Cyrus Woods

Cyrus E. Woods (September 3, 1861 – December 8, 1938) was an American attorney, diplomat and politician.

Cyrus Woods
Attorney General of Pennsylvania
In office
March 1, 1929 – October 30, 1930
GovernorJohn Stuchell Fisher
Preceded byThomas Baldrige
Succeeded byWilliam Schnader
United States Ambassador to Japan
In office
July 21, 1923 – June 5, 1924
PresidentWarren G. Harding
Calvin Coolidge
Preceded byCharles Warren
Succeeded byEdgar Bancroft
United States Ambassador to Spain
In office
October 14, 1921 – April 18, 1923
PresidentWarren G. Harding
Preceded byJoseph Willard
Succeeded byAlexander Moore
Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
In office
January 20, 1915 – October 14, 1921
GovernorMartin Brumbaugh
William Sproul
Preceded byRobert McAfee
Succeeded byBernard Myers
United States Envoy to Portugal
In office
March 20, 1912 – August 19, 1913
PresidentWilliam Howard Taft
Woodrow Wilson
Preceded byEdwin Morgan
Succeeded byMeredith Nicholson
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate
from the 39th district
In office
January 1, 1901 – May 16, 1907
Preceded byJohn Brown
Succeeded byJohn Jamison
Personal details
Born(1861-09-03)September 3, 1861
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DiedDecember 8, 1938(1938-12-08) (aged 77)
Clearfield, Pennsylvania
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMary Todd Marchand
Alma materLafayette College
University of Pennsylvania Law School
ProfessionAttorney, Politician, Diplomat

Early life and career

He was born September 3, 1861, in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, to Matthew Woods and Catheine/Katharine (Bella) Spice/Speece.[1] He attended Lafayette College.[2] He later graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a law degree in 1889. Woods practiced law in Philadelphia and then in Pittsburgh, where he became associated with the interests of the Mellon family. On January 18, 1893, Woods married the former Mary Todd Marchand,[3] a great-granddaughter of James Todd, former state Attorney General.

In 1900, Woods made his first bid for political office, successfully contesting the Westmoreland County-based 39th district of the Pennsylvania State Senate. He served in the Senate for two terms, from 1901 to 1907.[1][4]

Diplomatic service and state appointments

Woods received his first diplomatic appointment in 1912, when President William Howard Taft named him the United States' Envoy to Portugal, with the official title of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, as the United States had not yet elevated the post to ambassador status.[1]

In 1915, Governor Martin Brumbaugh appointed him Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Woods would serve six years in the post, before resigning in 1921 to take-up the post of Ambassador to Spain.[1] In 1923, he moved to the post of Ambassador to Japan. During his time in Japan, he organized the American relief effort in response to the devastating 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, before resigning in 1924.

In 1929, Governor John Fisher, with whom Woods had served in the State Senate,[5] appointed him Pennsylvania Attorney General. Woods served in the post, his final political or diplomatic appointment, for eighteen months.[1]

Death and legacy

Woods died December 8, 1938, in Philadelphia, where he had gone for medical treatment. After his death, his widow established a foundation which became the Westmoreland Museum of American Art.[6]

References
  1. "Woods". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  2. He entered as a junior: "Supplement: New Students". The Lafayette. X (10). July 1885.
  3. The Twentieth Century Bench and Bar of Pennsylvania. Vol. I. Chicago: H.C. Cooper, Jr., Bro. 1903. p. 135.
  4. Sharon Trostle, ed. (2009). The Pennsylvania Manual (PDF). Vol. 119. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Department of General Services. ISBN 978-0-8182-0334-3.
  5. Cox, Harold (2004). "Pennsylvania Senate - 1901-1902" (PDF). Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
  6. "History of Westmoreland County Museum". Archived from the original on 2010-05-18. Retrieved 2009-11-22.
  • "Cyrus E. Woods Dies", The Washington Post, December 9, 1938, p. 6.
  • "Cyrus Woods Dies, Ex-Envoy in Japan", New York Times, December 9, 1938, p. 25.
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