Earl Godwin (radio newsman)
| Earl Godwin | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Earl Thomas J. Godwin January 24, 1881 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | September 23, 1956 (aged 75) Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, U.S. |
| Occupation | News journalist |
Earl Godwin (January 24, 1881 – September 23, 1956) was a prominent 20th century newsman and radio personality. After a successful career as a print journalist and editor, he transitioned into one of the leading newscasters and commentators of the Golden Age of Radio, attracting a nationwide audience. He was elected president of the White House Correspondents' Association, an influential group of journalists that still exists today with special access to the White House, and also served as president of the Radio Correspondents' Association. Dubbed the "Earl of Godwin" by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he was referred to as the "Dean of Broadcasters." Godwin has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Earl Godwin was born in a house across the street from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on the site currently occupied by the U.S. Supreme Court. His father was Harry Godwin, city editor of the Washington Evening Star, his grandfather Henry fought in the Civil War, and his great grandfather was Abraham Godwin. Godwin attended school in Passaic, New Jersey and got his first job at the Passaic Herald, where he earned $3 a week. Years later he observed, "No amount of money seemed so great to me."
Godwin cut his teeth at his father's newspaper (c. 1910). By 1916 he had become its political writer while simultaneously reporting on the nation's capital for other papers, first as a side venture for the Milwaukee Sentinel and subsequently for the rival Washington Times (1917–1919). This initial stint with the Times coincided with his joining the army in the First World War.
During the 1920s Godwin took a break from the newspaper business to serve as public relations director for the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company and later (1927–35) for the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). In 1929 he authored a book about the phenomenon of Prohibition.
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