Notable people who died on July 31 include: Aurelia Cotta, Peter Chrysologus, Feng Xingxi, Fu Yanqing, Hugh of Montgomery.

Notable Deaths on July 31

Q: What is Andrew Johnson known for?

Andrew Johnson, American general and politician, 17th President of the United States (born 1808)

1875 — Andrew Johnson

American general and politician, 17th President of the United States (born 1808)

July 31 has seen 90 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 54 BC – 2024. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · July 31 — Wikipedia

Notable Deaths 90 people 54 BC – 2024

Did you know

Andrew Johnson was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869

Did you know

The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln

Did you know

Johnson was a War Democrat who ran with Lincoln on the National Union Party ticket in the 1864 presidential election, coming to office as the American Civil War concluded

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Congress, culminating in his impeachment by the House of Representatives in 1868

Did you know

Johnson favored quick restoration of the seceded states to the Union without protection for the newly freed people who were formerly enslaved, as well as pardoning ex-Confederates

Aurelia Cotta

Roman mother of Gaius Julius Caesar (born 120 BC)

Aurelia was the mother of the Roman general and statesman Julius Caesar.

-54

Peter Chrysologus

Italian bishop and saint (born 380)

Peter Chrysologus was an Italian Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Ravenna from about 433 until his death. He is known as the "Doctor of Homilies" for the concise but theologically rich reflections he delivered…

450

Feng Xingxi

Chinese warlord

Feng Xingxi (馮行襲), courtesy name Zhengchen (正臣), formally Prince Zhongjing of Changle (長樂忠敬王), was a warlord late in the Chinese Tang dynasty who later became a subject of the succeeding Later Liang state. He was tall…

910

Fu Yanqing

Chinese general (born 898)

Fu Yanqing (符彥卿), né Li Yanqing (李彥卿), courtesy name Guanhou (冠侯), formally the Prince of Wei (魏王), nicknamed Fu Disi, was a Chinese general and politician during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He was one…

975

Hugh of Montgomery

2nd Earl of Shrewsbury

Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat and member of the House of Bellême. He was also known as Hugh the Red.

1098

Étienne Marcel

French rebel leader (born 1302)

Étienne Marcel was provost of the merchants of Paris under King John II of France, called John the Good. He distinguished himself in the defence of the small craftsmen and guildsmen who made up most of the city…

1358

William Courtenay

English archbishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom (born 1342)

William Courtenay was Archbishop of Canterbury (1381–1396), having previously been Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of London.

1396

Na'od

Ethiopian emperor

Na'od was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1494 to 31 July 1507, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His regnal name was Anbasa Bazar. His reign was marked by internal tension between territories with the assistance of Queen…

1508

Ignatius of Loyola

Spanish priest and theologian, founded the Society of Jesus (born 1491)

Ignatius of Loyola, venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spanish Basque Catholic priest and theologian, who, with six companions, founded the religious order of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), and became its…

1556

Roger Wilbraham

Solicitor-General for Ireland (born 1553)

Sir Roger Wilbraham was a prominent English lawyer who served as Solicitor-General for Ireland, under Elizabeth I and was judged one of her few really competent Law Officers. He held a number of positions at court under…

1616

Sibylla Schwarz

German poet (born 1621)

Sibylla Schwarz, also known as Sibylle Schwartz was a German poet of the Baroque era.

1638

Thomas Dudley

English soldier and politician, 3rd Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony (born 1576)

Thomas Dudley was a New England colonial magistrate who served several terms as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Dudley was the chief founder of Newtowne, later Cambridge, Massachusetts, and built the town's…

1653

Willem Kalf

Dutch still life painter (born 1619)

Willem Kalf was one of the most prominent Dutch still-life painters of the 17th century, the Dutch Golden Age. We first get acquainted with Willem Kalf through Arnold Houbraken, in his Groot Schilderboek, who speaks…

1693

Nicolaus II Bernoulli

Swiss mathematician and theorist (born 1695)

Nicolaus II Bernoulli was a Swiss mathematician as were his father Johann Bernoulli and one of his brothers, Daniel Bernoulli. He was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family.

