History

WoodmenLife’s Storied History

On June 6, 1890, Joseph Cullen Root founded WoodmenLife in a small hotel room in downtown Omaha. Root had the simple idea of making life insurance available to everyone.

We’re proud of our fraternal heritage and our long-standing history of financial strength. We're inspired by our founder’s vision of what WoodmenLife could mean to American families, and humbled by the extraordinary organization we’ve grown to be these last 125-plus years.

Here we’d like to share highlights from each decade of WoodmenLife’s history. You can flip through this historical montage in chronological order, or click directly on the decade that interests you the most.

1890s
1891
First Death Claim

WoodmenLife’s first death claim was paid to the mother of a 19-year-old drowning victim in Niles, Michigan.

1898

WoodmenLife had more than 88,000 members from all over the country.

1900s
1900
J.M. Taylor

WoodmenLife chapters contributed more than $13,000 to hurricane and tidal wave victims in Galveston, Texas.

1903

In Jacksonville, Florida, member J.M. Taylor organized the first Boys of Woodcraft unit in 1903.

1910s
1912
1912 WoodmenLife Tower

A new WoodmenLife building opened at the corner of 14th & Farnam in downtown Omaha and it was the tallest structure between Chicago and the Pacific ocean at the time.

1915

Membership surpassed 750,000.

1920s
1921
1920 Home Office Employees

The first cash refunds were paid to members, totaling $1,250,000.

1923

Radio station WOAW made its first broadcast on April 2nd.

1930s
1934
1930 Membership List

WoodmenLife Treasurer and U.S. Senator Morris Sheppard sponsored legislation to establish Federal Credit Unions, and Home Office associates received Credit Union Charger No. 16.

WoodmenLife chapters donated more than $160,000 for food clothing, medical supplies, fuel and general relief during the Depression.

1940s
1940
1940 WoodmenLife 50th Anniversary

On June 6, WoodmenLife honored its 50th anniversary with a week-long celebration, including a parade, a service at founder Joseph Cullen Root’s grave and a special network radio program carried by more than 100 stations.

1947

WoodmenLife’s patriotic program began. Since then, more than 3.5 million American flags have been presented to non-profit and community organizations.

1950s
1953
1950 City Flag Donation Ceremony

WoodmenLife established an award that still recognizes conservationists and environmentalists to this day.

1958

The slogan “The Family Fraternity” is adopted.

1960s
1966

WoodmenLife exceeded $1 billion of insurance in force.

1969
1960 WoodmenLife Tower

The 30-story WoodmenLife Tower was dedicated.

1970s
1970
1970 Woodmen Rangers

WoodmenLife reached $2 billion of insurance in force.

1973

The Catastrophic Illness Benefit was created in 1973, which gave financial assistance to members with leukemia, a brain tumor, lung cancer or tuberculosis. This benefit was retired in 2017.

1980s
1983
Olympic Flag Presentation

WoodmenLife introduced its Adjustable Life product.

1986

WoodmenLife’s Adjustable Life product was rated best in the nation by a leading consumer magazine.
WoodmenLife was the first insurer to provide its entire Sales Force with laptop computers.

1990s
1997
Patriotic Program Anniversary

WoodmenLife celebrated the 50th anniversary of the patriotic program, which in addition to presenting American flags, now includes American History Awards to middle and high school students.

1998

WoodmenLife and the American Red Cross formed a partnership that led to the creation of more than 1,000 member-led Disaster Action Teams. WoodmenLife donated more than $1 million to the Red Cross in subsequent years.

2000s
2001
9-11 Memorial Ceremony

WoodmenLife responded to the tragic events of September 11 by creating a special tribute called “In Honor and Remembrance”. The memorial ceremony has been performed by thousands of members all over the nation on every 9/11 since. The fifth anniversary of the attacks was observed by two “towers of light” and two flags draped down the sides of the WoodmenLife Tower.

2002

Members were introduced to Woodmen Financial Services, Inc. (WFS), a subsidiary formed to provide members a wider range of financial products, including mutual funds, variable annuities and college savings plans.

2004

A second subsidiary, Woodmen Insurance Agency, Inc. (WIA) was formed. WIA was created to provide members outside WoodmenLife offerings, including disability and health insurance, personal insurance lines, and commercial insurance lines.

2010s
2010

Life insurance in force surpasses $35 billion.

2013

WoodmenLife powered a nonprofit dedicated to providing fundraising support online.

2015

Woodmen of the World implements new branding as WoodmenLife, with a new logo and the tagline Standing Strong for Generations.

Our National Community Focus of fighting hunger is introduced. Members of the WoodmenLife family have since held food drives, planted community gardens and stuffed backpacks in their hometowns on an ongoing basis. The effort has resulted in more than 900,000 pounds of food collected and more than $1.4 million raised.

2016

Our Life’s Perks® program begins offering members of the WoodmenLife family discounts at more than 30,000 national and local retailers.

The WoodmenLife Focus Forward Scholarship Program® launches, offering nearly $1 million in scholarships to colleges, universities and trade schools each year.

2020s
2020

A new product, My Choice Indexed Universal Life insurance, offers the potential to grow cash value and protection against market-based losses with a 0% floor.

Throughout our history, WoodmenLife has merged with five other fraternal benefit societies. The last took place in July 2001 when The Neighbors of Woodcraft became part of the WoodmenLife family.

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Our Mission

Uniting hardworking Americans to secure their financial future while strengthening our communities and country.

This is a solicitation of insurance and an agent/producer may contact you.

WoodmenLife Medicare Supplement plans are not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.

NOTE: In some states, Medicare Supplement certificates (all plans in CO) are available to those eligible for Medicare due to a disability, regardless of age.

Securities are offered through Woodmen Financial Services, Inc. (WFS), 1700 Farnam Street, Omaha, NE 68102, member FINRA/SIPC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society (collectively “WoodmenLife”). Securities other than the WoodmenLife Variable Annuity are issued by companies that are not affiliated with WoodmenLife. This material is intended for general use with the public. WFS is not providing investment advice for any individual or any individual situation, and you should not look to this material for any investment advice. WFS has financial interests that are served by the sale of these products or services.

WoodmenLife Extras are available to members. An individual becomes a member by joining our shared commitment to family, community and country, and by purchasing a product. These extras are not contractual, are subject to change and have specific eligibility requirements, such as length of membership, number of qualifying members in household and/or qualifying event.

Check out the background of Woodmen Financial Services, Inc. on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.

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A+ Financial Rating

This company was issued a A+ (Superior) rating by the AM Best Company, click for additional details. WoodmenLife has been awarded a rating of A+ (Superior), the second highest ranking out of 15, for its financial strength and operating performance in 2022 by AM Best, an independent rating company that is nationally recognized for its objective reporting and rating of insurers.

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This Site is not intended for access outside of the United States, including those individuals who reside in the European Economic Area (“EEA”). WoodmenLife makes no representation that materials on the Site are appropriate or available for use in locations outside of the United States, and accessing them from territories where their contents are illegal is prohibited. Those who choose to access the Site from outside of the United States do so on their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws.

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This company was issued a secure rating by the A.M. Best Company

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WoodmenLife is a proud member of American Fraternal Alliance

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Omaha, Nebraska