Ben Goodwin

Benjamin Alexander "Ben" Goodwin (September 25, 1894 – May 23, 1970) was a Howland politican who served as 1st Prime Minister of Howland from 1949 to 1957, as leader of the governing Independence Party of Howland. Goodwin had been a prominent member of the Independence Party prior to Howland achieving self-government, beocming leader of the party in 1947. He was elected as a member of the House of Representatives of Howland for the Constituency of Clarke in the elections of 1949, 1952 and 1955, but the sudden disappearance and death of his wife led to his resignation as Prime Minister in April 1957, and from the House altogether a month later.

During his time as a Representative and as Prime Minister, Goodwin was responsible for a number of changes to the economy of Howland, including the pegging of the Howland dollar to the U.S. dollar. His behavior and actions during his Premiership set many precedents to which his successors often referred.