Glossary · History & People
Theodore Judah
The civil engineer who surveyed the route over the Sierra Nevada and found the investors for the Central Pacific; he died in 1863, six years before the line was finished.
Theodore Dehone Judah (1826–1863) was a central figure in promoting and designing the first transcontinental railroad. As chief engineer he did much of the survey work to find a route over the Sierra Nevada.
He had earlier built the Sacramento Valley Railroad from Sacramento to Folsom. He found the investors for the Central Pacific, but died on November 2, 1863, and the survey work was completed six years after his death.
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Questions people ask
What was Theodore Judah known for?
He was chief engineer and surveyor of the Central Pacific Railroad route over the Sierra Nevada.
Did Judah see the railroad finished?
No. He died in 1863 and the work was completed six years later.
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