Richard Goodell (July 18, 1784 - January 25, 1826) was an American military officer and politician who served as

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

Biography

Born in

Pomfret, Connecticut Pomfret is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,266 in 2020 according to the 2020 United States Census. The land was purchased from Native Americans in 1686 (the "Mashmuket Purchase" or "Mashamoquet Purchase ...

on July 18, 1784, he was the son of Richard Goodell, Sr. (a veteran of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...

) and Mercy Parkhurst Goodell. Goddell lived in

Adams, New York Adams is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. Named after President John Adams, the town had a population of 5,143 at the 2010 census. The town contains a village also named Adams. The village and town are south of Watertown. Hi ...

and owned a farm. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

and

New York Militia The New York Guard (NYG) is the state defense force of New York State, also called The New York State Military Reserve. Originally called the New York State Militia it can trace its lineage back to the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Th ...

, and attained the rank of Major. He was a veteran of the

23rd Infantry Regiment The 23rd Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the United States Army. A unit with the same name was formed on 26 June 1812 and saw action in 14 battles during the War of 1812. In 1815 it was consolidated with the 6th, 16th, 22nd, and ...

in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...

, and participated in the

Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor The Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor or simply the Battle of Sacket's Harbor, took place on 29 May 1813, during the War of 1812. A British force was transported across Lake Ontario and attempted to capture the town, which was the principal dockya ...

. A

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

, he identified with the

Bucktails The Bucktails (1818–1826) were the faction of the Democratic-Republican Party in New York State opposed to Governor DeWitt Clinton. It was influenced by the Tammany Society. The name derives from a Tammany insignia, a deer's tail worn in the h ...

, the faction opposed to the policies of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

DeWitt Clinton. He was a member of the New York State Assembly from

Jefferson County Jefferson County may refer to one of several counties or parishes in the United States, all of which are named directly or indirectly after Thomas Jefferson: *Jefferson County, Alabama *Jefferson County, Arkansas *Jefferson County, Colorado **Jeffe ...

from 1820 to 1821, and from 1823 to 1825. In 1824, he was elected Speaker. In 1825, he was appointed Keeper of

Auburn State Prison Auburn Correctional Facility is a state prison on State Street in Auburn, New York, United States. It was built on land that was once a Cayuga village. It is classified as a maximum security facility. History Constructed in 1816 as Auburn Pris ...

. He died suddenly in Auburn on January 25, 1826. He is buried at Adams Rural Cemetery. His epitaph reads: ''Sacred to the Memory of the Hon. Richard Goodell, who departed this life 25th Jan, 1826 in the 42nd year of his age.''
''Here lies a soldier''
''Here a brave man rests'' In April 1826, the State Legislature ordered the payment of the remainder of his annual salary to his widow, Hetty Tyler Goodell (1783-1856).Connecticut Town Marriage Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection), entry for Richard Goodell, Jr., retrieved February 26, 2014

References

Sources

*John Stilwell Jenkins: ''History of Political Parties in the State of New-York'' (Alden & Markham, Auburn NY, 1846)
Richard Goodell
a
''Political Graveyard''
February 7, 1826

mention at History of Adams N.Y.
Google Books ''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin B. Hough (Weed, Parsons & Co., Albany NY, 1858)
''The Laws of New York''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodell, Richard 1784 births 1826 deaths United States Army officers American militia officers United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 Speakers of the New York State Assembly New York (state) Democratic-Republicans People from Pomfret, Connecticut People from Adams, New York Politicians from Auburn, New York 19th-century American politicians