John Woodruff (representative)

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title: "John Woodruff (representative)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1826-births", "1868-deaths", "people-from-west-hartford,-connecticut", "know-nothing-united-states-representatives-from-connecticut", "republican-party-united-states-representatives-from-connecticut", "republican-party-members-of-the-connecticut-house-of-representatives", "19th-century-united-states-representatives", "19th-century-members-of-the-connecticut-general-assembly"] description: "American politician from Connecticut" topic_path: "people/1820s" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Woodruff_(representative)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American politician from Connecticut ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	John Woodruff
image	JohnWoodruffCT.jpg
alt
birth_name
birth_date
birth_place	West Hartford, Connecticut, United States
death_date
death_place	New Haven, Connecticut
burial_place	Evergreen Cemetery
occupation	politician
years_active	1848–1868
father	Timothy Woodruff
mother	Sylvia Woodruff
spouse	Harriet Jane Lester
children	Harriet, Timothy L.
::

| name = John Woodruff | image = JohnWoodruffCT.jpg | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = West Hartford, Connecticut, United States | death_date = | death_place = New Haven, Connecticut | burial_place = Evergreen Cemetery | other_names = | occupation = politician | years_active = 1848–1868 | known_for = | notable_works = | father = Timothy Woodruff | mother = Sylvia Woodruff | spouse = Harriet Jane Lester | children = Harriet, Timothy L. John Woodruff (February 12, 1826 – May 20, 1868) was a U.S. representative from Connecticut.

Early life

Born in West Hartford, Connecticut, 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. His maternal grandfather and maternal great-grandfathers all served as Captains in the American Revolutionary War: Solomon Woodruff (1763–1822), Noah Woodruff (1730–1790) and Eliphalet Curtis (1736–1806). He was also a descendant of Governor Thomas Welles.

Woodruff received limited schooling. In 1835, he moved to Catskill, New York. 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 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, 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

| state=Connecticut | district=2 | before=Colin M. Ingersoll | after=Samuel Arnold | years=1855–1857 | state=Connecticut | district=2 | before=Samuel Arnold | after=James E. English | years=1859–1861

References

1. (May 24, 1868). "The Late Hon. John Woodruff of Connecticut". The New York Times.

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