Background
He was also the son of Latter- Day Saints (Mormons) Church president Wilford Woodruff. Woodruff was born just south of Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to Wilford Woodruff and Emma Smith, in a log house built by his father.
He was also the son of Latter- Day Saints (Mormons) Church president Wilford Woodruff. Woodruff was born just south of Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to Wilford Woodruff and Emma Smith, in a log house built by his father.
He attended Latter-day Saints" College after he graduated from high school.
He was ordained an apostle at the relatively young age of 24, but served less than seven years until his death. Upon completion of his studies, Woodruff became employed in a bank at the age of 18. In 1893, at age 21, he was called to the Swiss–German Mission.
While on his mission, Woodruff had to endure persecution against the missionaries and Latter-day Saints in Germany.
To blend in, he dressed and acted like a common worker in the cities, and preached in secret in homes at night. He was released from his mission after three years of service in 1896.
After his mission, Woodruff returned to work at the bank. The following October, in General Conference, he was called by his father as an apostle at the age of 24.
He was ordained by his father on October 7, 1897.
Like other apostles, he helped establish settlements and stakes throughout the area. Woodruff developed a close and very personal relationship with his father during this time as well. Woodruff took a second wife, Eliza Avery Clark, on November 1, 1900, thus practicing plural marriage 10 years after his father"s 1890 Manifesto.
lieutenant is not known who sealed the marriage or where it was performed.
lieutenant is possible that the marriage was performed outside of the United States. Woodruff contracted the disease around the same time and died on June 20, 1904, in El Paso, Texas, at the age of 31.
He had been an apostle for less than seven years. Woodruff was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery.
