Covington's William Goebel, and his statute in Frankfort.  A controversial political figure elected Governor of Kentucky;  assassinated January 30, 1900.  More on Goebel is at this site.

The story of Goebel's assassination, from an account written in 1905 is here.  (pdf)

James C. Klotter's William Goebel: The Politics of Wrath is online in its entirety at Google Books.

Literary Digest wrote about Goebel in 1899.

On February 6, 1900, Goebel's dead body lay in state in Covington at the Odd Fellows Hall at 5th and Scott. 100,000 people passed by.

Steve Preston wrote this item at the The Kentucky Tribune's site summarizing Goebel's life.

How Did the First Covington Streets Get Their Names? 

For the first five men to serve as Governors of the State of Kentucky
 

Clement J. Barnhorn
Sculptor (Wikipedia)

Fountain of the Water Nymph, 1903,

“Covington, Ky., - Dec. 5.- The home of John G. Carlisle, this metropolis, is still celebrating his election.  Nineteen tar barrels blazed last evening and threw a lurid glow of Southron victory o’er the cloud curtained sky, visible at a distance of several blocks.  The excitement is intense, and strong men are weeping.” 
New York Times, December 6, 1883

There are two soldiers who are recipients of the US Medal of Honor from Covington, and both achieved the honor in battles against Indians in the American West: 

On August 12, 1881, Thomas Shaw “forced the enemy back after stubbornly holding his ground in an extremely exposed position and prevented the enemy's superior numbers from surrounding his command,” in a battle at Carrizo Canyon, New Mexico. 

Thomas Sullivan was awarded his based on his actions on October 20, 1869 in the Chiricahua Mountains in the Arizona Territory for “gallantry in action against Indians concealed in a ravine.”

George Sperti was born in Covington, and had a home in Ft. Mitchell, even though he was partial to his Boone County farm. He invented Aspercreme, Preparation H, and a method to make orange concentrate.

The Davis Sisters lived in Latonia, and were an early county music duo.  A little more on them here.

Remember Durword Kirby?  He was from Covington.  There's a bio here.  (He was the inspiration for Rocky and Bullwinkle's "Kirwood Derby," about which he was not amused.)

Covington's Una Merkel, was a film actress who starred in many movies from 1930 through 1966. There's a list of her credits and a bio at Wikipedia, and a whole bunch of her movie star pictures, here. She's buried in Highland Cemetery.

John Schlipp wrote about Merkel at the Kentucky Tribune's website, here.

Chester Geaslen has also written about Merkel, here.

From time to time, history gives you one of those magnificent ironies: A compilation of letters from the Kentucky Post of kid's letters to Santa. Including one from a 5-year-old named Haven Gillespie.

This is Marcus Loew. He's one of the most influential men ever in the motion picture industry, and founder of the MGM studios (because he needed content for his large chain of theatres). He originally started in penny arcades in New York, then in Cincinnati. On a walk one day, he wandered into Covington and talked to a Covington house painter wh0 showed films on a sheet in his living room for a nickel. Loew copied the idea, first in Cincinnati, and then in New York. Read Loew's account of the Covington painter here.

The Covington painter was Bromley's George Hackstadt.

The 1878 Biographical Encyclopedia of Kentucky had these Kenton County-related biographies.  (All are pdf's)

From The History of Kentucky, 1929, published by S. J. Clarke.  This book, like the one immediately above, should not be considered to have a definitive list of important people in the county.  More likely, the book was financed by people who paid to have their name included, and wrote their own bio. Caveat Emptor.   (All are pdf's)