Notable people · Business
Benjamin Goodrich
New York-born physician and industrialist who moved his rubber business to Akron, Ohio in 1870 after local citizens offered $13,600. The firm, Goodrich, Tew & Co., became the B.F. Goodrich Company in 1880. He died in Colorado and is buried in Jamestown, New York.
At a glance
- Born
- 1841-11-04
- Died
- 1888-08-03
- Education
- Fredonia Academy, Fredonia, NY
- Cleveland Medical College, Cleveland, OH, to 1861, M.D.
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 1863, surgery studies
- Known as
- Business
- Organizations
- B.F. Goodrich Company
Life story
Benjamin Goodrich was born in Ripley, New York, in 1841 and was orphaned at eight; an uncle raised him. He attended Fredonia Academy and earned an M.D. from Cleveland Medical College in 1861. He served as a Union captain and battlefield surgeon in the Civil War and studied surgery at Penn in 1863.
In 1869 he and a partner bought the Hudson River Rubber Company in Melrose, New York, which failed. In 1870 Akron citizens offered $13,600, and he moved to Akron and founded Goodrich, Tew & Co. It was renamed B.F. Goodrich Company in 1880. He married Mary Marvin in 1869 and they had four children.
He was the first in Akron to own a telephone, a gift from Alexander Graham Bell in 1877. The company struggled in his lifetime. He died in Manitou Springs, Colorado, on August 3, 1888.
Timeline
- 1841-11-04: Born (Ripley, NY) source
- 1861: M.D., Cleveland Medical College (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1861: Begins service as Union surgeon (to 1865) (US) source
- 1869: Buys Hudson River Rubber Company; marries Mary Marvin (Nov 4) (Melrose, NY) source
- 1870: Moves to Akron after $13,600 offer; founds Goodrich, Tew & Co. (Akron, OH) source
- 1877: Receives telephone from Alexander Graham Bell (Akron, OH) source
- 1880: Company renamed B.F. Goodrich Company (Akron, OH) source
- 1888-08-03: Dies (Manitou Springs, CO) source
What Benjamin is known for
- Founded Goodrich, Tew & Co. in Akron in 1870 (became B.F. Goodrich Company 1880)
- Earlier bought the Hudson River Rubber Company (1869) as a partner
- Goodrich, Tew & Co. (1870); B.F. Goodrich Company (1880)
Inventions and firsts
- Akron becomes the Rubber Capital (1870-1915)
- B.F. Goodrich Company founded in Akron (1870)
Honors and things named for them
- B.F. Goodrich Company bears his name
Family
- wife: Mary Elizabeth Marvin
- child: Charles Cross Goodrich
- child: Richard Marvin Goodrich
- child: Isabella Goodrich
- child: David Marvin Goodrich
Ohio places
Where Benjamin Goodrich was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Worked: Akron, Summit County ZIP 44308 · Akron · Summit County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. High: the main facts were confirmed in sources we opened.
- Benjamin F. Goodrich (Wikipedia, pointer) birth, death, burial, Akron move 1870, company names
- Benjamin Franklin Goodrich (Find a Grave) birth Ripley NY 1841-11-04, death Manitou Springs CO 1888-08-03, burial Lake View Cemetery, Jamestown NY
- Benjamin Goodrich (Wikipedia) all added facts