Harland Bradley Howe (February 19, 1873 – April 22, 1946) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the District of Vermont The United States District Court for the District of Vermont (in case citations, D. Vt.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the federal district of Vermont. The court has locations in Brattleboro, Burlington, and Rutland. The ...

Education and career

Howe was born in St. Johnsbury,

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

, on February 19, 1873, the son of Worcester C. Howe and Rosaline (Bradley) Howe. He was educated in Caledonia County, Vermont, and graduated from

Lyndon Institute Lyndon Institute is a coeducational, nonprofit, independent, day and boarding comprehensive high school located on a campus in the village of Lyndon Center, in the town of Lyndon, Vermont. It provides education for grades 9 through 12 for both l ...

. Originally trained as a harness maker, he contracted

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

which left him unable to perform such demanding physical labor. He began to study law with an attorney in Lyndonville and afterwards attended the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a Public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of C ...

. Unable to continue his studies after the first year because his funds were exhausted, he returned to Vermont and set up a collection agency in the law offices of Henry C. Bates, and the fees he earned enabled him to return to school. Howe received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from the University of Michigan Law School in 1894, passed the bar and became an attorney. He was in private practice in St. Johnsbury from 1894 to 1915. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, in 1904, he was an unsuccessful candidate for 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, losing to

Kittredge Haskins Kittredge Haskins (April 8, 1836 – August 7, 1916) was a Vermont lawyer and politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives. Born in Dover, Vermont, Haskins attended the public schools and received instruction from a private tut ...

. He was a member of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

in 1908. In 1912 and 1914 he was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for

Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

, losing to Allen M. Fletcher and

Charles W. Gates Charles Winslow Gates (January 12, 1856 in Franklin, Vermont – July 1, 1927) was an American politician who served as the 55th governor of Vermont from 1915 to 1917. Biography Gates was born January 12, 1856, son of Harrison and Leona Rebecca ...

Federal judicial service

Howe was nominated by President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

on February 19, 1915, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge James L. Martin. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on February 22, 1915, and received his commission the same day. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

due to a certified disability on January 31, 1940. His service terminated on July 31, 1945, due to his retirement. He resided in

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

during his service and remained in Burlington after his retirement.

Family

In 1900, Howe married Maybelle Jane Kelsey (1878–1916). In 1931, he married Elizabeth Crump Johnson (1880–1952). Howe was the father of four daughters.

Death

Howe died in Burlington on April 22, 1946, and was buried at St. Johnsbury Center Cemetery (also known as Centervale Cemetery).

Honors

Howe received an honorary

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

from

Norwich University Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campus ...

in 1930.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Howe, Harland Bradley 1873 births 1946 deaths University of Michigan Law School alumni Vermont lawyers People from St. Johnsbury, Vermont Democratic Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont United States district court judges appointed by Woodrow Wilson 20th-century American judges