Fitzgerald S. Hudson

b. 23 July 1924, d. 9 May 2003
  • Fitzgerald S. Hudson was born on 23 July 1924 in Montgomery, Alabama.
  • He was known as Jerry.
  • Holt Harrison Hudson and Elizabeth G. Graff appeared in the US federal census of 1 April 1930 in Montgomery, Alabama, at 1005 South Court Street. Other members of the household included Fitzgerald S. Hudson, Margaret L. Hudson and Holt Harrison Hudson Jr.
  • Holt Harrison Hudson and Elizabeth G. Graff appeared in the US federal census of 1 April 1940 in Montgomery, Alabama, at 5 South Court Street. Other members of the household included Fitzgerald S. Hudson. also in the household were two female lodgers. one of whom was employed as the tourist home housekeeper.
  • He married Meriwether Lewis Wright.
  • Fitzgerald S. Hudson died on 9 May 2003 at age 78 in Montgomery, Alabama.
  • The following appeared on 12 May 2003 in The Charlotte Observer: Fitzgerald S. Hudson, longtime owner and CEO of the international surety bond brokerage Collier Cobb & Associates, died of stroke complications Friday May 9 in Montgomery, Alabama. Mr. Hudson began work with Collier Cobb in 1950 and was instrumental in building the company into the largest insurance agency focused on the construction industry. The Hudson family sold the agency in 1990 and it is now part of the Willis Group.
         Jerry Hudson was born in Montgomery July 23, 1924. His parents were Holt Harrison and Elizabeth Graff Hudson. Mr. Hudson joined the US Marines in 1943, and served during World War II and the Korean War, retiring as a Captain. He attended Auburn and Duke Universities, graduating from Duke University in 1946 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. In 1966, he completed the Executive Program in Business Administration at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
         Mr. Hudson served on the Duke University Board of Trustees from 1978 through 1991 and as chairman from 1988 through 1991. Significant projects during his tenure as chair were the retention of Dr. Keith Brodie as president and later the hiring of Nan Keohane as Brodie's successor. Hudson led successful Duke capital campaigns in the Eighties and Nineties. The Duke Engineering School building was renamed "Hudson Hall" in his honor.
         Jerry Hudson was also an experienced pilot and a thirty-year trustee of the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association (AOPA). He enjoyed field sports such as shooting, fishing and fox hunting. He was a Joint Master of Foxhounds with the Moore County Hounds in Southern Pines, NC and an active conservationist. As a longtime director of North Carolina's Walthour-Moss Foundation, he helped create and preserve extensive conservation easements in the Moore County area for equestrian and naturalist pursuits. Mr. Hudson maintained a beloved home on Mt. Desert Island in Maine and was a pillar of the summer community there. In recent years, he spent most of his time at his ranch in Pike Road, Alabama.
         Jerry Hudson knew no stranger, counted "thousands of close friends" worldwide and is badly missed by his family and friends. His Collier Cobb employees loved and admired him and the feelings were mutual. Family and friends will gather for Visitation at Mr. Hudson's house in Pike Road on Tuesday May 13 between five o'clock and 8 PM. A private memorial service is planned for 11:00 AM Wednesday May 14, 2003 at Grace Episcopal Church in Mt. Meigs, Alabama. Donations in memoriam can be sent to Friends of Acadia National Park in Mt. Desert Island, Maine or the Montgomery Historical Society.
  • The following appeared on 25 May 2003 in The Chapel Hill News: Fitzgerald S. "Jerry" Hudson, former chairman of the Duke University board of trustees and namesake of the Duke Engineering School's oldest building, died of complications from a stroke May 9, in Montgomery, Ala. He was 78.
         As chairman from 1988 to 1991, Hudson helped secure funding for the $80 million Levine Science Research Center, along with other capital fund-raising campaigns. In 1992, a building in the engineering school, known affectionately as "Old Red," was renamed Hudson Hall in his honor.
         He completed the executive program in business administration at UNC-Chapel Hill, then began working for international surety bond brokerage, Collier Cobb & Associates of Chapel Hill in 1950, eventually becoming owner and chief executive officer. In 1990, the Hudson family sold the agency.
         A private memorial service was held May 14 in Mount Meigs, Ala.
         Survivors include three sons, Chris Hudson and Fitz Hudson, both of Charlotte and William B. Hudson of Tiburon, Calif; a daughter, Meriwether Morris of Upperco, Md; and eight grandchildren.
         Donations may be made to Friends of Acadia National Park, to the attention of Kelly Dickson, P.O. Box 45 Bar Harbor, Maine 04609; or the Montgomery Historical Society, 512 S. Court St., Montgomery, Ala. 36104.
  • Last Edited: 28 Jun 2014

Family: Meriwether Lewis Wright b. 27 October 1927, d. 1 January 2004