Tilghman Howard

Tilghman Howard
5th Chargé d'Affaires of the United States to Texas
In office
August 2, 1844 – August 16, 1844
PresidentJohn Tyler
Preceded byWilliam Sumter Murphy
Succeeded byAndrew Jackson Donelson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Indiana's 7th district
In office
August 5, 1839 – July 1, 1840
Preceded byAlbert Smith White
Succeeded byHenry S. Lane
5th United States Attorney for the District of Indiana
In office
1833–1839
PresidentAndrew Jackson
Martin Van Buren
Preceded bySamuel Judah
Succeeded byJohn Pettit
Personal details
Born
Tilghman Ashurst Howard

(1797-11-14)November 14, 1797
Easley, South Carolina, United States
DiedAugust 16, 1844(1844-08-16) (aged 46)
Washington-on-the-Brazos, Republic of Texas
Cause of deathYellow fever
Resting placeRockville Cemetery, Rockville, Indiana
Political partyDemocratic
OccupationLawyer

Tilghman Ashurst Howard (November 14, 1797 – August 16, 1844) was an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat from Indiana. He was born near Easley, South Carolina. He moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1816 and was admitted to the bar there in 1818. In 1830, he moved to Bloomington, Indiana, and in 1833 to Rockville, Indiana. President Andrew Jackson appointed him US Attorney for Indiana, and he served as such from 1833 to 1839. In 1838, he sought, unsuccessfully, to be elected to the U.S. Senate. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives on August 5, 1839, and served until he resigned on July 1, 1840.

In 1841, Howard unsuccessfully defended the blacksmith Noah Beauchamp against a murder charge. Beauchamp was convicted and executed in Parke County, Indiana.[1]

He sought election as Governor of Indiana in 1840 and as United States Senator in 1843 but was unsuccessful. He was appointed chargé d'affaires to the Republic of Texas on June 11, 1844,[2] and presented his credentials on August 2, 1844; he served all of two weeks before his untimely death in Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas, at the age of 46. Howard is buried in Rockville, Indiana.[3][4]

Howard County, Indiana,[5] and Howard County, Iowa, are named in his honor.

  1. ^ Indiana Magazine of History, Vol. 12, Murphy: Parke County, Indiana University, p. 151.
  2. ^ "Chiefs of Mission for Texas". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
  3. ^ The Pioneer History of Illinois
  4. ^ Handbook of Texas Online
  5. ^ "Howard County's Townships and Their Early Settlements and Towns". Kokomo-Howard County Public Library. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2014.