Joseph William Woodrough

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Joseph William Woodrough (August 29, 1873 – October 3, 1977) was the longest-lived and longest-serving judge in the history of the United States judiciary. Although he served as a federal judge for a record 61 years (45 active, 16 senior), others have performed judicial work at greater ages or for longer periods. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and resided in Nebraska from 1897. He was appointed a judge of the United States District Court for Nebraska by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 and promoted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. He took senior status in January 1961 and performed no judicial functions after taking part in a courthouse dedication later that year. Je remained a salaried Senior Circuit Judge, however, until his death in 1977. He was the grandson of Joseph Woodrough and Agnes Moreman. Joseph, his grandfather was a sawmaker in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Perhaps because of his grandson's fame, Woodrough saws are highly collectable items.