Home → History → People → Alfred E. Woodward Jr.
Alfred E. Woodward Jr., whose career took him from Sandwich to the Illinois Second District Appellate Court.
A Sandwich Beginning
Before he wore a judge’s robe, Alfred E. Woodward Jr. was a Sandwich boy who played football, joined the debating team, and decided that he wanted to become a lawyer.
Born December 15, 1913, he was the youngest son of Alfred E. Woodward Sr. and Mabel Coleman Woodward. His father worked for the Sandwich Manufacturing Company, connecting the family to the industry that helped shape the town.
Alfred’s brothers were considerably older. Malcolm was nineteen years his senior, and John was eleven years older. In a later account of his life, S. Louis Rathje observed that the age difference meant Alfred grew up much like an only child.
His career would eventually take him to Wheaton and the Illinois Appellate Court. But the story began here, in the schools, playing fields, and family life of Sandwich.
Football, Debate, and a College Education
At Sandwich High School, Alfred played several positions on the football team, starting as a halfback, later playing end, and becoming quarterback in his senior year. He also participated in debate, an activity well suited to a young man already considering a legal career.
The Great Depression complicated his college plans. He had hoped to attend Northwestern, where his older brothers had studied. Instead, an athletic scholarship helped take him to Oberlin College in Ohio.
The scholarship was only part of the solution. To cover expenses, Alfred worked in a kitchen washing pots and pans before moving on to waiting tables.
He continued playing football and became captain of Oberlin’s team in 1934. His college nickname, “The Ham from Sandwich,” offered a glimpse of the dry humor that friends and colleagues would remember.
Oberlin later recognized his accomplishments by inducting him into its athletic Hall of Fame in 1988. The college’s account also records his selection at guard for the “All Oberlin” football team chosen by retiring athletic director C. W. Savage in 1935.
Oberlin College inducted Alfred E. Woodward, Class of 1935, into its athletic Hall of Fame in 1988.
Following His Brother into Law
After graduating from Oberlin in 1935, Alfred entered Northwestern University School of Law. His father encouraged his ambitions, and his older brother John, already a practicing attorney, provided an example to follow.
Alfred earned his law degree in 1938 and joined the Wheaton law firm that John had formed with attorney Bert Rathje.
It was the beginning of a professional life that would span private practice, military service, and decades of work in the Illinois courts.
Navy Service in the Pacific
During World War II, Alfred served as a Navy communications officer in the Pacific. The Oberlin account places his service in the Gilbert and Marianas Islands.
Rathje’s recollections include a particularly personal detail. Near the war’s end, Alfred had an opportunity to travel to Japan in connection with the surrender. He chose to return home to his family instead.
His son Robert, born in 1943, was waiting there, a child he had not yet seen.
Following his discharge in January 1946, Alfred returned to Wheaton and resumed practicing law.
From the Courtroom to the Bench
In 1950, Alfred became a partner in Rathje & Woodward. He served as president of the DuPage County Bar Association in 1956, and in 1967 he was elected to the American College of Trial Lawyers.
His work eventually brought him from the lawyer’s table to the judge’s bench. He served as a DuPage County circuit judge and was chief judge from 1973 to 1975.
In 1977, the Illinois Supreme Court selected him to fill a vacancy on the Second District Appellate Court. His years handling appeals in private practice helped prepare him for the work.
Alfred served on the appellate court until 1981, when he returned to private practice. In 1986, the Illinois Supreme Court recalled him to the appellate bench. He continued serving until his final retirement in December 1994.
A Growing Family
Alfred married Alice Keller in 1957. Their marriage brought together his three children, Bob, Anne, and Dave, and Alice’s three children, Sue, Mike, and Lynn. Their daughter Wendy later brought the family to seven children.
His son Bob would become widely known for his reporting on Watergate with Carl Bernstein at The Washington Post. That national connection is another branch of a family story with roots in Sandwich.
Alfred’s own life, however, had already followed a substantial course: student, athlete, kitchen worker, lawyer, Navy officer, father, and judge.
Alfred E. Woodward Jr. (1913–2007)
Another Chapter in the Woodward Story
Alfred E. Woodward Jr. died February 20, 2007, in Wheaton, at the age of ninety three. He was buried in Wheaton Cemetery.
His working life unfolded largely beyond Sandwich, but his beginnings belong to this community. The youngest boy in a local manufacturing family became a college football captain, served his country overseas, and spent much of his life practicing and administering the law.
His story continues our look at the Woodward family across generations. More chapters will follow as we trace the people whose lives connected Sandwich to a wider world.
Facts at a Glance
- Full name: Alfred Eno Woodward Jr.
- Born: December 15, 1913, in Sandwich, Illinois
- Parents: Alfred E. Woodward Sr. and Mabel Coleman Woodward
- Education: Oberlin College, 1935; Northwestern University School of Law, 1938
- Military service: U.S. Navy communications officer during World War II
- Legal career: Attorney and partner in Rathje & Woodward
- Chief judge: DuPage County, 1973–1975
- Appellate service: Illinois Second District, 1977–1981 and 1986–1994
- Athletic honor: Oberlin College athletic Hall of Fame, 1988
- Died: February 20, 2007, in Wheaton, Illinois
- Burial: Wheaton Cemetery
Continue the Story
- John Woodward — Meet an earlier generation of the family and explore his work at the Sandwich Manufacturing Company.
- A. E. Woodward— Discover more of the Woodward family’s Sandwich history.
- Bob Woodward: His Family’s Sandwich Roots — Continue with the journalist whose family connection remained a point of local interest long after Watergate.
More History Awaits
The story continues every day.
Follow Historic Sandwich, Illinois on Facebook for additional photographs, new discoveries, and everyday glimpses into our town’s past.
Research & Sources
This article draws on the following materials:
- Oberlin College Athletics: Alfred E. Woodward’s Hall of Fame entry, recording his football achievements, class of 1935, and 1988 induction.
- S. Louis Rathje: Biographical recollections reproduced on Alfred Eno Woodward’s Find a Grave memorial, providing details about his childhood, education, military service, family, and legal career.
- Williams-Kampp Funeral Home: Alfred E. Woodward obituary, February 2007.
- Legacy.com: Alfred Woodward obituary, February 2007. Much of this material overlaps the funeral home obituary.
- The True Republican, October 17, 1936: Northwestern enrollment report listing Alfred E. Woodward of Sandwich as a law student.
- The Naperville Clarion, March 1, 1951; December 11, 1952; and January 28, 1954: Reports documenting his involvement and offices in the DuPage County Bar Association.
- Stockton Herald-News, October 27, 1977: Report of his appellate court candidacy and appointment earlier that year.
Where the obituary accounts contain conflicting dates, this article uses the broader sequence supported by the supplied materials.