Joseph Wood (October 16, 1809 – February 5, 1890) was an American pioneer and merchant from

Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin Wisconsin Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, Wisconsin. The population was 18,877 at the 2020 census. The city also forms one of the core areas of the United States Census Bureau's Marshfield-Wisconsin Rapids Micropolit ...

. Joseph was born in

Camden, New York Camden is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 4,934 at the 2010 census. The town of Camden contains a village also called Camden. The town is in the northwestern part of Oneida County and is northwest of the Ci ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

ancestry. He moved west, first to

Illinois 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 Rockf ...

, and then in 1848 to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. He settled in what was then the new village of Grand Rapids in Portage County. He opened a store, developed land and sold lots, and later owned a hotel. In 1856 he served a single term in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

. When he introduced a bill calling for creation of a new county, his fellow lawmakers named it Wood County in his honor. The city of Grand Rapids was later renamed Wisconsin Rapids after their mail was frequently misdirected to

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

. Wood remained active in his community, serving at various times as postmaster, county supervisor, mayor, county court judge, and director of the school board. He died at home in the county named after him.

Notes

1809 births 1890 deaths County supervisors in Wisconsin Mayors of places in Wisconsin Wisconsin state court judges 19th-century American politicians Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Camden, New York People from Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin 19th-century American judges {{Wisconsin-mayor-stub