Edwin Lawrence Godkin (2 October 183121 May 1902) was an American journalist and newspaper editor. He founded ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...

'' and was the editor-in-chief of the '' New York Evening Post'' from 1883 to 1899.Eric Fettman, "Godkin, E.L." in Stephen L. Vaughn, (ed.) ''Encyclopedia of American Journalism''. London : Routledge, 2009. (p.200) Victor Navasky, "Afterword", in Katrina Vanden Heuvel, ''The Nation, 1865-1990 : Selections From The Independent Magazine of Politics and Culture.''New York : Thunder's Mouth Press, 1990. (pp. 513-17)

Early life

Godkin was born in Moyne (a hamlet in Knockananna),

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. His father, James Godkin, was a Congregationalist minister and a journalist. He studied law at Queen's College, Belfast, where he was the first president of the Literary and Scientific Society.

Journalist

After leaving

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

in 1851 and studying law in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, he was the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

correspondent for the London '' Daily News'' in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and was present at the Siege of Sevastopol. In 1856, he emigrated to the United States and wrote letters to the ''News'', giving his impressions of a tour on horseback he made of the southern states of the American Union. He studied law under David Dudley Field in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and he was admitted to the bar in 1859. Because of his impaired health, he travelled in Europe in 1860 to 1862. He wrote for the ''News'' and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' in 1862 to 1865. In 1865, Godkin was asked by a group of abolitionists, led by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, to found a new weekly political magazine. Godkin, who had been considering starting such a magazine for some time, agreed and became the first editor of ''

'' when it began publishing in

in 1865. Charles Eliot Norton gained supporters for the magazine in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and James Miller McKim in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. In 1866, two others joined Godkin as proprietors while he remained editor until the end of 1899. In 1881, he sold ''The Nation '' to the '' New York Evening Post'', and he became an associate editor of the ''Post'' and then editor-in-chief in 1883 to 1899, succeeding Carl Schurz. Under Godkin's tenure, ''The Nation'' supported free trade and was anti-imperialist. It opposed socialism and

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

. Godkin was interested in Irish politics, and he often wrote about the Irish Question. Godkin was initially hostile to

Irish nationalism Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cult ...

, identifying it with the violence of Fenianism.William M. Armstrong, ''E. L. Godkin and American Foreign Policy, 1865-1900.'' Bookman Associates, 1957, pp. 107-109 However, in the 1880s, Godkin became a supporter of Irish Home Rule and endorsed the position of Charles Stewart Parnell.Leslie Butler, ''Critical Americans: Victorian Intellectuals and Transatlantic Liberal Reform''. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2007, pp. 236-238. That resulted in Godkin becoming engaged in a controversy with Goldwin Smith, who opposed Home Rule. Under Godkin's leadership the ''Post'' broke with the Republican Party in the presidential campaign of 1884, when Godkin's opposition to nominee James G. Blaine did much to create the so-called Mugwump party, and his organ became thoroughly independent, as was seen when it attacked the Venezuelan policy of President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

, who had, in so many ways, approximated the ideal of the ''Post'' and ''Nation''. He consistently advocated currency reform, the

gold standard A gold standard is a backed currency, monetary system in which the standard economics, economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the ...

, a tariff for revenue only, and civil service reform, rendering the greatest aid to the last cause. His attacks on Tammany Hall were so frequent and so virulent that in 1894, he was sued for

libel Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

because of biographical sketches of certain leaders in that organization; the cases never went to trial. In 1896, Godkin broke with the Democratic party after it nominated

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...

. He supported the

National Democratic Party (United States) The National Democratic Party, also known as Gold Democrats, was a short-lived political party of Bourbon Democrats who opposed the regular party nominee William Jennings Bryan in the 1896 presidential election. The party was then a "liberal" ...

third ticket because it championed a gold standard, limited government, and free trade. His opposition to the war with

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and to

imperialism Imperialism is the maintaining and extending of Power (international relations), power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power (military and economic power) and soft power (diplomatic power and cultura ...

was able and forcible.

Later life

He retired from his editorial duties on the 30 December 1899, and he sketched his career in the ''Evening Post'' of that date. Although he recovered from a severe apoplectic stroke early in 1900, his health was shattered, and he died in Greenway,

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, on the 21 May 1902. He was buried at Saint Michael's Church in Haselbech, Daventry District,

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

, near the home of the friend with whom he had been staying.

Legacy

Godkin shaped the lofty and independent policy of the ''Post'' and ''The Nation'', which had a small but influential and intellectual class of readers. However, he had none of the personal magnetism of

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congres ...

, for instance, and his superiority to the influence of popular feeling made Charles Dudley Warner describe ''The Nation'' as "the weekly judgment day". He was an economist of the school of

John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, politician and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of liberalism and social liberalism, he contributed widely to s ...

