Charles Howard (mayor)
American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Howard (August 7, 1804 – November 6, 1883) was mayor of Detroit in 1849.
Charles Howard | |
|---|---|
| |
| Mayor of Detroit | |
| In office 1849–1849 | |
| Preceded by | Frederick Buhl |
| Succeeded by | John Ladue |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 7, 1804 |
| Died | November 6, 1883 (aged 79) New York |
| Spouse | Margaret Vosburg |
Biography
Charles Howard was born August 7, 1804, in Chenango County, New York.[1] His family moved to Port Jervis, New York; when Charles Howard was an adult he moved to Sackets Harbor, New York and worked as a schooner captain.[2] He later joined the firm of Alvin Bronson and Company (later Bronson, Crocker, and Company) as a shipping and forwarding commission merchant,[2] and moved to Oswego, New York, to represent to firm.[1]
In 1834 he married Margaret Vosburg. The couple had two children: Mrs. William J. Waterman and well-known dramatist Bronson Howard.[1]
In 1840, Howard came to Detroit, now a partner in the shipping firm of Bronson, Crocker, and Howard, to establish an agency for the firm.[3] In 1848, he entered a partnership with N. P. Stewart, continuing his shipping and forwarding business and also as a railroad contractor, building substantial portions of the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad line,[1][4] although his firm lost $280,000 in the project.[3] In 1854, Howard dissolved his partnership with Stewart and formed another one with his brother, Sebre.[4]
Howard was simultaneously president of the Farmer's and Mechanics Bank and the Peninsular Bank,[5] and in 1848 he was elected mayor of Detroit.[1]
The Panic of 1857 caused the failure of the Peninsular Bank,[4] and in 1858, Charles Howard moved to New York City.[6] There, Charles and Sebre Howard opened the business "Howard Brothers, Firearms," which was in business from 1863 to 1874.[4] Charles Howard died November 6, 1883, at the house of his son-in-law.[1][3]