| William E. Woodruff | |
| Office: | 10th Postmaster of Little Rock |
| Term Start: | October 17, 1845 |
| Term End: | September 3, 1846 |
| Nominator: | James K. Polk |
| Predecessor: | Barnett Williams |
| Successor: | Lambert Reardon |
| Office1: | 1st Treasurer of Arkansas |
| Term Start1: | October 1, 1836 |
| Term End1: | November 20, 1838 |
| Predecessor1: | New office |
| Successor1: | John Hutt |
| Birth Name: | William Edward Woodruff |
| Birth Date: | 24 December 1795 |
| Birth Place: | Suffolk County, New York, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Resting Place: | Mount Holly Cemetery, Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Resting Place Coordinates: | 34.7376°N -92.2785°W |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Children: | 11 |
| Signature: | Signature of William Edward Woodruff (1795–1885).png |
William Edward Woodruff (December 24, 1795 – June 19, 1885) was an American politician and publisher who served as the first state treasurer of Arkansas from 1836 to 1838. He also served as the 10th postmaster of Little Rock from 1845 to 1846. Woodruff was the first publisher of a major Arkansas newspaper.[1]
William Edward Woodruff was born on December 24, 1795, in Suffolk County (Long Island), New York.[2] He was apprenticed to a Brooklyn printer at the age of 14, and, in 1818, headed west to work in Kentucky, Tennessee, and finally the newly created Arkansas Territory, founding The Arkansas Gazette in November 1819.
Woodruff supported the Confederacy in the U.S Civil War and, aged 68, served as a soldier under Confederate Major-General Sterling Price; defending the city of Little Rock against the Union.[3]
Woodruff died in Little Rock on June 19, 1885, and is buried in the historic Mount Holly Cemetery.[4] Woodruff County, Arkansas, is named for him.