James Leland Howard was an American businessman and politician who was the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1887 to 1889.

Early life

James L. Howard was born in Windsor, Vermont

Windsor, Vermont

Windsor is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,756 at the 2000 census.-History:One of the New Hampshire grants, Windsor was chartered as a town on July 6, 1761 by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth. It was first settled in August 1764 by Captain Steele Smith and...

, as the son of Reverend Leland Howard. He received an academic education and started working as a clerk in New York at the age of fifteen. In 1838, he moved to Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...

, where he started working in the manufacturing business on his own account in 1841, with his partner Hurlburt, he manufactured carriage and saddle hardware. They soon added the manufacture of furnishings for railway cars. Howard soon bought out his partner and the company got the name James L. Howard & Company in 1876. He was also president of the Hartford City Gas Light Company, director in the Phoenix National Bank, the Traveler’s Insurance Company, the Hartford County Fire Insurance Company, the Retreat for the Insane, the Farmington River Power Company, and several other manufacturing companies. Additionally, he was on the board of directors of the New York & New England Railroad Company. The James L. Howard & Company still exists under the name of 1846.

Howard was married, June 1, 1842, to Miss Anna Gilbert, daughter of Joseph B. Gilbert of Hartford.

Political career

Howard was originally a member of the Whig Party

Whig Party (United States)

The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...

, and naturally became a member of the Republicans

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 when that party was formed in 1856. He was an unsuccessful candidate to become mayor of Hartford in 1878 and 1880.

In the autumn of 1886, Howard was elected Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut. He served for one two-year period alongside the governor Phineas C. Lounsbury

Phineas C. Lounsbury

Phineas Chapman Lounsbury was an American politician and the 53rd Governor of Connecticut.- Early life :Lounsbury was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut on January 10, 1841. He got only minimal education. However, he prospered in the business world. He partnered with his brothers, George E...

from January 7, 1887 to January 10, 1889.