John How (1813January 3, 1885) was the 14th
mayor of St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, US, serving from 1853 to 1855 and again from 1856 to 1857.
Early life
How was born in Pennsylvania, but later moved to St. Louis and became a successful merchant.
Political career
In 1853, How defeated Charles P. Chouteau in the St. Louis mayoral election. He served two one-year terms and then left office for one year. He was re-elected in 1856 when he defeated John B. Carson of the Know-Nothing Party.
During How's three terms, he moved a workhouse from a temporary site near the city hospital to a permanent location at Broadway and Meramec. He established a house of refuge and correction for juvenile offenders, set aside land for Marquette Park, and provided the park with a board of managers on which the mayor and two members from each house of City Council would serve. How set aside land for other city parks, including 14.5 acres for Hyde Park. He also purchased the land for the Central Public Library from James H. Lucas. Under How's leadership, the city invested in railroads and had interest in all four major lines. How also created a building inspection office in 1855, requiring building permits under the office of Inspector of Buildings and Fires.
Personal life
He married and had two sons, James F. How, who married a daughter of James Eads, who built
Eads Bridge
The Eads Bridge is a combined road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River connecting the cities of St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois. It is located on the St. Louis riverfront between Laclede's Landing, to the north, and ...
. How moved west in 1869 to begin a mining business. He was an
Indian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the government.
Background
The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the United States first included development of t ...
at Elko, Nevada, for four years and lived in
San Francisco, California
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
, for the last years of his life. He died there on January 3, 1885. How is buried at
Bellefontaine Cemetery
Bellefontaine Cemetery is a nonprofit, non-denominational cemetery and arboretum in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1849 as a rural cemetery, Bellefontaine is home to a number of architecturally significant monuments and mausoleums such as t ...
in St. Louis, Missouri.
References
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External links
John Howat the St. Louis Public Library: St. Louis Mayors website.
1813 births
1885 deaths
Mayors of St. Louis
19th-century American politicians
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