William Woodbridge (August 20, 1780October 20, 1861) was a U.S.

statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

in the states 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 ...

and

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

and in the

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit w ...

prior to statehood. He served as the second Governor of Michigan and a

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from Michigan.

Early life in Connecticut and politics in Ohio

Woodbridge was born in

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) (also called "The Rose of New England") is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River flows south to Long ...

. Through an entirely paternal line he was a direct descendant of English Puritan

John Woodbridge John Woodbridge VI (1613–1696) was an English nonconformist, who emigrated to New England. He had positions on both sides of the Atlantic, until 1663, when he settled permanently in New England. Life John Woodbridge VI was born at Stanton, ne ...

. As a child moved with his family to

Marietta, Ohio Marietta is a city in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Ohio, United States. It is located in southeastern Ohio at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, northeast of Parkersburg, West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, Mar ...

, in about 1790. He began the study of law in Marietta and developed a close friendship with

Lewis Cass Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was an American military officer, politician, and statesman. He represented Michigan in the United States Senate and served in the Cabinets of two U.S. Presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He w ...

. He returned to

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

to complete his law studies, and after returning to Ohio, was admitted to the Ohio

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1806 where he began a practice in

. In June 1806, he married Juliana Trumbull, the daughter of

John Trumbull John Trumbull (June 6, 1756November 10, 1843) was an American artist of the early independence period, notable for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Rev ...

. He was a member of the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

in 1807, and was elected to the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...

in 1808, serving from 1809 to 1814. He was also the prosecuting attorney for New London (now

Washington County, Ohio Washington County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 59,711. Its county seat is Marietta. The county, the oldest in the state, is named for George Washington. Was ...

) from 1808 to 1814.

Politics in Michigan Territory

In 1814, Woodbridge's old friend

, who had become Governor of the

, encouraged him to accept appointments as Secretary of the Territory and as the collector of customs at the Port of Detroit. On October 15, 1814, Woodbridge reluctantly accepted the appointments from President

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...

and moved to

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. During the frequent absences of Cass, Woodbridge served as acting governor. In 1817, Woodbridge became a trustee of the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. Under the rules of territorial government, the territory did not have representation in the U.S. Congress. Woodbridge influenced Congress to pass legislation authorizing the selection of a non-voting delegate to Congress. Woodbridge became the Michigan Territory's first delegate, serving in the 16th Congress from March 4, 1819, to his resignation on August 9, 1820, due to illness in his family.

Solomon Sibley Solomon Sibley (October 7, 1769 – April 4, 1846) was an American politician and jurist in the Michigan Territory who became the first mayor of Detroit. Early life: 1769–1815 Sibley was born in Sutton, Massachusetts, the son of Ruth and Reube ...

succeeded Woodbridge as delegate. He remained the Territorial Secretary while delegate. As a delegate, Woodbridge worked for the passage of legislation that recognized old French land titles in the territory according to the terms of the previously signed treaties. He also secured approval for the construction of government roads from the

Great Miami River The Great Miami River (also called the Miami River) (Shawnee: ''Msimiyamithiipi'') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accesse ...

to Detroit, and from Detroit to Chicago. He was also a strong advocate for Michigan's claim to the

Toledo Strip The Toledo War (1835–36), also known as the Michigan–Ohio War or the Ohio–Michigan War, was an almost bloodless boundary dispute between the U.S. state of Ohio and the adjoining territory of Michigan over what is now known as the Toledo S ...

, which was disputed with the state of Ohio. In 1828, he was appointed one of three Territorial Supreme Court justice by President

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States S ...

, succeeding

James Witherell James Witherell (June 16, 1759 – January 9, 1838) was an American politician. He served as a United States representative from Vermont and as a Judge of the Supreme Court for the Territory of Michigan. Biography Witherell was born in Mansfi ...

and serving in this capacity until 1832 when his term expired and President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

chose a replacement who was not from the Whig Party as Woodbridge was.

Politics and Governorship in the State of Michigan

Woodbridge was a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1835 and a member of the

Michigan State Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

from 1838 to 1839. He was elected as the second

Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the stat ...

in 1840, leading the Whig Party to sweeping statewide victories under the slogan "Woodbridge and reform" (along with

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

's national campaign). He resigned as governor on February 23, 1841, to take a seat in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

and was succeeded by his

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, J. Wright Gordon. Woodbridge was elected to the Senate by the

Michigan Legislature The Michigan Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ...

and served from March 4, 1841 to March 3, 1847. He was only one of two Whig Senators who represented Michigan, alongside Augustus S. Porter whom he served with for most of his term. Woodbridge served as chairman of the Committee on Public Lands in the 28th Congress from 1843 to 1844, and of the Committee on Patents and the Patent Office in the 29th Congress from 1845 to 1846. He did not seek reelection.

Retirement and death

After leaving the Senate, he retired from public life and devoted his time to horticulture. He died in Detroit and is interred there in Elmwood Cemetery. The following bear his name: *

Woodbridge Township, Michigan Woodbridge Township is a civil township of Hillsdale County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The township had a population of 1,421 at the 2020 census. Communities *Frontier is an unincorporated community within the township at . History Woodbridg ...

, in

Hillsdale County, Michigan Hillsdale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 45,746. The county seat is Hillsdale. Hillsdale County is the only county in Michigan to border both Indiana and Ohio. Due to an a ...

*The

Woodbridge Historic District Woodbridge is a historic neighborhood of primarily Victorian homes located in Detroit, Michigan. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, with later boundary increases in 1997 and 2008. In addition to its hist ...

and Woodbridge Avenue in Detroit *Woodbridge Elementary School in the

Zeeland, Michigan Zeeland ( ) is a city in Ottawa County, Michigan, Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,719 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The city is located at the western edge of Zeeland Charter Township, Michigan, Z ...

Public School district

References

Benjamin Harrison and Governor Woodbridge
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodbridge, William 1780 births 1861 deaths Governors of Michigan Justices of the Michigan Supreme Court Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Territory United States senators from Michigan Ohio lawyers Ohio Whigs Michigan state senators Ohio state senators Members of the Ohio House of Representatives Regents of the University of Michigan American Congregationalists Politicians from Marietta, Ohio Michigan Democratic-Republicans Michigan Whigs Whig Party United States senators Burials at Elmwood Cemetery (Detroit) Whig Party state governors of the United States Delegates to the 1835 Michigan Constitutional Convention 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians