Alfred Augustus Howe (December 29, 1817 – October 6, 1892) was an American carpenter and politician in North Carolina. He served as an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...

and as a

county commissioner A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...

. He was African American.

Biography

Alfred Augustus Howe was born in

on December 29, 1817. He was the seventh child of Anthony Walker and Tenah Howe. His father was sold into slavery, and both of his parents were slaves owned by

Robert Howe Robert Howe may refer to: * Robert Howe (footballer) (1903–1979), Scottish international football (soccer) player * Robert Howe (Continental Army officer) (1732–1786), Major-General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War ...

. He and his brother Anthony became carpenters and purchased their freedom while young. They were both listed in the census as being free in 1860. In 1840, Howe married Mary Moore Walker. They had six children together: Rebecca Jane, Alfred Washington, Mary Washington, Isabella L., Alfred Preach, and John Thomas. Their son, John Thomas Howe, later became a North Carolina state legislator. Both him and his brother Anthony worked as carpenters before the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

began, and lived next door to one another. The Howe family owned a block of buildings and households by at least the 1880s, where they lived and held their workshops. In 1869, Howe was on the Wilmington Board of Alderman and was the superintendent of multiple construction projects across the city. He worked on construction in various government buildings, including City Hall's courtroom and the city's jailhouse. Howe built the Mary Jane Langdon House, an Italianate-styled building finished in 1870. In 1877, he built the William B. McKoy House, a Queen Anne and

Stick Stick or the stick may refer to: Thin elongated objects * Twig * The weapon used in stick fighting * Walking stick, a device to facilitate balancing while walking * Shepherd's crook * Swagger stick * Digging stick * Swizzle stick, used to stir d ...

style building, designed using a previously published plan that was adapted by architect James F. Post. Howe was an active member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Wilmington, and was a vestryman and senior warden of the church. In July 1892, Howe and a white

trolley Trolley may refer to: Vehicles and components * Tram, or trolley or streetcar, a rail vehicle that runs on tramway tracks * Trolleybus, or trolley, an electric bus drawing power from overhead wires using trolley poles ** Trolleytruck, a trolleyb ...

motorman known as Kelly got into an argument. Kelly attacked Howe and hit him in the head with a brass motor crank. From that point until his death three months later, he was unable to leave his home due to his injuries. His obituary in the ''Wilmington Messenger'' noted he left his house only once after being injured, to attend a hearing for the case against Kelly. Howe died on October 6, 1892, at the age of 75. A court

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

called for a post mortem examination of Howe's body; the doctors concluded the immediate cause of death as tuberculosis effecting both lungs. A funeral for Howe was held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, and he was buried at Pine Forest Cemetery in Wilmington, North Carolina. After his death the ''Wilmington Messenger'' reported he had amassed a fortune of about $25,000 or $30,000. Howe's home is extant. A letter written vouching for him is also extant.http://dl.uncw.edu/aspace/spc_ms034_fol02.pdf

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howe, Alfred 1817 births 1892 deaths Politicians from Wilmington, North Carolina American carpenters American freedmen African-American politicians during the Reconstruction Era Church wardens