John Woodworth (November 12, 1768,

Schodack Schodack is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 12,965 at the 2020 census. The town name is derived from the Mahican word, Escotak. The town is in the southwestern part of the county. Schodack is southeast of A ...

– June 1, 1858,

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

) was an American lawyer and member of the

Woodworth political family The Woodworth political family is a collection of American and Canadian politicians who descend directly from colonial settler Walter Woodworth. They rose to prominence in the 19th century, serving in several states, in the United States House of Re ...

Early life and education

Woodworth was born in 1768, the son of future New York State Senator Robert Woodworth, and Rachel Fitch, daughter of Abel Fitch. Woodworth studied law with John Lansing, Jr. at

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

, graduating in 1788, and was admitted to the bar in 1791.

Personal life

He married Catharine Westerlo (1778–1846, sister of

Rensselaer Westerlo Rensselaer Westerlo (May 6, 1776April 18, 1851) was a United States representative from New York and a member of the Livingston family. Early life Rensselaer Westerlo was born on May 6, 1776 at the Van Rensselaer Manor House in Albany in the P ...

, and half-sister of

Stephen Van Rensselaer III Stephen Van Rensselaer III (; November 1, 1764January 26, 1839) was an American landowner, businessman, militia officer, and politician. A graduate of Harvard College, at age 21, Van Rensselaer took control of Rensselaerswyck, his family's mano ...

)."Descendants of Walter Woodworth"
p. 81, Retrieved 8 oct 2009.

Public service

He commenced practice in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

, and was appointed Loan Commissioner in 1792,

Surrogate A surrogate is a substitute or deputy for another person in a specific role and may refer to: Relationships * Surrogacy, an arrangement where a woman agrees to carry and give birth to a child for another person who will become its parent at bi ...

of Rensselaer County from 1793 to 1804. He was a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

1800 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 18), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 12 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 16), ...

, voting for

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

and

Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...

. In 1811, Woodworth was appointed a commissioner to revise the state laws. Woodworth was a Regent of the

University of the State of New York The University of the State of New York (USNY, ) is the state of New York (state), New York's governmental umbrella organization for both public and private institutions in New York State. The "university" is not an educational institution: it i ...

. Woodworth was a member from Renssealaer County of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

in 1803. During this session, he was the

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

caucus nominee for the election of a

U.S. Senator from New York Below is a list of U.S. senators who have represented the State of New York in the United States Senate since 1789. The date of the start of the tenure is either the first day of the legislative term (Senators who were elected regularly before th ...

, but was narrowly defeated by Theodorus Bailey who was supported by a faction of his party who combined with the

Federalists The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

. Woodworth was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

from 1804 to 1807, and at the same time was

New York State Attorney General The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the Department of Law of the state government. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government of ...

from 1804 to 1808. He was a justice of the

New York State Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

from 1819 to 1828. He was one of the last members of the Council of Revision which was abolished by the

New York State Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

of 1821.

Literary works

*''Laws of New York, with Notes'' (with

William P. Van Ness William Peter Van Ness (February 13, 1778 – September 6, 1826) was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New York and the United States District Court for the Souther ...

, 2 vols., Albany, 1813) *''Reminiscences of Troy from its Settlement in 1790 till 1807'' (Albany, 1855)

References

Short bio at Court History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodworth, John 1768 births 1858 deaths New York (state) state senators Members of the New York State Assembly New York State Attorneys General New York Supreme Court Justices Regents of the University of the State of New York

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

Yale College alumni People from Schodack, New York 1800 United States presidential electors Politicians from Troy, New York