Selim E. Woodworth (November 27, 1815 – January 29, 1871) was a commander in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, prominent San Francisco businessman, 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 R ...

Early years

Woodworth was born in New York City, the second son of poet and dramatist Samuel Woodworth. He was a descendant of colonial settler

Walter Woodworth Walter Woodworth (1612 – February 25, 1686) was among the original colonial settlers of America and ancestor of many prominent Americans. Plymouth Colony Walter settled in the Plymouth Colony, coming from Kent, England in 1633. He first appeared ...

. At age twelve he and his friend Tom Jacobs ran away to cross the continent, but relatives living north of the city apprehended them in the

Catskills The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas c ...

. In 1834, Woodworth and Jacobs sailed as

captain's clerk A captain's clerk was a rating, now obsolete, in the Royal Navy and the United States Navy for a person employed by the captain to keep his records, correspondence, and accounts. The regulations of the Royal Navy demanded that a purser serve a ...

s on the ship ''Margaret Oakley'', captained by

Benjamin Morrell Benjamin Morrell (July 5, 1795 – 1838 or 1839?) was an American sea captain, explorer and trader who made a number of voyages, mainly to the Atlantic, the Southern Ocean and the Pacific Islands. In a ghost-written memoir, ''A Narrative of Four ...

. Morrell explored islands in the Bismark Sea and established trading relations with previously uncontacted native inhabitants. Woodworth and Jacobs found an uninhabited atoll suitable for a new colony, a project they considered years later without ever making much progress. During ''Margaret Oakleys return, she wrecked while at anchor near a pirate trading colony in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

, but there is suspicion that Morrell staged the wreck so he could sell the ship's cargo for personal gain. Woodworth eventually reached

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...

and returned to New York after an absence of four years. Morrell, was now seen as piratical and on the run from authorities."The Beginnings of San Francisco"
p. 708, Retrieved October 7, 2009.

U.S. Navy career

Although Woodworth was associated with the disastrous and piratical ''Margaret Oakley'' expedition, he was not held culpable and his father worked to have him enlisted into the Navy. Appointed a midshipman on June 16, 1838, Woodworth was ordered to join the Wilkes Exploring Expedition because of the Polynesian language ability he had acquired in the Pacific. Because his orders were misdirected, he arrived to find the expedition had already sailed. He was instead sent to the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

for duty in the ship of the line . On August 3, he was detached for a three-month leave; he received an additional leave of three months to visit

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, Italy, and on December 24 was ordered to join the , then fitting out at New York."History of California, Volume 23"
p. 309, Retrieved October 7, 2009. While serving on ''Falmouth'', he learned of his father's death and returned to New York where he was assigned to the

receiving ship A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Hulk may be used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, an abandoned wreck or shell, or to refer to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipmen ...

. He served on and then entered the Philadelphia Naval School. On May 20, 1844, Woodworth was warranted a

passed midshipman A passed midshipman, sometimes called as "midshipman, passed", is a term used historically in the 19th century to describe a midshipman who had passed the lieutenant's exam and was eligible for promotion to lieutenant as soon as there was a vacan ...

. After six months leave, he reported to the , a new sloop-of-war, and served on the coast of Africa, helping suppress the slave trade. He was transferred to , but detached on November 24, 1845, and granted a three-month leave."A Colored Mosaic"
California State Library Foundation, Retrieved October 7, 2009. In 1846, with the United States on the brink of war with

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, Woodworth was assigned to carry dispatches about the Navy's participation overland to the

Pacific Squadron The Pacific Squadron was part of the United States Navy squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially with no United States ports in the Pacific, they operated out of storeships which provided naval s ...

in Oregon. He set out with two companions from

Independence, Missouri Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2020, ...

, on May 14 and arrived in Oregon 98 days later.

California pioneer

Woodworth reported to naval authorities at the mouth of the Columbia River, where he remained until January 18, 1847, when he left for San Francisco. There he volunteered for the rescue efforts on behalf of the

Donner Party The Donner Party, sometimes called the Donner–Reed Party, was a group of American pioneers who migrated to California in a wagon train from the Midwest. Delayed by a multitude of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–1847 snowbound in th ...

