John Eager Howard

This article is about the politician John Eager Howard. For the medic, see John Eager Howard (medic) .

John Eager Howard (portrait of Charles Willson Peale )

John Eager Howard (born June 4, 1752 in Baltimore County , Province of Maryland , † October 12, 1827 ibid) was an American politician and from 1788 to 1791 the first governor of the state of Maryland . He also represented his state in the US Senate between 1796 and 1803 .

Early years and political advancement

John Howard was born on the Belvedere estate near Baltimore . He enjoyed private training and served in the Continental Army during the War of Independence . There he rose from captain to brigadier general . He received several awards for his bravery in various battles during the war. John Howard was a member of the Federalist Party . In 1787 he was called to the Continental Congress .

Governor of maryland

On November 24, 1788, John Howard was elected by the Maryland Legislature as the new governor of that state. After two re-elections, he was able to exercise this office until November 14, 1791. During this time, the state of Maryland ceded land to the newly emerging District of Columbia , in which the new federal capital Washington, DC was established. That was when the Bank of Maryland and Allegany Counties came into being . At the same time, the procedure for congressional elections and the selection process for electors for the presidential elections were established.

According to him, Howard County named in Maryland.

Further political career

After the end of his governorship, Howard sat in the Maryland Senate between 1791 and 1795 , as its president he served intermittently. In 1796 he was elected to the US Senate as the successor to the resigned Richard Potts . There he remained until March 3, 1803. In the Senate, Howard was temporarily chairman of this body as President Pro Tempore . Howard turned down an offer from US President George Washington to take over the post of Secretary of War, as did a military reactivation in the face of a possible war with France in 1798. In 1816, he received 22 votes for the post of US in the presidential elections. Vice President .

Retirement

After that, Howard withdrew into his private life. He died in October 1827. With his wife Margaret Oswald Chew, he had a total of eight children, including their son George Howard , who was also governor of Maryland between 1831 and 1833. Another son, Benjamin Chew Howard (1791–1872), was a member of the US House of Representatives on several occasions between 1829 and 1838 .

Web links

• John Howard in the National Governors Association (English)
• John Eager Howard in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• John Eager Howard in the database of Find a Grave (English)