John A. Ludington had one of the best known hardware stores in Beltrami County. He conducted a hardware store known as the Builders Hardware and sold shelf and heavy hardware, stoves and ranges, light and heavy iron, wagon stock, wire fencing and rubber goods, ammunition, guns and other sportsmen’s necessaries. The hardware also housed a repair shop, did corrugated iron and tin work of every description, and was equipped to meet all needs connected with this line of business.
John A. Ludington was born in Dallas Co., Iowa in September 1866. He was married to Alice Wallace on May 29, 1890 at Green Mountain, Marshall Co., Iowa. They lived in Minnesota when their two sons were born – Kenneth in Aug 10, 1894 and Ardis Michael, born May 6, 1899. They moved to Bemidji.
By 1900, he was in business as McCuaig and Ludington in The Big Store. In May 1900, he was one of the firms that agreed to stay closed on Sundays during the summer of 1900. On January 15, 1903, one of the boldest robberies that ever took place in Bemidji was perpetrated when Herman Kieser, a farmer living in the town Eckles, took from the warehouse of McCuaig & Ludington a large amount of stuff consisting of 100 pounds of flour, two boxes of soap, 200 pounds of sugar and two sacks of feed. He drove up to the rear of the warehouse just after noon, loaded the stuff into his sleigh and drove away. Robt. Clark, one of the employees of the store, noticed him loading up and supposed that the goods had been purchased, but upon going into the store learned that no such sale had been made. A search was immediately begun and the fellow was found on the street and arrested. A search of the sleigh revealed the fact that he had also called at E. H. Winter & Co.’s warehouse and taken from there two tubs of creamery butter, two sacks of oats and four sacks of feed.
By April 1904, J. A. Ludington was no longer associated with The Big Store, but he had his own business.
J. A. Ludington was elected as a member of the School Board. He was elected mayor for four terms in 1902, 1903, 1904, and 1905, but resigned after only a month of his fourth term.
“At the meeting of the city council last night, a decided surprise was sprung the members in the resignation of Mayor J. A. Ludington, who has served only a month of his fourth term as the city’s chief executive. Mr. Ludington’s resignation was not acted upon last night, but a meeting of the council will be held tomorrow afternoon at 2 o’clock, at which time it will be decided whether or not it will be accepted.
Mayor Ludington was interviewed this morning and he gave several reasons why he wished to retire from the city’s service. He said that of late his hearing, which has been impaired for some time past, has been growing steadily worse and that it would be necessary for him to leave Bemidji for treatment in the near future. Another reason, he said, was that his business took up all of his time and that he could not properly take care of the numerous duties that fall to the lot of the chief executive. He also stated that, in spite of the fact that he had done everything possible to administer the affairs of the city to the best of his ability, unjust criticisms had been heard regarding his official acts and that the pay connected with the office was not enough to compensate him for the work he had done.” (April 4, 1905)
Mr. Ludington sold out his business in June 1909 to A. B. Palmer, one of the pioneer residents of Beltrami county who for many years had engaged in the livery business at Solway. Mr. Palmer had disposed of his livery business at Solway in the fall of 1908 and moved to Bemidji. Mr. Ludington then went to various states in the west to look for better conditions for his health. He returned to Bemidji in July 1909, but decided later that year to move to Idaho.