sKe'cch of Jieveral ^ , .members of the
Woodbee Family, in a letter from
a gentleman to his friend.

- ILKIBIS^IElf -

From the estate of
Professor W, G. Sumner
1912

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRAtY,
NEW HAVEN, GO^N.

A sK:etch

SEVERAL DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS

WOODBEE FAMILY.

IN A LETTER

»ROM A GENTLEMAN TO HIS FRIEND.

^iSTBACTEO FBOM AN OLD MAGAZINE.]

^ NEW- YORK, 1823:

PRINTEtJ AND SOLD BY GEORGE F. HOPKINS,
Np, 48 FINE-STREET.

A SKETCH.

SEAR JE..
In my last, I promised to give you some ac
count of the numerous and enterprising family of
the Wbodbees. I shall now endeavour to redeem
my promise in part, but it will be in part only ; for
at presenti must limit myself to a 'sketch of, a few
of fhe most prominent members.
Your knowledge of the origin and general his
tory ofthe family ,«jsupersedes the necessity of trac
ing genealbgies, or adverting to early records. I
shall in the present letter speak only ofthe follow
ing gentlemen, namely : William H. Woodbee,
John Q. Woodbee, and Henry Woodbee. These
are acknowledged to be the most conspicuous of
the family. 'They have the advantage in point of
rank, if not of merit ; and of seniority, if not of ta
lent. Though their political creed is professedly
the same, and their ambition equally active and
elevated ; though they severally exhibit the cha
racteristics of the Woodbees, and vindicate alike
the legitimacy of their name, yet in many leading,

as well as subordinate features of character, there
is a wide, an almost antithetical, difference be
tween them. I shall, in a future letter, introduce
to your acquaintance several less distinguished,
but highly interesting members of this rising fa
mily. I propose also to give you some account of
two other families ; both I believe distantly. rela
ted to the Woodbees, and ofcourse not altogether
unknown T;o you. I allude to the Hasbeens and
the Maybees. The first, celebrated on account
of the venerable antiquity of their house, the lat
ter, noted for their great activity, scad promising
character.. — But to the Woodbees first.
William H. Woodbee possesses the advantages
ofa good person, a manly physiognomy, and a frank
address. His manners are a fine mixture of the
lofty confidence of the old school, with the artiffcial
suavity of the new ; blending, as it were, an osten
tatious condescension, with the dignity of oifici,
and the familiarity of the citizen, with the refine
ment of the courtier.
Hiis eloquence is ofthe commanding order. Yet
as an Orator, his fame is derived rather from the
coercive eharacter of his diction, than from any
known ability to influence the judgment, or sway
the passions. It must, however, be remembered,
that boldness of expression, is a sort of figure in
rhetoric ; subject indged to misapplication, but not
to censure.
As a Financier, his talents are known, and de
servedly celebrated. In this department, his fame

is hot apocryphal. Jt lie^ not in the mysteries of
detail : It depends not upon mathematical niceties :
It rises superior to ordinary calculation ; lives in
the aggregate, and soars above and beyond the
addition or disposition pf a cypher!
As a Politician, he is deep, sagacious, and radi
cal ; versed in the tides of party, and skilled in
the currents of popular feeling : too grudent to
trust to unsolicited favour, and too ardent tp wait
the maturity of time : wisely looking rather to the
hopes of the few, than to the intelligence of the
many, and depending rather upon the silent, dex
terity of his friends, than upon the tre^erous
ground of intrinsic merit. His knowledge of the
general tendency of things, and of the prevailing
passion of the times, leads him tp affect the Tri
bune rather than the Consul, and to emulate the
Grracchi rather than the Csesars. He is conse
quently a patript, in .the modern acceptatipn of the
term, and a statesman, in its most approved and
popular sense.
On subjects of domestic policy, he presents a
new and fertile field for conjecture and experi
ment. Unbound by any overt act of fame, and un
encumbered by preponceptions or definitive views;
he stands, as it were, the child of conviction ; open
to all, opposed to none, and uncommitted, except,
upon a single point : and though upon that, he may
have appeared for a while at issue with public sen
timent, yet the error was venial^ if not mutual, and
may be attributed to an over scrupulous delicacy

