- Jan 2 Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, Chancellor of the German Empire (1909-17), dies at 64
- Jan 7 Benno Erdmann, German philosopher (Logik I), dies at 69
- Jan 8 Luis Villalba Munoz, composer, dies at 48
- Jan 12 Gervase Elwes, English tenor (b. 1866)
- Jan 18 Adolf von Hildebrand, German sculptor, dies at 73
- Jan 19 William Gunn, English cricket batsman (11 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 102no; Nottinghamshire CCC) and soccer winger (2 caps; Notts County FC), dies at 62
- Jan 22 Captain George Streeter, American riverboat captain and circus owner (b. 1837)
- Jan 23 Wlasyslaw Zelenski, Polish composer, dies at 83
- Jan 25 Mykola Leontovych, Ukrainian composer, dies at 43
- Jan 27 Maurice Buckley, Australian soldier and winner of the Victoria Cross, dies at 29