History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/4/Marcus C. Woodruff
MARCUS C. WOODRUFF was born at Aurora, Erie County, New York, on the 21st of March, 1831, and received his education in the common schools and at Aurora Academy. In August, 1855, he became a resident of Iowa, first locating at Iowa Falls where he engaged in real estate business. In 1863 he became the editor and proprietor of the Iowa Falls Sentinel which he conducted until 1870, when he removed to Waterloo as editor and joint owner of the Waterloo Courier until 1873. As a journalist, Mr. Woodruff attained high rank, being one of the clearest thinkers as well as one of the ablest and most vigorous writers on the Iowa press. In 1874 he purchased a half interest in the Dubuque Daily Times which gave him an enlarged field for the exercise of his journalistic ability where for nine years he made that paper a great power in northeastern Iowa. During his residence in Hardin County, Mr. Woodruff held many official positions; among which were deputy county treasurer, commissioner to take the vote of the Twelfth Iowa Infantry in front of Vicksburg in 1863; chief clerk of the House of the Twelfth General Assembly in 1868. Upon the creation of the State Railroad Commission in 1878, Mr. Woodruff was appointed to fill the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Ex-Governor Carpenter, and served three years. He was one of the earliest promoters of the Dubuque & Northwestern Railway in 1884, which has become the Chicago Great Western, and has served as secretary and general claim agent of the different organizations. For ten years he has been Land and Tax Commissioner of the Great Western. In politics Mr. Woodruff has been a Republican since the organization of the party and is a firm believer in modifications of the high protective tariff system.