Captain Charles Goodall (20 December 1824 – 12 July 1899) was an American businessman and politician. Along with George C. Perkins and Christopher Nelson, he founded the Pacific Coast Steamship Company. Goodall, Nelson and Perkins controlled much of the shipping industry from Alaska to Mexico during the late 19th century building steamships, wharfs and railroads. At their peak they employed over 2,000 people. Goodall served as Harbormaster of San Francisco from 1862 to 1864 and then served in the California's 8th State Assembly district from 1871 to 1873. In 1885, he became one of the first twenty-five trustees of Stanford University.
Early life
Charles Goodall was born on 20 December 1824 in Draycott, Somerset, England, to George Goodall and Ann Starr. At the age of sixteen, after receiving a basic education and working as a farm laborer for two years, he left rural England and sailed from Liverpool on the ship Adirondack to New York arriving on 11 May 1841. He continued up river to Albany and then by canal to Syracuse. There he found work on farms for two years, the last farm owned by a retired sea-captain named De Cost. When the captain's farm was sold, Goodall made his way to New Bedford and enlisted for a three years' whaling voyage on the ship Milo. He traveled to Western and Cape Verde Islands, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Alaska, the Sandwich Islands, Society Isles, Masafuero, Juan Fernandez, and many other places. After three years, he entered the merchant service gradually rising through the ranks.
In January 1850, he arrived in San Francisco, where he worked in the gold mines for eight months. In December of the same year he returned to sea visiting Panama, the Fiji, Friendly, New Hebrides and other islands, as well as Australia and the commercial ports of China.
In 1851, on one of the voyages to the Fiji Islands as mate of the whaler William Penn, Goodall met and rescued his future business partner Christopher Nelson, who was shipwrecked there with his crew. Later, Goodall became mate of another ship bound for China and Nelson became first mate of the William Penn. During the voyage of the William Penn, the crew of fifteen Malay natives mutinied, killing the captain and injuring Nelson and others. Nelson and the other four mates regained control of the ship and returned to San Francisco, where Nelson retired from seafaring and settled.
Career
Steamboat captain
Goodall returned to San Francisco in the fall of 1852. In January 1853, he became captain of the steamboat Rincon for the Sausalito Water and Steam Tug Company carrying fresh water from Sausalito to San Francisco. By 1856, he was captain of the steamboat Hercules and a master mariner. He later became superintendent of the Sausalito Water and Steam Tug Company hiring Christopher Nelson to captain a water boat for the company. From 1862 to 1864, he served as Harbormaster of the Port of San Francisco earning $3,000 a year allowing him to buy stock in the Sausalito Water and Steam Tug Company and become an agent for the company.
Shipping merchant
By 1867, Goodall and Nelson founded the shipping firm Goodall & Nelson, which specialized in mercantile trade along the Pacific coast. They bought Brennan & Co’s bankrupt interest in the steamer Salinas, a couple of schooners, and various small landings in Monterey Bay and Santa Cruz County. Initially, they shipped produce from Salinas and Santa Cruz to San Francisco on their propeller steamer Salinas. They were agents for the Santa Cruz and Watsonville Line Steamers and for the Sausalito Water Company. In October 1868, they added the new propeller steamer Santa Cruz to their fleet transporting both freight and passengers. The steamer cost them $80,000 to build and was intended for the Santa Cruz and Salinas river trade, but drew too much water at the mouth of the stream. To facilitate more commerce in the region, they built a wharf at Pajaro in Monterey County. In July 1869, they launched their new propeller steamer Monterey built at Cozzen’s shipyard at North Point in San Francisco for $55,000. By 1870, they were shipping merchandise from as far south as Santa Barbara and Gaviota on the steamer Kalorama, which they purchased from the government and brought out from New York, bark-rigged, and turned into a freight boat. Next, they purchased the government gunboat Donald, and being too small for long voyages, was employed between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay. The Santa Cruz and Watsonville Line Steamers was reorganized as Santa Cruz and Lower Coast Steamers. Goodall & Nelson also became proprietors of tugboats Wizard and Water Witch, and agents for Spring Valley Water for shipping, which merged with the Sausalito Water Company.
While serving one term in the California Legislature, Goodall met George C. Perkins, who also served as California Governor and as a United States Senator. In April 1872, Perkins joined Goodall's firm and it became Goodall, Nelson & Perkins. In April 1873, they purchased the Ventura, formerly a war steamer, from the government and refitted her for the southern coast trade at a cost of $100,000. Other steamers in their fleet included the Constantine and Wyanda. Their fleet expanded to include tugboat Minnehaha and they had nine steamships in their fleet.
By 1874, Goodall and his partners had diversified into the railroad business. In March 1874, the California Legislature passed a bill forming the San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria Valley Railroad Company for the construction of a railroad from San Luis Obispo Bay to Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County to begin within one year. Goodall was on the Board of Directors and Christopher Nelson was elected president of the company. On 10 December 1874, Goodall, Nelson, and others formed the Pigeon Point and Pescadero Railroad Company to construct and maintain a narrow-gauge railroad from the high-water mark at Pigeon Point Landing to the town of Pescadero, a distance of about seven miles.
