A list of famous vegetarians from the world of politics, science, entertainment, sport and art.
Political leaders
Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1948) – Indian nationalist and politician. Gandhi advocated ahimsa – non-violent protest for Indian self-determination. He was also a committed vegetarian, arguing the principle of ahimsa should be applied to animals.
Benjamin Franklin (1705 – 1790) Diplomat, political activist and inventor, who discovered electricity and invented the Franklin stove. Franklin wrote in his autobiography that he became a vegetarian when he was 16 years old. “Flesh eating is unprovoked murder.” – B. Franklin.
Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865) President of the US during the American civil war. Although there is no hard evidence he was vegetarian, he expressed his desire for animal rights. “I am in favour of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being”
Bill Clinton (1946 – ) US President (1992-2000) After health scares in the late 2000s, Clinton made the switch to veganism saying he changed his diet for health reasons.
Sporting Vegetarians
Bill Pearl (1930 – ) Legendary body-builder and winner of numerous competitions, including ‘Mr Universe’ Five times. Pearl adopted a vegetarian diet at 39, dispelling myths meat was needed to be a bodybuilder.
Scientists
Thomas Edison (1847 – 1931)
Edison filed over 1,000 patents during his life and made many inventions commercially viable. He was a vegetarian saying – “Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.”
Steve Jobs (1955 – 2011) Steve Jobs was the co-founder of Apple Computers, and a leading exponent of the personal computer revolution. Jobs was a long time vegetarian and health food advocate.
Spiritual figures
Mahavira (540 BCE–468 BCE) Mahavira was an important propagator and reformer of Jainism. He helped to spread the Jain religion of non-violence across India. A key principle of Jainism is non-violence and Jains go out of their way to avoid hurting other sentient beings, even insects. They are strict vegetarians.
Pythagoras (c. 570 BC – c 495 BC) Greek philosopher, spiritual leader and mathematician. Pythagoras led a secret mystical school. He advocated vegetarianism and believed human souls could reincarnate in animals and vice versa.
William Booth (1829 – 1912) – founder of the Salvation Army. William Booth became a vegetarian and credited his diet with giving him the strength for a vigorous lifestyle and founding the Salvation Army.
14th Dalai Lama. (1935 – ) Leader of the Tibetan Buddhists. The Dalai Lama is a vegetarian. “I was not vegetarian till about five decades ago, but when I saw hens being abused on an animal farm, I decided to become vegetarian,” He has also encouraged others to become vegetarian for health and compassionate reasons.
Sri Chinmoy (1931-2007) Spiritual Teacher born in India and moved to the US in 1964. Famed for his weightlifting feats he accomplished in the last part of his life, Sri Chinmoy was also a strict vegetarian and encouraged his followers to also be vegetarian.
Vegetarian Writers
Socrates (BC) Athenian philosopher, famous for Socratic method “Would this habit of eating animals not require that we slaughter animals that we knew as individuals, and in whose eyes we could gaze and see ourselves reflected, only a few hours before our meal?”
Franz Kafka (1883 – 1924) Existentialist writer. After adopting a vegetarian diet, Kafka stated: “Now I can look at you in peace; I don’t eat you anymore.”
Activists and entertainment
Jane Goodall (1934- ) British Conservationist who has helped to conserve Chimpanzees in the wild. She is also a spokesperson for conservation and animal welfare. Goodall has been a lifelong vegetarian, who shares a close sympathy with animals.
Rosa Parks (1913-2005) – Civil rights activist. Parks precipitated the Montgomery bus boycott (1955) In 2004, she stated she had been a vegetarian for 40 years, partly due to the health benefits.
Brigitte Bardot (1934 – ) Actress, singer and fashion model. She later turned to animal rights activism. In 1986 she became a vegetarian and is a major opponent of the consumption of horse meat.
Linda McCartney (1941-1998) An American musician and photographer. Linda became vegetarian in the 1970s and formed her own company selling vegetarian foods. She has promoted the ethical treatment of animals through supporting organisations like PETA.
Pamela Anderson (1967 – ) Canadian model, actress and animal rights activist. Anderson appeared in an advertisement designed to discourage meat-eating. Anderson’s bikini-clad body was covered in marks that mimic a butcher’s diagram — with parts of her flesh marked up with words like ‘breast,’ ’round,’ and ‘rump.’…
Alicia Silverstone (1976 – ) American actress, tv producer and animal rights activist. She became a vegan in 1998 and has published a book ‘The Kind Diet’ offering guide to vegan cooking.
Ellen DeGeneres (1958 – ) Actress, comedian, and tv host. DeGeneres is a committed animal rights activist and vegan.
Paul McCartney (1942 -) Leading member of the Beatles. Paul McCartney says he became a vegetarian after being on a fishing trip and seeing a fish suffer. His wife, Linda, set up a vegetarian food company. “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.” Paul McCartney
Famous Vegetarians and Their Favorite Recipes
Famous Vegetarians and Their Favorite Recipes at Amazon
Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. “Famous Vegetarians”, Oxford, UK. www.biographyonline.net, 11/02/2013. Last updated, 27 Feb 2018.
Related
Animal rights activists
– Brigitte Bardot, Linda McCartney, Peter Singer and Jeremy Bentham.
