Howard, Peter

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: Robert L. Fraser, “HOWARD, PETER,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 7, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/howard_peter_7E.html
  • DCB profile notes:
    • Farmer, businessman, politician, jp, office holder, and doctor; b. c. 1771 in the American colonies, probably New York, fourth son of Matthew Howard; m. first Sarah Munsel (Munsall), and they had three sons and two daughters; m. secondly 17 Oct. 1833 Margaret Seaman, a widow, and they had no children; d. 24 Nov. 1843 in Brockville, Upper Canada.
    • Peter Howard’s father was a farmer living in Pittstown, N.Y., when the American revolution broke out. Taking up arms with the British in 1777, he served with several loyalist corps, was employed as a spy, and was captured several times. After the war he settled in western Quebec with his family. In 1791 Peter petitioned the government for land as the son of a loyalist and was granted 200 acres. He owned property in several townships in the newly formed province of Upper Canada but made his residence in Elizabethtown Township, where his father and other family members lived. A comfortable farmer, by 1804 he had 85 acres cultivated, 400 uncultivated, several animals, and a still. He also, for a time, had an inn. In 1802 his name had been removed from the United Empire Loyalist list as a result of Lieutenant Governor Peter Hunter’s administrative reforms aimed at reducing the numbers eligible for free land grants. How Howard reacted is not known, but loyalists generally were outraged at what seemed to be a violation of the king’s intention.
    • Howard contested the riding of Leeds in 1804 and easily topped the poll, drawing support from a cross-section of local society. During the fourth parliament (1805–8) the opposition in the assembly gained in strength; Howard’s association with it, however, came later and gradually. He worked conscientiously on behalf of his constituents to settle matters concerning land title.
    • There was, in short, nothing to hint at Howard’s participation in one of the most dramatic parliamentary moments in Upper Canada before the War of 1812. On 5 March 1808 Howard, Thomas Dorland, and David McGregor Rogers retired from the house, depriving it temporarily of a quorum. The uproar was triggered by Sherwood’s successful attempt to change the standing orders to accommodate a third reading of the amendment that day. The threesome had as little use for the procedure, which they considered unparliamentary, as for its intent. Lieutenant Governor was outraged, stripping Howard and Dorland of their offices but meeting with less success in handling Rogers. The general election in May provided an occasion for judging the popularity of Howard’s action. He was re-elected in a bitterly fought contest which revealed his strong egalitarian impulses. 
    • The fifth parliament (1809–12) became increasingly polarized. Howard moved steadily closer to the opposition led by Joseph Willcocks. By 1811 his voting pattern was identical with those of the most radical members of the opposition coterie, Willcocks, John Willson, and Benajah Mallory. During the 1812 session, while supporting the general thrust of revisions to the Militia Act, he apparently cast the deciding vote – in his capacity as chairman of the whole – against an amendment requiring all militiamen to abjure any loyalty to the United States.
  • Son of Proven Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory –https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=3996
  • Find a GRAVE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/40549601/peter-howard