- Jan 11 Sir Stuart Donaldson, first Premier of the Colony of New South Wales (b. 1812)
- Jan 12 Victor Cousin, French philosopher and educational reformer, dies at 74
- Jan 14 Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, French painter (Valpincon Bather), dies at 86
- Jan 28 John J. Pettus, American politician, Confederate governor (D-Miss, 1859-63), dies at 53
- Jan 30 Emperor Kōmei of Japan (1846-67), dies of smallpox at 35
- Feb 2 Forceythe Willson, American poet (The Old Sergeant), dies at 29
- Feb 5 Salomon Munk, German Jewish French oriental scholar, published Arabic edition of Maimounides, dies at 63
- Feb 23 George Thomas Smart, English composer and conductor (Covent Garden), dies at 90
- Mar 2 French-Andries Durlet, Belgian sculptor and architect, dies at 50
- Mar 6 Artemus Ward [Charles Farrar Browne], American humorist (considered to be America's first stand-up comedian), dies at 32
- Mar 16 Benjamin Hanby, composer, dies at 33
- Mar 18 Wiktor Każyński, Polish composer, dies at 54
- Mar 22 Ferdinando Giorgetti, Italian composer, dies at 70
- Mar 25 Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge, German chemist (Chinoline), dies at 72
- Apr 18 Robert Smirke, English architect, dies at 86
- Apr 19 Robert Smirke, British architect, dies
- Apr 22 Alexander Petrov, Russian chess player, writer (first great Russian chess master), dies at 73
- Apr 29 Cadwalader Ringgold, American Commander (Union Navy), dies at 64
- May 12 Friedrich William Eduard Gerhard, German archaeologist (b. 1795)
- May 23 Archibald Alison, Scottish historian, dies at 74
- May 27 Thomas Bulfinch, American mythologist (Bulfinch's Mythology), dies at 70
- Jun 1 Karl von Staudt, German mathematician (projective geometry), dies at 69
Maximilian I (1832-1867)
Jun 19 Austrian archduke and the 1st and only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire (1864-67), executed by firing squad in Querétaro, Querétaro at 34
- Jun 22 Leopold Marquard, South African clergyman, missionary and educationist, dies at 80
- Jul 26 King Otto of Greece (1832-62), dies in exile at 52
- Aug 3 Philipp August Böckh, German scholar and antiquarian (b. 1785)
- Aug 10 Ira Aldridge, famed African-American Shakespearean actor (Othello, Shylock), dies at 63 [1]
- Aug 14 Nicola Benvenuti, Italian composer, dies at 84
- Aug 21 Juan Álvarez, Mexican revolutionary leader (President of Mexico 1855), dies at 77
- Aug 23 Auguste-Marseille Barthélemy, French poet (b. 1796)
Michael Faraday (1791-1867)
Aug 25 English scientist discovered electromagnetic induction, invented 1st electric motor, dies at 75
- Aug 31 Charles-Pierre Baudelaire, French poet and translator (Les Fleurs du mal), dies at 46
- Sep 1 Edward Hodges, English organist and composer, dies at 71
- Sep 5 Santiago Derqui, Argentinian politician (b. 1809)
- Sep 10 Simon Sechter, Austrian composer and music theorist, dies at 78
- Sep 25 Oliver Loving, American pioneer rancher (b. 1812)
- Sep 29 Sterling "Old Pap" Price, American lawyer, U.S. Army Brigadier General and politician (11th Governor of Missouri), dies at 58
Elias Howe (1819-1867)
Oct 3 American inventor (invented sewing machine), dies at 48
- Oct 4 Francis Xavier Seelos German-American Roman Catholic priest (b. 1819)
- Oct 5 Thomas Täglichsbeck, German violinist and composer, dies at 67
- Oct 10 Ignacy Feliks Dobrzynski, composer, dies at 60
- Oct 16 Salomon Judah Rappoport, Galician-Czech rabbi and scholar (Ereg miliem), dies at 77
- Oct 26 John Fawcett, English composer, dies at 77
- Oct 30 John Albion Andrew, American politician (25th Governor of Massachusetts), dies at 49
Domitila de Castro (1797-1867)
Nov 3 Brazilian noblewoman and mistress of Pedro I, dies at 69
- Nov 3 Pieter J Jong, Dutch Zouave, dies in battle
- Nov 13 Adolphe Napoleon Didron, French archaeologist, dies at 61
- Nov 28 John Drake Sloat, 1st Military Governor of California (Union Navy), dies at 86
- Dec 6 Giovanni Pacini, Italian opera composer (Saffo), and educator, dies at 71
- Dec 6 Jean Pierre Flourens, French physiologist, dies at 73
- Dec 7 Rudolf Viole, German pianist and composer, dies at 42
- Dec 10 Sakamoto Ryōma, Japanese samurai and anti-shogunate revolutionary, assassinated at 31
- Dec 19 Jean-Georges Kastner, French composer, dies at 57
- Dec 22 Jean-Victor Poncelet, French mathematician and engineer who was one of the founders of modern projective geometry, dies at 79
- Dec 22 Théodore Rousseau, French painter, dies at 55
Assassination
Car Crash
Hanging
Killed in Action
Plane Crash
Poisoning