Edward Cudahy, Jr.
| Edward Aloysius Cudahy Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 22, 1885 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died | January 8, 1966 (aged 80) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Other names | Eddie Cudahy |
| Occupation | Executive |
| Employer | Cudahy Packing Company |
| Known for | Kidnapping, business |
| Title | Chairman of the Board |
| Parent(s) | Edward Cudahy Sr. |
| Relatives |
Patrick Cudahy (uncle) John Cudahy (cousin) Michael Cudahy (first cousin, once removed) |
Edward Aloysius Cudahy Jr. (August 22, 1885 - January 8, 1966), also known as Eddie Cudahy, was kidnapped on December 18, 1900 in Omaha, Nebraska. Edward Cudahy Sr. was the wealthy owner of the Cudahy Packing Company, which helped build the to world renown through the 1950s. The kidnapping caused a national uproar after Cudahy Sr. paid ransom for the return of his son, and made the kidnapper, Pat Crowe, a popular author, lecturer and actor for a brief period. The Cudahy case is said to have influenced many succeeding kidnappings, including those of the Lindbergh baby, Bobby Greenlease, and Marion Parker.
On the evening of December 18, 1900, 16-year-old Edward Cudahy Jr. left his house to run an errand in his Old Gold Coast neighborhood. As he walked home, a carriage pulled beside him and a man jumped out and grabbed him, pulling him inside. His father, the millionaire owner of Cudahy Packing Company at the , returned from a dinner engagement at 10:30 that evening to discover his son missing. The next morning, the Omaha Bee, the Daily News, and the World-Herald all carried the story across their front pages.
The next morning, Cudahy closed his plant and encouraged his 2,000 workers to look for his son. His competitors did the same, and soon 7,000 people were searching Omaha. At 9:00 am, he received a phone call advising him to search his front yard, where his coachman found a ransom note demanding $25,000.
The kidnapper foresaw the possibility of Cudahy not paying the ransom, and also referred in his note to the most infamous kidnapping case in American history up to that point, which was that of Charley Ross, aged 4, in Philadelphia on July 1, 1874. After being advised by police not to pay the ransom, his father, Christian Ross, a wealthy merchant, never saw his child again. The Cudahy kidnapper noted that Christian Ross regretted for the rest of his life that he took the advice of the police. Their note continued,
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