Edwin Ellis Woodman (June 1, 1838August 29, 1912) was an American engineer and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician. He was a member of the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

, representing

Juneau The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the s ...

and Sauk counties in the 1880 and 1881 sessions.

Biography

Edwin Woodman was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, on June 1, 1838. He was raised and educated in St. Louis until the death of his father in 1853. He and his mother then moved to

Monroe, Wisconsin Monroe, known as "the Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA", is a city in and the county seat of Green County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,661 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered by the Town of Monroe to the north and the ...

, where he completed his education and began his interest in engineering, studying under Joseph Thompson Dodge. He briefly attended the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

to improve his understanding of higher mathematics, but could not afford to continue his studies. He took up teaching in order to finance his further education, but his work was interrupted by the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He helped raised a company of volunteers for service in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

and was elected their captain. His company was enrolled as Company B in the 13th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. He served a full three year enlistment, but for much of the time he was detailed as an engineering aide on the staff of Brigadier General Robert S. Granger and later Major General

Lovell Rousseau Lovell Harrison Rousseau (August 4, 1818 – January 7, 1869) was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, as well as a lawyer and politician in Kentucky and Indiana. Early life and career Born near Stanford, Kentucky, on August ...

. After leaving federal service, he returned to Monroe, where he was employed as principal of the high school. He was soon hired as an engineer on railroad projects, but the work mostly dried up in the

Panic of 1873 The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two decades of stagnation known as the "Lon ...

. At that time, he went to work as an editor for a weekly newspaper—the Baraboo ''Republic''. He was publisher of the paper for six years, during which time he was granted an honorary engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin. In 1879, he was elected to the

, running on the Republican Party ticket. He represented the 14th State Senate district, which then comprised

and Sauk counties. At the end of his two year term, he returned to the railroad industry, working on the Chicago & North Western Railway Company. In 1884, he was elected secretary of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway. He worked in that role until he was compelled to retire in 1907 due to poor health. His health never fully recovered and he died at his summer home in

Shell Lake, Wisconsin Shell Lake is a city in Washburn County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,347 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Washburn County. History A post office called Shell Lake has been in operation since 1880. The city took i ...

, in August 1912. Near the end of his life, he published a narrative called ''Damien and Dutton'' which focused on the story of

Joseph Dutton Joseph Dutton (April 27, 1843 – March 26, 1931) was a Civil War veteran and Union Army lieutenant, who converted to Catholicism and later worked as a missionary with Father Damien. Biography He was born Ira Barnes Dutton in Stowe, Vermont, so ...

, who had served with Woodman in the 13th Wisconsin Infantry and spent the rest of his life working as a Catholic missionary with

Father Damien Father Damien or Saint Damien of Molokai, SS.CC. or Saint Damien De Veuster ( nl, Pater Damiaan or '; 3 January 1840 – 15 April 1889), born Jozef De Veuster, was a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium and member of the Congregation of the Sacr ...

in Hawaii, ministering to the leper colony on

Molokai Molokai , or Molokai (), is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length an ...

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1879)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1879

Published works

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodman, Edwin Politicians from St. Louis Politicians from Janesville, Wisconsin People from Monroe, Wisconsin People from Baraboo, Wisconsin Republican Party Wisconsin state senators People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Union Army officers 1838 births 1912 deaths People from Shell Lake, Wisconsin