on the one hand, and the influence of habit upon
the other. It should be remembered too, that the
proposition (though unluckily negatived by the
nation) was humane, practicable, and full of gallan
try. It was but for substituting the torch of Hy
men for that of Mars, and the syren song of lope,
for that of savage war, of victory, and of death.*
In the choice of his friends, he is singularly feli
citous ; and the compact, once formed, is adhered
to with unshaken fidelity. In this particular, his
magnanimity is truly admirable. He selects from
the broadest circumference; makes no invidious
distinction between notoriety and merit, nor be
tween the gentile and the Jew. He estimates not
the value of exertion by the measure of success, ,
but generously takes the will for the deed, and with
an eye of honour, looks to the intentiPn, not the
effect. His liberality is indeed unbounded ; and
his attention to the interests of his friends, exceeds
even their most dakring anticipations. But the
evidence of his attachments, and of his friendly
dispositidn, requires no comment — it is already
upon record, and cannot be suppressed.
His temperament is sanguine ; his pride lofty ;
his passipns irascible, but subject to the revi
sion of his cooler judgment. In the civil and so
cial walks of life, he is open, upright, and inge
nuous. His only foible is to be found in his love
for the people : his only weakness, is his effort
to please them. Yet no little credit is due to that
perseverance which strenuously contends vv^ith im-
* Vide a celebrated project for -civilizing the Indians.

' 7
possibilities, and to those exertions which boldly
encounter the interdictions of fate.
His talents are fine, figurative, and imposing :
though the measure beyond mediocrity is illibe
rally ascribed to the partiality of his friends, ra
ther than the bounty of nature : but such is always
the uncertain character of facts that are not found
upon record ; of things that depend rather upon
presumptive than positive evidence, or which are
derived from tradition, rather than from written
history. He stands, however, a proud and distinguished
pillar of the Woodbee family, — an aspiring, as
well as ^promising column : resting not upon the
idle basis of opinion, or the treacherous vanity of
works ; but upon a foundation no less solid than
orthodox, — the sustaining hope of a political mi^ -
rdcle, and the buoyant efforts of imposing faith- !
John Q. Woodbee. This gentleman derives
no advantage from birth, though illustrious ; nor
from station,* though exalted — none from ele
gance of person, or grace of manner. He dis
claims all extrinsic merit, aU adventitious aid;
relying solely upon the integrity of his principles
and the vigour of his mind. His person is indeed
uncouth, his manners ungraceful, his eloquence
unpolished, and his colloquial talents undeserving
ofthe name. He is, in short, a proud and un-
* The order of succession has been wisely abolished ; no particular
round, either on the official or political Mder, entitles its possessor to
preference or precedence;

courtly scholar ; more known than beloved, more
respected than admired. His closet is his castle —
his p6n is the club of Hfercules, before whibh, pro-
clamatdi-y generals and mercantile diplomatists,
retire with discoilifiture and digrace. He stands,
like the oak of the forest, firm' and erect amid the
bufffetings of the tempest; gathering strength from
Opposition, if not coui*age from despair. Though
assailed Pn all sides, he confines himself not tb de
fensive measures, but boldly, and triumphantly,
carries the war into the enemies' camp. He com
bats, indeed, with successful valour for the honour
of his house, and maintains with sturdy dignity,
the reputation of his name. But his talents, though
of the first order, are ofteii Sbscttred by the opacity
of fhe passions. The fortiter in re, is unaccom
panied by the suaviter in modo : and though the
liheof moral rectitude maybe traced with a firm
and undeviating step ; yet neither the past nor the
present, afford a sufiicient guarantee, that the paths
of policy and of political wisdom, will not he crossed
at randPm, and the polar light of public sehtim'eht,
be left to shine ih vain, unseen, or disregarded.
Such is at least the prevalent opinion : too prevalent,
it is believed, for the fortunes ofhis house, or the
success of his ambition. * His very virtues operate
to his disadvantage, ih CBnsequence ofthe extremes
into which they are carried. His retired habits of
study and reflectiori, extlude him from the graces
* " The people in their opinions, are seldom wrong— in their sen
timents they are never mistafcen."

