BIOGRAPHY: Jonathan Goodhue; New York co., NY surname: Goodhue submitted by Elizabeth Burns (burns at asu.edu) ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.org/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.org/ny/nyfiles.htm Submitted Date: June 3,2005 This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/nyfiles/ File size: 3.2 Kb ************************************************ Author: Walter Barrett Jonathan Goodhue Page 111 Old Merchants, Walter Barrett, Thomas R. Knox, 1885 The founder of the firm of Goodhue and Company was Jonathan Goodhue. He commenced business in this city in 1808 under the firm of Goodhue and Sweet, at No. 34 Old Slip. The store was afterwards removed to No. 44 South Street. This building belonged to Theophilacht Bache. Goodhue and Sweet did a very heavy regular commission business for three or four years and sold largely of foreign dry goods, and acted as agents of Salem ship owners. In 1811 the house was dissolved, and J. Goodhue carried on business upon his individual account until 1816. It was then Goodhue and Ward, and the store was kept at 44 South Street. In 1819 it became Goodhue and Company and Mr. Perit became a partner. He had formerly been of the house of Perit and Lathrop. Goodhue and Company, kept at 44 South Street until 1829 when they removed to 64 South Street where the same large house is still located. Mr. Goodhue was born in Salem. Mr. Perit was born in Norwich, Connecticut and received a collegiate education at Yale College. This is not often the case with merchants in this city. In the first partnership of Mr. Perit with Mr. Lathrop, his brother-in-law, he was not successful and during the war he was connected with an artillery company and performed military service in the forts that protected the harbor. After he went with Mr. Goodhue, his commercial good fortunes returned and their house coined money. In 1833 or 1834 the health of Mr. Perit declined and he conceived the idea that it was necessary to take more active exercise and in order to insure that ,daily he purchased a piece of property on the North River, lying between Burnham's and the Orphan Asylum. It may have cost him perhaps $10,000. He sold it about two years ago. I suppose it is worth now half a million of dollars. This is a comment on preserving mercantile life. By a mere accident Mr. Perit buys a small lot of land and makes more money than Goodhue and Co. ever made in fifty three years of work. Mr. Goodhue died a few years ago and his funeral, at his own request, was attended only by the members of his family and a few of his most intimate friends. Since Mr. Perit sold his property in New York, he has removed to New Haven, Connecticut to a magnificent house on Hillhouse Avenue. He married Miss Coit, a very lovely girl and still living, the ornament of the circle in which she moves. They have no children. He has done more than most merchants do for the benevolent enterprises of the day. He is unequalled as a merchant and has been for many years honored with being President of the Chamber of Commerce.