Don Goodwin was born at Santa Maria, California, in 1893. His parents were from pioneer California families and were identified with agricultural activites in San Luis Obispo and San Joaquin Counties. Don, his brother Guy, and sister, Bessie Goodwin Hazard, were associates in a farming operation after the death of their father.

Don attended the University of California at Davis. During World War I he joined the US Army and served with the AEF in France. After the war he returned to Stockton where he remained until his death on April 13, 1960. During this time Don managed and developed the family estate in the Farmington area of San Joaquin County. He also directed the operation and development of ranch properties at Woodbridge and Terminous which were inherited by the late Caroline Minor Goodwin through the J.C. Thompson pioneer family.

His other business and community interests included: president and general manager of the Thompson and Folger Company, president of the H.C. Shaw Company, vice-president of the J.F. Goodwin Company (the family corporation), and a member of the Masonic Lodge, the Yosemite Club, the Rancheros Visitadores, and the Sonoma Trail Blazers.