Whitcomb L. Judson was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 machine salesman, mechanical engineer and inventor.
Judson was born about 1839 in Chicago, Illinois. He was in Illinois according to the 1860 census and served in the Union army. He enlisted in 1861 at Oneida, Illinois

Oneida, Illinois

Oneida is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The population was 750 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Oneida is located at ....

 in the Forty-Second Illinois Cavalry. Judson attended Knox College in his hometown Galesburg, Illinois

Galesburg, Illinois

Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County....

. He was found in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

, in 1886. In 1886 and 1887 the Minneapolis city directory identifies Judson as a "traveling agent" — a traveling salesman

Vendor (supply chain)

A vendor, or a supplier, is a supply chain management term meaning anyone who provides goods or services to a company. A vendor often manufactures inventoriable items, and sells those items to a customer.- History :...

 working probably for Pitts Agicultural Works.