, a group of overland emigrants that was trapped and starving in the Sierra Nevada. He was put in command and on February 7 sailed for Sacramento with supplies. He trekked into the mountains with men and provisions, but he failed to meet the rescue parties that were hoping to rendezvous with him. Donner Party survivors and rescuers regarded him as "a braggart who had let them down"."The Donner Party"
, Utah Crossroads, Retrieved October 7, 2009. Woodworth arrived back in San Francisco on April 1, 1847, and reported on board sloop-of-war at

Monterey Bay, California Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California, south of the San Francisco Bay Area and its major city at the south of the bay, San Jose. San Francisco itself is further north along the coast, by a ...

, on May 17, 1847. On October 8, he requested a leave of absence in order to make a trip across the southern part of South America. He left ''Warren'' on February 16, 1848, to take command of the bark . From June 5, 1848, until 1850, naval registers carry him as attached to the

; however, no record of him has ever been found. In November 1849, a year before California became a state, Woodworth was elected to the legislature as a senator representing Monterey and immediately resigned his Navy commission. For a little more than a decade, he lived in San Francisco and played a prominent role in the development of the state. He and his brother

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

were among the organizers of the vigilance committee, and Selim was the group's first President. Woodworth and his sons and brothers were original members of the Society of California Pioneers. With his brother, Woodworth ran Case, Heiser & Company, a successful commission merchant business. An abolitionist, Woodworth is credited with defining the state's policies concerning slavery while serving in California's first legislature. Woodworth and his brother built the first house in San Francisco situated on a water lot, which later became the Clay Street Market. He owned several properties with his brother, including the lot at Market and Second Street that was later the site of the Grand Hotel. He was also the first owner and resident of Red Rock Island, where he built a cabin and maintained a hunting preserve.

Civil War service

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln recommended Woodworth receive special thanks from Congress for his service in the war After the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, Woodworth returned to the east coast and reentered the Navy on September 10, 1861, as an acting lieutenant. On January 13, 1862, he assumed command of , a former ferry boat converted to a steam

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...

. This vessel was assigned to the Mortar Flotilla raised by Comdr. David D. Porter to support Flag Officer

David Farragut David Glasgow Farragut (; also spelled Glascoe; July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. F ...

's conquest of

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, and the lower

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

. He assisted in the capture of Forts Jackson and St. Philip in April and participated in operations around

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vi ...

, in June and July. Porter commended Woodworth for these services, and President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

recommended him to

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

for special thanks. On September 29, 1862, at his own request, he was detached from command of ''John P. Jackson'' and allowed to return to the North. Later that autumn, he was assigned to the

Mississippi Squadron The Mississippi River Squadron was the Union brown-water naval squadron that operated on the western rivers during the American Civil War. It was initially created as a part of the Union Army, although it was commanded by naval officers, and was ...

and reported at Cairo, Illinois, for duty."Selim Woodworth"
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Retrieved October 7, 2009. On January 1, 1863, he was given command of , a "tinclad," stern-wheel steamer. On January 24, Porter—now a Rear Admiral—recommended Woodworth for appointment to the regular Navy. Woodworth was commissioned a commander in April 1863, effective from July 16, 1862. After ''Glide'' was burned, he commanded the ram ''General Price'' from February 7, 1863, through August. After months of fighting up and down the Mississippi, Comdr. Woodworth was detached from ''General Price'' and sent to the Pacific where he took command of the bark on October 7, 1863. After bringing ''Narragansett'' around

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...

, he reached New York on March 18, 1865. , a double-ended gunboat, was his last command, which he assumed on November 30, 1865.

Later years and legacy

Comdr. Selim E. Woodworth resigned from the Navy on March 2, 1866, and returned to San Francisco, where he lived with his family until his death in 1871. The destroyer (1942–1951) was named for him.

Marriage and family

Woodworth married Lisette, by whom he had six children: Selim II, who married a daughter of California pioneer and assemblyman James S. Wethered; Frederick, who was suspended from the U.S. Naval Academy for hazing; and Benjamin, William, Lydia, and Samuel. After Woodworth's death in 1871, Lisette married Erasmus Dennison, son of Ohio Governor William Dennison Jr. Lisette Woodworth testified in the state civil rights case ''Pleasant v. North Beach & Mission Railroad Company'' on behalf of

Mary Ellen Pleasant Mary Ellen Pleasant (August 19, 1815 – January 11, 1904) was a 19th-century entrepreneur, financier, real estate magnate and abolitionist. She was arguably the first self-made millionaire of African-American heritage, preceding Madam C. J. Wal ...

, who had been refused service on a San Francisco streetcar in 1866. Pleasant, a Black abolitionist and entrepreneur, worked for the Woodworths earlier in the 1860s. The case outlawed segregation on public transportation in California.