1726

John V

king of Portugal (born 1689)

Dom John V, known as the Magnanimous and the Portuguese Sun King, was King of Portugal from 9 December 1706 until his death in 1750. His reign saw the rise of Portugal and its monarchy to new levels of prosperity,…

1750

Luis Vicente de Velasco e Isla

Spanish sailor and commander (born 1711)

Commandant Luis Vicente de Velasco e Isla was a Spanish Navy officer who served in the Anglo-Spanish War. He was killed in action during the British siege of Havana in 1762.

1762

John Bligh

3rd Earl of Darnley, British parliamentarian (born 1719)

John Bligh, 3rd Earl of Darnley, styled The Honourable John Bligh between 1721 and 1747, lord of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was a British parliamentarian.

1781

Denis Diderot

French philosopher and critic (born 1713)

Denis Diderot was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the Encyclopédie along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a prominent figure…

1784

Dheeran Chinnamalai

Indian soldier (born 1756)

Dheeran Chinnamalai was a chieftain who ruled the odanilai region of the present day western Tamil Nadu. He fought against the British East India Company, was later captured and hanged by the British.

1805

Louis Christophe François Hachette

French publisher (born 1800)

Louis Christophe François Hachette was a French publisher who established a Paris publishing house designed to produce books and other material to improve the system of school instruction. Publications were initially…

1864

Kiến Phúc

Vietnamese emperor (born 1869)

Kiến Phúc was a child emperor of Vietnam, who reigned for less than 8 months, 1883–1884, as the 7th emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty.

1884

Franz Liszt

Hungarian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1811)

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most prolific and…

1886

Jean-Baptiste Capronnier

Belgian stained glass painter (born 1814)

Jean-Baptiste Capronnier was a Belgian stained glass painter. Born in Brussels in 1814, he had much to do with the modern revival of glass-painting, and first made his reputation by his study of the old methods of…

1891

John Milne

British geologist and mining engineer. (born 1850)

John Milne was a British geologist and mining engineer who worked on a horizontal seismograph.

1913

Jean Jaurès

French journalist and politician (born 1859)

Auguste Marie Joseph Jean Léon Jaurès, commonly referred to as Jean Jaurès, was a French socialist leader. Initially a Moderate Republican, he later became a social democrat and one of the first possibilists and in 1902…

1914

Francis Ledwidge

Irish soldier and poet (born 1881)

Francis Edward Ledwidge was a 20th-century Irish poet. From Slane, County Meath, and sometimes known as the "poet of the blackbirds", he was later also known as a First World War war poet. He befriended the established…

1917

Hedd Wyn

Welsh language poet (born 1887)

Hedd Wyn was a Welsh-language poet who was killed on the first day of the Battle of Passchendaele during World War I. He was posthumously awarded the bard's chair at the 1917 National Eisteddfod. Evans, who had been…

1917

Ion Dragoumis

Greek philosopher and diplomat (born 1878)

Ion Dragoumis was a Greek diplomat, philosopher, writer and revolutionary.

1920

Udham Singh

Indian activist (born 1899)

Udham Singh was an Indian revolutionary belonging to Ghadar Party and HSRA, best known for assassinating Michael O'Dwyer, the former lieutenant governor of the Punjab in British India, on 13 March 1940. The…

1940

Francis Younghusband

British Army Officer, explorer and spiritual writer (born 1863)

Lieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband was a British Army officer, explorer and spiritual writer. He is remembered for his travels in the Far East and Central Asia; especially the 1904 British expedition to…

1942

Hedley Verity

English cricketer and soldier (born 1905)

Hedley Verity was a professional cricketer who played for Yorkshire and England between 1930 and 1939. A slow left-arm orthodox bowler, he took 1,956 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 14.90 and 144 wickets…

1943

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

French pilot and poet (born 1900)

Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, vicomte de Saint-Exupéry, known simply as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was a French writer, poet, journalist and aviator.

1944

Cho Ki-chon

North Korean poet (born 1913)

Cho Ki-chon was a Soviet-born North Korean poet. He is regarded as a national poet and "founding father of North Korean poetry" whose distinct Soviet-influenced style of lyrical epic poetry in the socialist realist…

1951

Robert A. Taft

American soldier and politician (born 1889)

Robert Alphonso Taft Sr. was an American politician and lawyer who represented Ohio in the United States Senate from 1939 until his death in 1953. A member of the Republican Party, he briefly served as Senate majority…

1953

Onofre Marimón

Argentine race car driver (born 1923)

Onofre Agustín Marimón was an Argentine racing driver, who competed in Formula One at 12 Grands Prix between 1951 and 1954.

