Charles Tisdale Howard (February 16, 1856 – June 23, 1936) was an attorney and

Republican party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

politician, the first

United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota The United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota is the United States Attorney responsible for representing the federal government in the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota. By statute, the U.S. Attorney is re ...

, served as the fourth Speaker of the

South Dakota House of Representatives The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 70 members, two from each legislative district. Two of the state's 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided int ...

, and was elected a

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

District Court Judge for the Fifth Judicial District in 1928.

Early life and education

Howard was born in Eckford,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

on February 16, 1856, and was the fourth of five children and only son born to Russell and Emeline Howard (née Morse). His father Russell Marshall Howard was a farmer and one of the first settlers of Eckford, and was one of the original old line whigs and a founding member of Michigan's Republican party. He graduated from

Albion College Albion College is a private liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. The college was founded in 1835 and its undergraduate population was approximately 1,500 students in 2014. They participate in NCAA Division III and the Michigan Intercolle ...

Albion, Michigan Albion is a city in Calhoun County in the south central region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,616 at the 2010 census and is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area. The earliest English-s ...

in 1880 with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree, and then joined a law firm in

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

where he served a legal apprenticeship. He passed the Bar exam in 1882 and then moved with his family to Redfield, in the

Dakota territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

where he was active in Republican party politics.

Political career

When South Dakota was formally granted statehood in 1889, President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

appointed him

, a post he held until 1892. When the twenty-third president lost his 1892 bid for re-election, Howard ran for a seat in the state legislature in 1894 representing Spink County, and was elected

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

of the House by his Republican colleagues. Howard was installed as Grand Chancellor for the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

order in

Aberdeen, South Dakota Aberdeen (Lakota language, Lakota: ''Ablíla'') is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, Brown County, South Dakota, United States, located approximately northeast of Pierre, South Dakota, Pierre. The city population was 2 ...

in 1894. He was elected a

District Court of Minnesota The District Court of Minnesota is the state trial court of general jurisdiction in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Jurisdiction of the court The Minnesota Constitution provides that the district court has original jurisdiction in civil and crimina ...

Judge for the Fifth Judicial Circuit in 1928.

Personal life

Charles T. Howard married Eugenia Jerome Beecher on October 19, 1892 in

Redwood Falls, Minnesota Redwood Falls is a city in Redwood County, located along the Redwood River near its confluence with the Minnesota River, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 5,102 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat. History As the immigr ...

. They had four children Albert Russell Howard, Charles Beecher Howard, Captain Paul Eugene Howard (USN), and Harriet Howard Gano (named after Eugenia Beecher's sister Harriet and distant cousin Harriet Beecher Stowe). His son-in-law was the highly decorated Naval Officer Vice Admiral

Roy Alexander Gano Roy Alexander "Red" Gano (December 3, 1902 – January 20, 1971) was a vice admiral of the United States Navy who distinguished himself in World War II, Korean War, and the Cold War, and served as Commander Military Sea Transportation Service (n ...

, a native of

Pipestone, Minnesota Pipestone is a city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Pipestone County. The population was 4,215 at the 2020 census. The city is also the site of the Pipestone National Monument. History Pipestone was platted in October, 187 ...

who married his daughter Harriet. Judge Howard died on June 23, 1936 at the age of 80 years old in

where he is buried.

References

Speakers of the South Dakota House of Representatives Albion College alumni United States Attorneys for the District of South Dakota 1856 births 1936 deaths People from Pipestone, Minnesota People from Calhoun County, Michigan People from Redfield, South Dakota {{SouthDakota-politician-stub