Mary Katherine Goddard

Mary Katherine Goddard
Born (1738-06-16)June 16, 1738
Connecticut
Died August 12, 1816(1816-08-12) (aged 78)
Residence Baltimore, Maryland
Nationality American
Occupation Postmaster, publisher, book seller
Known for First to print the United States Declaration of Independence with the names of the signatories.
Notable work The Goddard Broadside
Parent(s)
  • Dr. Giles Goddard
  • Sarah Updike Goddard
Relatives William Goddard (brother)

Mary Katherine Goddard (June 16, 1738 – August 12, 1816) was an early American publisher and the postmaster of the Baltimore Post Office from 1775 to 1789. She was the first to print the Declaration of Independence with the names of the signatories.

Biography

Mary Katherine Goddard was born in Connecticut in 1738.[1] She was the daughter of Dr. Giles Goddard and Sarah Updike Goddard. Her father was the postmaster of New London, which could explain why Mary and her brother had long careers and natural interest in the postal system and the printing business.

Her brother, William Goddard (1740-1817), was a few years younger and had served an apprenticeship in the printing trade. The Goddards (Mrs. Goddard, William Goddard and Mary Goddard) set up a printing press and published Providence's first newspaper, the Providence Gazette. However, William left Rhode Island to start a newspaper in Philadelphia. William also had been the publisher and printer of a revolutionary publication, the Maryland Journal. Mary Goddard took control of the journal in 1774 while her brother was traveling to promote his Constitutional Post; she continued to publish it throughout the American Revolutionary War until 1784. Her brother forced her to give up the newspaper amid an acrimonious quarrel.[2] In 1775, Mary Katharine Goddard became postmaster of the Baltimore post office. She also ran a book store and published an almanac in offices located around 250 Market Street (now East Baltimore Street, near South Street).

When on January 18, 1777, the Second Continental Congress moved that the Declaration of Independence be widely distributed, Goddard was one of the first to offer the use of her press. This was in spite of the risks of being associated with what was considered a treasonable document by the British. Her copy, the Goddard Broadside, was the second printed, and the first to contain the typeset names of the signatories, including John Hancock. During the American Revolution, Goddard opposed the Stamp Act vehemently, recognizing it would increase the cost of printing.

Goddard was a successful postmaster for 14 years. In 1789, however, she was removed from the position by Postmaster General Samuel Osgood despite general protest from the Baltimore community.[3] Mary Katherine Goddard generally did not take part in public controversies, preferring to maintain editorial objectivity; therefore, few articles contain her personal opinions, and her defense was not mounted publicly. Osgood asserted that the position required "more traveling...than a woman could undertake" and appointed a political ally of his to replace her. On November 12, 1789, over 230 citizens of Baltimore, including more than 200 leading businessmen, presented a petition demanding her reinstatement. It was, however, unsuccessful.[4] Following her dismissal, Goddard sold books, stationery, and dry goods. She died August 12, 1816, still beloved by her community.[5]

She was posthumously inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame in 1998.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mary Katherine Goddard Maryland Women's Hall of Fame. Maryland State Archives, 2001. Accessed May 2011.
  2. ↑ Biography of Mary Katherine Goddard (1738-1816) National Women's History Museum
  3. ↑ "Petition from Katherine Goddard, January 29, 1790, page 1. (Records of the U.S. Senate, National Archives)". Prologue: Pieces of History » Changing the Boundaries: Women at Work in the Government. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
  4. ↑ Mary Katherine Goddard and Freedom of the Press Our Urban Heritage by Christopher T. George
  5. ↑ "Mary Katherine Goddard (1738-1816)". National Postal Museum. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  6. ↑ "The Women of the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame". Maryland Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2015-07-03.
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