sculptor and artist
• Theo Schuster (1931–2016), publisher
• Frauke Stein (* 1936), archaeologist
• Peter Ehlebracht (* 1940), member of the comedian band Insterburg & Co
• Christian Götz (1940–2000), trade unionist
• Friedel Grützmacher (* 1942), politician
• Andreas Lindemann (* 1943), Protestant theologian
• Hartmut Ruddies (1946–2020), Protestant theologian
• Franz-Peter Jakob (* 1949), politician (Die Grünen), former member of the state parliament in Hesse
• Karl-Heinz Meier-Braun (* 1950), journalist and author
• Heiner Altmeppen (* 1951), painter and graphic artist
• Wilfried Buss (* 1951), politician (SPD)
• Erich Schmidt-Eenboom (* 1953), publicist and secret service expert
• Horst Bösing (* 1954), composer and music producer
• Volker Steenblock (1958–2018), philosopher and didactic specialist in philosophy
• Eric Markuse (* 1962), Head of Programs at MDR Sputnik
• Gesine Multhaupt (* 1963), politician ( SPD ) and member of the German Bundestag 2002–2009
• HP Baxxter (bourgeois: Hans Peter Geerdes; * 1964), front man of the techno band Scooter
• Achim Detmers (* 1965), reformed theologian and pastor
• Garrelt Duin (* 1968), politician ( SPD ), member of the German Bundestag 2005–2012, state chairman of the SPD Lower Saxony 2005–2010, since 2012 Minister of Economics of North Rhine-Westphalia
• Dagmar Pruin (* 1970), Protestant theologian
• Jan Brandt (* 1974), writer
• Okka Rau (* 1977), beach volleyball player
• Andy Strauss (* 1981), poetry slammer, author and actor
• Antje Hamer (* 1982), actress
• Christina Hennings (* 1984), 2006 vice world champion in rowing (women's figure eight)
• Enno Bunger (* 1986), songwriter, singer, pianist, composer and producer
• Luisa Hartema (* 1994), photo model and mannequin, winner of the 7th season of the TV format Germany's Next Topmodel

Personalities associated with the city

• Ubbo Emmius (1547–1625), theologian , historian , educator and founding rector of the University of Groningen (Netherlands)
• Jacobus Davids Vissering (1688–1766), tobacco manufacturer in Leer
• Johann Westermann (1741-1784), German poet of Baroque
• Johann Ludwig Hinrichs (1818–1901), co-founder of the German Baptist congregations, from 1849 to 1853 first pastor of the Empty Baptist congregation
• Ernst Reuter (1889–1953), German politician and mayor of West Berlin; grew up in Leer
• Erwin Jaenecke (1890–1960), German general, knight's cross and German medal bearer. Graduated from high school in Leer
• Fritz Klimmek (1905–1963), German naturalist and high school teacher at the Teletta-Groß-Gymnasium Leer . The Klimmeks blackberry is named after him.
• Gerrit Herlyn (1909–1992), German Reformed pastor and Low German author
• Jürgen Ahrend (* 1930), organ builder, company based in Loga since 1954
• Enno Eimers (* 1936), historian, teacher in Leer
• Marron Curtis Fort (1938–2019), linguist, specialist in Sater Frisian and Low German
• Josef Piontek (* 1940), soccer player and coach; began his career at VfL Germania Leer
• Karl Dall (* 1941), comedian; spent part of his youth in Leer
• Janneke de Vries (* 1968), director of the GAK Society for Contemporary Art in Bremen, grew up in Leer