Sumner Howard
| Sumner Howard | |
|---|---|
| Chief Justice, Arizona Territorial Supreme Court | |
|
In office May 20, 1884 – 1885 |
|
| Nominated by | Chester A. Arthur |
| Preceded by | C. G. W. French |
| Succeeded by | John C. Shields |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 7, 1835 Brockport, New York |
| Died | September 6, 1890 (aged 55) Flint, Michigan |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Lucy R. Mason (m. 1857) |
| Profession | Attorney |
Sumner Howard (May 7, 1835 – September 6, 1890) was an American jurist and politician who served as Chief Justice on the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court, Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, and Mayor of Prescott, Arizona Territory.
Howard was born on May 7, 1835 to Waldo and Mary Howard in Brockport, New York. In the year following his birth, his family moved to Flint, Michigan. He was educated in public schools. At age fifteen, Howard began working in local newspaper offices; first at the Genesee Democrat and later the Wolverine Citizen. When he was 19, Howard began reading law at a local law office. Soon after, he enrolled at the State and National Law School in Poughkeepsie, New York and graduated in either 1855 or 1856.
Following graduation, Howard returned to Michigan and became a defense attorney. His first big case was the acquittal by reason of insanity of Joshua Solomon Johnson, who was accused of killing a father and his two sons. As a result of his courtroom performance, Howard gained a reputation as one of the state's best trial lawyers of his day. Howard married Lucy R. Mason in 1857. The union produced a daughter, May, and an adopted son, Frank.
Running on the Democratic ticket, Howard was elected Genesee County prosecutor in 1858. With the outbreak of the American Civil War, Howard volunteered for the infantry and was commissioned a second lieutenant in July 1861. For the majority of the war, he was assigned recruiting duties. Howard was scheduled to become captain of a 100-man company that he had raised shortly before the Battle of Gettysburg, but an illness prevented him from assuming command. Howard resigned from military in September 1863 and returned to Flint, Michigan.
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