John Noble Goodwin

John Noble Goodwin ( born October 18, 1824 in South Berwick, York County, Maine, † April 29, 1887 in Paraiso Springs, California ) was an American politician and the first governor of the Arizona Territory.

Goodwin studied at Dartmouth College in Hanover until 1844 law and was admitted to the bar in 1848. Then he went back to his native town, opened his own law firm and became involved in politics. In 1854 he was elected to the Senate from Maine, after the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served as a Republican until March 3, 1863. Three days later, he was appointed by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln to the Supreme Judge of the Arizona Territory; on 21 August of the same year he became the first governor of the territory, which he remained until 1865.

After the end of his tenure, he was from 1865 to 1867 Delegate of the territory in Congress. His successor as governor was Richard C. McCormick. After the end of his political career, he did not return to Arizona, but worked as a lawyer in New York.