and urbanities of social life, and deprive him of
that knowledge of the world, so important to a
politician, and so essential in the administration of
public affairs. His firmness occasionally degene
rates into obstinacy, which leaves to error no hope
of redemption ; while the native roughness of his
integrity, or the unyielding independence of his
spirit, rebukes the accommodating temper of the
times, and engenders a feeling of opposition and
repulsion. But whatever objection may be raised to the
character of his manners, or the singularity of his
habits — whatever defects may be found in the sway
of his passions, or in the organization of his mind,
— it cannot be denied, that his patriotism, his
principles, and his integrity, (to borrow the lan- ,
guage ofa distinguished statesman,) will abide uiv-
shaken the test of human scrutiny, of talents, and
of time.
Henrf Woodbee, acquired at an ^arly age the
reputatipn of talents. But possessed of a bold and
buoyant spirit, of a generous and convivial tempera
ment, he is said to have consulted inclination rather
than fortune, and to have sacrificed more to plea
sure than to fame. He was indeed distinguished ra
ther by an untutored eloquence and a fascinating
address, than by any classical acquirements, or la
borious efforts. His knowledge seemed to be the
result of judgment, and the justness of perception,
— not of logical induction or studious research.
3

10
He gave no early promise of that depth, which to
the eye of the world is indicated by silent abstrac
tion ; nor of that dignity, which is evinced by a stu
died gravity. He was no very strict observer of
the calculating rules of prudence, and followed the
dictates of independence^ rather than the influence
of power. He was evidently devoid of that legi
timate ambition, which coolly sacrifices passions,
principles, and opinions, at the shrine of its idola
try ; and which, nobly devoted to the accomplish
ment of its object, is wisely indifferent to the means
it employs. He apparently possessed but few of
the characteristics of the Woodbee family, and still
less of their peculiar virtues. He was therefore
recognised only as a distant, or collateral branch, to
which no particular attention was due, and from
which, no additional renown was anticipated'. But
the estimate was erroneous. The temper and the
texture of his mind were mistaken. He was en
dowed by nature, with powers and qualities incapa
ble of permanent obscurity or alloy. To those who
judge superficially, or of the whole by a part, he
might indeed have been considered as too careless
to be ambitious, and too irregular to be great. But
to the eye of intelligence, the features ofhis cha
racter were boldly and distinctively marked ; and
the predominance of intellect and principle, was at
all times visible.
In the daily occurrences of life, it is true, he
aimed not at splendour or effect ; for it is not among
the characteristics of genius, to be great on little

ll
occasions. But on subjects of general interest, or
national importance, he evinced the powers of his
mind and the solidity of his principles, and stood
conspicuous in the midst of talent. He rose, in
deed, with an energy which no effort could repress,
and with a splendour which no influence could ob
scure. Yet in the course ofhis ascent, which was
rapid and luminous, and amid the triumphs of truth,
of eloquence, and of intellect, the simplicity' of his
character remained unchanged. There was no de
fect, either of memory or of vision ; no new-born
consequence ; no uncourteous assumption ; no po
litical aberration. The little arts and feelings of
secondary minds, were beneath him. He based his
reputation upon the intelligence of the age and the
opinions of the people. His pride, was indepen
dence ; his passion, was honour ; his ambition, was
^ame. His idea of patriotism, was public useful
ness, or the promotion of the general interests of
the community ; and to this great object the ener
gies of his mind have been steadily directed.
As a politician, his course has been open, direct,
fearless, and magnanimous ; neither courting pow
er by a submissive acquiescence in its dictates, nor
popularity by a shufiling coincidence with unset
tled opinions : neither blindly subscribing to the
infallibility of the Executive, nor seeking popula
rity by a petulant opposition to hie legitimate in
fluence. He appeared not as the champion of an exclusive
interest, a section, or a party ; but as the enlight-

13
ened advocate of the interests and the honour of his
country, — distinguishing the permanent from the
temporary, the true from the false : promoting with
Zealand ability the policy of internal improvement,
and in coincidence with the feelings and principles
ofthe nation, giving to the cause of freedom a ge
nerous and magnanimous support.
His political principles, imbibed at the fountain
head of democracy, and formed during the purest
period ofthe republic, have remained untainted
and unchanged j through all the vicissitudes of pow
er and of party. In short, as the firm supporter
of republican principles ; as the friend of civil li
berty ; and as the rational protector of domestic
and productive industry, he yields the palm to
no one, but justly ranks among the first and best.
'In his person there is nothing remarkable, un
less it be an unaffected plainness, and the total ab
sence of any striking or distinguishing feature.
But in his manner, every excellence is combined,
— frankness, urbanity, dignity, and grace : so that
whether in public or in private, in conversation or
debate, he is sure to win the attention ofhis audi
ence, and to delight if not to convince. It is not
however in manner alone, that his eloquence con^
sists : he possesses the higher and more command
ing powers of oratory — a deep and impassioned
tone of feeling, a vigour of thought, a discriminat
ing judgmetat, and a bold but subdued imagina
tion. In his disposition, he is mild and affable, ac-

