Henry Kingsmill Woods was born in London in 1854, first son of the Anglican Archdeacon Charles thomas Woods. In 1860, he travelled to British Columbia with his parents, and in 1878 left for San Francisco to take a position with the Bank of British Columbia. After converting to Catholocism, Woods left the Bank and entered the Society of Jesus. Woods studied at the Novitiate at Santa Clara College, ans at Woodstock College in Maryland. He taught Ethics and Rhetoric at St. Ignatius College in San Francisco, where he was also a popular preacher and adviser tof the League of the Sacred Heart. From 1906-1909, Woods trained young Jesuits at the novitiate in Los Gatos. From 1909-1914, he served as associate editor of the weekly Jesuit magazine, America. During World War I, Woods resided at Los Gatos, leaving in 1921 to assume a position as Professor of Ethics at the Unviversity of Santa Clara. From 1921-1927, he taught Philosophy, religion, and lieterature. In 1927, he was named Emeritus Professor. After the death of librarian Joseph C. Sasia, S.J., Woods assumed responsibility for the Aloysius Varsi Library, a position he held until his death in 1936