Reuben Wood (1792/1793October 1, 1864) was a
Democratic politician from the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
state of
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. He served as the 21st
governor of Ohio
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
.
Biography
Wood was born near
Middletown,
Rutland County,
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
in either 1792 or 1793. While living with an uncle in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
after his father died, Wood was
conscripted
Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day und ...
into the
Canadian Army
The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...
at the outset of the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
, but escaped across
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...
and briefly served in the Vermont militia.
Career
Wood moved to
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
then a tiny village of 600 residentsin 1818 with his wife and infant daughter. He reputedly arrived with only $1.25 left to his name to work as a lawyer. He served in the
Ohio State Senate from 1825 to 1830. In 1830, he was elected
President Judge of the
third judicial circuit.
[ He served on the Common Pleas Court bench from 1830 to 1833.]
Wood was elected in 1833 to the Ohio Supreme Court
The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...
, and served two seven-year terms from 1833 to 1847. He was defeated in a bid for a third term by a Whig candidate. He took office in late 1850 as governor. His first term was cut short by the implementation of a new state constitution, and he was re-elected in late 1851, re-inaugurated in early 1852. He resigned on July 13, 1853 to take a position as the American consul in Valparaíso
Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...
, Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
. He remained there until 1855, when he retired to Cleveland.
Wood married Mary Rice, of Clarendon, Vermont
Clarendon is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,412 at the 2020 census. Clarendon spans U.S. Route 7 and is split by the highway, the Cold River and Mill River, Otter Creek, and the Green Mountains into the ...
in 1816 or 1817. They had two daughters.
Wood was known as The tall chief of the Cuyahogas, or Cuyahoga Chief,[ or Old Cuyahoga Chief,][ or Old Chief of the Cuyahogas.][
]
Death
Wood died at his farm, ''Evergreen Place'', eight miles west of Cleveland, on October 1, 1864 from bilious colic. He was initially interred on the farm, and was later reburied at Woodland Cemetery Woodland Cemetery may refer to:
* Woodland cemetery, a type of cemetery
or it may refer to specific places:
in Sweden
* Skogskyrkogården (The Woodland Cemetery) in Stockholm, Sweden
in the United States (by state)
* Woodland Cemetery (Quincy, I ...
in Cleveland.[
]
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Reuben
1793 births
1864 deaths
Democratic Party governors of Ohio
Democratic Party Ohio state senators
Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court
American militiamen in the War of 1812
Ohio state court judges
19th-century American diplomats
People from Middletown Springs, Vermont
American consuls
Burials at Woodland Cemetery (Cleveland)
19th-century American politicians
19th-century American judges