David Howell

Who was David Howell?

David Howell was an American jurist and statesman from Providence, Rhode Island.

Born in Morristown, New Jersey, Howell graduated from Princeton University in 1766, and received an A.M. from Brown University in 1769. He was in private practice in Providence, Rhode Island from 1768 to 1779. He was a professor of law and then acting president at Brown University in 1791 and 1792. He was a Justice of the Peace in Providence in 1779, and a Justice of the Rhode Island Court of Common Pleas, also in Providence, in 1780, returning to private practice from 1781 to 1782. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1782 to 1785, and an Associate Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1786 to 1787, then serving as Rhode Island Attorney General in 1789. He was a Boundary commissioner, New York City in 1794.

He was appointed by Thomas Jefferson in 1801 as United States Attorney, and On November 13, 1812, Howell was nominated by President James Madison to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island vacated by David L. Barnes. Howell was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 16, 1812, and received his commission the following day.