Isabella Goodwin

Isabella Goodwin
Born 1865
Greenwich Village, New York City
Died Unknown
Known for First female detective in New York
Spouse(s)

John W. Goodwin, a police officer (m. 1885-1896, his death)

Oscar Seaholm, (m. 1921-unknown)

Isabella Goodwin was an American police officer, and the first female detective in New York City.

Biography

Isabella Goodwin was born in Greenwich Village, Manhattan in 1865.[1] Around 1885, she married John W. Goodwin, a police officer. The couple had six children, of which four survived.[1][2] Goodwin became a widow in 1896 when she was 30 years old.[3]

The New York City police department had only started hiring women (“police matrons") to look after female and child prisoners in 1881. When Goodwin applied for a job after her husband died, she had to pass an exam then was hired as a jail matron by then police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt, who later became the president of the United States.[4][1] It was a low paid position, making only $1000/year, and she only had one day off each month.[3][1] She served in this position for 15 years. During this time, she began going undercover to investigate crimes, and her mother watched her children.[5][1][6] In 1912, there was a case involving a midday robbery where "taxi bandits" beat up two clerks and stole $25,000 in downtown Manhattan.[7] Even with 60 detectives assigned to the case, no one could solve the robbery.[1][8] The story was followed nationally, according to a New York Times article at the time. After going undercover, Goodwin cracked the case.[9][10] As a result, she was appointed as New York's first female detective and given the rank of 1st grade lieutenant.[5][3][11] Her salary was raised from $1000 to $2,250/year.[1] During her career, she specialized in exposing fortune tellers and swindlers.[8]

In 1921, she married a man was 30 years younger than her. She kept her last name and continued working after her marriage, which was not common at the time for a woman.[11][1] When she retired, she had worked for the NYC police department for 30 years.[1]

Adaptations

Book

The book The Fearless Mrs. Goodwin by Elizabeth Mitchell was based on Goodwin's life.[5][12]

Television show

In the television period drama series The Alienist, Dakota Fanning's character "Sara Howard" is based on the life of Isabella Goodwin.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Mullenbach, Cheryl (2016-05-01). Women in Blue: 16 Brave Officers, Forensics Experts, Police Chiefs, and More. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 9781613734254.
  2. ↑ "Isabella Goodwin". www.familytreenow.com. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  3. 1 2 3 Hensley, Rebecca (2012-04-15). "In Your Face Women: Isabella Goodwin". In Your Face Women. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  4. ↑ Leslie's: The Woman Detective's Remarkable Work. Volume 114, Part 1. Leslie-Judge Company. 1911. p. 566.
  5. 1 2 3 "More Women Deserve Statues in New York. Here Are 10". Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  6. ↑ Mitchell, Elizabeth (2011-08-17). The Fearless Mrs. Goodwin: How New York's First Female Police Detective Cracked the Crime of the Century. Byliner, Incorporated. ISBN 9781614520108.
  7. ↑ "NYPD "Celebrates" Women's History Month With Incomprehensible Video". Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  8. 1 2 WHALEN, BERNARD; WHALEN, JON (2015-01-01). The NYPD's First Fifty Years: Politicians, Police Commissioners, and Patrolmen. Potomac Books, Inc. ISBN 9781612346571.
  9. 1 2 Purdom, Gwendolyn. "The True Story Behind Dakota Fanning's Serial Killer Show, The Alienist". POPSUGAR Entertainment. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  10. ↑ "A Famous Woman Detective". Kingston Daily Freeman. Volume XLI, Number 277. September 7, 1912.
  11. 1 2 "Celebrating 170 Years of Lady Cops | Amy Stewart". www.amystewart.com. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  12. ↑ "7 Fearless Women Statues That Should Replace The Fictional, Infantilized 'Fearless Girl'". Gothamist. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
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