Illinois agriculture leader who helped establish the Illinois State Fair and a respected Shorthorn auctioneer.
1822-1916 | Artist: Robert Wadsworth Grafton (1876-1936)
Impact & Accomplishments
James Judy gained his earliest experience conducting livestock auctions in his native state of Kentucky, before moving to Menard County, Illinois, in 1851.
Commander of the 114th Illinois Infantry regiment during the Civil War, Colonel Judy was the most respected Shorthorn auctioneer of his time, crying sales until eighty years of age.
An early president of the Illinois State Board of Agriculture, Judy helped establish the state fair at Springfield. Judy’s portrait is framed in a triptych with two other leaders of Illinois agriculture, John W. Bunn and Lafayette Funk.
Union soldier James W. Judy served in the 114th Illinois Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. Photo courtesy: Shurman Carroll