William W. Woodworth

William W. Woodworth
Seal of the U.S. House of Representatives
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the 8th District of New York
In office March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1847
Preceded by	Richard D. Davis
Succeeded by	Cornelius Warren
Personal details
Born	March 16, 1807
Died	February 13, 1873 (aged 65)
Political party	Democrat
Occupation	banker

William W. Woodworth (March 16, 1807 – February 13, 1873) was a U.S. Representative from New York and member of the Woodworth political family.

Life

Born in New London, Connecticut in 1807 to William Woodworth, he received limited formal schooling,^[1] and moved to Hyde Park, New York in 1834. He studied law and attained admission to the bar.^[2][3]

Public Service

Woodworth was the Town Supervisor of Hyde Park in 1838, 1841, 1843, and 1849.^[1] He was Judge of Dutchess County in 1838 and reappointed in 1843, and was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1842 to the Twenty-eighth Congress, losing to Richard D. Davis.

Woodworth was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-ninth Congress (March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1847), representing New York's 8th district. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1846.

Woodworth was elected president of the Village of Yonkers in 1857 and 1858, and was elected receiver of taxes in 1870.

Business interests

Woodworth held interests in Cuba and formed the stock company of the Hudson River State Co. at Clinton, New York. His businesses were contracted for building a section of the Hudson River Railroad.

He moved to Yonkers, New York, December 1, 1849, and engaged in the real estate business and banking.^[1] As administrator of his father's estate, he continued the patent litigation and congressional lobbying on behalf of his father; the patent rights generated $15 million annually in royalties until their expiration in 1856.^[4][5][6]

Riverdale

In 1852, Woodworth speculated on real estate north of New York City near the Hudson River Railroad Line with his business partners Henry Atherton, Samuel Babcock, and Charles Foster. They bought a 100-acre (0.40 km²) tract on Independence Avenue where Woodworth would construct an Italianate-style villa. His partners and himself laid out plans for a community of villas and country lanes, and named their development Riverdale. The initial investments for their personal property resulted in further homes being constructed by others, including villas that became known as "The Park-Riverdale", as well as the construction of Stonehurst Mansion for the Colgates. Other eventual, notable residents included Henry F. Spaulding, William Appleton, William Duke, Laura Harriman, Percy R. Pyne, and Moses Taylor Pyne.^[7][8][9]

Death

He died in Yonkers, New York, February 13, 1873 and was interred in Oakland Cemetery.

References

1. "Descendants of Walter Woodworth", p. 102, Retrieved 7 oct 2009.
2. Smith, James Hadden (1882). History of Duchess County, New York. D. Mason & Co. p. 464.
3. Williams, Edwin (1835). The New York Annual Register. James Van Norden, printer. p. 376.
4. "Supreme Court of the United States", p. 670, Retrieved 7 oct 2009.
5. "Brooks v. Fiske", Patent Cases determined in the Supreme Court of the United States, p. 847, Retrieved 7 oct 2009.
6. "Early American Technology", p. 314, Retrieved 11 oct 2009.
7. "History of Riverdale", Retrieved 11 oct 2009.
8. "King's Bridge", History of Westchester County, New York, p. 759, Retrieved 11 oct 2009.
9. "Riverdale Historic District", Retrieved 11 oct 2009.

External links

• United States Congress. "William W. Woodworth (id: W000736)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• William W. Woodworth at Find a Grave

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress website http://bioguide.congress.gov.