Frederic Thomas Woodman (June 28, 1872 – March 25, 1949) was an American politician who served as the 31st

Mayor of Los Angeles The mayor of Los Angeles is the head of the executive branch of the government of Los Angeles and the chief executive of Los Angeles. The office is officially Non-partisan democracy, nonpartisan, a change made in the 1909 charter; previously, ...

from September 5, 1916 to July 1, 1919. Previously serving in the

New Hampshire House of Representatives The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral State legislature (United States), legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members com ...

, he moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in 1908 and was appointed Mayor in September 5, 1916 after the resignation of incumbent Charles E. Sebastian.

Personal life and early career

Woodman was

Plainfield, New Hampshire Plainfield is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. At the time of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 2,459. The town is home to the Helen Woodruff Smith Bird Sanctuary and Annie Duncan State Forest. The village of ...

on June 28, 1872 to Alfred Woodman and Maria Thomas Gallup Woodman. His sister was Kathryn Woodman Leighton, who became an artist in Los Angeles. He attended public school in

White River Junction, Vermont White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,528 at the 2020 census, up from 2,286 in 2010, making it the largest co ...

and went to study law in

Lebanon, New Hampshire Lebanon ( ) is the only city in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,282 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 13,151 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Lebanon is in western New Hampshi ...

. He was later admitted to the bar in 1897 and started practice in

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the county seat, seat of Merrimack County, New Hampshire, Merrimack County. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 43,976, making it the List of municipalities ...

. In 1901, he was elected to the

where he served for two years. He youngest chair of a committee and was encouraged to run for the

New Hampshire Senate The New Hampshire State Senate is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court, alongside the lower New Hampshire House of Representatives. The Senate has been meeting since 1784. The Senate consists of 24 members representing Senate distri ...

, but declined to do so. He married twice, first to Etta M. Sanborn in 1908 who died in 1916 and then to Katherine Potter Winter in 1921. He died in Los Angeles on March 25, 1949.

Mayor of Los Angeles

In 1907, he left New Hampshire to move to

and made investments within the city, establishing himself in practice. By 1902, he was appointed as a member of the Los Angeles Harbor Commission and was elected as its president at their first meeting. He was a member until 1916. As a member, he helped with harbor improvement and recovered all the tide lands at the harbor. In 1916, he was appointed as

after the resignation of Charles E. Sebastian. The next year, he was elected to a full term against former Mayor Meredith P. Snyder. In March 1919, Woodman was indicted on charges of asking and receiving a bribe, and during his campaign for the 1919 election, he was arrested and tried but was later acquitted of all charges. Two months later, Woodman lost the election to Snyder. After retiring, he returned to law and became the president of the Woodman-Gray Company and the Vista Irrigation District. He contemplated running in the 1921 Los Angeles mayoral election, but decided not to.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Woodman, Frederic T. 1872 births 1949 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in California American civil servants Burials at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery California Republicans Mayors of Los Angeles People from Plainfield, New Hampshire Politicians from Concord, New Hampshire Republican Party members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives 20th-century members of the New Hampshire General Court