Mount Mora Cemetery - Saint Joseph, Missouri

� 2008, Mount Mora Burial Records

Record Last Updated On: 4/8/2021
Name: SILAS B [Governor] WOODSON
Death Date: OCT/09/1896	Interment Date: OCT/12/1896		Birth Date: MAY/18/1819
Age at Death: 77y4m21d	Cause of Death: Cerebral Hemmorage & Paralysis
Location at Death:
Physical Location at Death:
Sex: M	Nativity: AMERICAN		Ethnicity: Caucasian
Occupation:Missouri Governor (1873-1875)
Military Branch:	Military Rank:	War Service:
Other Special Distinctions/Memberships:
Child of:
Spouse of: Virginia Juliet Jennie Lard Woodson
Mother of:
Father of: Silas Salmon Woodson (1875 - 1891)
Other Known Relatives: Wives: Virginia Juliet Jennie Lard Woodson (1846 - 1907), Mary Jane McRoberts Woodson (1825 - 1845)
Brief Biography: Missouri Governor, 1873-1875. Silas was a lawyer and politician in St. Joseph, Missouri and the Governor of Missouri, between January 8, 1873 and January 12, 1875. He was notable for being the first Democrat elected to that position since the Civil War. No Republican would reach the office for over 30 years after Woodson's election. On December 27, 1866 he married Virginia Juliet "Jennie" Lard in Lexington KY. She was the 3rd w/o Silas. Father of Mary Alice 9-14-1870, Silas Salmon 6-18-1875, Virginia Lard 6-18-1875. Governor Silas Woodson offered a $2000 reward for the capture of Jesse James and his gang. James died in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Silas Woodson was born near Barbourville in Knox County, Kentucky, to Wade Netherland and Alice Chick Woodson on May 18, 1819. He attended Kentucky schools, studied medicine after the death of his father, and later turned to law and politics. Woodson was admitted to the Kentucky Bar in 1840. Woodson served two terms in the Kentucky House of Representatives (1843 and 1853) and was the only member of the Kentucky Constitutional Convention of 1849 to favor the gradual emancipation of slaves. He left Kentucky in 1854, moving to St. Joseph, Missouri, where he practiced law with the firm of Woodson and Hughes. In 1860, Woodson was elected Buchanan County Circuit Court Judge in the 12th Judicial Circuit. Woodson supported the Union during the Civil War and was inspector general for the Missouri State Militia. In 1863, he was appointed Assistant Provost Marshal where his main duty was the promulgation of General Order 135, which called for the enlistment of slaves and freed blacks into the U.S. Army. Woodson was elected permanent chairman of the 1872 Democratic Party Gubernatorial Convention. When none of the contenders garnered the required majority of votes, he was nominated. On November 5, 1872, Woodson was elected the 21st Governor of Missouri, defeating his Radical Republican opponent, John B. Henderson, by almost 35,000 votes. During his administration, Woodson reduced the state debt, lowered the tax levy, and signed an act to authorize a popular vote for a Constitutional Convention. Woodson requested increased appropriations to curb bank and train robberies occurring throughout the state but the legislature did not support the request. In January 1875, Woodson returned to his law practice in St. Joseph. In 1880, he was elected to a four year term as judge of the Buchanan County Circuit Court. Judge Woodson died on October 9, 1896, following a cerebral hemorrhage. He is buried in Mount Mora Cemetery in St. Joseph.
Epithet: "Lawyer and politician", Woodson, in 1873, "was the first Democrat to be elected to the office of governor since the Civil War." He returned to St. Joseph where he continued his legal career and was elected judge.

Tombstone Material: N/A	Tombstone Shape: N/A		Tombstone Condition: N/A
Vault Type:	Burial Number: 3730
Mausoleum:	Ashes:
Other Relatives in Plot: GOV OF MO 1873-1875 Clio M. Lard, Mary Ann Riffe Lard, Moses Easterly Lard, Virginia Juliet Lard Woodson (wife)
Lot Owner: SILASWOODSON
Lot Location: 2
Block Location: 45
Section/Range Location: L
GPS Coordinates:
Funeral Home: HEATON
Funeral Home City/State:
Cost of Interment: $6.00		Date Paid:

Photo(s):
Silas Woodson Courtesy Of:Christopher L. M. Cox II

Photo(s) of Tombstone:
Silas Woodson Courtesy Of:

Other Photo(s):
None