John Williams Stoddard

John Williams Stoddard (October 1, 1837 – September 18, 1917) was an American manufacturer of agricultural implements and automobile pioneer. He was a cousin of General William Tecumseh Sherman.

Biography John Williams Stoddard was born in Dayton, Ohio to Henry and Susan (Williams) Stoddard. Henry Stoddard (1788–1869) was a pioneer citizen and distinguished lawyer of Dayton. John was educated in the private schools of Dayton, and spent his freshman and sophomore years at Miami University. He next entered the junior class at Princeton College, where he graduated in the class of 1858. Following his father's profession, Mr. Stoddard graduated from Cincinnati Law School in 1860. He practiced law in Dayton for two years but decided to abandon the legal profession for a business career. On May 7, 1861 John W. Stoddard married Susan Keifer (1841–1921). His son and partner Charles Grimes Stoddard died less than four years later and Susan Stoddard, John's wife, died a few months after Charles. The Queen Anne-style Stoddard mansion stood on Grafton Hill overlooking the Great Miami River and the city of Dayton. In 1926, it was razed to make way for the Dayton Masonic Temple (now Masonic Center).

The John W. Stoddard family, including his parents, brothers and children, are interred at Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio.

Patents Stoddard used patent protection on his agricultural products. A sample of one of the later patents, issue to his brother E. Fowler Stoddard, is below. Combined Horse Rake and Tedder, Issued: July 14, 1885