Jim Judd was a firefighter who worked his way up through his union to become the head of the state's largest labor organization, the Utah AFL-CIO. He died Friday morning from the injuries he suffered in a motorcycle accident in Missoula, Montana.
He was also vice-chairman of the Utah Democratic Party. State Senator Karen Mayne says he was someone legislators from both parties could trust.
"He had good skills of figuring things out and networking, and negotiating and making everyone feel part of the movement and part of whatever committee he was on," Mayne told KUER.
Dale Cox is the vice-president of the Utah AFL-CIO. He says Jim Judd affected the lives of many people who have never met him.
"People will never know what Jim Judd has done for them," he said, "but when they go to use their health care, they won't know he had a big part in making sure they have it. And when they retire and their pension is solvent, they won't know that Jim had a big part of making that happen."
Judd is survived by his wife Jill, six children and sixteen grandchildren. He was 60 years old.