Richard Howell (October 25, 1754April 28, 1802) was the third

governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

from 1793 to 1801.

Early life and military career

Howell was born in Newark, in the Colony of Delaware, and was a descendant of a Virginian old colonist family. He was a lawyer and soldier of the early

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. He served as captain and later major of the

2nd New Jersey Regiment The 2nd New Jersey Regiment was raised, on 9 October 1775, at Trenton, New Jersey, for service with the Continental Army under the command of Colonel William Maxwell. The regiment would see action at the Battle of Trois-Rivières, Battle of Va ...

from 1775 to 1779. Richard was a twin, his twin brother was Lewis Howell. Lewis was a physician for the 2nd New Jersey Regiment and died during the Revolutionary War.

Politics

At the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, Howell was admitted as an original member of The

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a lineage society, fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of milita ...

in the state of New Jersey. Richard was offered the role of

judge advocate Judge-advocates are military lawyers serving in different capacities in the military justice systems of different jurisdictions. Australia The Australian Army Legal Corps (AALC) consists of Regular and Reserve commissioned officers that prov ...

of the army, but turned down the appointment to practice law. He was clerk of the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases cha ...

from 1778 to June 3, 1793. He succeeded Thomas Henderson as Governor and served until 1801. Replaced as Governor by Joseph Bloomfield, Howell died the following year. He was the grandfather of

Varina Howell Varina Anne Banks Davis ( Howell; May 7, 1826 – October 16, 1906) was the only First Lady of the Confederate States of America, and the longtime second wife of President Jefferson Davis. She moved to the presidential mansion in Richmond, ...

, the second wife of Confederate President

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

Death

Howell died in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

, on April 28, 1802, and was buried in that city's Friends Burying Ground. Howell Township in Monmouth County is named in his honor. Gannett, Henry
''The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States''
p. 162.

United States Government Printing Office The United States Government Publishing Office (USGPO or GPO), formerly the United States Government Printing Office, is an agency of the Legislature, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal gove ...

, 1905. Accessed September 2, 2015.

References

External links

New Jersey State Library biography of Richard Howell

National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American Politics of the United States, political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 U.S. state, states, Territories of the United States, territories ...

The Society of the Cincinnati

American Revolution InstituteGovernor Richard Howell
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howell, Richard 1754 births 1802 deaths Governors of New Jersey Lawyers from Mercer County, New Jersey People from Newark, Delaware Politicians from Trenton, New Jersey American people of Welsh descent New Jersey Federalists Federalist Party state governors of the United States People from colonial New Jersey 18th-century American lawyers 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American Episcopalians 18th-century American politicians 19th-century American legislators