Elbert Almerson Woodward | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Connecticut Senate from the 12th District | |
| In office 1870–1871[1] | |
| Preceded by | Huested W. R. Hoyt |
| Succeeded by | Asa Woodward |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 24, 1835[2] Buffalo, New York[2] |
| Died | March 17, 1887 (aged 51)[2] Greenwich, Connecticut[2] |
| Resting place | Union Cemetery, Greenwich, Connecticut[2] |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Harriet Ford (m. August 14, 1857, New York City, divorced 1880), Mary Currier Hanford (m. April 21, 1881, South Norwalk) [2] |
| Children | Charles Eugene Woodward, Harriet Louise Woodward, Frank Warren Woodward, James Ingersoll Woodward, Charles Elbert Woodward, Hattie Louise Woodward, John Bell Woodward, and Lottie Hanford Woodward[2] |
| Residence(s) | South Norwalk, Connecticut |
| Occupation | farmer |
Elbert Almerson Woodward (March 24, 1836 – March 17, 1887) was a major figure in theBoss Tweed corruption scandal in 1871. He served as the assistant clerk to the New York City Board of Supervisors. He was a member of the Connecticut Senaterepresenting the 12th District from 1870 to 1871. At the Democratic State Convention a year after his term as senator, he received 89 votes for the the party's nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut.
He was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Reverend Charles Moore Woodward and Zilpah Hutchinson.[2] He married Harriet Ford on August 14, 1857 in New York City. They had seven children: Charles Eugene Woodward, Harriet Louise Woodward, Frank Warren Woodward, James Ingersoll Woodward, Charles Elbert Woodward, Hattie Louise Woodward, and John Bell Woodward. They were divorced in 1880. He married Mary Currier Hanford on April 21, 1881 in South Norwalk. They had one daughter, Lottie Hanford Woodward.
In his capacity as assistant clerk, he would inflate the amount of bills to the city, and distribute the money to the bank accounts of his accomplices. He became wealthy by processing, depositing and sharing in many of the fraudulent payments. He assisted in defrauding the city of between $25 and $45 million dollars. He was indicted and tried but fled the United States to Spain. He was arrested in Chicago, and brought back to New York. In the end, he avoided jail time, and was forced to repay $151,779 to the city.
On December 18,1871, a grand jury indicted Tweed and Woodward on two counts of forgery in the third degree and one count of grand larceny. No trial followed any of these indictments. On February 3, 1872, a new series of indictments based on the same charges and evidence were issued. These included two counts of forgery in the third degree against Tweed and Woodward, one count of grand larceny, and one of larceny
In his later years, he was a farmer in Norwalk.