The unofficial designation for Decatur is Soybean Capital of the World. The headquarters of the Archer Daniels Midland Company are in Decatur, one of the world's most-admired food production companies. Cereal grains and oilseeds are processed into foods, beverages, nutraceutical, industrial and animal feed products used around the world. Prevalent on the list of crops is soybeans.
When he was 21, Abraham Lincoln settled in Decatur with his family where he practised law and became known for his vocal opposition to slavery. At the age of 51, in 1860, he was elected president and his contributions to the country are well-known and celebrated. One year into his second term, he was assassinated.
Decatur was home not only to Lincoln, but also to German emigrant Hieronymus Mueller who was an outstanding inventor with a high level of natural mechanical know-how. Among the 501 patents which he and his six sons took out are the Mueller Water Tapper, a roller skate design (Hieronymus was a skating enthusiast), a bicycle kick-stand and a Benz automobile modified with the Mueller Spark Plugs, a water-cooled radiator and a new kind of distributor. The Mueller-Benz finished in second place in an official race which took place in Chicago.