Arthur Woodrow

Arthur F. Woodrow (born December 12, 1922 in Toronto, Canada) is an author, retired entrepreneur, and inventor. His most recent book, Election Hangover?, is a revision of his first book, How to Make Your Vote Count, which was published in 2008 in anticipation of the United States presidential election. Both books have been published by the non-partisan Democracy Conservator Foundation of Tucson, Arizona, a not-for-profit foundation started by Woodrow in 2007 to encourage more participation in the U.S. political process.

Biography

Woodrow's family immigrated to the United States when he was in primary school, settling in New Jersey. Following his high school graduation, he entered Rutgers University where he studied from 1941-1942 before being drafted into World War II. During the war, Woodrow served in the United States Army Air Corps, completing his duty in 1946. While he served, he became a naturalized citizen of the U.S. in 1944. With the war over and his return to civilian status, Woodrow completed his studies at the Northern Illinois College of Optometry in the late 1940s, ultimately starting his own optometry practice in Tucson, Arizona in 1950. Throughout the 1950s, he ran his practice and, during that time, met and married Julie Modine (February 16, 1957). With the dawn of the 1960s, Woodrow founded the electro-optical manufacturing firm TSN Company, which he ran until 1971. At that point, he became a Realtor and spent the next 35 years as a real estate developer in the Tucson area. He has two children, Tracy and Chris, and seven grandchildren.

Democracy Conservator Foundation

In 2007, at the age of 85, Woodrow started the Democracy Conservator Foundation (DCF) out of concern for the state of politics in the United States. The U.S. presidential campaign was in full swing, and he had watched partisan bickering (and political inaction) increase dramatically over the decades. It was his belief that most federal politicians were more interested in preserving their careers and demonizing the opposing party than serving the public good. Additionally, Woodrow felt the demise of our democracy had been hastened by excessive bureaucracy, powerful special interests, and an apathetic public. For these reasons and an interest in improving the country for future generations, he started DCF and began work on his book, How to Make Your Vote Count, to be released before the 2008 election. Woodrow took DCF online, quickly developing a website and blog, in order to promote his cause. In August of 2008, How to Make Your Vote Count was published as an e-book. Following the election, the e-book was revised and re-released with a new title, Election Hangover?, and made available in paperback in 2009. In addition to running his foundation, Woodrow blogs weekly on the DCF website and is a contributor to the website Politics.com.

References

  • Interview, Simon Barrett, BlogTalkRadio, April 25, 2009 1