Harry Post Godwin (February 10, 1857 – March 30, 1900) was an American

newspaper editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

. He was born in

Binghamton Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. At a young age he moved to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, where he was educated. At age 17, he began working at the ''

National Republican The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...

'', where he quickly became chief editor. He worked there for seven years until 1881, when he became city editor at ''

The Washington Star ''The Washington Star'', previously known as the ''Washington Star-News'' and the Washington ''Evening Star'', was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C., between 1852 and 1981. The Sunday edition was known as the ''Sunday Star ...

'', where he worked for nearly 20 years. To test William Price, Godwin sent him to the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

to find a story, and he came back with a good headline which started a new form of journalism directed at uncovering the White House. After resigning from ''The Washington Star'' in 1897, Godwin went to New York to take a high-ranking position in the

Columbia Phonograph Company Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the Ame ...

Personal life

Godwin is the son of a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

soldier who disappeared in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, and grandson of

Abraham Godwin Jr. Abraham Godwin Jr. (July 14, 1791 – August 18, 1849) was the first Lieutenant of the expedition to Canada in War of 1812, 1812 led by Generals Jacob Jennings Brown, Brown and George Izard, Izard. He later rose to the rank of Brigadier General i ...

He married Annie Falconer Stoppard on April 9, 1880. He had four sons: Earl Godwin (radio and newspaperman), Harold Parke Godwin Sr. (writer, actor), Frank Godwin (Illustrator, cartoonist), and Stuart Godwin (newspaperman). He had many grandchildren, including writer and author, Harold Parke Godwin Jr.

Death

In the summer of 1898, Godwin fell onto the

gunwale The gunwale () is the top edge of the hull of a ship or boat. Originally the structure was the "gun wale" on a sailing warship, a horizontal reinforcing band added at and above the level of a gun deck to offset the stresses created by firing ...

of a boat, severely injuring his lungs. He spent his last months in the hospital struggling to recover. He seemed to have died peacefully, as he was doing well and had just eaten breakfast and heard the days news when the nurse left. He died in

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

, and his remains were brought to Washington, D.C. His funeral was held at the St. Mark's Episcopal Church, and he was buried at

Rock Creek Cemetery Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. It is across the stree ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Godwin, Harry Post Harry Post 1857 births 1900 deaths Editors of Washington, D.C., newspapers People from Binghamton, New York