Goddard, Howard, 1911-1997

Howard Goddard (1911-1997) was born in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. The family moved to Southern California in 1921 and he took his first job when he turned 13. After graduating from high school he worked in Trona, California for a chemical mining company. His experience organizing and fighting for union rights in this company town (which involves one of the first landmark cases successfully argued before the National Labor Relations Board) solidified his belief in the workers' cause and the international fight against fascism. Arriving in Spain in March 1937 via the Pyrenees, Goddard was assigned to a Spanish-speaking company in the International Brigades. After recovering from wounds at Belchite and helping to plan the Battle of Ebro, Goddard was promoted to captain of his company in October of 1938. Goddard returned from Spain in late 1938 and continued to work and organize unions from Denver to Los Angeles, representing the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers for most of his career. He married and had two children. He was an active member of the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade and at the time of his death was living in San Francisco.

From the guide to the Howard Goddard Papers, 1937-1996, (Tamiment Library / Wagner Archives)