Fernando Wood

Fernando Wood
Daguerreotype by Mathew Brady, c. 1855
73rd and 75th Mayor of New York City
In office January 1, 1855 – December 31, 1857
Preceded by	Jacob Aaron Westervelt
Succeeded by	Daniel F. Tiemann
In office January 1, 1860 – December 31, 1861
Preceded by	Daniel F. Tiemann
Succeeded by	George Opdyke
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York
In office March 4, 1867 – February 13, 1881
Preceded by	William A. Darling
Succeeded by	John Hardy
Constituency	9th district (1867–1873) 10th district (1873–1875) 9th district (1875–1881)
In office March 4, 1863 – March 4, 1865
Preceded by	William Wall
Succeeded by	Nelson Taylor
Constituency	5th district
In office March 4, 1841 – March 4, 1843
Preceded by	Edward Curtis
Succeeded by	Jonas P. Phoenix
Constituency	3rd district (Seat B)
Personal details
Born	(1812-06-14)June 14, 1812 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	February 13, 1881(1881-02-13) (aged 68) Hot Springs, Arkansas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Anna Taylor ​ ​ (m. 1831; div. 1839)​ Ann Dole Richardson ​ ​ (m. 1841; died 1859)​ Alice Fenner Mills ​ (m. 1860)​
Children	16, including Henry
Relatives	Benjamin Wood (brother)
Signature

Fernando Wood (February 14, 1812 – February 13, 1881) was an American Democratic Party politician, merchant, and real estate investor who served as the 73rd and 75th Mayor of New York City.^[a] He also represented the city for several terms in the United States House of Representatives.

After rapidly rising through Tammany Hall, Wood served a single term in the U.S. House before returning to private life and building a fortune in real estate speculation and maritime shipping.

He was elected mayor for the first time in 1854 and served three non-consecutive terms. His mayoralty was marked by an almost dictatorial vision of the office and political corruption in the city's appointed offices, including the New York City police force. His political appointments and his advocacy for unilateral reform of the city charter to strengthen his power and grant the city home rule brought him into direct conflict with the Republican state legislature, leading to a charter revision that prematurely ended his second term in office and resulted in his arrest. He returned to the mayor's office for a final term in 1860.

After leaving the mayor's office, Wood was elected to several more terms in the House of Representatives, where he served for sixteen years. In his final two terms in that office, he served as Chairman of the powerful House Committee on Ways and Means.

Throughout his career, Wood expressed political sympathies for the Southern United States, including during the American Civil War. He once suggested to the New York City Council that the city should declare itself an independent city-state in order to continue its profitable cotton trade with the Confederate States of America. In the House, he was a vocal opponent of President Abraham Lincoln and one of the main opponents of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States.
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