William Goddard: Little Known Man of Importance
I introduce to you William Goddard. Mr. Goddard was an associate of Benjamin Franklin and a patriot. Had the Colonies lost the War of Independence he would have been a subversive and and a traitor and either hanged or shot. But, as it is, he is a patriot and hero, and in part, responsible for the roots of our current postal system.
A publisher, Goddard was an anti-imperialist and a defender of the freedom of the press. In response to the Stamp Act he established a single edition newspaper called The Constitutional Courant in which he scathingly criticized the Act. He published it under the pseudonym, Andrew Marvel. Republication was never intended but being popularly received it was picked up by other newspapers and sold well. Clearly, he was not alone in his sentiments.
Goddard left his publishing business with his sister, Mary Katherine Goddard, to free up more time to develop a postal system that could replace the existing British system. In Philadelphia he was associated with Franklin and it was Goddard's ideas and systems that helped Franklin bring about postal reform. When Franklin was dismissed from his post Goddard was one of his most out-spoken supporters. Mary Katherine went on to become the Postmistress of Baltimore and the first woman to be appointed to a federal office of the United States. Well done, Mary Katherine!
Below is a pass by Postmaster General Benjamin Franklin giving Goddard the authority to travel as needed for the inspection of routes to ensure mail delivery.
Goddard is credited with establishing the Constitutional Post which gave Colonials a mail network free from prying British eyes. Snail mail has not always offered the luxury of private communication. It his postal network which became the Post Office of the United States, later to become the United States Postal Service.
Below is a copy of the the Constitutional Courant.
Please direct comments to this post to: Mrs. Duffy P.O. Box 196 Kingsburg, CA 93631 See you in the mail!