John Zacheus Goodrich was born on 27 September 1804 at
Sheffield, Massachusetts.
2 He was the son of
Zacheus Goodrich and
Amanda Landon.
1 He married first
Sarah Worthington on 19 April 1831.
3 He married second
Mary G. Hopkins.
3 He died on 19 April 1885 at age 80.
3 He resided at
Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
3 Transcribed from Case: "learned the trade of carpenter and joiner; educated in the common school and the Lenox Academy, from which he entered the law office of Judge H. W. Bishop, of that town, as a student. When admitted to the bar, he united with his profession that of editor. He purchased the
Argus of Pittsfield, united it with
The Berkshire Star of Lenox, and gave it the name of
The Eagle. His practice of law was comparatively brief, and mostly in West Stockbridge. Both this and his editorial work were exchanged for manufacturing pursuits. In 1847, he formed a partnership with Samuel G. Wheeler of New York City, under the chartered name of "The Glendale Woolen Company," in which he was concerned during the largest portion of his after-life. In 1848, he received the degree of M. A. from Williams College; elected State senator. In 1850, elected to represent the eleventh district in Congress, where he was continued for two successive terms. He was one of the leaders in the organization of the Republican party in 1856; elected lieutenant-governor of Massachusetts in 1860; appointed one of the peace commissioners by Gov. Andrews, to meet in Richmond, Va; elected presidential elector the same year, and cast his vote for Abraham Lincoln; appointed collector of the port of Boston in 1861, which position he held for four years; after which he retired to his home in Stockbridge. President of the Housatonic Railway Co; trustee of Williams College, and other like institutions; his income he devoted largely to public benefactions. In 1863-4, he erected a large, handsome, two-story stone building, donating the first floor to the town of Stockbridge for a public library, and the upper floor to the Congregational church
in perpetuo; to Williams College he gave $55,000."
4 Note: Case gives no clue as to which wife was the mother of these two children, or even if they had the same mother. I feel fairly confident that Sarah Worthington is the mother of these children but that is just an educated guess. As such, I have left that relationship undefined.