John W. Wofford (August 14, 1837 – February 25, 1907) was an American politician and judge. He served in the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republican Party (United States), Repu ...

and

Georgia State Senate The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. The Georgia State Senate and the lower house of the General Assembly, the Georgia House of Representatives, comprise the bicameral leg ...

Early life

John W. Wofford was born on August 14, 1837, in

Habersham County, Georgia Habersham County is a County (United States), county in the Northeast Georgia, Northeast region of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 46,031. The county seat is C ...

. His father was a farmer. He attended common schools in Habersham County. In 1858, Wofford studied law and continued his studies until 1861. After the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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.J ...

, Wofford resumed his studies and started a law practice at

Cartersville, Georgia Cartersville is a city in and the county seat of Bartow County, Georgia, Bartow County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States; it is located within the northwest edge of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, ...

Career

Wofford served in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

in the Civil War. He entered service as a private at the start of the war, and was later promoted to second lieutenant. He was promoted to adjutant of his regiment by the Confederate States Secretary of War. He was wounded at the

Battle of North Anna The Battle of North Anna was fought May 23–26, 1864, as part of Union Army, Union Lieutenant General (United States), Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate States Army, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of North ...

on May 23, 1864. In 1871, Wofford served in the

. In 1872, Wofford started serving in the

and resigned in 1875. Wofford served as a presidential elector in the

1876 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 7, 1876. Republican Party (United States), Republican Governor Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio very narrowly defeated Democratic Party (United Sta ...

. He was a

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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. In 1877, Wofford moved to

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

. He established a law practice in 1877 and it continued until July 1892. In July 1892, Wofford was appointed by Missouri Governor

David R. Francis David Rowland Francis (October 1, 1850January 15, 1927) was an American politician and diplomat. He served in various positions including Mayor of St. Louis, the 27th Governor of Missouri, and United States Secretary of the Interior. He was th ...

as judge of the Jackson County Criminal Court. He was elected to the role in November 1892. Wofford was re-elected in 1898. Wofford supported the parole of juvenile criminals and held a class of paroled boys and men to support them.

Personal life

Wofford married Cornelia E. Trescott of

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, in February 1860. His wife died in 1903. They had eleven children: Edwin Hampton, Ormond Prescott, Clarence, George, Campbell Wallace, John Jr., Gordon, Amelia, Louisa Carrere, Mrs. Larkin M. Tyler and Mrs. Frederick J. Lewis. Wofford died at his home 1012 Vine Street in Kansas City on February 25, 1907. He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Kansas City.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wofford, John W. 1837 births 1907 deaths People from Habersham County, Georgia Politicians from Kansas City, Missouri Lawyers from Kansas City, Missouri People of Georgia (U.S. state) in the American Civil War Democratic Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Missouri lawyers 19th-century members of the Georgia General Assembly