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Photo: Encyclopedia of Arkansas
History & Culture
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Born in 1795 in Long Island, New
York, William E. Woodruff finished his apprenticeship to a Sag Harbor,
New York printer at the age of 21 and shortly thereafter made his
journey West looking for opportunity. Traveling through and working
short stints in Louisville and Nashville, Woodruff ended up at Arkansas
Post in 1819, a small settlement near the mouth of the Arkansas River
where it joins the Mississippi. It was here that he published his first
edition of the Arkansas Gazette on November 20, 1819. Just two short
years later, however, Little Rock would become the capital of the
Territory and just days later, Woodruff packed up his belongings to
begin the move to Little Rock—clearly becoming the center of political
and economic gravity in Arkansas. Being very determined, Woodruff built
the new brick print shop and moved in in January, 1824.
William
Woodruff accomplished much over the course of his 90-year life,
founding a rival paper to the Arkansas Gazette after he sold it (and
eventually bought it back), and founded other businesses. He sold
books, stationary, medicines and dealt in land transactions. He
established the state’s first lending library in 1826. He also served
in public office, being a Little Rock councilman, town treasurer and
Little Rock postmaster. In 1836, the year Arkansas gained statehood, he
was the state’s treasurer. Even after most of these accomplishments, he
was active in defending Little Rock during the Civil War when Federal
troops came in 1863.
William Woodruff died on June 19, 1885 and was buried in Little Rock’s historic Mount Holly Cemetery.
For more on the history of William Woodruff, refer to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture.
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