John Woodruff (February 12, 1826 – May 20, 1868) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

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 capita ...

Early life

Born in

West Hartford, Connecticut West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town's popular downtown area is colloquially ...

, Woodruff was the son of Timothy (1798–1835) and Sylvia Woodruff (1798–1868). His parents were fourth cousins, once removed. His paternal great-grandfather, Timothy Woodruff (1732–1788), served as a Captain during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

. His maternal grandfather and maternal great-grandfathers all served as Captains in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

: Solomon Woodruff (1763–1822), Noah Woodruff (1730–1790) and Eliphalet Curtis (1736–1806). He was also a descendant of Governor

Thomas Welles Thomas Welles (14 January 1660) is the only person in Connecticut's history to hold all four top offices: governor, deputy governor, treasurer, and secretary. In 1639, he was elected as the first treasurer of the Colony of Connecticut, and fro ...

. Woodruff received limited schooling. In 1835, he moved to

Catskill, New York Catskill is a town in the southeastern section of Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,298 at the 2020 census, the largest town in the county. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park. The town contains a v ...

. He returned to Connecticut in 1841 and settled in Bristol, where he worked in a clock factory until 1845, when he moved to New Haven. He was elected a member of the common council in 1848 and served several terms. He served as member of the general assembly in 1852. He was elected as a candidate of the American Party to the Thirty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1856 to the Thirty-fifth Congress. He was then elected as a

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 ...

to the Thirty-sixth Congress (March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861). Upon establishment of the office in 1862, he was appointed Collector of Internal Revenue for the Second District of Connecticut and served until his death in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

, May 20, 1868. He was interred in Evergreen Cemetery.

Personal life

He married Harriet Jane Lester (1833–1876). They had a daughter, Harriet Jane Woodruff Ward (1865–1937), and a son, Timothy Lester Woodruff (1858–1913), a three-term Lieutenant Governor of New York.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodruff, John 1826 births 1868 deaths People from West Hartford, Connecticut Know-Nothing members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives 19th-century American legislators