1954

Eino Kaila

Finnish philosopher and psychologist, attendant of the Vienna circle (born 1890)

Eino Sakari Kaila was a Finnish philosopher, critic and teacher. He worked in numerous fields including psychology, physics and theater, and attempted to find unifying principles behind various branches of human and…

1958

Jim Reeves

American singer-songwriter (born 1923)

James Travis Reeves was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. One of the earliest pioneers and practitioners of the Nashville sound, he played a central role in the sonic development of country music in the…

1964

Bud Powell

American pianist (born 1924)

Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell was an American jazz pianist and composer. A pioneer in the development of bebop and its associated contributions to jazz theory, Powell's application of complex phrasing to the piano…

1966

Jack Pizzey

Australian politician, 29th Premier of Queensland (born 1911)

Jack Charles Allan Pizzey was a Queensland Country Party politician. He was Premier of Queensland, in a coalition with the Liberal Party, from 17 January 1968 until his death on 31 July that year. To date, he is the…

1968

Walter P. Carter

American soldier and activist (born 1923)

Walter Percival Carter was an activist and central figure in Baltimore, Maryland during the Civil Rights Movement. He earned that designation by organizing demonstrations against discrimination throughout Maryland.…

1971

Paul-Henri Spaak

Belgian politician, 40th Prime Minister of Belgium, 1st President of the United Nations General Assembly (born 1899)

Paul-Henri Charles Spaak was an influential Belgian Socialist politician, diplomat, and statesman who thrice served as the prime minister of Belgium and later as the second secretary general of NATO. Nicknamed "Mr.…

1972

Azumafuji Kin'ichi

Japanese sumo wrestler, the 40th Yokozuna (born 1921)

Azumafuji Kin'ichi was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Taitō, Tokyo. He was the sport's 40th yokozuna, and later a professional wrestler.

1973

Beatrix Lehmann

English actress and director (born 1903)

Beatrix Alice Lehmann was a British actress, theatre director, writer and novelist.

1979

Pascual Jordan

German physicist, author, and academic (born 1902)

Ernst Pascual Jordan was a German theoretical and mathematical physicist who made significant contributions to quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. He contributed much to the mathematical form of matrix…

1980

Mohammed Rafi

Indian playback singer (born 1924)

Mohammed Rafi was an Indian playback singer. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and range of voice; his songs…

1980

Omar Torrijos

Panamanian general and politician, Military Leader of Panama (born 1929)

Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera was a Panamanian military officer, politician, and revolutionary who was the military leader of Panama, as well as the Commander of the Panamanian National Guard from 1968 to his death in…

1981

Eugene Carson Blake

American religious leader (born 1906)

Eugene Carson Blake was an American Presbyterian Church leader.

1985

Chiune Sugihara

Japanese diplomat (born 1900)

Chiune Sugihara was a Japanese diplomat who served as vice-consul for the Japanese Empire in Kaunas, Lithuania. During the Second World War, Sugihara helped thousands of Jews flee Europe by issuing transit visas to…

1986

Joseph E. Levine

American film producer (b, 1905)

Joseph Edward Levine was an American film distributor, financier and producer. At the time of his death, it was said he was involved in one or another capacity with 497 films. Levine was responsible for the American…

1987

Albert Leduc

Canadian ice hockey player (born 1902)

Joseph Albert Florimond Leduc was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League from 1925 to 1935. with the New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens. He won…

1990

Leonard Cheshire

English captain and pilot (born 1917)

Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire was a British Royal Air Force pilot, officer and philanthropist.

1992

Baudouin

King of Belgium (born 1930)

Baudouin was King of the Belgians from 17 July 1951 until his death in 1993. He was the last Belgian king to be sovereign of the Congo, before it became independent in 1960 and became the Democratic Republic of the…

1993

Bảo Đại

Vietnamese emperor (born 1913)

Bảo Đại, born Nguyễn Phúc (Phước) Vĩnh Thụy, was the 13th and final emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty, the last ruling dynasty of Vietnam. From 1926 to 1945, he was de jure emperor of Annam and Tonkin, which were then…

1997

William Keepers Maxwell Jr.

American editor, novelist, short story writer, and essayist (born 1908)

William Keepers Maxwell Jr. was an American editor, novelist, short story writer, essayist, children's author, and memoirist. He served as a fiction editor at The New Yorker from 1936 to 1975. An editor devoted to his…

2000

Francisco da Costa Gomes

Portuguese general and politician, 15th President of Portugal (born 1914)

Francisco da Costa Gomes, ComTE GOA was a Portuguese military officer and politician who was the president of Portugal from 1974 to 1976. Earlier on, he had been deployed to Angola as part of the Portuguese Colonial War.

2001

Friedrich Franz

Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (born 1910)

Friedrich Franz, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was the heir apparent to the throne of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and a member of the Waffen-SS.

2001

Guido Crepax

Italian author and illustrator (born 1933)

Guido Crepax, was an Italian comics artist. He is most famous for his character Valentina, created in 1965 and very representative of the spirit of the 1960s. The Valentina series of books and strips became noted for…

2003

Virginia Grey

American actress (born 1917)

Virginia Grey was an American actress who appeared in over 100 films and several radio and television shows from the 1930s to the early 1980s. She was romantically involved with Clark Gable for several years, after his…

2004

Wim Duisenberg

Dutch economist and politician, 1st President of the European Central Bank (born 1935)

Willem Frederik "Wim" Duisenberg was a Dutch politician, economist and senior official who served as the first President of the European Central Bank from 1998 to 2003. A member of the Labour Party (PvdA), he previously…

2005

Bobby Robson

English footballer and manager (born 1933)

Sir Robert William Robson was an English football player and coach. His career included periods playing for and later managing the England national team and being a UEFA Cup-winning manager at Ipswich Town.

2009

Harry Alan Towers

English-Canadian screenwriter and producer (born 1920)

Harry Alan Towers was a British radio and independent film producer and screenwriter. He wrote numerous screenplays for the films he produced, often under the pseudonym Peter Welbeck. He produced over 80 feature films…

2009

Mollie Hunter

Scottish author and playwright (born 1922)

Maureen Mollie Hunter McIlwraith was a Scottish writer known as Mollie Hunter. She wrote fantasy for children, historical stories for young adults, and realistic novels for adults. Many of her works are inspired by…

2012

Alfredo Ramos

Brazilian footballer and coach (born 1924)

Alfredo Ramos Castilho, was a Brazilian footballer in the defense role. He was simply known as Alfredo or Polvo by fans.

2012

Gore Vidal

American novelist, screenwriter, and critic (born 1925)

Eugene Luther Gore Vidal was an American writer and public intellectual known for his cynical epigrammatic wit. His novels and essays criticized the social and sexual norms he perceived as driving American life. Vidal…

2012

Tony Sly

American musician, singer-songwriter (born 1970)

Anthony James Sly was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the lead singer and lead guitarist of the punk rock band No Use for a Name. In his later years he also gained attention for his acoustic…

2012

Michael Ansara

Syrian-American actor (born 1922)

Michael George Ansara was a Syrian‐American actor. He was often cast in Arab and Native American roles. His work in both film and television spanned several genres, including historical epics, Westerns, and science…

2013

Michel Donnet

English-Belgian general and pilot (born 1917)

Michel G. L. "Mike" Donnet, was a Belgian pilot who served in the Belgian Army and British Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He shot down four enemy aircraft confirmed, and achieved the RAF rank of wing…

2013

John Graves

American captain and author (born 1920)

John Alexander Graves III was an American writer known for his book Goodbye to a River.

2013

Trevor Storer

English businessman, founded Pukka Pies (born 1930)

Trevor Storer was a British businessman and founder of the Pukka Pies company in 1963, which was originally called Trevor Storer's Home Made Pies. He was the author of Bread Salesmanship, which became the training…

2013

Warren Bennis

American scholar, author, and academic (born 1925)

Warren Gamaliel Bennis was an American scholar, organizational consultant and author, widely regarded as a pioneer of the contemporary field of Leadership studies. Bennis was University Professor and Distinguished…

2014

Nabarun Bhattacharya

Indian journalist and author (born 1948)

Nabarun Bhattacharya was an Indian writer who wrote in the Bengali language. He was born at Berhampore, West Bengal. He was the only child of actor and playwright Bijon Bhattacharya and writer and activist Mahashweta…

