b. 21 April 1822; d. 31 Dec 1900
Hannibal Goodwin was a clergyman working at a church in Newark, New Jersey. His primary interest in his experiments was in spreading the gospel to children in his Sunday school, but he was also a keen amateur photographer, and also patented a number of inventions. The significant one was his application for a patent for roll film using light-sensitive celluloid strips, on 2nd May 1887.
However, this application came up against some underhand interference by Eastman Kodak. One writer stated that "for more than eleven years the patent suit remained undecided.... because the Eastman Kodak Company during this time employed every possible means to prevent the granting of the patent to Goodwin. In the meantime Eastman Kodak had also applied for similar patents under the name of an H. M. Reighenbach. Eventually, in 1989, Goodwin was awarded the rights.
Just as Goodwin was about to go into production, he died in a street accident. The Ansco company took over the process, and also acted at plaintiff in the case against Eastman Kodak, eventually securing millions os dollars in damages.
In 1914 Goodwin's church friends, and the local photography club erected a tablet in the Public Library to his memory, which reads:
"His experiments culminated in 1887 in the invention of the photographic film. As a memorial to the inventor of the device that has proved so potent for the instruction and entertainment of mankind this tablet is erected."
© Robert Leggat, 1999.