George Seymour Godard (June 17, 1865 – February 12, 1936) was an American

librarian A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...

who served as State Librarian and director of the

Connecticut State Library The Connecticut State Library is the state library for the U.S. state of Connecticut and is also an executive branch agency of the state. It is located in Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford, Connecticut directly across the street from the Connecticu ...

from 1900 to 1936. His political and administrative savvy led to the State Library becoming a well-funded and nationally recognized model of efficiency and public service. Godard was named to the

American Association of Law Libraries The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) is a nonprofit educational organization with over 5,000 members across the United States. AALL's mission is to promote and enhance the value of law libraries to the legal and public communities, to ...

Hall of Fame in 2010.

Early life and education

Godard was born on June 17, 1865, in Granby,

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, to parents Harvey and Sabra Lavinia (Beach) Godard. His father, a farmer, took him on a visit to the

Connecticut State Capitol The Connecticut State Capitol is located north of Capitol Avenue and south of Bushnell Park in Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford, the capital of Connecticut. The building houses the Connecticut General Assembly; the upper house, the Connecticut Sen ...

when he was six years old. His career originated with this visit, during which he met Charles J. Hoadly, the State Librarian at the time. Hoadly became his friend and mentor and recruited him to serve as his assistant and eventual successor in 1898. Godard earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

in 1892 and a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1895. He also pursued postgraduate studies at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

. Wesleyan conferred on him the honorary degrees of Master of Arts in 1916 and Doctor of Literature in 1935. Active in Wesleyan's alumni association, he served as president in 1916, trustee from 1919 to 1936, and secretary from 1920 to 1925.

Career

Godard was appointed Connecticut State Librarian after eight years serving as Granby's town librarian and two years of service as Assistant to the State Librarian. He made it his mission to preserve the state's cultural heritage, convincing the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

to pass an Act Concerning the Preservation of Books, Records, and Documents (1909), which authorized the collecting of early state and town documents centrally at the State Library. His efforts earned him the epithet "Preservation Godard." Godard oversaw the construction of the State Library and Supreme Court building in

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, which opened in 1910 and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. He served as president of the

National Association of State Libraries The National Association of State Libraries was established in 1889 to develop and increase the usefulness and efficiency of the state libraries and other agencies performing library functions at the state level in the United States. History In ...

in 1904, the Connecticut Library Association from 1905 to 1906, and the American Association of Law Libraries from 1910 to 1912. In 1921, he negotiated the return to Connecticut, from the

Massachusetts Historical Society The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history. The Massachusetts Historical Society was established in 1791 and is located at 1154 Boylston Street ...

, of the papers of Governor Jonathan Trumbull.

Personal life

Godard married Kate Estelle Dewey of Granby in 1897 and had two sons, George and Paul. His wife and sons survived him. Godard died at his Granby home following a long illness on February 12, 1936. He had spent months hospitalized at Hartford Hospital during the previous year, and doctors had to amputate his leg. Godard was interred at Granby Cemetery. Governor Wilbur Cross and State Supreme Court Chief Justice William M. Maltbie were among the honorary pallbearers at Godard's funeral.

References

External links

Connecticut State Librarians
{{DEFAULTSORT:Godard, George S. 1865 births 1936 deaths Librarians from Connecticut Wesleyan University alumni Yale Divinity School alumni People from Granby, Connecticut