- Jan 10 Karl Freiherr von Müffling, Prussian field marshal, dies at 75
- Jan 12 Johan Herman Koekkoek, painter, dies at 72
- Jan 19 Esteban Echeverría, Argentine writer (b. 1805)
John James Audubon
Jan 27 John James Audubon, American ornithologist and painter (The Birds Of America), dies at 65

John James Audubon
Mary Shelley
Feb 1 Mary Shelley, English novelist (Frankenstein), dies of a brain tumour at 53

Mary Shelley

Hans Christian Ørsted
- Mar 11 George McDuffie, Governor of South Carolina (b. 1790)
- May 17 Adriaan van Bevervoorde, Dutch journalist (Treason), dies at 31
- May 22 Mordecai Manuel Noah, American writer, journalist (b. 1755)
- May 23 Lucas Pieter Roodbaard, architect, dies at 69
- May 24 Stanko Vraz [Jakob Frass], Slovenian-Croatian poet (Grammatica), dies at 40
- Jul 5 Juanita, Mexican, lynched by California gold diggers
- Jul 6 Thomas Davenport, American inventor (invented 1st commercial electric motor), dies at 48
Louis-Jacques Daguerre
Jul 10 Louis-Jacques Daguerre, French inventor and photographer (daguerreotype), dies at 63

Louis-Jacques Daguerre
James Fenimore Cooper
Sep 14 James Fenimore Cooper, American author (Last of Mohicans), dies of dropsy at 61

James Fenimore Cooper
- Oct 4 Manuel de Godoy, Spanish statesman (b. 1767)
- Oct 19 Marie Thérèse Charlotte (b. 1778)
- Oct 31 Peter II, prince-bishop of Montenegro (1830-51) and poet (The Ray of The Microcosm), dies at 37
- Nov 18 Ernst August, duke of Cumberland/king of Hanover (1837-51), dies at 80
- Nov 26 Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, French marshal, 10th Prime Minister of France, dies at 82
J. M. W. Turner
Dec 19 J. M. W. Turner, English landscape painter (Shipwreck, Rain, Steam & Speed), dies of cholera at 76

J. M. W. Turner