Albert Richards Howe (January 1, 1840June 1, 1884) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

businessman and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He represented Mississippi in the

U.S. 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 the ...

and served in the Mississippi House of Representatives.

Early life

Howe was born in

Brookfield, Massachusetts Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Brookfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. The population was 3,439 at the 2020 census. History Brookfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660 and was officiall ...

, the son of Francis Howe and Maria A. (Richards) Howe. He pursued classical studies, and in 1861 enlisted as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

and served in the Forty-seventh Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

, he served in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

under

General Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union ...

until

Robert E. Lee's The Robert E. Lee's were a minor league baseball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1886, the uniquely named Robert E. Lee's played as members of the Gulf League in the league's only season of play, placing last in the four–team league. H ...

surrender at

Appomattox, Virginia Appomattox is a town in Appomattox County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,733 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Appomattox County. Appomattox is part of the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The town w ...

. After Lee's surrender, he served under General Weitzel in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

until his

discharged Discharge may refer to Expel or let go * Discharge, the act of firing a gun * Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...

on November 30, 1865. By the time of his discharge, he had been promoted to Major. After his military service, he moved to

Como, Mississippi Como is a town in Panola County, Mississippi, which borders the Mississippi Delta and is in the northern part of the state, known as hill country. The population was 1,279 as of the 2010 census. History In a 2007 article about the area, Wayne Dr ...

and became involved in cotton planting.

Political career

He became involved in politics and was a member of the Mississippi Constitutional Convention in 1868. He also served as a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

in 1868. In 1869 he was appointed treasurer of

Panola County, Mississippi Panola County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 34,707. Its county seats are Sardis and Batesville. The county is located just east of the Mississippi Delta in the northern part of ...

. From 1870-1872 he was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives. Howe was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

candidate to the

Forty-third Congress The 43rd 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, 1873, ...

, serving from March 4, 1873, to March 3, 1875. In Congress, he served on the

Committee on Claims The United States Senate Committee on Claims was among the first standing committees established in the Senate. It dealt generally with issues related to private bills and petitions. After reforms in the 1880s that created judicial and administra ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874 to the Forty-fourth Congress. After leaving Congress, he moved to

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

and worked in the brokerage business. He died in Chicago on June 1, 1884, and is interred in

Brookfield Cemetery Brookfield Cemetery is an historic cemetery on Main Street (Massachusetts Route 9) on the west side of Brookfield, Massachusetts. Established in 1714, it is the town's only cemetery. It consequently holds the burials of many of Brookfield's fo ...

in Brookfield, Massachusetts.

Family life

Howe's father, Francis Howe, was a member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

and the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...

References

External links

*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howe, Albert Richards 1840 births 1884 deaths People from Brookfield, Massachusetts Union Army officers People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers People from Como, Mississippi Republican Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives Politicians from Chicago Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi 19th-century American politicians Burials in Massachusetts Military personnel from Illinois