William Woodbridge (August 20, 1780 – October 20, 1861) was a U.S. statesman in the states of Ohio and Michigan and in the Michigan Territory prior to statehood. He served as the second governor of Michigan and a United States senator from Michigan.

Early life in Connecticut and politics in Ohio

Woodbridge was born in Norwich, Connecticut on August 20, 1780, a son of Dudley Woodbridge and Lucy (Backus) Woodbridge.[1] He moved to Marietta, Ohio in 1790, where he was raised and educated.[2] He began the study of law in Marietta with his uncle Matthew Backus and developed a close friendship with Lewis Cass, who was also studying in Backus's office.[3] He completed his studies at the Litchfield Law School, was admitted to the bar in Connecticut in 1804, and Ohio in 1806, after which he began a practice in Marietta.[1] In June 1806, he married Juliana Trumbull, the daughter of John Trumbull.[4]

He was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1807, and served from 1808 to 1809.[2] He was elected to the Ohio Senate in 1808, and served from 1809 to 1814.[2] He was also the prosecuting attorney for New London (now Washington County, Ohio) from 1808 to 1814.[5]

Politics in Michigan Territory

In 1814, Lewis Cass, then serving as Governor of Michigan Territory, encouraged Woodbridge to accept appointments as territorial secretary and the collector of customs at the Port of Detroit.[6] On October 15, 1814, Woodbridge accepted the appointments from President James Madison and moved to Detroit.[6] During Cass's frequent absences, Woodbridge served as acting governor.[7]

In 1818, Woodbridge became Michigan Territory's first congressional delegate, serving in the 16th Congress from March 4, 1819, until his resignation on August 9, 1820, due to illness in his family; he was succeeded by Solomon Sibley.[2] 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.[8] He also secured approval for the construction of government roads from the Great Miami River to Detroit, and from Detroit to Chicago.[8] He was a strong advocate for Michigan's claim to the Toledo Strip, which was disputed with the state of Ohio.[6]

In 1821, Woodbridge became a trustee of the University of Michigan.[9] In 1828, he was appointed one of three Territorial Supreme Court justices by President John Quincy Adams, succeeding James Witherell and serving in this capacity until 1832 when his term expired.[2]

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 from 1838 to 1839, where he represented the 1st district.[2] He was elected as the second Governor of Michigan in 1840, leading the Whig Party to sweeping statewide victories under the slogan "Woodbridge and reform" (along with William Henry Harrison's national campaign).[2][10] He resigned as governor on February 23, 1841 so he could accept the United States Senate to which he had been elected, and was succeeded by his Lieutenant Governor, J. Wright Gordon.[11][12]

Woodbridge was elected to the Senate by the Michigan Legislature and served from March 4, 1841, to March 3, 1847.[13] He was only one of two Whig senators who represented Michigan, alongside Augustus S. Porter, with whom he served for most of his term.[14] Woodbridge served as chairman of the Committee on Public Lands in the 28th Congress from 1843 to 1845, and of the Committee on Patents and the Patent Office in the 29th Congress from 1845 to 1847.[15][16] Democrats controlled the state legislature in 1847, and chose Alpheus Felch as Woodbridge's successor.[17]

Retirement and death

After leaving the Senate, Woodbridge retired from public life and devoted his time to horticulture, especially apple and pear orchards.[2][18] His farm at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull avenues in Detroit later became a park, then was developed as Tiger Stadium.[19] He died in Detroit on October 20, 1861 and was buried at Elmwood Cemetery.[2]

Features named in Woodbridge's honor include:

References

  1. 1 2 "Biography, William Woodbridge". Litchfield Law School: The Register. Litchfield, Connecticut: Litchfield Historical Society. 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Joint Committee On Printing, US Congress (1950). Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-1949. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 2041 – via Google Books.
  3. ↑ Klunder, Willard Carl (1996). Lewis Cass and the Politics of Moderation. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press. p. 144. ISBN 978-0-87338-536-7 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ Burton, Clarence, ed. (1922). The City of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922. Vol. II. Detroit, Michigan: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. p. 1404 – via Google Books.
  5. ↑ Harper's Encyclopædia of United States History. Vol. X. New York, New York: Harper and Brothers. 1902. p. 439 – via Google Books.
  6. 1 2 3 George, Emily (1979). William Woodbridge, Michigan's Connecticut Yankee. Lansing, Michigan: Michigan History Division, Michigan Department of State. pp. 11, 41 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Conant, Harry A. (1883). Legislative Manual of the State of Michigan. Lansing, Michigan: W. S. George & Co. p. 133 – via Google Books.
  8. 1 2 Lanman, Charles (1867). The Life of William Woodbridge. Washington, DC: Blanchard & Mohun. pp. 18, 23 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ Shaw, Wilfred B., ed. (1942). The University of Michigan, an Encyclopedic Survey. Vol. I, Parts I and II. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press. p. 153 – via Google Books.
  10. ↑ Men of Progress: Embracing Biographical Sketches of Representative Michigan Men. detroit, Michigan: Evening News Association. 1900. p. 72 – via Google Books.
  11. ↑ Fuller, George N., ed. (1925). Messages of the Governors of Michigan. Vol. I. Lansing, Michigan: Michigan Historical Commission. p. 294 – via Google Books.
  12. ↑ Brown, Charles R. (1874). The Government of Michigan, Its History and Jurisprudence. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Moore & Quale. p. 23 – via Google Books.
  13. ↑ A Biographical Congressional Directory. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. 1913. p. 1127 – via Google Books.
  14. ↑ "Michigan Senators". States in the Senate. Washington, DC: Historian of the US Senate. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  15. ↑ Committee On Energy and Natural Resources, US Senate (1989). History of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, as of the 100th Congress, 1816-1988. US Government printing Office: Washington, DC. p. 307 – via Google Books.
  16. ↑ "United States Senate: Standing Committees". The Sandusky Clarion. Sandusky, Ohio. 22 March 1845. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "A new senator from Michigan". The Washington Union. Washington, DC. 12 February 1847. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ History of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society 1829-1878. Boston, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 1880. p. 23 – via Google Books.
  19. ↑ Betzold, Michael, ed. (2018). Tiger Stadium: Essays and Memories of Detroit's Historic Ballpark, 1912-2009. Jefferson, South Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-7864-6448-7 – via Google Books.
  20. ↑ Sutter, Sheryl L. (2010). Spotlight on Michigan, the Great Lake State. Morrisville, North Carolina: Lulu Press, Inc. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-5576-0076-2 – via Google Books.
  21. ↑ "Woodbridge Neighborhood Historic District". Detroit Histoeical.org. Detroit, Michigan: Detroit Historical Society. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  22. ↑ "School Searches For New Elementary Name". Zeeland Record. Zeeland, Michigan. 18 December 2003. pp. 1, 13 – via Digital Michigan Newspapers.
  23. ↑ "Road Reports: Woodbridge Street". The Saginaw News. Saginaw, Michigan. April 18, 2003. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Woodbridge