Representative Azariah Boody

Azariah Boody (April 21, 1815 – November 18, 1885) was an American politician, businessman, and a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. Born in Stanstead County in Lower Canada on April 21, 1815, he was the son of Jonathan and Nancy Evans Boody. In his youth he moved with his parents to the United States, where the family settled in Lowell, Massachusetts. There he attended the common schools, receiving the basic education that would support his later business and political activities.

In 1850 Boody moved to Rochester, New York, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits. He became a landowner of some prominence in the area, and his property later played a role in the development of higher education in the city. He married Ambia Corson, and as he established himself in Rochester he began to assume a more visible role in civic and institutional affairs. From 1853 to 1865 he served as a trustee of the University of Rochester, reflecting both his local standing and his interest in education.

Boody’s business career extended well beyond agriculture into the rapidly expanding railroad industry of the mid-nineteenth century. He invested heavily in railroads and was instrumental in the consolidation of several New York lines into the New York Central Railroad system, including the Genesee Valley Railroad, the Niagara Falls Railroad, and the Rochester, Lockport and Niagara Falls Railroad. His influence in the railroad sector was not confined to New York State; he served on the board of directors of the Lake Erie, Wabash, and St. Louis Railroad Company, and he was president of the Wabash and Toledo Railroad Company until 1873. Through these positions he participated in the development of key transportation links that supported regional commerce and westward expansion.

As a member of the Whig Party representing New York, Boody entered national politics during a period of rising sectional tensions in the United States. He was elected as a Whig to the Thirty-third Congress and served as the United States Representative for New York’s twenty-ninth congressional district. His term in the House of Representatives began on March 4, 1853. Although his service in Congress lasted for only one term and a portion of that term, he contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents. He resigned his seat on October 13, 1853, citing “pre-existing obligations,” and thereafter returned his primary attention to his business and civic endeavors.

Boody remained active in Rochester’s institutional life after his brief congressional service. His role as a trustee of the University of Rochester from 1853 to 1865 coincided with the institution’s formative years, and his agricultural holdings near the city became closely associated with the university’s growth. Local tradition holds that his cow pastures were made available for the expansion of the university, a gift that later became part of the school’s folklore and identity.

In his later years Boody continued to be recognized as a prominent businessman and former public official. He spent time in New York City as well as in Rochester, reflecting the broader geographic scope of his railroad and commercial interests. He died of pneumonia in New York, New York County, New York, on November 18, 1885, at the age of 70 years and 211 days. He was interred at Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York, a burial place for many of the city’s leading citizens.

Boody’s name has remained part of the cultural memory of the University of Rochester community. A “secret organization” known as the Azariah Boody Society has existed to promote school spirit, invoking his legacy. The popular school song “The Dandelion Yellow,” written by Charles F. Cole and Richard L. Greenen in 1925, includes a verse commemorating Boody’s donation of his cow pastures to the university, playfully suggesting that when the cows were driven away “to build a home for knowledge,” the color of the dandelion flower was taken and “given to the college.” Through this enduring campus tradition, as well as his record in business and public service, Azariah Boody’s name continues to be associated with both the civic and educational development of Rochester.