Benjamin Howard

Benjamin Howard (1760 – September 18, 1814) was a congressman from Kentucky, the first governor of the Missouri Territory and a brigadier general in the War of 1812. Early life and education Howard was born in Lexington, Kentucky, (then part of Virginia) and graduated in 1797 from the College of William & Mary. Career Election to Kentucky General Assembly Howard was elected to the Kentucky General Assembly in 1800. Continuing in politics, he was elected to the 10th and 11th Congresses (D-R-KY), from 1807 until April 10, 1810. One week later, on April 17, 1810, President James Madison appointed him as governor of the Louisiana Territory (the Louisiana Purchase district north of modern-day Louisiana). It was renamed the Missouri Territory in June 1812.