William Lushington Goodwin 'was descended from a seafaring family of Kent, England'. He arrived in Van Diemen's Land in 1831 and worked initially in Launceston as honorary secretary of the Tasmanian Society. Goodwin edited William Mann's Independent newspaper for a time and later followed Mann as editor and proprietor of the Cornwall Chronicle. John Ferguson, in the Bibliography of Australia, vol.2, 1831-1838 (1945), states that under Goodwin's editorship, the Chronicle became 'definitely bellicose' in tone. Subjects of Goodwin's editorial attack included Lieutenant-Governor George Arthur, Sir John and Lady Jane Franklin, Matthew Curling Friend, Nathaniel Lipscomb Kentish, the Church of England and private citizens. Goodwin lost several defamation actions and was required to pay substantial damages.
In 1841, ill-health required Goodwin to step back from full control of the Chronicle although he continued as proprietor until 1862. From 1847, Goodwin shared editorial responsibilities variously with his son-in-law, D'Arcy Wentworth Murray, and with F. M. Innes. After retiring from active newspaper editorship in the mid-1850s, Goodwin was appointed to the Commision of the Peace and later became coroner for George Town. Following his death, Goodwin's widow Sophia Goodwin took over the Chronicle, retaining ownership until 30 June 1869.
The Australian Dictionary of Biography notes that, by the time of his death, 'Goodwin had achieved high rank as a Freemason and as an Oddfellow. His venomous pen had been put aside and the hurt it had caused so far forgotten that the writer of his obituary praised the honest daring which had helped the colony achieve freedom of expression.'
Major source:
Australian Dictionary of Biography Online, http://adb.anu.edu.au/
Sighted: 13/02/2013
