William Howell
54th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates
In office
January 8, 2003 – January 10, 2018
Preceded byLacey Putney (acting)
Succeeded byKirk Cox
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 28th district
In office
January 8, 1992 – January 10, 2018
Preceded byClinton Miller
Succeeded byBob Thomas
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 53rd district
In office
January 13, 1988 – January 8, 1992
Preceded byTom Moncure
Succeeded byJim Scott
Personal details
Born
William James Howell

(1943-05-08) May 8, 1943
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseCecelia Joy Stump
ResidenceFalmouth, Virginia
Alma materUniversity of Richmond (BS)
University of Virginia (LLB)
Signature

William James Howell (born May 8, 1943) is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Virginia. He represented Virginia's 28th House of Delegates district from 1992 until 2018 and served as Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates from 2003 to 2018.[1] He also serves as chairman of the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission.[2] Presiding over the House during a period of Republican dominance in that chamber, Howell has been applauded by many in and out of his party as a pragmatic leader but is also notable for heading Virginia's controversial redistricting efforts following the 2010 census and firmly opposing efforts to expand Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[3]

Early life and education

William James Howell was born on May 8, 1943, in Washington, D.C., the second of four children of William Fayette Howell and the former Eileen Hill. His father, an employee of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, joined the World Bank in 1946, where he served in a number of executive positions until his death in 1964.[4][5] His mother, a native of England and daughter of trade unionist and academic Levi Hill, accompanied her father on a lecture tour of the United States, where she met her future husband.[6]

About a year after Howell's birth, the family moved to Alexandria, Virginia, where he grew up. After graduating from Fairfax High School in 1960, he studied business administration at the University of Richmond, where his classmates included Robert S. Jepson, Jr. and Leslie M. Baker, Jr.[7] He attended the University of Virginia School of Law and was admitted to the state bar in 1967.[8][9]

Howell was raised in a civically active family and described both of his parents as "New Deal Democrats." Citing a need to discover his own political philosophy while at college, he spent a summer reading different authors from across the ideological spectrum and was eventually influenced by the conservative ideas of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan.[6][8]

Career

House of Delegates service and speakership

Howell presiding over a session of the House in 2012

In 1987, three-term incumbent Republican delegate Thomas M. Moncure Jr. announced that he would not be seeking reelection. Howell ran for the open seat at the urging of state senator John Chichester and easily won the three-way race against Democrat Thomas Savage and Independent Al Fagan.

In 2017, Howell announced that he would not seek reelection, retiring at the end of his term.[3] Later that week, Kirk Cox, who had served under Howell as the House Majority Leader since 2010, was unanimously elected by the General Assembly House Republican Caucus as their choice for the next speaker.[10]

Personal life

Howell and U.S. Senator Tim Kaine at Fredericksburg's Slaughter Pen Farm Historic Site in 2013

Howell married Cecelia Joy "Cessie" Stump in 1966. They live in Falmouth in Stafford County, Virginia. The couple had two sons, William Fayette Howell, II and Leland Jack Howell. The couple has seven grandchildren as well. Howell is a deeply religious Baptist, and, in the 1990s, along with Bob McDonnell, Randy Forbes, and one other delegate, he founded a prayer group and Bible study that meets weekly when the Virginia General Assembly is in session.

