BIOGRAPHY: Hon. L. D. WOODRUFF, Cambria County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Lynne Canterbury and Diann Olsen. Portions of this book were transcribed by Clark Creery, Martha Humenik, Betty Mirovich and Sharon Ringler. USGENWEB ARCHIVES (tm) NOTICE All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information are included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cambria/ ____________________________________________________________ From Wiley, Samuel T., ed. Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Union Publishing Co., 1896, p. 77-9 ____________________________________________________________ HON. L. D. WOODRUFF, a prominent democrat of Central Pennsylvania, and the present postmaster of the city of Johnstown, was born January 8, 1845, at Landisburg, Perry county, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Captain Henry D. and Elizabeth Harper Woodruff. He received his education at New Bloomfield academy; taught one term of school and then learned the trade of printer in the office of the Perry County Democrat. In 1865 he came to Johnstown and became associate editor and proprietor of the Johnstown Democrat, and after the retirement of his father, in 1876, he was sole editor and proprietor of the sheet until February 1, 1893, when he disposed of the paper and printing plant, and a year later assumed charge of the Johnstown post-office, of which he had been commissioned as postmaster by President Cleveland. The Johnstown office is one of the presidential offices, and to its management and advancement Mr. Woodruff has devoted himself assiduously with very satisfactory results. Politically, he is a strong democrat of pronounced views, and served from 1879 to 1882, as a member of the House of Representatives of Pennsylvania, in which he was ever watchful of the interests of his constituents. He served on several important committees, and was nominated by his party, in 1892, as their candidate for Congress in the Twentieth district composed of Cambria, Somerset, Bedford and Blair counties. Mr. Woodruff made an active campaign, but was defeated, as the district was strongly republican. He has frequently served as chairman of the Democratic County committee; also represented Cambria county in different state conventions of his party, and in 1884 was a delegate to the Democratic National convention at Chicago, which nominated Grover Cleveland for president. After Johnstown was organized as a city, Mr. Woodruff was elected for two consecutive terms as a member of the school board, where his services were valuable and duly appreciated. On December 26, 1866, Mr. Woodruff wedded Maggie W. Lynch, who died January 24, 1888, aged forty years, and six years later, in October, 1894, he was united in marriage with Marie A. Dick, a daughter of George Dick, of Baltimore. By his first marriage he had five children: Jessie, wife of Anderson H. Walters, assistant superintendent of Johnstown gas works; Harry D., engaged in the printing business; Lucian D., now in the employ of the Cambria Iron company; and two who died at an early age. The Woodruff family was one of the old English families of Connecticut that came of Puritan ancestors who came over to the Boston Bay colony in the early days of its history. A. Philip Woodruff settled at Waterbury, Connecticut, and his grandson, Philip Woodruff, was the father of Captain Henry D. Woodruff, the father of Hon. Lucian D. Woodruff. Captain Woodruff was born September 24, 1825, at Waterbury, Connecticut, and spent his boyhood days at Windsor, New York, where he received a good education. At eighteen years of age he removed to Perry county, this State, where he followed teaching up to 1861. In April of that year, under Lincoln's first call for troops, he raised company D, Second regiment, Pennsylvania three months' troops. The company was recruited at Bloomfield, Perry county, and when mustered into the Federal service on April 20, 1861, Mr. Woodruff became captain. The company was assigned to the Second regiment, and served under General Robert Paterson in his fruitless attempt to hold General Johnson at Winchester. At the expiration of his term of service Captain Woodruff raised company D. of the Forty-seventh regiment of Pennsylvania volunteers, which was mustered in September 20, 1861. This regiment served in the defenses around Washington city, at Key West, Forida, was in the battles of Pocotaligo, West Virginia; Pleasant Hill and Sabine Cross Roads under Banks, and Opequan and Cedar Creek under Sheridan. The Forty-seventh was the only Pennsylvania regiment in the Red River expedition. It saw service in seven southern states; marched over twelve hundred miles, and made twelve sea voyages. Company D, under Captain Woodruff, performed well its part in siege, battle, march and sea voyage, and returned home with a well- earned reputation for efficiency and bravery. After the war Captain Woodruff came to Johnstown, where he was engaged with his son in conducting the Democrat from 1865 to 1876. Ill-health then compelled his retirement from business, and he afterwards removed to Blairsville, in Indiana county, at which place he died. He was a Jeffersonian democrat, and wielded a great influence in the county councils of his party. Captain Woodruff married Elizabeth Harper, who was a daughter of Edward Harper, of Landisburg, Pennsylvania. She was born in Juniata county, Pennsylvania, and died in Johnstown. Captain and Mrs. Woodruff had seven children: Edward C., Hon. Lucian D., Mrs. Ada Little, and four others who died young.