The James J. Goodwin Professor of English was established in 1917 following the death of Trustee member James J. Goodwin's death in 1915. Goodwin and his wife had gifted money to the school when he had passed, including a $50,000 endowment he wished to be gifted to a “professorship preferably of Literature”.

A list of faculty who have been recorded as holding the position and receiving the subsequent funding include:

Odell Shepard: 1919 - 1944 (last mentioned)

Morse S. Allen: 1947 - 1961

Frederick L. Gwynn: 1962 - 1966

J. Bard McNulty: 1966 - 1984

Paul Smith: 1984 - 1992 (not exact)

Milla C. Riggio: 2000 (not exact, probably before) - 2017

Trinity College Bulletin, July 1917, pp. 39.

The Trinity Tripod, 02/25/1919.

Trinity College Bulletin, 1943-1944, pp. 9.

Trinity College Bulletin, 1946-1947, pp. 6.

Trinity College Bulletin, 1960-1961, pp. 10.

Trinity College Bulletin, 1962-1963, pp. 11.

Trinity College Bulletin, 1965-1966, pp. 17.

Trinity College Bulletin, 1883-1884 pp. 11-12.

https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2076&context=reporter last smith mention

https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=w_books first Reggio mention

https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1143&context=ivy last reggio mention