James P. Goodrich
Encyclopedia
James Putnam Goodrich, a Republican
, was the 29th Governor
of Indiana
from 1917 to 1921. His term focused on reforming the operations of the state government and overseeing the state's contributions for World War I
. He nearly died twice during his term, and spent a considerable time bedridden. Following his term as governor, he became increasingly wealthy from his business interests and owned a controlling share in many companies.
, the son of John Baldwin and Elizabeth Edger Goodrich. His father was an attorney and suffered from tuberculosis
; he died in 1872. Goodrich attended public schools and intended to enter the US Naval Academy. He earned an appointment to the school, but he suffered a severe hip injury after falling out of a tree ending his prospect for a career in the military and forcing him to decline the offer.
Goodrich taught in Radolph County public schools for two years to save money for college. He then enrolled in DePauw University
, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi
Fraternity. In college he became friends with Albert J. Beveridge
who influenced him to be involved in politics. After attending college for two years, he was forced to quit for lack of funds, and began to study law with Enos Watson, the father of his classmate James E. Watson.
, the Grange Movement
, Knights of Pythias
, and the Republican Party. In 1897 he became chairman of the Randolph County Republican Party and was later elevated to serve as state chairman from 1901 to 1910 and a national committeeman from 1912 to 1916. His time in party leadership was difficult for him as the party was wracked by a growing internal division over various progressive agenda items. Charles W. Fairbanks
was trying to lead the party to the right, while Albert J. Beveride was trying to pull the party to the left. Despite Goodrich's attempts to heal the division, the conflict between the two men split the party in 1912, as the progressive wing left to form a new party.
In 1910, he moved his law practice to Indianapolis
. His investments in farms, grain elevator
s, coal mines and banks made him wealthy. For the next five years he spent his time working in his law practice and overseeing his business interests. He returned to active politics again in 1915 when he announced he would run for governor. Indiana had just begun implementing its new primary method of electing candidates, and removing candidate selection by convention. He defeated Warren T. McCray
and Quincy A. Meyers by over 50,000 votes to win the nomination.
John A. M. Adair
in the November election by plurality. Goodrich's primary goal was to bring "efficiency and economy" to the government. Almost all of the state's primary source of revenue came through property tax which was seen as unfairly targeting farmers and the rural parts of the state. In 1917 Goodrich tried to have a constitutional convention called to amend the Constitution of Indiana
to allow excise taxes to be imposed.
Opponents of the tax lobbied the Indiana General Assembly
to kill the excise tax bills. The General Assembly approved the constitutional convention but the opponents took the measure to court. The Indiana Supreme Court ruled that the legislature had no constitutional authority to call a convention, and that a convention could only be called if approved by popular vote. Earlier court decisions had stated the legislature also had no power to amend the constitution, effectively creating a narrow and difficult path for amendment. The decision ended the attempted imposition of new taxes but started a movement that succeeded in later years.
Although he could not have excise taxes legalized, he did succeed in having legislation passed in 1919 to standardize property tax assessment across the state and grant the State Board of Tax Commissioners power to override local assessments, which effectively led to higher property values being attributed to city properties to ensure that the rural part of the state was no longer paying the majority of the state's revenues.
, which the United States entered in 1917. That state sent over 130,000 troops in its largest deployment since the American Civil War
. At least 3,354 soldiers were killed or died from disease in the war. As a percentage of the population, this was higher than any other state. Goodrich's marketing of war bonds was extremely successful, leading other states to copy his techniques.
In August 1917 he contracted typhoid after touring a prison in northern Indiana. The sickness left him bedridden for two months, bordering on death several times. He was nursed back to health in the Indianapolis Methodist Hospital. He did not return to the statehouse until November, but had to deal with several issues, including coal shortages, from his home. He created a commission led by Will Hays to assist him in organizing and directing the state's resources.
In the spring of 1918 Goodrich was driving home after attending a military send-off when he was struck by a streetcar. The accident was very serious and he suffered bone fractures in his hip, skull, ribs, and collarbone. He was again near dead, but survived. The accident left him greatly weakened and he was forced to walk with a cane for the rest of his life.
passed the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
, banning the sale of liquor, and the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
, granting women the right to vote. At the passage of each amendment, Goodrich called a special one-day legislative session to have the amendments ratified by the state. When he signed the 18th Amendment into law, Indiana became the final state needed to add it to the federal constitution, beginning national prohibition
. Among Goodrich's other accomplishments in office were the creation of a state highway commission, creation of a department of conservation on the heels of the development of state parks (at the behest of his close friend Richard Lieber
), and approval for the creation of the Indiana World War Memorial. He called a one-day session of the legislature on January 16, 1920, to ratify the Women's Suffrage Amendment
to the United States Constitution
.
candidate for the Republican nomination for president
, losing to Senator Warren G. Harding
. As president, Harding appointed Goodrich to the Russian Relief Commission. Goodrich made four trips to Russia
, then governed by the Bolshevik
regime of Vladimir Lenin
, and gained a reputation as one of America's best-informed observers of conditions there. Goodrich also served in Herbert Hoover
's American Relief Administration
and on the St. Lawrence Waterway Commission. He remained active in Republican Party politics and made large donations from his personal fortune to Wabash College
in Crawfordsville, Indiana
, where he served on the board of trustees.
