Alexander Howe

Who was Alexander Howe?

Alexander Howe was a soldier, judge and political figure in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. He represented Annapolis County and then Granville township in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1785 to 1799.

He was born in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, the son of Edward How and Marie-Madeleine Winniett. Howe served as a lieutenant with the British army in Jamaica, England and Ireland. He married Helen McKellar Bontein in 1778. In 1783, he returned to Granville, Nova Scotia and began farming. He was first declared elected to the provincial assembly after appealing two consecutive elections. Howe also served as justice of the peace and judge in the Inferior Court of Common Pleas for Annapolis County. He was named captain in the Royal Nova Scotia Regiment and also was superintendent of Jamaican maroons. After he was replaced in that post, he moved to Prince Edward Island in 1802 where he served as assistant commissary and storekeeper. Howe also served on the colony's Council and was a justice of the peace there. In 1803, he married Margaret Ann Green, the granddaughter of Benjamin Green.