Woodworth, Selim Edwin, 1815-1871

Selim E. Woodworth, United States naval officer and son of poet Samuel Woodworth, led the rescue of the Donner Party shortly after his arrival in San Francisco in the winter of 1847. He was elected to the California State Senate in 1849, became president of the San Francisco Committee of Vigilance in 1851, and re-entered the Navy to serve as an officer in the United States fleet on the Mississippi River during the Civil War.

From the description of Papers of Selim Edwin Woodworth, 1834-1947. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 122584737

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