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Theodore Dehone Judah (March 4, 1826–November 2, 1863) was an American engineer who dreamed of the First Transcontinental Railroad and launched the Central Pacific Railroad

Contents 1 Early history 2 Railroad accomplishments 3 Early death 3.1 Historical analysis 4 References 5 See also 6 External links

He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Judah studied engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute after his family moved to Troy, New York.

Theodore Judah was known as "Crazy Judah" because of his single-minded passion for driving a railroad through the wall of mountains known as the Sierra Nevada, something that was considered impossible by many at the time. Failing to raise funds in San Francisco, he was successful in signing up four Sacramento merchants--the "Big Four" who actually built the Central Pacific. They were Leland Stanford, Collis P. Huntington, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker.

As the chief engineer of the Central Pacific Railroad, he surveyed the route over the Sierra Nevadas along which the railroad was eventually built during the 1860s. His tireless lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C., and those of his wife Anna, were also largely responsible for the passage of the 1862 Pacific Railroad Act, which authorized construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad. Judah broke with the Big Four who bought him out in 1863; they put Crocker in charge of construction. Construction was completed in 1869, but only a small part of the railroad followed Judah's plans.

Theodore died of Yellow Fever (Panama Fever, as it was also known). He caught the disease while taking a boat trip with his wife back to New York City during his land crossing of the Isthmus of Panama. He was going to New York in an effort to find alternative financing to buy out The Big Four investors.

The CP generally ignored Judah, though it did name one of its steam locomotives (CP No. 4) after him. Ironically, the 19 ton locomotive, already bearing his name, crossed paths with Judah on his fateful trip to New York.

There are schools named after Judah, and a memorial plaque dedicated to him stands in Folsom, California.

Within days of his death, the Central Pacific's first locomotive Gov. Stanford, made its first trial run over the new railroad's first 500 feet of track.

Historians have been sharply divided over his legacy. There is no disagreement that he was an incurable optimist who popularized the remarkable plan of building a transcontinental railroad, convinced the Big Four to finance it, and was instrumental in securing Congressional passage of the 1862 law.

Some historians speculate that if he had been in charge the political situation of the late 19th century would have been less corrupt, but they have no evidence one way or the other. These historians tend to agree with Judah's allegations that Judah stood for quality, whereas the Big Four were more interested in speedy development at maximum profit to themselves.

Many historians, however, agree with the Big Four that Judah was a brilliant visionary but a careless engineer--an astonishingly good promoter, but not a builder. When he left the project, only a short section of track not even a mile in length had been laid. They argue that Judah was an obstacle by 1863, not an asset.

• Ambrose, Stephen E. (2000). Nothing Like It In The World; The men who built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-84609-8. 
• David Haward Bain, Empire Express: Building the First Transcontinental Railroad (2000)
• John Debo Galloway; The First Transcontinental Railroad: Central Pacific, Union Pacific (1950)
• Theodore Henry Hittell, History of California (1898) vol 4
• White, John H., Jr., (Spring 1986), America's most noteworthy railroaders, Railroad History, The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, 154, p. 9-15.

• California and the railroads

• http://www.engineeringsuccess.com/Career/Biography/Biographies.asp
• Route N Judah – San Francisco MUNI Route
• San Francisco MUNI: N – Judah
• http://www.bushong.net/dawn/about/college/ids100/biographies.shtml
• In Memoriam: Theodore D. Judah, CPRR Chief Engineer. Died November 2, 1863.
• Theodore Judah at Find-A-Grave