Edna Goodrich

Edna Goodrich
Born	Bessie Edna Stevens December 22, 1883 Logansport, Indiana
Died	May 26, 1972 New York City, New York
Occupation	Film, stage actress
Years active	1903-1918

Edna Goodrich (born Bessie Edna Stevens; December 22, 1883 – May 26, 1972) was an American Broadway actress, Florodora girl, author, and media sensation during the early 1900s. At one point, she was known as one of America's wealthiest and best dressed performers. She was married to Edwin Stacey of Cincinnati, Ohio, and later Nat C. Goodwin.

The daughter of Nellie Goodrich and A.S. Stevens, Edna was raised by her great-grandfather, Abner Scott Thornton, a member of the influential Logansport Thorntons. His brothers included Dr. William Patton Thornton, a noted physician; Henry Clay Thornton, a prominent lawyer and father of Sir Henry Worth Thornton; and Dr. Joseph Lyle Thornton, a respected educator and manufacturer. Judge William Wheeler Thornton was his nephew. Among his influential cousins were Military Reconstruction Judge James Johnston Thornton and Hon. Samuel W. Thornton, a member of the 1887 Nebraska State Legislature.

Her grandfather, Justus Goodrich, died in an insane asylum in Kankakee, Illinois on June 3, 1896. He long suffered from mental illness, derived from sunstroke received on the march to the Battle of Gettysburg. During the battle, on July 2, 1863, he was shot in the heel.

Upon reaching her maturity, Edna and her mother moved to New York City, where both found work as chorus girls. Edna Goodrich joined the cast of the Florodora musical, as one of the famed sextets, all of whom were extremely beautiful, 5'4", and 130 lbs. Out of more than 70 women who became a Florodora girl, Edna was one of a handful who achieved lasting fame.

It was as a sextet that Edna Goodrich became involved in the Harry Kendall Thaw murder trial, which was labeled Trial of the Century by William Randolph Hearst's newspapers. Thaw killed architect Stanford White during a performance at Madison Square Garden over Mr. White's relationship to Evelyn Nesbit. It was reported that Edna Goodrich had introduced fellow Florodora chorus girl Nesbit and White during an intimate meeting in White's apartment. Edna Goodrich was served with several subpoenas during the trial, reportedly tearing one apart in front of the serving agent. She denied any knowledge of the affair.

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