Theodore Wagner
Theodore Wagner was a farmer located east of Dundee, Illinois in the mid-1910s, known to have operated a dairy herd in the area. He appears briefly in the historical record in connection with a reported episode of mental distress during the regional foot and mouth disease crisis of early 1915.
Known Activities
Wagner operated a dairy farm east of Dundee, Illinois during the Progressive Era. In January 1915, he reportedly became overcome with fear that his dairy herd would be infected with foot and mouth disease, a highly contagious livestock illness that was causing widespread alarm among farmers across northern Illinois and the broader Midwest at the time. According to a brief item published in The Day Book (Chicago), Wagner's anxiety reached a point described as a state of insanity — though the precise nature or duration of this episode is not elaborated upon in the available record.
The item was dateline Elgin, Illinois, suggesting the story circulated through regional news channels serving Kane County and the surrounding area.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| January 27, 1915 | The Day Book (Chicago) reports that Theodore Wagner, a farmer east of Dundee, reportedly became mentally distressed through fear of foot and mouth disease infecting his dairy herd. |
- The Day Book (Chicago, Ill.), January 27, 1915, Last Edition, Image 3. Available via Chronicling America, Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83045487/1915-01-27/ed-1/?sp=3 — Brief mention in a local news column dateline Elgin, Illinois.
Theodore Wagner is known from a single contemporaneous source. Further biographical details — including birth, death, property records, or family connections — have not yet been identified. Researchers interested in the 1915 foot and mouth disease outbreak in Kane County may find relevant context in county agricultural records and the Elgin, Illinois newspaper archive.