In January 1875, when the Pacific Mail Steamship Company withdrew from the Pacific coast trade Captain Goodall and his partners purchased its steamships Mohongo, Orizaba, Senator, Pacific, Gypsy, and California for $250,000 and formed the Goodall, Nelson & Perkins Steamship Company. They also purchased the Fidelater from William Kohl. Goodall was president of the Goodall, Nelson & Perkins Steamship Company, Nelson was vice-president, Perkins was treasurer, and Goodall's youngest brother Edwin Goodall was secretary. Through their firm Goodall, Nelson & Perkins, they acted as agents for the Goodall, Nelson & Perkins Steamship Company, along with the Southern Coast (Los Angeles, San Diego, etc.) Line Steamers and Victoria Mail Line. They had sixteen steamers in their fleet and also added tugboat Neptune to their fleet of tugboats. Their steamship company provided Southern Coast routes to Los Angeles, San Diego, and all intermediate ports, and routes to Point Arena, Cuffey's Cove and Little River in Northern California.
In March 1875, construction began on the San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria Valley Railroad. Within a month, Goodall and his partners bought John Harford’s wharf and horse railroad at Port Harford (now Port San Luis) in San Luis Obispo County for $30,000 to eliminate and consolidate the competing San Luis Obispo Railroad. The first leg of the railroad from Port Harford to Avila Beach was finished in February 1876. In April 1876, Nelson applied for a wharf franchise to extend Harford’s wharf at Port Harford to deeper water. The second leg of railroad from Avila Beach to San Luis Obispo was completed in August 1876. San Luis Obispo remained the termitus of the railroad until 1881.
In June 1876, Nelson sold his interest in Goodall, Nelson & Perkins and the firm became Goodall, Perkins & Co. Captain Goodall and his partners reorganized the Goodall, Nelson & Perkins Steamship Company as the Pacific Coast Steamship Company. Goodall continued as president, John Rosenfeld as vice-president, Perkins as treasurer, and Edwin Goodall as secretary. Their fleet included the sidewheel steamships Mohongo, Orizaba, Senator, Ancon, and propellers Los Angeles, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Gypsy, Donald, Salinas, Idaho, San Vincent, and Constantine. Their firm continued their other lines of business. In 1878, the Pacific Coast Steamship Company provided routes to Portland and Astoria in Oregon.
In 1881, Goodall was managing the San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria Valley Railroad which was extended to Arroyo Grande and then to Santa Maria in 1882. In August 1881, his firm launched the new freight steamer Bonita on the Southern coast route of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company costing $70,000 to build. In February 1882, his firm Goodall, Perkins & Co. became agents for the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company and owners of the Oregon Coal and Navigation Company working the Coos Bay mines. Charles also became vice-president of the newly formed Oceanic Steamship Company providing service to Honolulu and the Hawaiian Islands. His firm continued their other lines of business. In April 1882, the Pacific Coast Railroad Company was formed to build 80 miles of railroad from Santa Maria to Santa Barbara. Goodall and his brother Edwin Goodall were on the Board of Directors. In September 1882, Goodall and his partners sold a controlling interest of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company and their two railroad companies to Henry Villard's Oregon Improvement Company in New York for $1,000,000 in cash. The San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria Valley Railroad and Pacific Coast Railroad Company were consolidated as the Pacific Coast Railway Company. Goodall became president of the Pacific Coast Railway Company and continued to manage the San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria Valley Railroad. In 1887, the Pacific Coast Steamship Company provided routes to Victoria B. C. and Alaska, in addition to Southern Coast routes to Los Angeles, San Diego, and intermediate ports, routes to Point Arena, Cuffey's Cove and Little River in Northern California, and routes to Portland and Astoria in Oregon.
By 1888, Perkins became president of the Pacific Coast Railway Company. Goodall and his partners continued to act as general agents for the Pacific Coast Railway Company, Pacific Coast Steamship Company, and Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, proprietors of tugboats, and agents for Spring Valley Water for shipping. By 1891, the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company became the Ocean Division Union Pacific System. Goodall and his partners at Goodall, Perkins & Co. became superintendents of the Ocean Division Union Pacific System.
Other ventures
Goodall was part owner of the Pacific Steam Whaling Company, which operated several steamers and sailing craft in the Pacific Northwest, two salmon canneries in Alaska and The Arctic Oil Works. He also owned real estate in Menlo Park and San Francisco, and a gold mine in Oroville.
By 1896, he had stepped down as president of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company, but continued to act as vice president of the Oceanic Steamship Company, and agent and superintendent for Goodall, Perkins & Co's other lines of business. His firm Goodall, Perkins & Co. published a travel guide for passengers detailing the various routes of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company. The routes spanned 4,000 miles from Mexico to Alaska. The fleet of steamers included the Queen, Santa Rosa, Umatilla, City of Topeka, Corona, St. Paul, Eureka, Coos Bay, Santa Cruz, Gypsy, State of California, City of Puebla, Walla Walla, Mexico, Pomona, Orizaba, Al-Ki, Bonita, Alex. Duncan, and Yaquina.