Woodworth's life illustrated a steady progression westward as the center of the United States was opened after the Louisiana Purchase.

He eventually settled in Chicago and was instrumental in insuring its place as the nation's most prominent midwestern trading city.

The Booth family was noted for its interest in public service, and this both influenced and supported Woodworth's own career in politics.

Woodworth is buried in the Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago, together with his wife Almyra, their three of his children and a brother, Frank L.

[3] Woodworth began his career by helping his older brother run the family farm in Washington County, New York.

There he and another Woodworth brother operated a small scale dry goods or trading business and lived in Erie, Pennsylvania.

[5] Woodworth arrived in Chicago in 1833, the first year of its incorporation as a city in Cook County, when its population totaled 500.

After he returned from LaSalle County he purchased a flouring milling operation that was connected to the pumps and reservoirs of the Chicago Hydraulic Co.

[1] He ran for mayor in 1848 and was elected in a landslide, and then was re-elected for a second consecutive term with a substantial majority in the face of limited organized opposition.

The short lived Independent Democrats of Chicago is an early example of a successful large city "fusion party.

[10] His political opponents had preferred restricting the railroads' access to Chicago; the more liberal policy adopted by Woodworth, which permitted each railroad to have its own terminal in addition to access, enhanced the position of Chicago as a central trading location for the entire Midwest.

By 1849, Woodworth's pro-commerce policies had established Chicago as an outfitting center for gold seekers heading west to seek their fortunes.

On July 21, 1849, Chicago was ravaged by a major fire which destroyed Tremont House in addition to a sizable number of other buildings.

[12][13] Woodworth's two inaugural addresses displayed consistent attention to several issues central to the development of Chicago.

He voiced concern over the city's deficit financial position and in his second term shored up the finances through new loans.

Finance and banking became a growth industry in its own right in the city's continued rapid expansion as a major Midwest trading center.

He buttressed the bank's finances at one point in 1852 by taking a $50,000 loan from his father-in-law Walter Booth, the one time Mayor of Paris, Illinois.

During the Civil War Woodworth remained a private citizen and, as can be verified by his public record, held neither elected political office nor military position.

[17] The War Fund and the Board of Army Auditors were authorized under a special session of the Illinois General Assembly.

As a banker, Woodworth worked at the forefront of Municipal Finance to develop Chicago's infrastructure, including one of the largest military prisons for captured Confederate troops.

His partner in this endeavor was Stephen A. Douglas, possibly the most prominent Democrat of his era, Woodworth was a founding trustee of Chicago University and later served at its treasurer.

Chicago's transportation system became unique in the midwest as railroad and water traffic met in a central city location.

Chicago's population grew dramatically during Woodworth's tenure are Mayor and during the periods where he was active in commerce.