James Hutchinson Woodworth

James Hutchinson Woodworth (December 4, 1804 – March 26, 1869) was an American politician and banker who played a prominent role in the early civic and commercial development of Chicago, Illinois. A member of the Woodworth political family, he served in both the Illinois State Senate and the Illinois State House of Representatives, held office as a Chicago alderman, was elected to consecutive terms as mayor of Chicago from 1848 to 1850 as an Independent Democrat, and later served one term in the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Republican Party. Woodworth completed his career in Chicago as one of the city’s most noteworthy bankers, helping to shape its emergence as a major Midwestern commercial center.

Woodworth was born on December 4, 1804, in Greenfield, Saratoga County, New York. He was raised in a rural environment and, like many men of his generation, received a practical rather than classical education, working from a young age and gaining experience in business and local affairs. In the 1830s he moved west to Illinois, part of the broader migration that was transforming the Old Northwest. Settling in the growing community that would become Chicago, he entered mercantile pursuits and quickly became involved in local civic and political life, establishing himself as a capable businessman and public figure in a rapidly expanding frontier city.

In Illinois state politics, Woodworth served in both houses of the General Assembly, first as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives and later in the Illinois State Senate. His legislative service coincided with a period of intense debate over internal improvements, banking, and the organization of local government in the young state. As a member of the Independent Party representing Illinois, he contributed to the legislative process during one term in office at the federal level and earlier at the state level, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents. His experience in state government and his growing prominence in Chicago positioned him for municipal leadership at a time when the city was on the verge of major economic and demographic change.

Woodworth’s municipal career began with service as a Chicago alderman, where he gained familiarity with the city’s fiscal, infrastructural, and public health challenges. In 1848 he ran for mayor as an Independent Democrat during a period when the national political parties, the Whigs and the Democrats, were experiencing great upheaval. His campaign, built on a coalition that came to be known as the Independent Democrats of Chicago, represented a stunning blow to the city’s regular Democratic organization, unseating Democratic mayor James Curtiss. The short-lived Independent Democrats of Chicago became an early example of a successful large-city “fusion party,” drawing support from reform-minded Democrats and elements of the Whig and independent vote. Woodworth was sworn in as mayor on March 14, 1848, and was subsequently reelected, serving until March 12, 1850, when he was succeeded in office by James Curtiss, who returned to reclaim the mayoralty for the Democrats.

As mayor, Woodworth presided over a transformative period in Chicago’s development. On April 16, 1848, during his first term, he presided over the opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, a critical waterway linking the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River system and greatly expanding Chicago’s reach as a transportation hub. He was instrumental in opening Chicago to all major railroads, adopting a liberal policy that allowed each railroad to have its own terminal in addition to access to the city. This approach contrasted with that of his political opponents, who preferred restricting railroad access, and it significantly enhanced Chicago’s position as a central trading location for the entire Midwest. Woodworth also facilitated the installation of telegraph lines to the west; on January 15, 1848, the first telegraph message to be received in Chicago was sent from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and received in Chicago, marking the city’s integration into the emerging national communications network. By 1849, his pro-commerce policies had established Chicago as an outfitting center for gold seekers heading west during the California Gold Rush, and during his terms the city’s population grew to approximately 20,000. By the end of his two mayoral terms, Chicago had been transformed from a bustling frontier trading town into one of the major centers of commerce in the Midwest, with a substantial stake in the opening of the West to the entire country.

Woodworth’s administration also confronted a series of serious crises. During his tenure, Chicago was struck by an outbreak of cholera, part of a wider epidemic that afflicted many American cities. Woodworth responded by promoting public health measures, including the construction of a municipal sewer system, an important early step in modernizing the city’s sanitation infrastructure. On March 12, 1849, Chicago experienced a great flood caused by excess ice on the waterways, which disrupted commerce and damaged property. Later that year, on July 21, 1849, the city was ravaged by a major fire that destroyed the Tremont House, one of Chicago’s leading hotels, along with a sizable number of other buildings. These disasters tested the city’s resilience and the capacity of its municipal government, and Woodworth’s administration focused on rebuilding and strengthening public services in their aftermath.

In his two inaugural addresses as mayor, Woodworth displayed consistent attention to issues central to Chicago’s long-term development. He expressed concern over the city’s deficit financial position and, in his second term, worked to shore up municipal finances through new loans. He called for additional funding for the Fire Department, the employment of physicians in the city’s hospitals, and repairs and improvements to roads, waterways, and wharfing facilities, as well as to the city jail and cemetery. He also advocated support for the Chicago public school system, recognizing the importance of education to the city’s future. In 1850, while still mayor, he presided over a meeting of anti-slavery citizens who adopted a resolution declaring their “utter abhorrence at all compromises that permitted the further extension of human slavery,” condemning a compromise scheme attributed by the press to Senator Stephen A. Douglas. This episode reflected the growing sectional tensions of the era and foreshadowed Woodworth’s later alignment with the Republican Party.

After leaving the mayor’s office in 1850, Woodworth continued his political ascent on the national stage. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Republican Party, representing Illinois for one term during a significant period in American history marked by intensifying debates over slavery, territorial expansion, and economic policy. In Congress, he served as a member of the Independent Party representing Illinois in the sense that he maintained an independent political profile while formally aligned with the emerging Republican coalition, contributing to the legislative process and representing the interests of his Illinois constituents. His congressional service added a national dimension to a career that had already been influential at the state and municipal levels.

Following his term in Congress, Woodworth returned to Chicago and devoted himself increasingly to banking and finance. Drawing on his experience in commerce and public administration, he became one of the city’s most noteworthy bankers, participating in the organization and management of financial institutions that supported Chicago’s rapid growth in the 1850s and 1860s. His work in banking complemented his earlier efforts as mayor to attract railroads, improve infrastructure, and stabilize municipal finances, and it helped solidify Chicago’s role as a financial as well as commercial center for the Midwest. James Hutchinson Woodworth died in Chicago on March 26, 1869, leaving a legacy as a key figure in the city’s early political, economic, and infrastructural development and as a prominent member of the Woodworth political family.