Richard Howell (25 October 1754 – 28 April 1802) was the Governor of New Jersey from 3 June 1793 to 31 October 1801, succeeding Thomas Henderson and preceding Joseph Bloomfield.
Biography[]
Richard Howell was born on 25 October 1754 in Newark, Delaware, and he was a lawyer before joining the 2nd New Jersey Regiment in 1775 during the American Revolutionary War. His twin brother Lewis, a physician, was killed in the war. From 1778 to 1793 he was the head of the New Jersey Supreme Court, and in 1793 he was elected Governor, serving until 1801. Joseph Bloomfield succeeded him, and he died in 1802. He was the grandfather of the First Lady of the Confederacy, Varina Davis, who was married to President Jefferson Davis; Howell Township in Monmouth County is named after him.