Samuel Isett Woodbridge

Rev. Samuel Isett Woodbridge, Sr. (1856–1926) was an American Presbyterian missionary associated with China. His career included authoring several books and translating Chinese literary works into English.

Born in Henderson, Henderson County, Kentucky, on October 16, 1856, Woodbridge was the son of Rev. Jahleel Woodbridge and Louise Caroline Ligon. He graduated from Rutgers College in 1876 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, completing his studies in absentia. He pursued theological education at Columbia Theological Seminary from 1879 to 1880. On April 8, 1880, he was admitted to membership at the First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina, following an examination process. He further studied at Princeton Theological Seminary from 1880 until 1882. Woodbridge was ordained as a foreign evangelist on October 7, 1882, in Walterboro, South Carolina, by the Presbytery of Charleston. In 1910, Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, awarded him a Doctor of Divinity degree.

After his ordination in 1882, Woodbridge commenced missionary work in China. He served as a missionary of the Presbyterian Church in the United States for the duration of his life. His initial mission was in Chenkiang, where he worked for twenty years until 1902. Subsequently, he was based in Shanghai until his death in 1926. In Shanghai, he established and served as editor of the Shanghai Christian Intelligencer, a bi-lingual magazine published in both English and Chinese editions.

Woodbridge authored several works, including "Fifty Years in China," documenting his experiences, and translated Chinese literature into English, notably translating "China's Only Hope" by Viceroy Chang Ching Tung, published by Revel & Co., New York. He also served as the editor of the Shanghai Christian Intelligencer, also known as the Chinese Christian Intelligencer, a periodical aimed at both English and Chinese-speaking audiences.

His family lineage includes notable ancestors, such as Rev. Sylvester Woodbridge of New Orleans, and he descended from Rev. John Woodbridge IV, an immigrant from England and a member of Harvard's inaugural class of 1642. The family traces its roots to Rev. John Woodbridge I of England, who was associated with followers of John Wycliffe.

In his personal life, Samuel Woodbridge married Jeanie Wilson Woodrow, a first cousin of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, on September 8, 1884, at Union Church in Tokohama, Japan. The marriage was officiated by Rev. Eugene S. Booth. The couple had eight children, with seven born during their mission period in China. After the death of his first wife in 1913, Woodbridge married Dr. Mary Newell.

Rev. Samuel Woodbridge died in Shanghai, China, on July 23, 1926, and was laid to rest there.