Silas Woodson (May 18, 1819October 9, 1896) was the 21st Governor of Missouri,

United States 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 territorie ...

, between January 3, 1873, and January 12, 1875. He was notable for being the first

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

elected to that position since the Civil War. No

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 ...

would reach the office for over 30 years after Woodson's election.

Early life

Woodson was born in

Barbourville, Kentucky Barbourville is a home rule-class city in Knox County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 3,165 at the 2010 census, down from 3,589 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city was formally established by ...

, to mother Alice (Chick), and father Wade Netherland Woodson He was the most outspoken opponent of slavery at Kentucky’s 1849 constitutional convention and left the state after the passage of the 1850 constitution enshrined it in state law.

Legal career

Woodson became a lawyer. In 1846 he became partners with

Samuel Freeman Miller Samuel Freeman Miller (April 5, 1816 – October 13, 1890) was an American lawyer and physician who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, U.S. Supreme ...

. Woodson gained a reputation as a trial lawyer.

Political career

Silas had made one previously unsuccessful attempt for the Missouri Legislature in 1868, but was chosen to run in 1873 against Republican Senator

John B. Henderson John Brooks Henderson (November 16, 1826April 12, 1913) was a United States senator from Missouri and a co-author of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. For his role in the investigation of the Whiskey Ring, he was cons ...

. Woodson beat Henderson 156,777 votes to 121,889. In his inaugural address, Governor Woodson spoke about education, in particular defending the Democrat position regarding common schools. Historian Arthur Lee commented this showed the institutionalization of public schooling in Missouri. As part of his time as governor, Woodson brought a case against

Pacific Railroad The Pacific Railroad (not to be confused with Union Pacific Railroad) was a railroad based in Missouri. It was a predecessor of both the Missouri Pacific Railroad and St. Louis-San Francisco Railway. The Pacific was chartered by Missouri in 184 ...

for non-payment of a state-issued debt. The Railroad had contended that it was unable to repay $2 million lent to it due to the impact of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. Woodson had responded by attempting a sale of the Railroad in default. In the 1874 case of ''Woodson v Murdock'', the Supreme Court found in favor of the Railroad. In 1875, Silas Woodson was briefly investigated for his role in co-signing certificates issued during the Civil War by the Crafton Commission. Woodson owned $198,045 worth of the certificates personally. He was exonerated after it was shown that Crafton had been forging then-Governor Woodson's signature on certificates for defective muster rolls.

Death

Woodson died in

Saint Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which inclu ...

. He is buried at the

Mount Mora Cemetery Mount Mora Cemetery is the oldest public cemetery in St. Joseph, Missouri. Among those who are buried in the cemetery are three governors, a U.S. senator, soldiers from both sides in the American Civil War and riders of the Pony Express. In Octo ...

. His headstone was vandalized in October 2006.

References

*Missouri State Archives Finding Aid 3.21 http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/findingaids/rg003-21.pdf *"GOVERNOR SILAS WOODSON" page, "The Woodsons and Their Connections," Volume 1, pages 103, 104, and 105, compiled and published by Henry Morton Woodson, 1915 online at: http://woodsonfamilypage.0catch.com/GovernorSilasWoodson.html *"Descendants of Wade Netherland Woodson and Mary Harris Woodson and Alice Cheek Woodson" page, Cobb-Sasser Family Lineage site http://cobbsasser.com/WoodsnWadeMryHarisAlCheek.html *The following article about his law partner in Barbourville, Kentucky contains information about Woodson too: Michael Ross, "Hill Country Doctor: The Early Life and Career of Supreme Court Justice Samuel F. Miller in Kentucky, 1816–1849," The Filson History Quarterly, Vol. 71 (October 1997): 430–462. {{DEFAULTSORT:Woodson, Silas Democratic Party governors of Missouri 1819 births 1896 deaths People from Barbourville, Kentucky 19th-century American politicians