He became increasingly wealthy in his later life from his business investments. He successfully founded a business empire that lasted nearly a century. By the time of his death he owned a major stake in Central Newspapers, and held controlling interests in the Indiana Telephone Company, Goodrich Brothers' Company, City Securities and a host of smaller businesses. He died on August 15, 1940 at the Randolph County
Hospital in Winchester, Indiana
, after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. He is buried in Fountain Park Cemetery in Winchester. Goodrich Hall at Wabash College was named in his honor.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, was the 29th Governor
Governor of Indiana
The Governor of Indiana is the chief executive of the state of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term, and responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government. The governor also shares power with other statewide...
of Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
from 1917 to 1921. His term focused on reforming the operations of the state government and overseeing the state's contributions for World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He nearly died twice during his term, and spent a considerable time bedridden. Following his term as governor, he became increasingly wealthy from his business interests and owned a controlling share in many companies.
Family and background
James Putnam Goodrich was born on February 18, 1864 in Winchester, IndianaWinchester, Indiana
Winchester is a city in White River Township, Randolph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,935 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Randolph County...
, the son of John Baldwin and Elizabeth Edger Goodrich. His father was an attorney and suffered from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
; he died in 1872. Goodrich attended public schools and intended to enter the US Naval Academy. He earned an appointment to the school, but he suffered a severe hip injury after falling out of a tree ending his prospect for a career in the military and forcing him to decline the offer.
Goodrich taught in Radolph County public schools for two years to save money for college. He then enrolled in DePauw University
DePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania on February 19, 1852. There are over a hundred chapters and colonies at accredited four year colleges and universities throughout the United States. More than 112,000 men have been...
Fraternity. In college he became friends with Albert J. Beveridge
Albert J. Beveridge
Albert Jeremiah Beveridge was an American historian and United States Senator from Indiana.-Early years:Albert J. Beveridge was born October 6, 1862 in Highland County, Ohio and his parents moved to Indiana soon after his birth, and his boyhood was one of hard work...
who influenced him to be involved in politics. After attending college for two years, he was forced to quit for lack of funds, and began to study law with Enos Watson, the father of his classmate James E. Watson.
Party leader
Admitted to the bar in 1887, Goodrich practiced law in Winchester and quickly gained prominence in Republican politics. He was involved in a variety of organizations including the Knights of LaborKnights of Labor
The Knights of Labor was the largest and one of the most important American labor organizations of the 1880s. Its most important leader was Terence Powderly...
, the Grange Movement
Grange movement
The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, also simply styled the Grange, is a fraternal organization for American farmers that encourages farm families to band together for their common economic and political well-being...
, Knights of Pythias
Knights of Pythias
The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded at Washington, DC, on 19 February 1864.The Knights of Pythias was the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded by Justus H. Rathbone, who had been...
, and the Republican Party. In 1897 he became chairman of the Randolph County Republican Party and was later elevated to serve as state chairman from 1901 to 1910 and a national committeeman from 1912 to 1916. His time in party leadership was difficult for him as the party was wracked by a growing internal division over various progressive agenda items. Charles W. Fairbanks
Charles W. Fairbanks
Charles Warren Fairbanks was a Senator from Indiana and the 26th Vice President of the United States ....
was trying to lead the party to the right, while Albert J. Beveride was trying to pull the party to the left. Despite Goodrich's attempts to heal the division, the conflict between the two men split the party in 1912, as the progressive wing left to form a new party.
In 1910, he moved his law practice to Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. His investments in farms, grain elevator
Grain elevator
A grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates, and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a silo or other storage facility...
s, coal mines and banks made him wealthy. For the next five years he spent his time working in his law practice and overseeing his business interests. He returned to active politics again in 1915 when he announced he would run for governor. Indiana had just begun implementing its new primary method of electing candidates, and removing candidate selection by convention. He defeated Warren T. McCray
Warren T. McCray
Warren Terry McCray was the 30th Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from 1921 to 1924. He came into conflict with the growing influence of the Indiana Ku Klux Klan after vetoing legislation they supported...
and Quincy A. Meyers by over 50,000 votes to win the nomination.
Tax reform
In the general election, the campaign focused primarily on prohibition and tax reforms of the previous administrations. He defeated DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
John A. M. Adair
John A. M. Adair
John Alfred McDowell Adair was a U.S. Representative from Indiana.-Biography:Born in Portland, Indiana, Adair attended the public schools and Portland High School.He engaged in mercantile pursuits....
in the November election by plurality. Goodrich's primary goal was to bring "efficiency and economy" to the government. Almost all of the state's primary source of revenue came through property tax which was seen as unfairly targeting farmers and the rural parts of the state. In 1917 Goodrich tried to have a constitutional convention called to amend the Constitution of Indiana
Constitution of Indiana
There have been two Constitutions of the State of Indiana. The first constitution was created when the Territory of Indiana sent forty-three delegates to a constitutional convention on June 10, 1816 to establish a constitution for the proposed State of Indiana after the United States Congress had...
to allow excise taxes to be imposed.
