Woodson Ratcliffe Oglesby

Woodson Ratcliffe Oglesby (February 9, 1867 – April 30, 1955) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served two terms as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1913 to 1917. Over the course of his public career he contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his constituents in the House of Representatives. He was a cousin of Richard James Oglesby, the Civil War general and three-term governor of Illinois.

Oglesby was born near Shelbyville, Kentucky, on February 9, 1867. He was educated in the public schools and pursued higher education at Kentucky Wesleyan College, then located at Millersburg, Kentucky, and later at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois. After completing his formal studies, he read law and prepared for a legal career, reflecting an early interest in public affairs and the legal profession.

In 1890 Oglesby was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in New York City. Establishing himself in the legal community, he built a professional career that would provide the foundation for his later political activities. During the Spanish–American War he served as a private in Company C of the Seventy-first Regiment, New York National Guard, demonstrating a willingness to participate in military service during a time of national conflict.

Oglesby entered elective office in New York State politics in the early twentieth century. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly, representing the 1st District of Westchester County, in 1906. His work in the Assembly helped to establish his reputation within the Democratic Party. He later served as a delegate to the 1912 Democratic National Convention, participating in the national party deliberations that preceded his own election to federal office.

Elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-third and Sixty-fourth Congresses, Oglesby served in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1913, to March 3, 1917. His tenure in Congress coincided with the administration of President Woodrow Wilson and a period of major legislative activity, including progressive-era reforms and the early stages of U.S. involvement in world affairs leading up to World War I. As a member of the House, Woodson Ratcliffe Oglesby participated in the democratic process and contributed to the legislative work of the chamber while representing his New York constituents over two terms in office.

After leaving Congress in 1917, Oglesby resumed the practice of law in New York City. He continued in active legal practice until his retirement in 1928. In his later years he resided in Yonkers, New York, and subsequently in Quincy, Florida. Woodson Ratcliffe Oglesby died in Quincy on April 30, 1955. He was interred in Eastern Cemetery in Quitman, Georgia, closing a long life that had encompassed legal practice, military service, state office, and two terms in the United States Congress.