John Goodnow (June 29, 1858 – December 7, 1907) was a businessman and American diplomat who served for eight years as United States Consul General in Shanghai.
Early life Goodnow was born June 29, 1858, in Greensburg, Indiana, the son of Lt Col. James Goodnow of the 12th Indiana Volunteers. He attended the University of Minnesota and resided in Minneapolis until 1897.Obituary, North China Herald 13 Dec 1907
Diplomatic career In 1897, Goodnow was nominated for the position of United States Consul-General in Shanghai, China by Republican President William McKinley. He had been president of the Republican State League.Salt Lake City Herald, Thursday, March 29, 1894 His nomination had been opposed by Republicans in his home state."Nomination Opposed: Minnesota Protests Against Selection of John Goodnow as Consul General to Shanghai", New York Times, July 8, 1897. However, the Senate approved the nomination.
Goodnow resigned from the foreign service in 1905 following an investigation into misconduct in office. The alleged misconduct included permitting the transfer of Chinese ships to the US flag under a fraudulent bill of sale; irregularity of accounts; improper threat of legal proceedings and breaking and entering into premises of a US Citizen.Letter from Herbert H. D. Peirce to William Loebhttps://www.nytimes.com | Sept. 29, 1904 | ACCUSES CONSUL GOODNOW.; Lawyer of Shanghai Makes Charges Against Our Representative | Special to The New York Times | https://books.google.com | Report on Inspection of United States Consulates in the Orient | Message from the President of the United States, transmitting a communication from the secretary of state | United States, Department of State, Herbert Henry Davis Peirce | 1906 | page 271 |
Death Goodnow died of diaphragmatic paralysis in Málaga, Spain on December 7, 1897.The Winnipeg Tribune, December 1907 He was buried in the English Cemetery, Málaga.Personajes con historia en el Cementerio Inglés.
In 2007, journalist Alfonso Vázquez, a contributor to the newspaper La Opinión de Málaga, located the gravestone of John Goodnow in the English Cemetery of Málaga. The discovery was made beside the Anglican church of Saint George, where the stone lay partially hidden beneath debris, foliage, and discarded materials—a reflection of the cemetery's neglected condition at the time. The gravestone confirmed that Goodnow, former Consul General of the United States in Shanghai, died in Málaga in 1907 and was buried there. However, in subsequent years, the gravestone has gone missing and is currently considered lost.
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