Dorothy Cheney Goodwin (September 2, 1914 – June 10, 2007) was an American educator and politician. She taught at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...

(1957–1974) and served in the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ea ...

(1975–1984) as well as on the

Connecticut State Board of Education The Connecticut State Board of Education is the governing body of the Connecticut State Department of Education, which oversees the public education State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish Eng ...

(1984–1990). She was inducted into the

Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame The Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame (CWHF) recognizes women natives or residents of the U.S. state of Connecticut for their significant achievements or statewide contributions. The CWHF had its beginnings in 1993 when a group of volunteers part ...

in 1994.

Early life and education

Goodwin was born on September 2, 1914 in Hartford, Connecticut, to parents Ruth Cheney and Charles Goodwin. Her father wrote the legislation establishing the Metropolitan District Commission.

Goodwin Park Goodwin Park is a multi-sport venue located at Brisbane, Australia. It is home to Olympic FC. History During the 2010–11 Queensland floods, Goodwin Park was submerged with the playing field virtually being destroyed. The Queensland Governmen ...

was named after her grandfather. Goodwin attended the Oxford School and

Milton Academy Milton Academy (also known as Milton) is a highly selective, coeducational, University-preparatory school, independent preparatory, boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts consisting of a grade 9–12 Upper School and a grade K–8 Lowe ...

, graduated magna cum laude from

Smith College Smith College is a private liberal arts women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith and opened in 1875. It is the largest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite women's c ...

with a BA in sociology in 1937, and earned her PhD in

agricultural economics Agricultural economics is an applied field of economics concerned with the application of economic theory in optimizing the production and distribution of food and fiber products. Agricultural economics began as a branch of economics that specif ...

from the

in 1957.

Career

Goodwin worked in the Bureau of Indian Affairs from 1937 to 1939 and the Bureau of Agricultural Economics from 1939 to 1942. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Goodwin worked in the Department of Economic Warfare in

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. From 1947 to 1951, Goodwin served as a government agricultural economist in Japan. From 1957 to 1969, Goodwin taught economics at the University of Connecticut and served as assistant provost, responsible for institutional research and planning. She retired in 1974. In 1975, Goodwin was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 54th District. She served five consecutive terms and chaired the House's education committee. While serving in legislature, she led a compromise reorganization of the state's higher education and, in 1979, shepherded a school equalization plan through the legislature, creating new formulas for state educational aid for cities and towns. From 1984 to 1990, Goodwin served on the Connecticut State Board of Education. Goodwin served on the board of trustees at the

Hartford College for Women The Hartford College for Women (or HCW) was a two-year private college for women located in Hartford, Connecticut. It was opened in 1933, became a constituent college of the University of Hartford (UHart) in 1991, and closed in 2003. History 1 ...

and the board of regents at the

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and it ...

. She was awarded the Connecticut Humanities Council's Wilbur Cross Award in 1991 for distinguished scholarship and public service teaching.

Personal life and legacy

The Dorothy C. Goodwin Elementary School in

Mansfield, Connecticut Mansfield is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 25,892 at the 2020 census. Pequot and Mohegan people lived in this region for centuries before the arrival of English settler-immigrants in the late 17th cen ...

, was named in her honor in 1992. In 1993 Goodwin donated almost sixteen acres adjacent to her house in

, to the Joshua's Trust land conservation organization. Goodwin died in her home in

Bloomfield, Connecticut Bloomfield is a suburb of Hartford in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town's population was 21,535 at the 2020 census. Bloomfield is best known as the headquarters of healthcare services company Cigna. History Originally l ...

, in 2007. Her bequest established UConn's Dorothy C. Goodwin Fund for Teacher Preparation.Dorothy Cheney Goodwin-obituary
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References

External links

Dorothy C. Goodwin Papers
- University of Connecticut Archives & Special Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Goodwin, Dorothy 1914 births 2007 deaths Politicians from Hartford, Connecticut Educators from Hartford, Connecticut People from Mansfield, Connecticut Smith College alumni University of Connecticut alumni University of Connecticut faculty Women state legislators in Connecticut Connecticut State Board of Education members Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians American women academics 21st-century American women American expatriates in India American expatriates in Japan