2014

Jeff Bourne

English footballer (born 1948)

Jeffrey Albert Bourne was an English footballer who played as a striker. Born in Linton, Derbyshire, he spent most of his early career in the lower English divisions before moving to the United States, where he played…

2014

Wilfred Feinberg

American lawyer and judge (born 1920)

Wilfred Feinberg was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and previously was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern…

2014

Alan Cheuse

American writer and critic (born 1940)

Alan Stuart Cheuse was an American writer, editor, professor of literature, and radio commentator. A longtime NPR book commentator, he was also the author of five novels, five collections of short stories and novellas,…

2015

Howard W. Jones

American surgeon and academic (born 1910)

Howard Wilbur Jones, Jr. was an American gynecological surgeon and in vitro fertilization (IVF) specialist. Jones and his wife, Georgeanna Seegar Jones, were two of the earliest reproductive medicine specialists in the…

2015

Billy Pierce

American baseball player and sportscaster (born 1927)

Walter William Pierce was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball between 1945 and 1964 who played most of his career for the Chicago White Sox. He was the team's star pitcher in the decade from 1952 to…

2015

Roddy Piper

Canadian wrestler and actor (born 1954)

Roderick George Toombs, known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor.

2015

Richard Schweiker

American soldier and politician, 14th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (born 1926)

Richard Schultz Schweiker was an American businessman and politician who served as the 14th U.S. secretary of health and human services under President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1983. A member of the Republican Party,…

2015

Chiyonofuji Mitsugu

Japanese sumo wrestler, the 58th Yokozuna (born 1955)

Chiyonofuji Mitsugu , born Mitsugu Akimoto , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler and the 58th yokozuna of the sport.

2016

Seymour Papert

South African mathematician (born 1928)

Seymour Aubrey Papert was a South African-born American mathematician, computer scientist, and educator, who spent most of his career teaching and researching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was one of…

2016

Jeanne Moreau

French actress (born 1928)

Jeanne Moreau was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française.

2017

Tony Bullimore

British sailor & businessman (born 1939)

Tony Bullimore was a British businessman and international yachtsman. During the 1996–97 Vendée Globe solo round-the-world yacht race, his vessel lost its keel and capsized in the Southern Ocean. He survived for four…

2018

Harold Prince

Broadway producer and director, who received more Tony awards than anyone else in history (born 1928)

Harold Smith Prince, commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theater director and producer known for his work in musical theater.

2019

Alan Parker

English filmmaker (born 1944)

Sir Alan William Parker was an English film director, screenwriter and producer. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After about ten years…

2020

Fidel V. Ramos

12th President of the Philippines (born 1928)

Fidel Valdez Ramos, popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military officer to reach…

2022

Bill Russell

NBA Hall of Fame player and coach (born 1934)

William Felton Russell was an American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was the centerpiece of the Celtics…

2022

Angus Cloud

American actor (born 1998)

Conor Angus Cloud Hickey was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Fezco O'Neill in the HBO drama series Euphoria (2019–2022), and had roles in the films North Hollywood (2021), The Line (2023), Abigail…

2023

Paul Bucha

United States Army Medal of Honor recipient (born 1943)

Paul William Bucha was an American Vietnam War veteran and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. He was a foreign policy adviser to Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.

2024

Ismail Haniyeh

Palestinian politician, political leader of Hamas (born 1962/1963)

Ismail Haniyeh was a Palestinian politician who served as third chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from May 2017 until his assassination in July 2024. He also served as the prime minister of the Palestinian National…

2024

Notable deaths

Who died on July 31?

Andrew Johnson — President of the United States from 1865 to 1869

FeaturedAndrew Johnson

Death year1875

Known forThe 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln

Deaths on this date90 (54 BC – 2024)

Explore July 31

Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.

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Also on July 31 in History

2014

Gas explosions in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung kill at least 20 people and injure more than 270. Wikipedia →

2012

Michael Phelps breaks the record set in 1964 by Larisa Latynina for the most medals won at the Olympics. Wikipedia →

2008

East Coast Jets Flight 81 crashes near Owatonna Degner Regional Airport in Owatonna, Minnesota, killing all eight people on board. Wikipedia →

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1875 — Andrew Johnson

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