Remembering Dorothy Goodman

Dorothy Goodman, who has died aged 97, was one of Which?’s co-founders, an honorary life vice-president, and a passionate advocate of the consumer movement throughout her life.

Below, we take a closer look at Dorothy's remarkable achievements and explore the rapid growth of Which? since its launch.

About Which? - as an organisation we’re not for profit and all for protecting consumers, here to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone

Creating the British consumers’ association

It all started when Dorry, as she was affectionately known, and husband Ray were looking for reliable information on products for their new home in London.

In America, Dorothy could find that information in Consumer Reports and was amazed there was no British equivalent on which brands were best – or even safe to use.

Dorothy wrote to family in May 1954, saying: ‘I am blue in the face from trying to get the simplest kind of information.’

The first product tests

Dorothy corralled a group of friends, similarly frustrated at the lack of reliable consumer information. They began to meet regularly from the summer of 1955 in each other’s houses to start looking at products that interested them.

There was no money for the kind of testing Which? does now. Their daughter Harriet remembers Dorothy telling how she and Ray would measure out washing powder in their back garden – where sudden gusts of wind would send powder flying around the garden.

Dorothy recalled in an interview: ‘It was fun and it was an amateur effort in the old sense of the word, and we loved what we were doing.’

Together the friends produced the first prototype issue of a magazine covering subjects from prams to scouring powders.

Turning Which? into a reality

Ray eventually got a job with the World Bank in the US, so it was left to one of the group of friends, Michael Young, to take charge and turn the idea of a Which?-type organisation into a reality.

Michael himself had suggested the idea of a consumer-type organisation to be included in the Labour Party election manifesto for 1950, but Harold Wilson had dismissed it as ‘a hopeless idea’.

It was Michael who led the group of friends who had been brought together by the Goodmans to redecorate a disused garage in east London and start work on the first proper issue, which was published on 7 October 1957.

He and the first editor, Eirlys Roberts, were the twin pillars that ensured the fledgling organisation took flight and became a success.

The Goodmans continued to drum up support and money and in their early Washington years, Dorothy served as local representative of the Consumers’ Union in America.

They remained close with Michael Young and Eirlys, who was another old friend from the early days.

Harriet remembers Which? as very much a part of their lives growing up and the magazine was delivered for many years to their home in Washington. Dorothy was immensely proud to be presented with a Founder's Award and honorary membership of the British Society of Magazine Editors on the 60th anniversary of Which?.

Dorothy’s role at Which? was just one part of an active and successful professional life. She founded and served as the first director of the Washington International School, which aims to educate children to become global citizens. She was also a founder of the International Baccalaureate: North America.

She is survived by her children Jeremy, Harriet, Matthew and Sophia Goodman; two sisters, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.