Richard Howell (Governor)

Richard Howell

Richard Howell (born October 25, 1754 in Newark , Delaware Colony , † April 28, 1802 in Trenton , New Jersey ) was an American politician and governor of the state of New Jersey from 1793 to 1801 .

Early years

Richard Howell was one of eleven children of Ebenezer Howell and his wife Sarah, née Bond. The family immigrated to the American colonies from Wales in 1724 . The Howells were members of the Quaker denomination and ran a farm in Delaware. The young Richard first attended the public schools in his home country and then enjoyed a private education. Finally he began to study law, which he interrupted because of the incipient conflict with England . During this time he became a member of the Episcopal Church. Howell moved to Cumberland County around 1774 .

Political rise

Richard Howell supported the American Revolution from the beginning. Even before the outbreak of the War of Independence , he commanded a company of young men. On November 22, 1774, he was involved in the burning of a tea shipment in Greenwich . The Boston Tea Party served as a model for this company . Between 1775 and 1779 he took an active part in the fighting of the War of Independence. He rose to major. Howell took part in several battles and was at Valley Forge with George Washington .

After that he became legally active. Until 1793 he was employed with the administration of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Richard Howell became a member of the Federalist Party founded by Alexander Hamilton .

Governor of New Jersey

In 1793 Howell was elected as his party's candidate for governor of his state. After he was re-elected annually, he held this office between June 3, 1793 and October 31, 1801. During his tenure there was the so-called Whiskey Rebellion. Schwarzbrenner opposed the taxes demanded by the federal government. The state of Pennsylvania was a focus of this rebellion . The governor marched there at the head of his militia to help put down the rebellion. He later supported President John Adams and his constitutionally questionable approach in connection with preparations for a possible war with France , which Howell would also have supported.

Another résumé

After the end of his governorship, Howell retired from politics and returned to practice as a lawyer. However, he died just six months after leaving the office of governor in April 1802. He and his wife Kezia Burr had nine daughters. His granddaughter Varina (1826-1906) married Jefferson Davis , later President of the Confederate States, in 1845 .

literature

• Robert Sobel, John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 3. Meckler Books, Westport 1978. 4 volumes.
• Howell, Richard . In: James Grant Wilson, John Fiske (Eds.): Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography . tape 3 : Grinnell - Lockwood . D. Appleton and Company, New York 1887, p. 285 (English, Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).

Web links

• Richard Howell in the National Governors Association (English)
• Richard Howell in the database of Find a Grave (English)