Godwin, Earl of Wessex

Godwin of Wessex (Old English: Godƿin) (1001 – 15 April 1053) was one of the most powerful earls in England under the Danish king Cnut the Great and his successors. Cnut made him the first Earl of Wessex. Godwin was the father of King Harold Godwinson and Edith of Wessex, wife of King Edward the Confessor.

Rise to power

Godwin's father was probably Wulfnoth Cild, who was a thegn of Sussex. His origin is unknown but 'Cild' normally refers to a man of rank. In 1009 Wulfnoth was accused of unknown crimes at a muster of Æthelred the Unready's fleet and fled with twenty ships; the ships sent to pursue him were destroyed in a storm. Godwin was probably an adherent of Æthelred's eldest son, Æthelstan, who left him an estate when he died in 1014. This estate in Compton, Sussex, had once belonged to Godwin’s father. Although he is now always thought of as connected with Wessex, Godwin had probably been raised in Sussex, not Wessex and was probably a native of Sussex.

After Cnut seized the throne in 1016, Godwin's rise was rapid. By 1018 he was an earl, probably of eastern Wessex, and then by around 1020 of all Wessex. Between 1019 and 1023 he accompanied Cnut on an expedition to Denmark, where he distinguished himself, and shortly afterwards married Gytha, the sister of the Danish earl, Ulf, who was married to Cnut's sister, Estrid.

Earl Godwin (radio newsman)

Earl Godwin (January 24, 1881 – September 23, 1956) was a prominent 20th century newsman and radio personality. After a successful career as a print journalist and editor, he transitioned into one of the leading newscasters and commentators of the Golden Age of Radio, attracting a nationwide audience. He was elected president of the White House Correspondents' Association, an influential group of journalists that still exists today with special access to the White House, and also served as president of the Radio Correspondents' Association. Dubbed the "Earl of Godwin" by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he was referred to as the "Dean of Broadcasters." Godwin has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Early life

Earl Godwin was born in a house across the street from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on the site currently occupied by the U.S. Supreme Court. His father was Harry Godwin, city editor of the Washington Evening Star. Godwin attended school in Passaic, New Jersey and got his first job at the Passaic Herald, where he earned $3 a week. Years later he observed, "No amount of money seemed so great to me."