William Henry Goodrich

William Henry Goodrich (January 19, 1823 – July 11, 1874) was a 19th-century American clergyman, the namesake of the Goodrich Social Settlement in Cleveland, Ohio. He served as pastor of First Church, Bristol, Connecticut (1850-54); Presbyterian Church, Binghamton, New York (1854-58); and First Presbyterian Church (Old Stone Church), Cleveland (1858-72). He served as president of Alpha Delta Phi. Early life and education William Henry Goodrich was born in New Haven, Connecticut, January 19, 1823. He was a son of Rev. Chauncey A. Goodrich, D.D., a professor of rhetoric and oratory for 40 years in Yale College and in the Yale Divinity School. His grandfather, Elizur Goodrich, was a lawyer, a professor of law at Yale College, and served as a member of the United States House of Representatives. His great-grandfather was the Rev. Elizur Goodrich, D.D., an astronomer of ability, as well as an eminent clergyman and educator. His mother, Julia Webster Goodrich, was the daughter of Noah Webster, the lexicographer. Goodrich's boyhood was spent on Temple Street, in New Haven, near his grandfather Webster's home, and in proximity to the homes of the Days, the Sillimans, the Hillhouses, the Whitneys, and the Bacons. He graduated at Yale College, in 1843, served as Tutor in that institution for two years (1847-48), and then studied theology in the Yale Divinity School, 1846 gaining the degree of M.A. He was a member of Alpha Delta Phi. Goodrich then spent a year in foreign travel. In 1864, he received the D.D. degree from Western Reserve College.