The subject of the accompanying likeness is one, perhaps, as well
known to the people of this country as any name engraven upon its
political scroll. His long public service has been such as to keep him
prominently before the public eye for forty years, during which period
he has sustained an unsullied reputation, and has commanded the
respect and a large share of the confidence of all parties. Mr.
Woodbury graduated at Dartmouth College in 1809, and immediately
applied himself to the study of the law, which he subsequently
practiced with credit and success until 1816, when he was appointed
secretary of the senate of the United States, and during the following
year judge of the superior court. Shortly after this we find him a
member of General Jackson’s cabinet, and in 1823, governor of New
Hampshire. In the year 1825, Mr. Woodbury was chosen to the United
States senate. In 1831, we find him secretary of the navy. In 1834, we
find him secretary of the treasury, and find him again in the senate
of the United States from New Hampshire, in 1841. In the autumn of
1845, a vacancy occurred on the bench of the supreme court of the
United States, by the demise of Judge Story; this appointment was
offered to Mr. Woodbury and accepted. Such are a few of the important
datas in the career of Mr. Woodbury’s life, and would space permit us,
we should be pleased, in this connection, to go into an elaborate
description of his personal characteristics and patriotism. His
character has ever been remarkable for firmness and consistency, and
whether as a citizen, a politician, or a jurist, he has been found a
steady supporter of the constitution of the United States.
[Illustration: BIRTH PLACE OF JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.]