People's Pilot, Volume 2, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 December 1892 — ORANGE JUDD IS DEAD. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ORANGE JUDD IS DEAD.

The WeU-Known Editor and Phllanthro. plat Peases Away at Chicago. Chicago, Dec. 28. —Orange Judd, editor of the Orange Judd Farmer, a man whose name is a household word in nearly rrery rural home in the country, died suddenly at 5 am. Tuesday at his home in Evanston. Fridays last Mr. Judd visited his office on Dearborn street and returned home feeling quite well and expecting to spend a merry Christmas. But in the evening he had a very severe hemorrhage,

which was followed by Another and much worse one Monday, resulting in death. Although over 70 years of age, Mr, Judd was, apparently, up to the last week hale and hearty, doing a great deal of work both in Chicago and Evanston for the publication bearing his name. During the past year, however, he suffered from throat trouble, which affected him a little at times, but death was in no wise due to this. [Mr. Judd was born July 26, 1822, in a pioneer’s log cabin near Niagara Falls, then on the western border of civilization, and grew up a hard-working farmer’s son, thus gaining valuable experience and preparation for his life work. When near his majority Mr. Judd left the farm to prepare for college, working his way through his entire schooling and refusing all help from home. In April, 1853, Mr. Judd set out for Chicago, with the view of making this a central point for improving agriculture in the greatest agricultural region in the world, the Mississippi valley, extending from the Alleghenies to the Rocky mountains and from Canada to Mexico. While passing through New York on his journey westward he accidentally met the publisher of a small monthly sheet, the American Agriculturist, whose editor and publisher had gone into the manufacture of agricultural implements. He made Mr. Judd a tempting offer to remain and edit the paper for three months and “go west” later in the season. Subsequently Mr. Allen presented the journal to Mr. Judd, adding a large bonus in the way of printing office and materials. The paper became a powerful and influential sheet and was in one sense the founder of agricultural journalism as now existing. From 1855 to 1863 Mr. Judd held the position of agricultural editor of the New York Times. During 1863 he served with the United States sanitary commission at Gettysburg, and then with the army of the Potomac from the Rapidan to Petersburg. When Mr. Judd had recovered from the effects of thKasar he, in 1873, organized his entire business into a stock company. The great financial panic of 1873 was the beginning of Mr. Judd’s misfortunes. The mismanagement of those left in charge of the business and the scheming of others to get possession of it caused him much trouble. Heavy financial losses followed and in 1883 Mr. Judd suffered from a sunstroke, and was for months incapacitated for business. During this time the last of his property was swept away. After recovering from his sickness he came to Chicago with his sons, thinking the west the best place for them to begin their life work. During the last eight years Mr. Judd had lived in Evanston, with his son’s aid conducting his agricultural paper. His has been the hand upon the “rocking stone” to many and varied movements for the advance of civilization. He it was who originated the international Sunday school lesson system and the crop reporting percentage system now used by the government and state bureaus. He was the “agricultural member” on the United States board of Indian commissioners, organized during Gen. Grant’s term as president. In 1859 Mr. Judd bought up the plates and copyrights of nearly all the agricultural and horticultural books of the country and, destroying some, took the better ones as a basis and established the chief agricultural book publishing house in America, a corporation still continued under his name. In 1857 he sent to Europe and imported a quantity of sorghum seed and distributed it free. This seed was the foundation of the sorghum industry in this country.]

ORANGE JUDD.