13
cessible to all, and possessed of that rare but happy
talent, of indulging in familisu-ity without encou
raging rudeness, and of sustaining popularity with
out a sacrifice of principle or of self-respect. No
man, perhaps, was ever more successful in support
ing opposition without exciting personal enmity,
or better understood the art of conciliating the re
spect and favour of his political opponents. Per
sonal enemies he has, indeed, but fev?. Even when
his superiority is felt, no humiliatipn is mingled
with the feeling ; for no concession . is required?
and no claim predicated upon its existence : its
acknowledgment, therefore, is a tribute to merit,
not a sacrifice to pride, and is cheerfully, because
voluntarily^ paid.
It was hi» peculiar gpod fortune to come forward
unpatronized, unaided, and unknown. To no fa
mily interest, rank, name, protection, or alliance, is
he indebted for the honours he has received, or the
reputatipn he enjoys. But to the energies ofhis own
mind, and the unbought suffrages of the people
alone, is attributable whatever he has acquired,
either of fortune or of fame. Thus exclusively
allied to the republic, and bound to her interests
by the ties of honour, of gratitude, and of faith, he
may boldly challenge the continuance of her con
fidence, and fearlessly offer the records of the
past, as an indemnity for the future.
Such, my dear L., is a correct, but hasty out
line of the features of the three most distinguished
members pf the Woodbee family. The next in

14
rank and public estimation, is John C. Woodbee,
— a gentleman, in the true sense of the word, —
a man of talent, and great purity of character :
but of whom 1 propose to speak more fully here
after. The family is indeed an interesting one ;
formidable in point of numbers, and possessed of
no ordinary share of talent and of ambition ; but
more particularly, perhaps, excelling in the latter.
Its immediate and collateral branches, are likewise
numerous, and with but few exceptions, vindicate
the character of their stock. In addition to those
already mentioned, (the Hasbeens and the May-
bees) there are others, not undeserving of atten
tion ; — namely, the Mighfbees, the Canthees, and
the Woodabeens. Of the Hasbeens, several illus
trious names might be given : but, with one or two
exceptions, their fame has reached its maturity,
their ambition is at rest, and their hopes and aspi
rations have passed from this, to another world. '
Of the Maybees, the hero of N — 0 — stands
most conspicuous. To him, however, belongs the
laurel, not the civic wreath. Bold, decisive, and
impetuous, the possession of a peaceful sceptre and
a concurrent power, would be both new and un-
congenialL As a soldier, he has done the state some
service : In no other capacity, can he add to the
splendour of the page upon which that service is
recorded. The Mightbees, are few in number, — possessed
of talents, and of virtues, but labouring under the
double ban of party and of fate ; correct in mo-

15
rais and in principles ; true to their integrity and
their allegiance ; honourable as citizens and upright
as men : but proud, unbending, and intractable ; —
illiberal in their opinions, severe in their judg
ments, obstinate in their prejudices, and above all,
in sentiment and in action, politically wrong.
The Canthees are a numeroiis, but rather unfor
tunate race ; possessed of more ambition than ta
lent, and of more notoriety than fame. They
pride themselves, however, upon their connexion
with the Woodbees : and the want of ofiice, and of
public favour, they consider as an evidence of in
gratitude in the Government, if not indicative of
a want of wisdom in the people themselves.
The family -of the Woodabeens, is nearly ex
tinct. The name is at present sustained by a sin
gle individual. An individual, whom it would
now be party treason to applaud : whose fame,
however, is identified with the improvements of the
age, and the best interests ofhis country. In rank,
and in station, he resembles the Hasbeens : in cha
racter and political feeling, he approximates to the
Mightbees: in temper and in talent, he stands
alone : -^ And there, (following the example of his
friends,) I shall leave him, and turn to subjects of
more immediate interest.
You shall find them in my next epistle.
Farewell.

