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 editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held account ...

. He was born in Binghamton, New York. At a young age he moved to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

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

'', 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. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

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.

Personal life

Godwin is the son of a Union Army soldier who disappeared in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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.J ...

, and grandson of Abraham Godwin Jr. 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 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 day's news when the nurse left. He died in

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

, 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 (Washington, D.C.), Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., across ...

References

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