John Stoddard was born in Northampton, Massachusetts, on March 11, 1809. He married Mary L. Mongin of South Carolina in 1836 and moved to Savannah in 1837, where he became a cotton merchant and planter. He became a member of the Georgia Historical Society on July 13, 1840 and retained his membership until his death on July 25, 1879. John Stoddard was held in high regard at the Society and acted as pallbearer for William Brown Hodgson at his funeral on July 3, 1871. He succeeded Bishop Elliott as President of the Georgia Historical Society and served for just one year, from 1867-1868. He was unanimously reelected upon the expiration of his term but chose to pursue private business matters instead. John Stoddard died in Savannah on July 5, 1879, and is buried in Savannah’s Bonaventure Cemetery

Sources Cited (all found in the Biography: STO vertical file):

• Minute Book vol. 2 of GHS 1361-AD
• “Mr. John Stoddard, Esq. 1809-1879: Sketch of an Industrious Fellow” by Pamela A. Jarvis
• Works Progress Administration of Georgia, Savannah Newspaper Digest, 1871, p. 229.