Montenegrin Americans

Montenegrin Americans are Americans who are of Montenegrin origin. Montenegrins are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Montenegro.

Concentrations
The first Montenegrins in America lived primarily in Louisiana and other areas along the southern Mississippi River. Most were oyster fishermen, though some operated farms and businesses. A notable Montenegrin immigrant was Stefan Kojnević (Cognevich), who came to Louisiana in the 1830s and purchased a citrus plantation. In the American Civil War, Cognevich formed a militia unit, called the "Cognevich Company", which was composed of Montenegrin and Serb men in Louisiana, and fought for the Confederate States of America.

Today, these Montenegrins mainly live in the central and eastern United States, much of which is concentrated in New York City and Chicago, and to a lesser extent in Detroit, and recent arrivals from former Yugoslavia in the Los Angeles area.

Montenegrin Americans are found throughout the state of Alaska. About a quarter of all known Montenegrin Americans live in Anchorage. Their presence in Alaska dates back to the gold rushes of the early 20th century. A short-lived newspaper entitled Servian Montenegrin was established at the beginning of 1905 in the town of Douglas, near Juneau.

Arts and entertainment

 * Marina Abramović, performance artist
 * Savo Radulović, painter

Literature

 * Elijah Monte Radlovic
 * Nikola Petanović, writer and philosopher

Film

 * Milla Jovovich, actress
 * Ivan Kraljevic, film director

Politics

 * Michael Anthony Stepovich, former governor of Alaska Territory, 1957-1958 (last appointed governor before statehood).
 * John Dapcevich, former Mayor of Sitka, Alaska
 * Marko Dapcevich, most recent former Mayor of Sitka, Alaska
 * George Perazich, humanitarian

Sports

 * Nick Delpopolo, US wrestler and Olympic Athlete
 * Nicholas Delpopolo, judo
 * Mirsad Huseinovic, soccer player
 * Novo Bojovic, football player
 * Žarko Čabarkapa, NBA player
 * Predrag Drobnjak, NBA player
 * Slavko Vraneš, NBA player
 * Nikola Mirotić, NBA player
 * Nikola Peković, NBA player
 * Nikola Vučević, NBA player
 * Halil Kanacević, basketball player in Europe

Fictional

 * Nero Wolfe

Other

 * Butch Verich, commander