Selim E . Woodworth Selim E . Woodworth ( November 27 , 1815 – January 29 , 1871 ) was a commander in the United States Navy , prominent San Francisco businessman , and member of the Woodworth political family . Early years . Woodworth was born in New York City , the second son of poet and dramatist Samuel Woodworth . He was a descendant of colonial settler Walter Woodworth . At age twelve he set out with a rifle to cross the continent , but was intercepted after walking 300 miles and sent home . In 1834 he sailed as captain ' s clerk in the ship " Margaret Oakley " , which was shipwrecked off Madagascar . He lived on the island with the natives , but eventually reached Mauritius , returning home after an absence of four years . U . S . Navy career . Appointed a midshipman on 16 June 1838 , Woodworth was ordered to join the Wilkes Exploring Expedition . However , the order was sent to Norfolk , Virginia and was not forwarded to him . When he reported in response to a duplicate order , the expedition had already sailed . He was instead sent to the Mediterranean Sea for duty in the ship of the line . On 3 August , he was detached for a three - month leave ; he received an additional leave of three months to visit Milan , Italy , and on 24 December was ordered to join the , then fitting out at New York . While serving in " Falmouth " , he received new of his father ' s death . He returned to New York and was assigned to the receiving ship . He served on before entering the Philadelphia Naval School . On 20 May 1844 , Woodworth was warranted a passed midshipman . After six months leave , he reported to the new sloop - of - war and served on the coast of Africa , helping suppress the slave trade . He was transferred to , but detached on 24 November 1845 , and granted a three - month leave . The United States was on the brink of war with Mexico , and Woodworth was assigned to carry dispatches about the Navy ' s naval participation overland to the Pacific Squadron in Oregon . He set out with two companions from Independence , Missouri , on 14 May 1846 , arriving in Oregon 98 days later . California pioneer . Woodworth reported to naval authorities at the mouth of the Columbia River , where he remained until 18 January 1847 , when he left for San Francisco . Shortly after his arrival news reached the settlement that a group of overland emigrants — the Donner Party — was trapped and starving in the Sierra Nevada . Woodworth received permission from his naval superiors to command the rescue efforts and on 7 February , set sail for Sacramento with a load of supplies . Although Woodworth trekked into the mountains with men and provisions , he failed to meet the rescue parties when expected . Donner Party survivors and rescuers regarded him as a braggart who had let them down . Woodworth arrived back in San Francisco on 1 April 1847 and reported on board sloop - of - war at Monterey Bay , California on 17 May 1847 . On 8 October , he requested a leave of absence in order to make a trip across the southern part of South America with permission to join the squadron on the coast of Brazil or in the United States . Permission was to be granted whenever he could be spared . He left " Warren " on 16 February 1848 to take command of the bark . From 5 June 1848 until 1850 , naval registers carry him as attached to the Pacific Squadron ; however , no record of him has ever been found . Woodworth resigned from the Navy in 1849 after being elected as a State Senator representing Monterey . For a little more than a decade , he lived in San Francisco , California and took a prominent part in the development of the state of California . He and his brother , Frederick A . Woodworth , were among the organizers of the vigilance committee , and Selim Woodworth was the group ' s first President . Woodworth and his sons , along with brothers , were original members of the Society of California Pioneers . Woodworth ran the successful Case , Heiser & Company , a commission merchant business , with his brother . When serving in the first legislature for California , Woodworth is credited as defining the state ' s policies concerning slavery ; he was an abolitionist . Woodworth and his brother would build the first house in San Francisco situated on a water lot , which would eventually become the Clay Street Market . He owned several properties with his brother , including the lot at Market and Second Street where the Grand Hotel would be built ; he was also the first owner and resident of Red Rock Island , where he built a cabin and maintained a hunting preserve . Mary Ellen Pleasant . Mary Ellen Pleasant was a fugitive slave who worked for Woodworth and his family when she arrived in California . Woodworth ' s wife , Lisette , would play a crucial role in the landmark civil rights case " Pleasant v . North Beach & Mission Railroad Company " , where Pleasant was refused service on the San Francisco rail cars . Lisette testified on behalf of her former employee , and lent her credibility as a San Francisco socialite to Pleasant ' s claim . Pleasant would go on to win the case . Civil War service . After the outbreak of the American Civil War , Woodworth returned to the east coast and reentered the Navy on 10 September 1861 as an acting lieutenant . On 13 January 1862 , he assumed command of , a former ferry boat , converted to a steam gunboat . This vessel was assigned to the Mortar Flotilla raised by Comdr . David D . Porter to support Flag Officer David Farragut ' s conquest of New Orleans , Louisiana and the lower Mississippi River . While in command , he assisted in the capture of Forts Jackson and St . Philip in April and participated in operations around Vicksburg , Mississippi in June and July . Porter commended Woodworth for these services , and President Abraham Lincoln recommended him to Congress for special thanks . On 29 September 1862 , at his own request , he was detached from command of " John P . Jackson " and allowed to return to the North . Later that autumn , he was assigned to the Mississippi Squadron and reported at Cairo , Illinois , for duty . On 1 January 1863 , he was given command of the " tinclad , " stern - wheel steamer , . On 24 January , Porter — now a Rear Admiral — recommended Woodworth for appointment to the regular Navy . Woodworth was commissioned a commander in April 1863 , to date from 16 July 1862 . After " Glide " was burned , he commanded the ram " General Price " from 7 February 1863 through August . After months of commendable fighting up and down the Mississippi River , Comdr . Woodworth was detached from " General Price " and sent to the Pacific where he took command of the bark on 7 October 1863 . After having brought " Narragansett " around the Horn , he arrived in New York on 18 March 1865 . , a double - ended gunboat , was his last command , which he assumed on 30 November 1865 . Later years and legacy . Comdr . Selim E . Woodworth resigned from the Navy on 2 March 1866 and returned to San Francisco , where he resided with his family until his death in 1871 . Marriage and family . Woodworth married Lisette , by whom he had six children : After Woodworth ' s death in 1871 , Lisette married Erasmus Dennison , son of Gov . William Dennison , Jr . Namesake . The destroyer ( 1942 – 1951 ) was named for him .