Joshua Fry Speed

Joshua Fry Speed
Portrait of Speed as a young man
Member of the
Kentucky House of Representatives
In office
1848–1850
Personal details
Born(1814-11-14)November 14, 1814
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedMay 29, 1882(1882-05-29) (aged 67)
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Resting placeCave Hill Cemetery
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Spouse
Fanny Henning
(m. 1842)
Parent
OccupationGeneral store co-owner, real estate investor, plantation owner (through family), Kentucky representative
Known forAbraham Lincoln's best friend and a close confidant

Joshua Fry Speed (November 14, 1814 – May 29, 1882) was an American planter and businessman. He was a close friend of future President Abraham Lincoln from his days in Springfield, Illinois, where Speed was a partner in a general store. He first met Lincoln in 1837. Later, Speed was a farmer and a real estate investor in Kentucky, and also served one term in the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1848.[1]