Rollin Simmons Woodruff (July 14, 1854 – June 30, 1925) was an American politician and the 62nd governor of Connecticut.

Biography

Woodruff was born in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

on July 14, 1854. He was the son of Jeremiah Woodruff, who was a minister; and Clarissa "Clorise" Thompson Woodruff. He was educated in the public schools of Rochester and

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

. He married Kaomeo E. Perkins on January 14, 1880, and they had three children, all of whom died young.

Career

Woodruff was a successful businessman and was involved in several banks and corporations. He was a director of the Mechanics Bank of New Haven, the Connecticut Savings Bank, and the Connecticut Computing Machine Company. He was vice president of the Federal Adding Machine Company. In addition, Woodruff was president of Grace Hospital of New Haven and C. S. Mersick Company, a manufacturer and wholesaler of heavy hardware, railroad supplies, machinist supplies and other metal products. Beginning in 1896 became active in the

state militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or serve ...

, and in 1899 he was appointed aide-de-camp to Governor George E. Lounsbury with the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. In 1902 he became a member of the Connecticut Society of the

Sons of the American Revolution The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), formally the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR), is a federally chartered patriotic organization. The National Society, a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Louisvi ...

. A Republican, he was elected to one term in the

Connecticut State Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sena ...

in 1903, and was chosen the Senate's President pro tempore. He was President of New Haven's Chamber of Commerce from 1905 to 1907. Woodruff became the 71st Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut in 1905. He held that position until 1907. Winning the 1906 Republican gubernatorial nomination, Woodruff became the

Governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Connecticut Military Department, military forces. The Governor (United States), governor has a duty to enforce state laws, ...

on January 9, 1907. During his term, he vetoed several acts of the legislature, arguing that they were too costly. Woodruff remained active in his business. He became a member of the Union League Club. He also served as a member of the New Haven Young Men's Republican Club.

Death

Woodruff died in Guilford Center, Connecticut on June 30, 1925, exactly two weeks short of his 71st birthday. He is interred at Evergreen Cemetery, New Haven, Connecticut.

References

External links

Rollin Simmons Woodruff entry
at the

National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American Politics of the United States, political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 U.S. state, states, Territories of the United States, territories ...

Rollin Simmons Woodruff entry
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 Politics of the United States, American political figures and List of United States political families, political families, along with other informa ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Woodruff, Rollin S. 1854 births 1925 deaths Republican Party Connecticut state senators Governors of Connecticut Lieutenant governors of Connecticut Politicians from New Haven, Connecticut Politicians from Rochester, New York Republican Party governors of Connecticut Presidents pro tempore of the Connecticut Senate American Congregationalists 20th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly

Biography

Career

Death

References

Further reading

External links