death_date birth_place nationality relatives parents birth_date notable_works residence known_for image article_title name occupation
12 august 1816 connecticut american william goddard -lrb- brother -rrb- dr. giles goddard sarah updike goddard 16 june 1738 the goddard broadside baltimore , maryland first with the names of the signatories . to print the united states declaration of independence mary katherine goddard.jpg mary katherine goddard
 mary katherine goddard postmaster , publisher , book seller
mary katherine goddard

mary katherine goddard -lrb- june 16 , 1738 -- august 12 , 1816 -rrb- was an early american publisher and the first american postmaster .
she was the first to print the declaration of independence with the names of the signatories .
mary katherine goddard was born in connecticut in 1738 .
she was the daughter of dr. giles goddard and sarah updike goddard .
her father was the postmaster of new london , which could explain why mary and her brother had long careers and natural interest in the postal system and the printing business .
her brother , william goddard , -lrb- 1740-1817 -rrb- , was a few years younger than his sister and had served an apprenticeship in the printing trade .
the goddards -lrb- mrs. goddard , william goddard and mary goddard -rrb- set up a printing press and published providence 's first newspaper , the providence gazette .
however , william left rhode island to start a newspaper in philadelphia .
william also had been the publisher and printer of a revolutionary journal called '' `` the maryland journal '' '' .
mary goddard took control of the journal in 1774 while her brother was traveling to promote his constitutional post ; she continued to publish it throughout the american revolutionary war until 1784 .
her brother forced her to give up the newspaper amid an acrimonious quarrel .
in 1775 , mary katharine goddard became postmaster of the baltimore post office .
she also ran a book store and published an almanac in offices located around 250 market street -lrb- now east baltimore street , near south street -rrb- .
when on january 18 , 1777 , the continental congress moved that the declaration of independence be widely distributed , goddard was one of the first to offer the use of her press .
this was in spite of the risks of being associated with what was considered a treasonable document by the british .
her copy , the goddard broadside , was the second printed , and the first to contain the typeset names of the signatories , including john hancock .
during the american revolution , goddard opposed the stamp act vehemently , recognizing it would increase the cost of printing .
goddard was a successful postmaster for 14 years .
in 1789 , however , she was removed from the position by postmaster general samuel osgood despite general protest from the baltimore community .
mary katherine goddard generally did not take part in public controversies , preferring to maintain editorial objectivity ; therefore , few articles contain her personal opinions , and her defense was not mounted publicly .
osgood asserted that the position required `` more traveling ... than a woman could undertake '' and appointed a political ally of his to replace her .
on november 12 , 1789 , over 230 citizens of baltimore , including more than 200 leading businessmen , presented a petition demanding her reinstatement .
it was , however , unsuccessful .
following her dismissal , goddard sold books , stationery , and dry goods .
she died august 12 , 1816 , still beloved by her community .
she was posthumously inducted into the maryland women 's hall of fame in 1998 .
