Governor
George Howard

The Guilford area of Howard County has a rich history and the story behind local place names provides much more context to our history.  As part of a research effort on local public space names to look into the origin, use, and association with slavery or oppression per the Howard County Public Facilities and Spaces Commission, some of this research is shared here, and on our FB Group.  Please provide feedback with corrections or additional information. 

George Howard was the 22nd Governor of Maryland (1831-1833) and he was the son of the namesake of Howard County - John Eager Howard who was Governor from 1778-1781.  There are standard biographical sources for Governor George Howard including the Maryland State Archives biographical series (https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/001400/001453/html/msa01453.html ) based on the book by Frank F. White, Jr., The Governors of Maryland 1777-1970 (Annapolis:  The Hall of Records Commission, 1970, p101-104). 

Another more candid biography was by Heinrich Ewald Buchholz who wrote Governors of Maryland from the Revolution to the Year 1908 (Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins Company, 1908 pp. 114-118) and can be downloaded from Google Books (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Governors_of_Maryland/CPsMAAAAYAAJ?hl=en)

Below is a brief but notable summary about Governor George Howard.

• George Howard was born in Annapolis on November 21, 1789, a son of John Eager Howard and Peggy Chew Howard, and was raised at “Belvedere” in Baltimore County.

• In 1811 George was married to Prudence Gough Ridgely and received the land called “Waverly” near Woodstock as a wedding present from his father.

• George was a close friend of Governor Martin and was elected to the Governor’s Council in 1831, his first public office.  When Governor Martin died in July of 1831, George Howard, as president of the Governor’s Council was appointed interim Governor of Maryland.

• George Howard was elected to a one year term (that was standard in those times) in 1832 and served until January of 1833 for a total of two years.

• As Governor, he was an anti-Jacksonian and anti-federalist more in favor of state’s rights and supported public education, state banking, and the Maryland Colonization Society which “encouraged” free Blacks and slaves to be manumitted to emigrate to Liberia, Africa, for a “better life”.  However, coercion to either emigrate to declare a return to slavery was a tactic used to reduce the free Black population in Maryland.  The Maryland Colonization Society favored ridding the State of Maryland entirely of its people of color.

• As Governor, he signed laws passed by the Maryland General Assembly on March 14, 1832, forbidding “the immigration of free negroes” into Maryland (Chapter 323 “An act relating to Free Negroes and Slaves” 1831 Laws of Maryland) and “An Act to incorporate the Maryland Colonization Society” (Chapter 314, 1831).

• George Howard was a slave-owner reporting 20 in the 1820 census, 31 slaves in 1830 and 17 in 1840.  Upon his death on August 2, 1846, the inventory taken per his will listed 22 adult and 3 children as enslaved.

• In 1841, George Howard was the chair of the Maryland Slaveholder’s Convention held in Annapolis in January 1842 to promote the rights of slaveholders (Maryland Constitution of 1851 by James Warner Harry).

• In other matters Governor Howard was for public education, supportive of the Union and against the proposal of South Carolina to leave the union, strongly supportive of the railroad versus the canals, favorable to a strong banking system,  and other worthy positions that can be reviewed in the biographies presented above and below.

Sources

1902. The Maryland constitution of 1851, by James Warner Harry.  Baltimore, Johns Hopkins Press. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.32044031964737

1846 September 24. George Howard Inventory of Will. Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999 > Howard > Inventories 1840-1848 vol 1. "Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9TRY-XXJ?cc=1803986&wc=SNY4-W3N%3A146534701%2C146712801 : 20 May 2014), Howard > Inventories 1840-1848 vol 1 >image 216 of 284; Hall of Records, Annapolis.

1832. Chapter 281. An Act Relating to the People of Color in this State. in  Laws of Maryland made and passed by the General Assembly of the State of Maryland. At a Session Begun And Held at Annapolis , On Monday The 20th Day Of December , 1831, And Ended On Wednesday the 14th Day of March, 1832. Annapolis, MD. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437123281210?urlappend=%3Bseq=356%3Bownerid=13510798904105416-398

1832. Chapter 323. An Act Relating to Free Negroes and Slaves. in  Laws of Maryland made and passed by the General Assembly of the State of Maryland. At a Session Begun And Held at Annapolis , On Monday The 20th Day Of December , 1831, And Ended On Wednesday the 14th Day of March, 1832. Annapolis, MD.  https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437123281210?urlappend=%3Bseq=460%3Bownerid=13510798904105416-508 

1908. Heinrich Ewald Buchholz. Governors of Maryland from the Revolution to the Year 1908 (Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins Company, 1908 pp. 114-118)(https://www.google.com/books/edition/Governors_of_Maryland/CPsMAAAAYAAJ?hl=en)

1970. Frank F. White, Jr., The Governors of Maryland 1777-1970 (Annapolis:  The Hall of Records Commission, 1970, p101-104).   (https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/001400/001453/html/msa01453.html )