King Neptune was a pig that was born in a litter of 12 on the Sherman Boner farm near West Frankfort, Illinois. When boner donated him in 1942, King Neptune was He was originally intended to be served at a fundraising pig roast. However, Navy recruiter Don Lingle decided to auction Neptune for bonds for the battleship USS Illinois, which was under construction. Eventually, the individual parts of the pig were auctioned — his squeal was auctioned for $25 on at least one occasion. After each auction, King Neptune was returned to be auctioned again later. High demand for appearances by King Neptune led Lingle to travel the rest of Illinois raising funds. On March 6, 1943, Illinois Governor Dwight H. Green purchased King Neptune for $1 million on behalf of the state of Illinois. At the same auction, one of King Neptune's bristles was sold for $500. Over the course of King Neptune's fundraising career, he and Lingle helped raise $19 million (equivalent to $329,913,898.93 in 2024) in war bonds. In 1946, King Neptune was to be sent to the Chicago Stockyards; however, Lingle regained ownership of the pig and placed him on a local farm where he spent the rest of his life. King Neptune died of pneumonia on Ernest Goddard’s farm near Anna, Illinois, on May 14, 1950, two days before his 8th birthday. He was buried with military honors about 6 miles east of Anna at a location that became locally known as King Neptune Park.
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| Jim Goddard, a retired shop owner from Anna, Ill., sits next to a plaque dedicated to his grandpa's pig, King Neptune. |
