Henry Howell
Henry Howell | |
---|---|
Herbert H. Bateman | |
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Norfolk City | |
In office January 8, 1964 – January 12, 1966 | |
In office January 13, 1960 – January 10, 1962 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Henry Evans Howell, Jr. September 5, 1920 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
Died | July 7, 1997 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. | (aged 76)
Political party | Democratic (before 1971, 1977–1997) |
Other political affiliations | Independent (1971–1977) |
Spouse | Elizabeth McCarty |
Alma mater | College of William & Mary, Norfolk Division University of Virginia (LL.B.) |
Profession | Attorney |
Henry Evans Howell, Jr. (September 5, 1920 – July 7, 1997), nicknamed "Howlin' Henry" Howell, was an American lawyer and politician from the
Early life
Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, Howell attended the local public schools. He earned a degree from Old Dominion College and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Virginia.[1]
Early political campaigns
Howell first became involved in political campaigns in 1949. He worked for the unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate
The following year, Howell ran for a seat in the
In 1965, Howell won election to the Virginia Senate.
Statewide political campaigns
A fiery
In 1969, Howell made his first run for governor by challenging former Ambassador
When the popular Lieutenant Governor J. Sargeant Reynolds died in 1971, Howell entered the race to fill the remaining two years of his term. Running as an Independent Democrat, Howell campaigned on a promise to "Keep the Big Boys Honest," a slogan that he would retain in later campaigns. He received 362,371 votes (40%), compared to 334,580 votes (37%) for Democrat George J. Kostel and 209,861 votes (23%) for Republican George P. Shafran.
In 1973, Howell made his second run for governor, now as an Independent Democrat.
The Virginian-Pilot described Howell's campaign: "He rumbled from one remote country store to another in a loudspeaker-equipped camper blaring hillbilly music.... He staged rallies with the trappings of revival tent meetings – live music, cardboard buckets for campaign offerings, and the candidate himself calling on the faithful to 'witness' for his cause with their votes."[citation needed]
Godwin won with 525,075 votes (51%) to Howell's 510,103 votes (49%), a narrow margin of 15,000 votes. Howell was able to win in rural Appalachian Virginia and with African-American voters but failed due to lack of support in wealthy suburban areas. Garrett Epps, a reporter for the Richmond Mercury, would later write a fictionalized account of the race, entitled The Shad Treatment. Howell later described the 1973 campaign as "the high point" of his life.
In 1977, Howell made his final run for elective office, campaigning for governor as a Democrat. Although former State Attorney General
Death and legacy
After losing the 1977 election, Howell retired to Norfolk, dying of cancer on July 7, 1997.[6][7]
Although he failed to win Virginia's highest office, Howell put a definitive end to the rule of the conservative Byrd machine, helped consolidate gains of the
References
- ^ http://dela.state.va.us/dela/Membios.nsf/94f6e9b9c9b5678f85256b1b00732227/3003fd809362ec2a85256d5d00671a60?OpenDocument
- ^ "Virginia Elections Database » Search Elections". Virginia Elections Database. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
- ^ Frank B. Atkinson, Virginia in the Vanguard (university of Virginia Press, 2006) p. 21
- ^ "Howell: More interested in issues than in party machinery". The Free Lance-Star. October 25, 1973.
- ^ Atkinson, p. 9
- ^ Barnes, Bart (July 8, 1997). "Henry E. Howell Jr. Dies". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ^ Saxon, Wolfgang (July 9, 1997). "Henry E. Howell Jr., 76, Leader Of Liberal Democrats in Virginia". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ^ Atkinson, p. 246 n.1 citing remarks on file with the author.