Frank A. Woodward was an American politician from Arizona. He served a single term in the Arizona State Senate during the 5th Arizona State Legislature, holding one of the two seats from

Gila County Gila County ( ) is in the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,272. The county seat is Globe. Gila County comprises the Payson, Arizona Micropolitan Statistical Area. Gila County contains p ...

. Originally from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, he also lived in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

and West Superior, Wisconsin, where he was mayor, before moving to Arizona. Aside from his political career, he was engaged in the railroad and clothing industries, before becoming involved in the mining industry.

Biography

Woodward was born in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

on January 5, 1852. Woodward married Marana S. Soule of

Wales, Massachusetts Wales is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,838 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Wales was first settled by Europeans in 1726 an ...

on June 27, 1873. The couple had two children, a son, Herbert, and a daughter, Ella Frances. Herbert attended the

University of Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...

, where he received a degree in mining engineering, and went to work for his father in 1908 as supervisor of the Iron Cap mine. By 1886 the Woodwards had relocated to

, where he was engaged in the clothing business, managing the Plymouth Clothing House. In 1892 he moved to West Superior, Wisconsin, where he engaged in the clothing business, and was elected as the president of the chamber of commerce. In 1894 he was elected mayor of West Superior. In 1899 he was living in Boston, Massachusetts, and was the treasurer and manager of the Chippewa Copper Mining Company. In 1901 the company was formally incorporated. In 1905 he was part of a group of men who incorporated the National Mining Exploration Co. (NME), headquartered in Boston, with Woodward as the secretary and treasurer. In March 1906 he traveled to Globe, Arizona, to develop the Iron Cap Mine for the company. The project had been brought to the attention of Woodward in late 1905, and Woodward got NME to put up the money for developing the mineral property. Woodward relocated to Globe, Arizona in 1906. NME also owned the Fumarole Mine, located near

Kelvin The kelvin, symbol K, is the primary unit of temperature in the International System of Units (SI), used alongside its prefixed forms and the degree Celsius. It is named after the Belfast-born and University of Glasgow-based engineer and phys ...

, on the

Gila River The Gila River (; O'odham ima Keli Akimel or simply Akimel, Quechan: Haa Siʼil, Maricopa language: Xiil) is a tributary of the Colorado River flowing through New Mexico and Arizona in the United States. The river drains an arid watershed of n ...

, which Woodward, as general manager of NME, also was in control of. In 1907 he was also the general manager of the Bonita Mining Company, near Safford. In 1910, he was elected as president of NME. In 1920 he ran for one of the two seats in the Arizona State Senate from

, winning in November's general election. Woodward ran for re-election in 1922, but lost in the general election to Democrat

Alfred Kinney Alfred Kinney was a politician from Arizona. He was one of the first two state senators from Gila County, serving in the first three state legislatures, and the 6th through 10th legislatures, a total of eight legislatures overall. Life Kinney wa ...

. In 1922 he was again selected by the Republicans to run for the State Senate, but once again was defeated in the general election in November. By 1925, the Iron Cap mine was winding down on production. Later that year, Woodward took over management of the

Christmas Mine Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

. The mine had been closed for several years, but was re-opened and a new 400-ton per day mill was constructed in 1929. Woodward was a member of the Odd Fellows. He died on June 13, 1933, in his home in Globe, after an illness of approximately one year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodward, F. A Republican Party Arizona state senators Arizona pioneers Mayors of places in Wisconsin Wisconsin Republicans Politicians from Worcester, Massachusetts People from Globe, Arizona