Harry "Babe" Woodyard (December 3, 1930 – January 31, 1997) was an American politician, businessman, and farmer.

Biography

Born in

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in and the county seat of Vermilion County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 33,027. As of 2019, the population was an estimated 30,479. History The area that is now Danville was once home to the Miami, K ...

, Woodyard graduated from Ridge Farm High School, in

Ridge Farm, Illinois Ridge Farm is a village in Elwood Township, Vermilion County, Illinois, Elwood Township, Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 882 at the 2010 census. His ...

, and then served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

from 1954 to 1956. He then went to

Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockfor ...

. He was a farmer and businessman. After

Jim Edgar James Edgar (born July 22, 1946) is an American politician who was the 38th governor of Illinois from 1991 to 1999. Previously he served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1976 to 1979 and as Illinois Secretary of State ...

resigned his seat in the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

, Republican county chairmen of the 53rd District appointed Woodyard to the vacancy. From 1979 until 1986, he served as a

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 ...

in the

, from

Chrisman, Illinois Chrisman is a city in Ross Township, Edgar County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,312 at the 2020 census. Geography Chrisman is located at (39.804038, -87.675669). It is on U.S. Route 150 less than a mile north of its intersec ...

. He then served in the

Illinois State Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the I ...

, from 1986 until his death in 1997. He died at the University of Chicago Hospitals in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Judith A. Myers Judith A. "Judy" Myers (October 29, 1939) is an American educator, secretary, and politician. Born in Winamac, Indiana, Myers received her bachelor's degree in education from Purdue University. She moved to Danville, Illinois and was a public scho ...

was appointed to Woodyard's state senate seat.

Legacy

The Harry "Babe" Woodyard State Natural Area was named in honor of Woodyard.Illinois Periodicals Online Project (IPO)
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Notes

1930 births 1997 deaths People from Danville, Illinois People from Edgar County, Illinois Illinois Wesleyan University alumni Businesspeople from Illinois Members of the Illinois House of Representatives Illinois state senators 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American politicians {{Illinois-Ilrepresentative-stub