Abraham O. Woodruff



Abraham Owen Woodruff (November 23, 1872–June 20, 1904), born in Salt Lake City, Utah, was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was also the son of LDS Church president Wilford Woodruff. He was ordained an apostle at the young age of 23, but served less than 8 years due to an untimely and premature death.

Woodruff was born November 23, 1872 to Wilford Woodruff and Emma Smith Woodruff just south of Salt Lake City in a log house built by his father. He attended Latter-day Saints' College after he graduated from high school. Upon completion of his studies, he became employed in a bank at the age of 18. In 1893, at 21 years of age, he was called to the Swiss-German Mission, despite his father's poor health that year. While on his mission, he had to endure persecution of the missionaries and Latter-day Saints that lived in Germany. In order to preach and meet, he would dress and act like a common worker in the cities, and preach in secret in private homes at night. He was released after three years of service in 1896.

After his mission, Woodruff returned to work at the bank. On June 30, 1896, he married Helen May Winters. That October, in General Conference, he was called by his father as an Apostle at the very young age of 23. He was ordained by his father on October 7, 1896. He served as the other apostles, in helping to establish settlements and organize stakes and the church throughout the area. He 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 the 1890 Manifesto. It is not known who sealed the marriage or where it was performed. It is possible that the marriage was performed outside of the United States. He had one child with his second wife.

In May of 1904, Woodruff was called to visit the settlements of the Latter-day Saints in Mexico with his family. There, his wife, Helen Woodruff, contracted smallpox. She died on June 7, 1904 from that disease, with her husband patiently and faithfully waiting by her side. He contracted the disease himself, and died on June 20, 1904 in El Paso, Texas, at the young age of 31, after serving as an apostle for less than 8 years.