and Edmund Goode–died during the Civil War. Postwar and Virginia politics After the war, Goode resumed his law practice, but moved to Norfolk, Virginia. Like many high-ranking ex-Confederates. He was an active Democrat and part of what became known the Staples Organization (a predecessor of the Byrd Organization). He was as a presidential elector in 1852, 1856, and 1884, and attended the Democratic National Conventions of 1868 and 1872. When Delegate W.H.C. Ellis resigned in early 1866, Goode was appointed to represent the city of Norfolk in the Virginia House of Delegates for the December 1866 and March–April 1867 sessions. The Southern Opinion wrote on November 16, 1866, "Mr. Goode is a lawyer of methodical mind, that is in its astuteness reminds us of Edmund Burke. He is emphatically an easy speaker, but, nevertheless, the most effective of orators, by the very force and correctness of his opinion. Physically considered he is an ideal legislator, and though the least presumptuous, is the most prominent member of the Virginia House of Delegates." However, Norfolk voters replaced Goode in 1869. Goode moved his legal practice to Washington, D.C. after his election to Congress. He became a member of the boards of visitors of the University of Virginia, William and Mary College, and the Virginia Agriculture and Mechanical College (now Virginia Tech). He was President of the Virginia Bar Association in 1898. Congress Goode served three consecutive terms in Congress representing Virginia's 2nd congressional district. He was a Democrat throughout his tenure. In 1874, he defeated three-term Republican incumbent James H. Platt Jr. and the Independent Republican Robert Nortow by winning 49.43% of the vote to represent Virginia's 2nd congressional district in the 44th United States Congress. In 1876, he was re-elected to serve in the 45th United States Congress, defeating Republican Joseph Segar by winning 52.97% of the vote. In 1878, he was re-elected to serve in the 46th United States Congress, defeating Republican John Frederick Dezendorf by winning 56.73% of the vote. During his second and third congressional terms, he was Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor. In November 1880, Goode lost his re-election bid to John Frederick Dezendorf. His term ended on March 3, 1881. Solicitor General In May 1885, President Grover Cleveland, a fellow Democrat, appointed Goode as the acting Solicitor General of the United States. Goode served in this capacity until August 1886. He retained the