Illinois statesman and one of the founders of the Union Stock Yards in Chicago.
1834-1919 | Artist: Robert Wadsworth Grafton (1876-1936)
Impact & Accomplishments
Marquis de Lafayette Funk was named for the French nobleman who served in the Continental Army during America’s War of Independence. Lafayette, as he was known, continued his father Isaac’s livestock interests and became one of the founders of Union Stock Yards in Chicago.
He was elected to the Illinois legislature (1884-1888), was director of the Chicago Fat Stock Show, and served as a commissioner of the World’s Columbian Exposition. Lafayette Funk was also president of both the state Board of Agriculture and the Illinois State Fair.
Lafayette Funk’s portrait is framed in a triptych with two other leaders of Illinois agriculture, John W. Bunn and James Judy.
Did You Know?
From the University of Maryland Digital Collections website: "Five men and one child stand outside the entrance to the Union Stock Yards. The entrance is decorated with various American flags and a sign that says, "WELCOME," Chicago, Illinois, circa 1901-1907."
Now a museum, the Prairie Home was built by LaFayette Funk with timber felled in Funks Grove. It took two and a half years and was completed in January of 1864. Photo credit: Funk Prairie Home Museum
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