, urged the necessity of the abstraction called economic man, and insisted that socialism, if put into practice, would not improve social and economic conditions in general. In politics, he was an enemy of both sentimentalism and loose theories in government. Godkin had critics. In 1892, after Benjamin Butler published his memoir, ''Butler's Book'', Godkin criticized it. Butler's biographer Elizabeth D. Leonard writes that Butler decided that "after decades of being 'the target of a few ignorant, irresponsible, mercenary news writers' — including ''The Nations founder, E. L. Godkin, 'whose malevolence has exhausted the vocabulary of vituperation' — that he would let ''Butler's Book'' 'take care of itself....'"Leonard, Elizabeth D., ''Benjamin Franklin Butler: A Noisy, Fearless Life''. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2022, p. 271. . After Godkin's death,

William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist. The first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States, he is considered to be one of the leading thinkers of the late 19th c ...

wrote that Godkin "was certainly the towering influence in all thought concerning public affairs, and ... his influence has certainly been more pervasive than that of any other writer of the generation."

Works

''The History of Hungary and the Magyars.''
New York: Alexander Montgomery, 1853. * ''Government,'' "American Science Series," 1871.
''Henry G. Pearson: A Memorial Address delivered June 21, 1894.''
New York: Privately Printed, 1894.
''Reflections and Comments.''
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1895.
''Problems of Modern Democracy.''
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1897 (1st Pub. 1896).
''Unforeseen Tendencies of Democracy.''
New York: Houghton, Mifflin & Company, 1898.
''Life and Letters of Edwin Lawrence Godkin,''Vol. 2
New York: The Macmillan Company, 1907.
''A Letter on Lincoln.''
Riverside, Conn.: The Hillacre Bookhouse, 1913.

Selected articles

* "Anglo-French Alliance and Orsini," ''The Knickerbocker,'' Vol. III, No. 1. July 1858. * "French Invasion of England," ''The Knickerbocker,'' November 1859.
"Commercial Immorality and Political Corruption,"
''The North American Review,'' Vol. 107, No. 220, Jul., 1868.
"The Prospects of the Political Art,"
''The North American Review,'' Vol. 110, No. 227, Apr., 1870.
"The Eastern Question,"
''The North American Review,'' Vol. 124, No. 254, Jan., 1877. * "The Political Outlook," ''The Century Magazine,'' February 1880.
"The Civil Service Reform Controversy,"
''The North American Review,'' Vol. 134, No. 305, Apr., 1882. * "The Danger of an Office-Holding Aristocracy," ''The Century Magazine,'' June 1882.
"American Home Rule."
In: ''Handbook of Home Rule.'' London: Kegan Paul, Trench & Co., 1887.
"A Lawyer's Objection to Home Rule."
In: ''Handbook of Home Rule.'' London: Kegan Paul, Trench & Co., 1887.
"American Opinion on the Irish Question,"
''The Nineteenth Century,'' Vol. XXII, July/December 1887.
"The Republican Party and the Negro,"
''The Forum,'' Vol. VII, 1889.
"Public Opinion and the Civil Service,"
''The Forum,'' Vol. VIII, 1889.
"Newspapers Here and Abroad,"
''The North American Review,'' Vol. 150, No. 399, Feb., 1890.
"Criminal Politics,"
''The North American Review,'' Vol. 150, No. 403, Jun., 1890.
"Money Interests in Political Affairs,"
''The Forum,'' Vol. X, 1890.
"A Key to Municipal Reform,"
''The North American Review,'' Vol. 151, No. 407, Oct., 1890.
"The Economic Man,"
''The North American Review,'' Vol. 153, No. 419, Oct., 1891.
"Idleness and Immorality,"
''The Forum,'' Vol. XIII, 1892.
"A Month of Quarantine,"
''The North American Review,'' Vol. 155, No. 433, Dec., 1892.
"The Duty of Educated Men in a Democracy,"
''The Forum,'' Vol. XVII, 1894.
"The Problems of Municipal Government,"
''Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,'' Vol. 4, May, 1894.
"Who Will Pay the Bills of Socialism?,"
''The Forum'', Vol. XVII, 1894.
"Diplomacy and the Newspaper,"
''The North American Review'', Vol. 160, No. 462, May, 1895.
"The Political Situation,"
''The Forum,'' Vol. XXI, May 1896. * "The Absurdity of War," ''The Century Magazine,'' January 1897.
"The Illiteracy of American Boys,"
''Educational Review,'' Vol. XIII, January 1897.
"Peculiarities of American Municipal Government,"
''The Atlantic Monthly,'' Vol. 80, 1897.
"The Conditions of Good Colonial Government,"
''The Forum,'' Vol. XXVII, 1899.
"Horrors of War — Fighting Instincts Hereditary,"
''The Advocate of Peace'' (1894-1920), Vol. 62, No. 2, February 1900.
"The Eclipse of Liberalism,"
''The Nation'', Vol. LXXI, 1900.
"Burke."
In: ''The Library of Oratory, Ancient and Modern.'' New York: Current Literature Pub. Co., 1902.

References

Sources

* * * * * * * Beito, David T. & Beito, Linda Royster
''"Gold Democrats and the Decline of Classical Liberalism, 1896-1900,"''
Independent Review, 4, pp. 555–75 (Spring 2000).

External links

* * *

Edwin Lawrence Godkin Papers''E.L. Godkin American Foreign Policy: 1885-1900''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Godkin, Edwin Lawrence 1831 births 1902 deaths Alumni of Queen's University Belfast American male journalists American newspaper editors Irish emigrants to the United States New York Post people Writers from County Wicklow Progressive Era in the United States The Nation editors