List of people known as the father or mother of something

The following alphabetical lists includes men and women commonly known as the father or mother of something. Whether each of these persons is genuinely the father or mother of this thing is a matter of opinion.

R

• Alexander Radishchev - The father of Russian radicalism
• Vasily Radlov - The father of Turcology
• Ma Rainey - The mother of the blues
• Damrong Rajanubhab - The father of the history of Thailand
• S. R. Ranganathan - The father of library science in India
• Jef Raskin - The father of the Apple Macintosh
• Joe Redington, Sr. - the father of the Iditarod
• Regiomontanus - The father of modern astronomy
• Mikołaj Rej - The father of Polish literature
• Hyman G. Rickover The father of the United States Nuclear Navy
• Louis Riel - The father of Manitoba
• Jimmie Rodgers - The father of country music
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau - The father of Romantic sensibility, of the French Revolution