Minerva Goodman

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Minerva Goodman
A young white woman with dark hair piled in a bouffant updo, wearing a white blouse with a high collar
Minerva Goodman, from a 1909 newspaper
BornJanuary 2, 1876
Olmsted County, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedJuly 1, 1967 (age 91)
Stockton, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Physician, suffragist, clubwoman

Minerva Goodman (January 2, 1876 – July 1, 1967) was an American physician, suffragist, and clubwoman, based in Stockton, California.

Early life and education[edit]

Goodman was born in Orion Township, Olmsted County, Minnesota, the daughter of Harvey Adelbert Goodman and Jane Ayer Robinson Goodman. She earned her medical degree at the University of Minnesota in 1902.[1]

Career[edit]

Goodman was a physician in Stockton, California from 1904 until 1962. As city health officer,[2] she organized "better baby contests"[3] and instituted mask mandates during the 1918 flu pandemic.[4][5] She was also the school medical inspector[6] and secretary of the local American Red Cross chapter. She spoke to community groups on a wide range of public health matters, including meat inspection and safety in childbirth.[7] She helped to create Stockton's sanatorium for tuberculosis patients.[4][8] "Dr. Goodman is not a woman of beautiful theories and cobwebbed plans, but of practical ideas cast in the mould of common sense," explained a 1909 newspaper profile.[1]

From 1924 to 1962, Goodman was the physician for women students at the College of the Pacific. She was president of the Stockton Political Equality Club. She supported the work of the Wage Earners' Equal Suffrage League of San Francisco, and the Political Equality League of Los Angeles.[9] After the vote was won, she was active in the local League of Women Voters.[9]

Beyond her medicine and suffrage activities, Stockton was president of Stockton's Business and Professional Women's Club, and president of the San Jose chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW).[10] She hiked with the Sierra Club,[11] and was a leader of the Stockton Camp Fire Girls.[12][13] She traveled in Europe during the summer of 1927, and wrote travel descriptions for the Stockton newspaper.[14] She served on the board of directors of Goodwill Industries of Stockton in the late 1930s.[15] In 1954, she attended a Stockton city council meeting to protest a change in policy pertaining to sidewalk repairs.[16]

Personal life[edit]

Goodman adopted and raised a daughter, Elizabeth, who was born in 1915. Goodman died in 1967, at the age of 91. There is a collection of her papers, mostly concerning her suffrage work, in the collection of the University of the Pacific.[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "A Woman Physician for School Trustee". Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. 1909-05-13. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-04-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "A Letter of Appreciation to Dr. Minerva Goodman". Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. 1919-01-10. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-04-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Have You Entered Your Baby in the Big Show Yet?". Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. 1915-05-17. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-04-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b Ludwig, Ariel (2021-04-20). "Right All the Way Through: Dr. Minerva Goodman and the Stockton Mask Debate during the 1918-1919 Influenza Epidemic". Nursing Clio. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  5. ^ "'Flu' Report Shows New Cases; But the General Situation Shows Improvement, Says Dr. Minerva Goodman". Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. 1918-11-16. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-04-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Inspector Makes Complete Report; Dr. Minerva GOodman Tells of Work Done in Public Schools". The Evening Mail. 1913-06-05. p. 10. Retrieved 2024-04-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Safety First in Public Health; Women Discuss it from Many Angles". Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. 1916-05-13. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-04-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Flower, Elsie E. (1912-02-17). "Children's Ward Now a Necessity at the Red Cross Tuberculosis Camp". Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-04-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b Hoyt, Hailey. "Biographical Sketch of Minerva Goodman". Alexander Street Documents. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  10. ^ "Dr. Minerva Goodman Installed Head University Women at Breakfast Session". Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. 1930-06-07. p. 22. Retrieved 2024-04-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Stocktonians Camping in Cloud Land with the Famous Sierra Club". Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. 1920-07-31. pp. 15, 20. Retrieved 2024-04-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Camp Fire Girls Plan Hobby Tea, Other Events". Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. 1933-02-13. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-04-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Johnson, Idamae (1932-04-19). "Dr. Goodman is Again Head of Camp Fire Unit". Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. p. 11. Retrieved 2024-04-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Johnson, Idamae (1927-05-09). "Dr. Minerva Goodman Gives Charming Picture of Countryside of Devon and Cornwall". Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-04-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Martin, Irving Jr. (1939-11-18). "Goodwill Industries Gaining". Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. p. 20. Retrieved 2024-04-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Local Woman Hits at City Walk Policy; Plans to Appear at Council Session". Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. 1954-02-18. p. 13. Retrieved 2024-04-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Register of the Goodman (Minerva) Papers, 1914-1962". Online Archive of California. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
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