Edgar Howard (September 16, 1858 – July 19, 1951) was a

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

editor and Democratic politician. He was the 15th lieutenant governor of Nebraska and served six terms in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Early life and education

Edgar Howard was born in

Osceola, Iowa Osceola is a city in Clarke County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,160 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Clarke County. History Osceola was named after a Seminole Indian leader of the same name. Osceola is a ...

, on September 16, 1858. He attended the Western Collegiate Institute and Iowa College of Law. He worked as a reporter and editor for various newspapers until 1884, when he got a job as an editor for the ''

Papillion Times Papillion is a city in Sarpy County in the state of Nebraska, United States. Designated as the county seat, it developed as an 1870s railroad town and suburb of Omaha. The city is part of the larger five-county metro area of Omaha. Papillion ...

'' in Papillion, Nebraska. After serving a term in the state house, he passed the state bar and set up a law practice in 1896 in Papillion.

Political career

Howard became involved in politics. He was elected to the Nebraska House of Representatives in 1894, serving to 1896. That year he was elected as probate judge of Sarpy County, Nebraska. Also that year he was a delegate to the 1896 Democratic National Convention. In 1900 Howard ended his term as judge and purchased the weekly ''Telegram'' in

Columbus, Nebraska Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Platte County, in the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. The population was 22,111 at the 2010 census. It is the 10th largest city in Nebraska, with 24,028 people as of the 2020 censu ...

. He published it for decades, expanding it in 1922 as a daily paper. In 1917 Howard was elected as Nebraska's

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, serving until 1919. He was elected as a Democrat to the

Sixty-eighth United States Congress The 68th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1923, ...

and to the five succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1923, to January 3, 1935. During the

Seventy-second United States Congress The 72nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 193 ...

and

Seventy-third United States Congress The 73rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1933, ...

, he chaired the U.S. House Committee on Indian Affairs and was a co-sponsor of the

Indian Reorganization Act The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of June 18, 1934, or the Wheeler–Howard Act, was U.S. federal legislation that dealt with the status of American Indians in the United States. It was the centerpiece of what has been often called the "Indian ...

, among other legislation. He was very concerned to end and even ameliorate what he described as "the staggering losses of Indian lands", and supported ending the allotment of communal lands.78 Cong. Rec. 11, pp. 726-32 (1934) Howard lost his bid for re-election in 1934 to Karl Stefan. He ran again for his former seat in 1938 and lost to Stefan. Howard returned each time to running the ''Columbus Daily Telegram''. He died in Columbus on July 19, 1951, and is buried in the Columbus Cemetery. Personal Life Howard married Elizabeth Burtch in 1884. They had four children, Findley, Mary, Martha and Helen. Martha died in the early 1900s and Howard wrote a poem, “A Christmas Vision”, in memory of her
Edgar Howard

References

Sources

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External links

* at Nebraska State Historical Society
A Christmas Vision
poem by Edgar Howard upon the death of his daughter, Martha. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Edgar 1858 births 1951 deaths Members of the Nebraska House of Representatives Lieutenant Governors of Nebraska Nebraska state court judges People from Osceola, Iowa University of Iowa College of Law alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska Editors of Nebraska newspapers People from Papillion, Nebraska 20th-century American politicians 19th-century American politicians