James Moore Goode (September 17, 1939 – December 12, 2019) was a historian based in
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 ...
He wrote a number of books about the history of architecture and statues in Washington, D.C.
Early life
James Moore Goode was born on September 17, 1939, in
Statesville, North Carolina
Statesville is a city in Iredell County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. The population was 28,419 at the time of the 2020 census. Statesville was established in 1789 by an act of the North Carolina Legislature. It is part ...
. His father was a corporate treasurer. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...
in 1964
and a
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
in history from the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
in 1966.
His unpublished master's thesis was titled "The Debating Societies Maintaining the Great Patronage of the Student Bodies." He later attended
George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
to earn a PhD in
American Studies
American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinarity, interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, History of the United States, history, Society of the United States, society, and Culture of the Unit ...
in 1995,
with a dissertation on
Thomas Ustick Walter
Thomas Ustick Walter (September 4, 1804 – October 30, 1887) was an American architect. He worked on more than 400 projects, including Moyamensing Prison and Girard College in Philadelphia. He served as the fourth Architect of the Capitol, ...
under the direction of
Richard W. Longstreth.
Career
After graduating in 1966, Goode came to Washington, D.C. to teach at
George Mason University
George Mason University (GMU) is a Public university, public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father ...
.
From 1968 to 1970, Goode worked for two years in the Prints and Photographs Division of the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
as a reference librarian.
In 1970, Goode was hired by Richard Howland to manage architectural records at the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
. In 1971, Goode was appointed as curator of the Smithsonian Institution and held that role for 16 years. He resigned in 1988 to attend George Washington University.
After completing his PhD in 1995, Goode became the curator of the archives of the
B. F. Saul Company. He worked as a curator of the Washingtoniana collections of
Albert H. Small that were gifted to George Washington University.
Starting with his work at the Smithsonian, Goode wrote a number of books about the history of architecture and statues in Washington, D.C. In 1974, Goode wrote ''The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C.'' (later expanded and renamed ''Washington Sculpture: A Cultural History of Outdoor Sculpture in the Nation's Capital'', released in 2008).
Goode then published ''Capital Losses: A Cultural History of Washington's Destroyed Buildings'' in 1979 and ''Best Addresses: One Hundred Years of Washington's Distinguished Apartment Homes'' in 1988. In 2012, Goode wrote ''Capital Views'', a book assembling rare photograph of Washington, D.C. In 2015, Goode wrote ''The Evolution of Washington, D.C.'', which included images from Albert Small's Washingtoniana collection. ''Capital Houses of Washington, D.C. and Environs 1735–1965'' appeared in 2015.
Th
photo archivesfor ''The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C''., ''Best Addresses'', ''Washington Sculpture'', and ''Capital Houses'' are held in th
at the National Gallery of Art.
Personal life
Goode died at a hospital in Washington, D.C., on December 12, 2019.
Awards and legacy
In 2006, Goode donated a collection of photographs to the
Thomas Balch Library from the 18th and 19th centuries.
In 2015, Goode was awarded the Visionary Historian Award from the
Historical Society of Washington, D.C.
In 2017, Goode was awarded the District of Columbia's Lifetime Achievement Award in Historic Preservation.
References
External links
*
* George Washington University Special Collections
James Goode papers* National Gallery of Art
James Goode photo archiveJames Goode Photograph Collectionin the
Thomas Balch Library,
Leesburg, Virginia.
*
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
, Prints and Photographs Reading Room
James M. Goode Collection* Smithsonian Institution
Archives of American Art
The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washing ...
James M. Goode papers, 1858–1982* Photographs 1974–2015 from Goode's book
in the library Image Collectionsat the
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...
.
White House Historical Association: James M. Goode* Donald R. Kennon and James M. Goode o
"Presidential Inaugurations" (C-SPAN)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goode, James Moore
1939 births
2019 deaths
People from Statesville, North Carolina
University of South Carolina alumni
University of Virginia alumni
George Washington University alumni
George Mason University faculty
Librarians at the Library of Congress
Smithsonian Institution people
History of the District of Columbia
American architectural historians