Timothy L. Woodruff

Timothy Lester Woodruff was born August 4, 1858, in New Haven, Connecticut. He was the son of a United States Congressman, Rep. John Woodruff and his wife, the former Harriet Jane Lester. Woodruff graduated from Yale College in 1879, where he was a member of the secret society Skull and Bones. Following graduation from Yale, Woodruff enrolled in Eastman Business College of Poughkeepsie, New York, in preparation for a career in business and commerce. ==Early career==

After leaving Eastman's College, Woodruff went to New York City where he was hired as a clerk for a wholesale salt supplier. Within a year Woodruff was made a partner in the firm. Woodruff also became involved in warehousing on the Brooklyn waterfront, gaining a controlling interest in several commercial frontages and two grain elevators. This warehousing operation was consolidated in January 1888 as the Empire Warehouse Company, which in turn became the Brooklyn Grain Warehouse Company in May 1889. Woodruff maintained other commercial interests as well, serving as president and principal proprietor of the Maltine Manufacturing Company, as president of the Smith Premier Typewriter Company, and as a director of the Merchants' Exchange National Bank. As a prosperous businessman and avid fisherman Woodruff found himself with the means to purchase land and a summer cabin on Sumner Lake in the Adirondacks near the Hamilton County town of Long Lake. Woodruff later purchased additional land in the Adirondacks, where he developed a popular commercial camp called Kamp Kill Kare. ==Political career==

In 1881, Woodruff entered politics as a member of the Brooklyn Young Republicans, working for the successful election of Seth Low as Mayor of Brooklyn. He was president of the New York State Agricultural Society in 1900. From 1896 to 1908, Woodruff served as the First President of the Adelphi College Board of Trustees. In 1908, Woodruff stepped down from the presidency but remained an active member until his death in 1913. ==Personal life==

In 1880 he married Cora Eastman, the daughter of the founder of Eastman Business College. His funeral was held at the Central Congregational Church in Brooklyn on October 15, and he was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery. Recalling his days as New York State Governor, Theodore Roosevelt stated, "He was my staunch friend throughout the term of our joint service." ==Legacy==

A collection of Woodruff's correspondence with his father is housed at the Yale University Library in New Haven, Connecticut. Included are 13 reels of microfilm which include 11,643 frames of published and unpublished material documenting Woodruff's career. ==Footnotes==