N.B.: According to Wikipedia, a whistleblower is a person who exposes misconduct, alleged dishonest or illegal activity occurring in an organization. The alleged misconduct may be classified in many ways; for example, a violation of a law, rule, regulation and/or a direct threat to public interest, such as fraud, health and safety violations, and corruption. Whistleblowers may make their allegations internally (for example, to other people within the accused organization) or externally (to regulators, law enforcement agencies, to the media or to groups concerned with the issues).
Whistleblowers frequently face reprisal, sometimes at the hands of the organization or group which they have accused, sometimes from related organizations, and sometimes under law.
Questions about the legitimacy of whistleblowing, the moral responsibility of whistleblowing, and the appraisal of the institutions of whistleblowing are part of the field of political ethics.
1881-1940 - Smedley Butler - General. Most decorated Marine in US history. Outspoken critic of US militarism. Wrote "War is a Racket" in 1935. 
1900
1908-2005 - Joseph Rotblat - Only scientist to leave the Manhattan Project. SecGen of Pugwash Confs 1957-1973. See video.
1992 P 
1995
1921-2014 - Otis Pike - Congressman & columnist. Promoted govt. economy & led first probe into privacy abuses of US intelligence agencies. Princeton 1943. 
1926-Alive - Alexander Butterfield - Deputy assistant to President Richard Nixon 1969-73. Revealed tapes during the Watergate scandal. Later became FAA administrator.
1931-Alive - Daniel Ellsberg - US military analyst. Leaked the Pentagon Papers about the Viet Nam War in 1971. 
2006
1938-Alive - Lilly Ledbetter - Plaintiff in employment discrimination case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Later became women's equality activist.
1942-Alive - Jeffrey Wigand - Told CBS' 60 Minutes in 1996 that Brown & Williamson intentionally increased nicotine in cigarettes. Husband of Hope Elizabeth May (qv).
1946-1974 -
Karen Silkwood - Plutonium worker & labor union activist. Raised health & safety concerns at Kerr-McGee plant in California. Died mysteriously at age 28. 
1947-Alive - Ann Wright - Peace activist. One of only three US Foreign Service Officers to resign over the war in Iraq. 
1950
1954-Alive - Mordechai Vanunu - Nuclear technician. Revealed Israeli nuclear program in 1986. CND headquarters named for him in London. 
1987
1957-Alive -
Thomas Drake - Senior executive of US National Security Agency. Challenged the secret Trailblazer Project. Charged with mishandling documents (espionage).
1960-Alive - Erin Brockovich - Legal clerk & environmental activist.
Built a case against the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. in 1993. Subject of a film that shares her story & name.
c1960-Alive - John H. Brown - Writer & teacher. One of only three US Foreign Service Officers to resign over the war in Iraq.
c1960-Alive - John Brady Kiesling - Writer & lecturer. One of only three US Foreign Service Officers to resign over the war in Iraq.
c1962-Alive - Laura Poitras - Filmmaker. Made films about Iraq, Guantanemo & Edward Snowden (qv). Now part of First Look Media. 
1964-Alive - Daniel L. Davis - US Army Lt.Col. Led one-man campaign to show Afganistan war going disastrously & senior officers not leveling with US public. 
1964-Alive -
John Kiriakou - CIA analyst & case officer. First US official to confirm (in December 2007) waterboarding used to interrogate Al Qaeda prisoners. Now exposing prison abuse.
1967-Alive -
Glenn Greenwald - Journalist, blogger & author. Columnist for Guardian US 2012-2013. Publicized security leaks by Edward Snowden (qv). 
1968-Alive -
Joshua Key - US Army deserter. Wrote "The Deserter's Tale" exposing vandalism, murder & sexual abuse by US troops in Iraq. Now in Canada. 
c1970-Alive -
Joseph Hickman - US Army Staff Sergeant. Reveiled 3 Guantanamo detainees (reported as suicides in 2006) actually died under torture. Wrote "Murder at Camp Delta." 
1971-Alive - Julian Assange - Journalist. Co-founded WikiLeaks in 2006. Published US military & diplomatic documents leaked by Chelsea Manning (qv). Now in Ecuador Embassy in London.
1972-Alive - Hervé Falciani - Franco-Italian systems engineer. Exposed more than 130,000 suspected tax evaders with Swiss bank accounts, specifically in HSBC.
Year?-Alive - Michael Winston - Bank executive. Exposed subprime lending practices at giant Countrywide Financial Corp in 2005, then hounded in court.
1975
1983-Alive - Edward Snowden - Computer expert for CIA & NSA. Disclosed top secret US & UK mass surveillance programs in 2013. Fled via Hong Kong to Russia. 
1986-2013 -
Aaron Swartz - Computer programmer, writer, archivist, political organizer & Internet activist. Campaigned for freedom of information. Suicide at age 26. 
1987-Alive - Chelsea Manning - US Army. Né Bradley. Leaked largest ever set of classified documents to WikiLeaks (pub. Apr-Nov 2010). Received IPB & USPM peace prizes in 2013.
