Richard Howell (October 25, 1754April 28, 1802) was the third

governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...

from 1794 to 1801.

Early life and military career

Howell was born in

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

in the Colony of Delaware. He was a lawyer and soldier of the early

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

. He served as captain and later major of the 2nd New Jersey Regiment from 1775 to 1779. Richard was a twin, his twin brother was Lewis Howell. Lewis was a physician for the 2nd New Jersey Regiment and died during the Revolutionary War.

Politics

At the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, Howell was admitted as an original member of The Society of the Cincinnati in the state of New Jersey. Richard was offered the role of

judge advocate Judge-advocates are military lawyers serving in different capacities in the military justice systems of different jurisdictions. Australia The Australian Army Legal Corps (AALC) consists of Regular and Reserve commissioned officers that prov ...

of the army, but turned down the appointment to practice law. He was clerk of the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging th ...

from 1778 to June 3, 1793. He succeeded Thomas Henderson as Governor and served until 1801. Replaced as Governor by

Joseph Bloomfield Joseph Bloomfield (October 18, 1753October 3, 1823) was the fourth governor of New Jersey. He also served two terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1817 to 1821. The township of Bloomfield, New Jersey is named for him. Bir ...

, Howell died the following year. He was the grandfather of Varina Howell, the second wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

Death

Howell died in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Friends Burying Ground. Howell Township in Monmouth County is named in his honor. Gannett, Henry
''The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States''
p. 162.

United States Government Printing Office The United States Government Publishing Office (USGPO or GPO; formerly the United States Government Printing Office) is an agency of the legislative branch of the United States Federal government. The office produces and distributes information ...

, 1905. Accessed September 2, 2015.

References

External links

New Jersey State Library biography of Richard Howell

National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the politica ...

The Society of the Cincinnati

American Revolution InstituteGovernor Richard Howell
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howell, Richard 1754 births 1802 deaths Governors of New Jersey New Jersey lawyers People from Newark, Delaware Politicians from Trenton, New Jersey American people of Welsh descent New Jersey Federalists Federalist Party state governors of the United States People of colonial New Jersey Burials in New Jersey 19th-century American Episcopalians 18th-century American politicians 19th-century American politicians