Louis A. Godey

Louis Antoine Godey (1804-1878) was a Philadelphia-based publisher and former newspaper editor who founded Godey's Lady's Book in 1830. He established the magazine with the intention of capitalizing on the popularity of gift books marketed to women. In 1837, Godey purchased The American Ladies' Magazine from Boston and merged it with his own publication, retaining Sarah Josepha Hale as editor. Under Godey's ownership and Hale's editorial direction, the magazine became the most widely circulated periodical in antebellum America.