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Wm. Judson Is Dead

Wm. Judson Is Dead image
Parent Issue
Day
7
Month
August
Year
1903
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Well Known Citizen Answers Sudden Summons

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AFFECTION OF THE HEART

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Caused Death - A Great Shock to the Community - Sketch of His Life

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The report that Hon. Wm. Judson had died suddenly of heart failure came as a great shock to everybody in the city. It was not even known to most people that he was in the least indisposed. But it seems he had on Monday complained of pains in the region of the heart and consulted Dr. Lynds who prescribed for him. He, however, spent the day at Whitmore Lake and seemed in his usual spirits. Tuesday morning he was down town and about the streets without any premonition of the sudden termination in store for him. He ate his supper as usual and sat down to read the evening papers. In the early evening he felt a return of the pains about his heart and retired, and Mrs. Judson again called Dr. Lynds. As the doctor  was not at home, Dr. Belser was summoned, but before he arrived Mr. Judson was dead. Mrs. Judson appeared to sense the danger her husband was in and before the doctor arrived, becoming greatly alarmed, called in William Arnold, Jr., a neighbor. When he arrived Mr. Judson was unconscious and he died a few minutes before 9 o'clock.

Mr. Judson was born Oct. 13, 1842, in Sylvan township, his father being William Judson, who had immigrated from Lincoinshire, England, and his mother, Jane, from Ireland. All the education he received was in the district school in his town. He left home when 17 years of age, going to work at $5 a month for the first year, $7 per month the second, and $12 a month the third. He then worked for Whedon & Hatch of Chelsea, for three years receiving $300, $400 and $600 a year respectively. He then became a drover and continued in this occupation until 1894. 

Mr. Judson has held a number of public positions and was state oil inspector at the time of his death. He served two terms as township treasurer of Sylvan township and two terms as trustee of the village of Chelsea. He was postmaster of Chelsea under President Harrison and served three years and nine months. He was elected sheriff of Washtenaw in the republican landslide of 1894 and re-elected in 1896. Governor Pingree appointed him state inspector of illuminating oils in 1896 which place he has held every since. He has been active in political matters and has attended every county and state convention of his party during the past twenty five years as a delegate. The bitter factional contests which have raged around Mr. Judson as the leader of his party in Washtenaw and the state during the past eight of ten years are too fresh in the memory of all to call for reiteration at this time.

Mr. Judson was married in 1866 to Miss Fannie I. Morton, who with a son and daughter, Arthut G. Judson and Mrs. John Schlee, survive him.

Mr. Judson was a man of warm impulses, strong friendships and equally strong enmities. He was a kind husband and father and a good neighbor. He will be greatly missed in the community and in the state at large.

Mr. Judson was a strong man in many respects, and his followers were the workers in the ranks. he made himself enemies, it is true, but the intensity of their hostility was equaled by the loyalty of his friends, through which he defeated every effort to dethrone him. 

He was never a talker, but a worker. He was not strong as a vote getter himself, but his fort lay in securing delegates and manipulating conventions.

He was the only republican sheriff of Washtenaw since 1866, but in 1894, that year of republican landslides, he was by no means the highest man on the ticket. In 1896 the vote was so close on sheriff as to cause a recount. To him was due the feud which for some years has split the republican party of Washtenaw. But he was always able to win success at the primaries. In this kind of work he was certainly a past master. His success in getting a Pingree delegation from Washtenaw county had much to do with the nomination of Pingree in the hot fight in the Grand Rapids convention of 1896, where his excellent political judgment had much influence on the result. 

He was for Stearns in 1900 and went to the Grand Rapids convention with a solid delegation, btu there was also a protesting delegation. The same protest made its appearance in the compressional and senatorial conventions at that time, but Judson won out. He was shrewd enough when it became apparent that Stearns could not be nominated for governor to swing over to Bliss and thus retain his state office against the opposition of many of the leading republicans of Washtenaw.

His greatest prestige, probably, as a state leader was won through the resolution which eh and W. W. Wedemeyer got through the Grand Rapids convention of last August endorsing R. A. Alger for senator. There was much and powerful opposition to the scheme. General Alger himself was at first opposed to it. There was a caucus on teh matter on the eve of teh convention, lasting until early in the morning, and Judson insisted that such a resolution could be carried, as he had been all over the state and knew the temper of the delegates. He finally won against the opposing advice of many clever politicians. When Gen. Alger decided to take Judson's judgment as correct, the latter went out to make good his conception of the situation, and he won, after a bitter fight. This made Alger senator. 

It is probable that the defection of W. W. Wedemeyer and Gen. Fred W. Green last spring grieved Judson more than any other happening during his stormy political career. They had been lieutenants upon whose support often more depended than possibly even Judson himself was willing to admit. But even this did not lead to his retirement from official position at the end of his term as oil inspector, as many thought it would. And it was generally believed that there would be a federal position awaiting him when he did ultimately retire from the oil inspectorship. 

There was probably no man in the state with keener knowledge of practical politics than he. He understood as few do the influences which control the political primaries and eh made the most of this knowledge. He knew how to attach men to him who would follow his leadership anywhere. Had he lived, therefore, he would have had to be reckoned with for some years to come. Mr. Judson's remains will be taken to Chelsea, this morning for burial, the funeral being held at 10 o'clock.