R. W. Goodman

Raymond Wallace Goodman (August 23, 1915 – April 5, 2007) was an American law enforcement officer and businessman who served as Sheriff of Richmond County, North Carolina from 1950 until 1994, making him the longest serving sheriff in North Carolina history. Born in the county to a textile worker, he dropped out high school to work in a mill and as a deliveryman before undertaking brief service with the United States Navy. Upon returning to Richmond County, Goodman began working at a store in Rockingham, which he eventually bought out and renamed R. W. Goodman Company. He expanded his holdings over the following years, growing his store and acquiring a textile mill.

Goodman ran for the office of Sheriff of Richmond County in 1946, but lost the contest. He ran again four years later and was elected. While serving as sheriff, he rarely stayed in his official office, and management of the sheriff's department was usually performed by his chief deputy, who reported to him several times a day, though he would go to investigate large crime scenes and perform high-profile arrests. Goodman instead spent most of his time in his store, from where he acted as the boss of a conservative Democratic courthouse machine. Politically influential, he was often sought by local candidates for endorsements and used his connections to lobby the state government in Raleigh. Unlike other politicians in the American South during his tenure, Goodman courted black support, hiring a few black sheriff's deputies and supporting some black candidates for local offices in the 1970s. He retired in 1994 and died in 2007.

Early life R. W. Goodman was born on August 23, 1915, in Richmond County, North Carolina, United States to Maggie Wallace Goodman and John Lawrence Goodman.

Career In 1938 Goodman began working at the E. B. Morse Store in Rockingham, across the street from the Richmond County Courthouse. He bought a portion of the building in 1941, and then purchased the rest of it three years later, In 1946 Goodman launched his own candidacy for the office of sheriff. He lost the May 25 Democratic primary election, earning 2,281 votes to the Holland's 2,931 votes. He served as a delegate at the 1960 Democratic National Convention. He served as a member of the North Carolina Economic Development Board from 1977 to 1984. In 1978 he accompanied North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt to Germany to recruit foreign industrial investment. He retired from the office of sheriff in 1994 after serving in the post for 44 years, setting the record for the longest tenure of a sheriff in North Carolina.

Later life and legacy In 1983 the westbound lane of the U.S. Route 74 bridge over the Pee Dee River was renamed in Goodman's honor. Goodman suffered from two heart attacks in his life in 1989 In 1989 the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce awarded him its "Citizen of the Year" honor. In 1994 the North Carolina Senate passed a resolution honoring Goodman for his long tenure as Sheriff of Richmond County. In 2005 the Richmond County Democratic Party initiated an annual fundraising dinner partly named in homage to him.

Goodman's wife died in 2001. Goodman died on April 5, 2007, at his home in Rockingham while The Charlotte Observer called him "the last of the old-style sheriffs." His son, Ken, later served in the North Carolina House of Representatives. Ken also managed the R. W. Goodman Company store until it closed in 2013.