Electoral history

DateElectionCandidatePartyVotes %
Virginia House of Delegates, 53rd district
Nov 3, 1987[11] General William J. Howell Republican 7,598 48.51
Thomas Y. Savage Democratic 5,752 36.72
M. Alfred Fagan Independent 2,313 14.77
Write Ins 0 0.00
Tom Moncure did not seek reelection; seat stayed Republican
Nov 7, 1989[12] General William J. Howell Republican 12,964 99.86
Write Ins 18 0.14
Virginia House of Delegates, 28th district
Nov 5, 1991[13] General William J. Howell Republican 7,805 75.24
Marcia J. Preston Democratic 2,568 24.76
Write Ins 0 0.00
Clinton Miller redistricted to 26th district; seat stayed Republican
Nov 2, 1993[14] General William J. Howell Republican 11,904 73.72
Marcia J. Preston Democratic 3,240 20.07
David E. O'Keeffe Independent 1,002 6.21
Write Ins 1 0.01
Nov 7, 1995[15] General William J. Howell Republican 10,518 69.41
M. Alicia Knight Democratic 4,633 30.57
Write Ins 2 0.01
Nov 4, 1997[16] General William J. Howell Republican 15,930 98.24
Write Ins 286 1.76
Nov 2, 1999[17] General William J. Howell Republican 11,587 80.08
Garrett T. Baker Independent 2,839 19.62
Write Ins 44 0.30
Nov 6, 2001[18] General William J. Howell Republican 10,964 63.83
Noreen C. Crowley Democratic 6,196 36.07
Write Ins 17 0.10
Nov 4, 2003[19] General William J. Howell Republican 7,373 96.49
Write Ins 268 3.51
Nov 8, 2005[20] General William J. Howell Republican 14,807 94.64
Write Ins 838 5.36
Nov 6, 2007[21] General William J. Howell Republican 8,726 61.70
Clyde W. Matthews Democratic 4,926 34.83
Craig E. Ennis Independent Greens 457 3.23
Write Ins 33 0.23
Nov 3, 2009[22] General William J. Howell Republican 14,909 74.82
Craig E. Ennis Independent Greens 4,874 24.46
Write Ins 143 0.71
Nov 8, 2011[23] General William J. Howell Republican 9,350 91.77
Write Ins 838 8.22
Nov 5, 2013[24] General William J. Howell Republican 14,998 90.77
Write Ins 1,525 9.23
Nov 3, 2015[25] General William J. Howell Republican 8,060 60.26
Kandy A. Hilliard Democratic 5,272 39.41
Write Ins 44 0.33

References

  1. ↑ Gross, Edie (January 9, 2003). "Quiet Bill Howell becomes Mr. Speaker". The Free Lance-Star. Vol. 119, no. 9. Fredericksburg, VA. p. 1. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  2. ↑ "The Civil War Sesquicentennial in Virginia: Final Impact and Lasting Legacies". 2015. Archived from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Vozzella, Laura; Schneider, Gregory S. (February 20, 2017). "Va. House Speaker William Howell, a pragmatic Republican, will not run again". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  4. ↑ Mason, Edward S.; Asher, Robert E. (December 2010). The World Bank since Bretton Woods. ISBN 978-0815720300. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Howell, William F. | Archives". Archived from the original on April 18, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Sherrod, Bill. "Speaking from Experience". Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Hammond Alums Are Feeling Blue (And White) | Alexandria Times | Alexandria, VA". September 10, 2009. Archived from the original on April 18, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Log Cabin Lawyer: William J. Howell '67 Quietly Leads Virginia's House of Delegates". Archived from the original on April 18, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  9. ↑ Chase, Dawn (2008). "Virginia Lawyer-Legislators" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on June 2, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Delegate Kirk Cox elected as the next Speaker of the House". The Progress-Index. February 22, 2017. Archived from the original on May 17, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  11. ↑ "General Election- November 3, 1987". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  12. ↑ "General Election- November 7, 1989". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  13. ↑ "General Election- November 5, 1991". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  14. ↑ "November 2, 1993 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  15. ↑ "General Election- November 7, 1995". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  16. ↑ "General Election- November 4, 1997". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on October 1, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Election Results - House of Delegates - Nov 1999 Gen Election". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on December 28, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  18. ↑ "General Election- November 6, 2001". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on December 29, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  19. ↑ "General Election- November 4, 2003". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  20. ↑ "General Election- November 8, 2005". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on December 28, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  21. ↑ "November 6, 2007 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  22. ↑ "November 2009 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  23. ↑ "November 2011 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  24. ↑ "November 2013 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  25. ↑ "November 2015 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
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