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Robertson Howard (December 11, 1847 – December 1, 1899) was a medical doctor, attorney, and publisher. He is best known as one of the six co-founders of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.
Robertson Howard | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 11, 1847 |
| Died | December 1, 1899 (aged 51) |
| Burial place | Congressional Cemetery |
| Education | Georgetown University University of Virginia University of Maryland |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Known for | co-founder of Pi Kappa Alpha |
Early life
editHoward was born in Brookeville, Maryland on December 11, 1847. His parents were Lydia Maria (née Robertson) and Flodoardo R. Howard, a doctor.[1] His mother was a descendant of Quakers.[2]
When Howard was three years old, his father moved the family to Washington, D.C.,[3] where he purchased a plot of land directly across from Ford's Theatre and established a medical office. His father also founded the medical department of Georgetown University.[1]
As a child, Howard attended Brookeville Academy, an institution founded in 1808 by his ancestors in Brookeville, Mayland.[2] During the Civil War, Robertson, being a Quaker, refused to join either side. He graduated from Georgetown University with a doctorate of medicine in 1865.[1] However, being only eighteen years old, he was considered too young to begin his practice.[1]
Howard was sent to the University of Virginia, where he studied chemistry under one of his uncles.[1] While there he shared Room 47, West Range with James Benjamin Sclater Jr.,[2] with whom he and four other men founded Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity on March 1, 1868.[4] This would become one of the first fraternities in the United States. Howard would remain close friends with these men for the rest of his life- it is said that Howard kept autographed photographs of his fellow co-founders in his possession throughout his lifetime.[2]
Career
editAfter completing his post-graduate work at the University of Virginia, Howard was a member of the medical faculty of Georgetown University for two years, where he received an honorary Master of Arts.[2] After leaving Georgetown, he worked for some time in the medical department of the National Museum,[2] now the Arts and Industries Building of the Smithsonian Institution.[5] He also was a medical attendant with the United States Army.[1]
After losing interest in medicine, Howard received a Bachelor of Law degree in 1874 from the University of Mayland.[2][1] He practiced law in Baltimore for five years,[2][1] As a lawyer he handled western land claims, one of which led him to moving his family to St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1881.[2] During approximately twenty years, Howard went into law partnership with Judge Wiliam A. Kerr, followed by former-governor William Rainey Marshall, and, then, J. M. Gilmam.[2][1] He also twice left his law practice to be the editor of the West Publishing Company, a business that created law publications, a few of which he wrote himself.[2][1] He was working in this capacity at the time of his death.[1]
Personal life
editHoward married Isoline Maria Carusi on June 8, 1875.[2] The couple had four sons and one daughter.[2][1]
Howard died in Saint Paul, Minnesota on December 1, 1899 at the age of 52.[2][1] His death was caused by erysipelas.[1] His body was taken back to Washington, D.C., for burial in the Congressional Cemetery.[2][1] His grave was unmarked for years, until his Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity furnished a bronze plaque in his memory.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Robertson Howard Dead". The Saint Paul Globe. 1899-12-02. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-08-31 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "PIKE History". The Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, US: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
- ^ "The History of Pi Kappa Alpha at The University". aig.alumni.virginia.edu. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ Archives, Smithsonian Institution. "The United States National Museum".