William Marcellus Howard

Who was William Marcellus Howard?

William Marcellus Howard was a noted jurist and politician from the American state of Georgia.

Howard was born in Berwick, Louisiana and moved to Georgia with his family while in his youth. He attended the Martin Institute in Jefferson, Georgia, and graduated from the University of Georgia in Athens with a Bachelor of Philosophy in 1877.

After admission to the state bar in 1880, Howard practised law in Lexington, Georgia. He was elected as the solicitor general of Georgia's northern circuit and served in that capacity from 1884 until 1896 when he successfully ran for the United States House of Representatives. He was re-elected to this office six times before losing the nomination for the 1910 election.

During his last few terms in the U.S. House and for several years after leaving that body, Howard served on the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution and was a trustee of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

President Howard Taft appointed Howard to the United States Tariff Board in 1911 and he served in that capacity until 1913. At that time, Howard moved to Augusta, Georgia.