Opponents of the tax lobbied the Indiana General Assembly
Indiana General Assembly
The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate...
to kill the excise tax bills. The General Assembly approved the constitutional convention but the opponents took the measure to court. The Indiana Supreme Court ruled that the legislature had no constitutional authority to call a convention, and that a convention could only be called if approved by popular vote. Earlier court decisions had stated the legislature also had no power to amend the constitution, effectively creating a narrow and difficult path for amendment. The decision ended the attempted imposition of new taxes but started a movement that succeeded in later years.
Although he could not have excise taxes legalized, he did succeed in having legislation passed in 1919 to standardize property tax assessment across the state and grant the State Board of Tax Commissioners power to override local assessments, which effectively led to higher property values being attributed to city properties to ensure that the rural part of the state was no longer paying the majority of the state's revenues.
World War I
Goodrich began several measures to reform the civil service. He began by attempting to eliminate the patronage system. He eliminated numerous positions by not hiring anyone to fill them, but his plans were soon prevented by the need to grow the state government to manage the recruitment for World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, which the United States entered in 1917. That state sent over 130,000 troops in its largest deployment since the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. At least 3,354 soldiers were killed or died from disease in the war. As a percentage of the population, this was higher than any other state. Goodrich's marketing of war bonds was extremely successful, leading other states to copy his techniques.
In the spring of 1918 Goodrich was driving home after attending a military send-off when he was struck by a streetcar. The accident was very serious and he suffered bone fractures in his hip, skull, ribs, and collarbone. He was again near dead, but survived. The accident left him greatly weakened and he was forced to walk with a cane for the rest of his life.
Amendments
During 1919, the United States CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
passed the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Eighteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution established Prohibition in the United States. The separate Volstead Act set down methods of enforcing the Eighteenth Amendment, and defined which "intoxicating liquors" were prohibited, and which were excluded from prohibition...
, banning the sale of liquor, and the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits any United States citizen to be denied the right to vote based on sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920....
, granting women the right to vote. At the passage of each amendment, Goodrich called a special one-day legislative session to have the amendments ratified by the state. When he signed the 18th Amendment into law, Indiana became the final state needed to add it to the federal constitution, beginning national prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
. Among Goodrich's other accomplishments in office were the creation of a state highway commission, creation of a department of conservation on the heels of the development of state parks (at the behest of his close friend Richard Lieber
Richard Lieber
Richard Lieber was a German-American businessman who became the father of the Indiana state parks system. At his death, he could be considered the most powerful spokesman in the United States for the conservation of natural resources.-Early life:He was born into privilege in Düsseldorf, Germany,...
), and approval for the creation of the Indiana World War Memorial. He called a one-day session of the legislature on January 16, 1920, to ratify the Women's Suffrage Amendment
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
to the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
.
Later life
In 1920, Goodrich was Indiana's favorite sonFavorite son
A favorite son is a political term.*At the quadrennial American national political party conventions, a state delegation sometimes nominates and votes for a candidate from the state, or less often from the state's region, who is not a viable candidate...
candidate for the Republican nomination for president
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, losing to Senator Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
. As president, Harding appointed Goodrich to the Russian Relief Commission. Goodrich made four trips to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, then governed by the Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
regime of Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
, and gained a reputation as one of America's best-informed observers of conditions there. Goodrich also served in Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
's American Relief Administration
American Relief Administration
American Relief Administration was an American relief mission to Europe and later Soviet Russia after World War I. Herbert Hoover, future president of the United States, was the program director....
and on the St. Lawrence Waterway Commission. He remained active in Republican Party politics and made large donations from his personal fortune to Wabash College
Wabash College
Wabash College is a small, private, liberal arts college for men, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Morehouse College, Wabash is one of only three remaining traditional all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States.-History:Wabash College was founded...
in Crawfordsville, Indiana
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Crawfordsville is a city in Union Township, Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,915. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County...
, where he served on the board of trustees.
He became increasingly wealthy in his later life from his business investments. He successfully founded a business empire that lasted nearly a century. By the time of his death he owned a major stake in Central Newspapers, and held controlling interests in the Indiana Telephone Company, Goodrich Brothers' Company, City Securities and a host of smaller businesses. He died on August 15, 1940 at the Randolph County
Randolph County, Indiana
Randolph County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 26,171. The county seat is Winchester.-History:...
Hospital in Winchester, Indiana
Winchester, Indiana
Winchester is a city in White River Township, Randolph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,935 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Randolph County...
, after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. He is buried in Fountain Park Cemetery in Winchester. Goodrich Hall at Wabash College was named in his honor.