LETTER NO. II.

DEAR L.
In a former letter I intimated my intention of
giving you some further account of John C.
Woodbee ; Who is entitled to the appellation of a
distiiiguished, if nPt a rising, member of the great
Woodbee family. — I now proceed to fulfil that
promise. John C; Woodbee has not yet reached his for
tieth year. By the native force of his talents, the
brilliancy of his genius, the solidity of his judg
ment, the extent of his acquirements, and the firm
ness of his principles, he has already attained to an
eminence, at which feW are able to arrive in the
course of a long life. No man of his years in the
United States fills a larger spacfe in the public eye ;
and sooner or later, he is destined to th6 first ho
nours in the gift of his country. Like his native
eagle, he has darted forward in the career of glory,
with his eye steadily fixed on the highest go^l th
3

18
which the ambition of a republican can aspire,
undazzled by the splendours around him, nor ren
dered giddy by the proud elevation to which he
has -climbed. In any country, in any age, or
un^er any form of government, he would have
acquired eminence ; since to an extraordinary
share of talent, -he unites an unconquerable thirst
for distinction. Had he been a Roman, he might
have crossed the Rubicon with Caesar, or joined
the Triumvirate with Pompey. But as a plain
citizen of the American Republic, his ambition is
chastened by patriotism, his lofty spirit restricted
by principle, and his aspiring views limited by a
sacred regard to the institiltions of his country.
His greatest defect is " the last infirmity of noble
minds;" and even that can scarcely be called a
fault, since it is moderated by judgment, and has
always been directed to legitimate and laudable oh-
jects. '''
A native of Pennsylvania, educated in Connec
ticut, and long a resident in South Carolina, his
character is in some degree a representative of the
peculiarities of these three sections of the United
States. To the plainness of manners which cha
racterizes the descendants of Penn, he unites the
native shrewdness of the East, and the proud and
lofty sentiments of the South. Having been alter
nately a resident in these three states, his prejudi
ces and his attachments have been blended and li
beralized ; and he is strictly national in his senti
ments and feelings. His earliest ahd fondest re-

19
collections cling to the place of his nativity ; his
instrucfers and the associates of his youth were
from New-England ; and the companions and com
petitors of his riper years, are natives ofthe south.
In repeated conversations with him, I have endea
voured to discover the preponderance of his feel
ings and the bent of his partialities. Although the
nationality of his sentiments precludes any strong
local attachments and sectional prejudices, it is
easy to discern that his feelings incline towards the
north. '
He discovered at an early age those traits of cha
racter, which have since marked his brilliant ca
reer, and acquired for him an enviable distinction.
In college he was distinguished for his eminent
attainments in literature and science, and he gra--
duated with fhe first honours of Yale. At the bar,
he soon rose to eminence by the. depth ofhis legal'
research, the acuteness of his'* intellect, and the
fascinations of his eloquence;'''
He commenced his career, in public life, as a
member of the house of representatives in the na
tional legislature, where his commanding talents,
and the firmness of his political principles, soon
rendered ¦ him conspicuous among the great men
of the country, who at that period adorned, our
legislative halls. He was in congress at the com
mencement of the late war, to which he lent a de
cided and, powerful support. On all the great
questions connected with that event, he was a lead
ing member of the house, and with his eloquence,

20
and the weight of his influence, supported th?
iBeaaures of a former administration. Brief as was
his parliamentai'y career, it was suflScient to evince
the compass of his intellect, the liberedity of his
views, the soundness of his principi^!, and the
firmSiess Pf his patriotism.
But it is on his services as. a membier of the
Cabinet, in the oflSce of Secretary of W^, that he
chiefly relies for the evide^ices of his greatness and
the memorials/ of his fame. He has completely
revolutionized and re-organized that department,
which he found in a loose anddisordered condition ;
without system, without influence, and of little
service to the country. Under the superinten
dence and direction of his energetic mind, system
has been imparted, consistency given, and order
restored ; and it how forms, what by its constitu
tion it is, an important, and influential depart
ment of the government ; and the Secretary of
War, instead of being an inferior and subordinate
member of the Cabinet, has^become an essential,
a distinguished, and leading oflScer of the adminis-
fration. You shall soon hear from me again — till then,
Farewell.

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