William Howell
Office54th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates
Term startJanuary 8, 2003
Term endJanuary 10, 2018
PredecessorLacey Putney (acting)
SuccessorKirk Cox
State delegate 1Virginia
District 128th
Term start 1January 8, 1992
Term end 1January 10, 2018
Predecessor 1Clinton Miller
Successor 1Bob Thomas
State delegate 2Virginia
District 253rd
Term start 2January 13, 1988
Term end 2January 8, 1992
Predecessor 2Tom Moncure
Successor 2Jim Scott
Birth nameWilliam James Howell
Birth dateMay 8, 1943 (age 83)
Birth placeWashington, D.C., U.S.
PartyRepublican
SpouseCecelia Joy Stump
Education

William James Howell (born May 8, 1943) is an American attorney and former politician from Virginia. A member of the Republican Party, he represented the 28th district in the House of Delegates from 1992 until 2018, and served as Speaker of the House of Delegates from 2003 to 2018.

Howell presided over the House of Delegates during a period of Republican dominance in the chamber. During his tenure, he acquired a reputation as a political pragmatist, and faced internal criticism from Republican delegates affiliated with the Tea Party movement.[1] He is also noted 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.[2]

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.[3][4]

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.[5] About a year after Howell's birth, the family moved to Alexandria, Virginia, where he grew up. 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.[5][6]

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.[6][8]

Career

House of Delegates service and speakership

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.[2] 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.[9]

Later career

He also serves as chairman of the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission.[10] After leaving office, he joined McGuireWoods Consulting in 2018.[11]

Personal life

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. 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[12]GeneralWilliam J. HowellRepublican7,59848.51
Thomas Y. SavageDemocratic5,75236.72
M. Alfred FaganIndependent2,31314.77
Write Ins00.00
Tom Moncure did not seek reelection; seat stayed Republican
Nov 7, 1989[13]GeneralWilliam J. HowellRepublican12,96499.86
Write Ins180.14
Virginia House of Delegates, 28th district
Nov 5, 1991[14]GeneralWilliam J. HowellRepublican7,80575.24
Marcia J. PrestonDemocratic2,56824.76
Write Ins00.00
Clinton Miller redistricted to 26th district; seat stayed Republican
Nov 2, 1993[15]GeneralWilliam J. HowellRepublican11,90473.72
Marcia J. PrestonDemocratic3,24020.07
David E. O'KeeffeIndependent1,0026.21
Write Ins10.01
Nov 7, 1995[16]GeneralWilliam J. HowellRepublican10,51869.41
M. Alicia KnightDemocratic4,63330.57
Write Ins20.01
Nov 4, 1997[17]GeneralWilliam J. HowellRepublican15,93098.24
Write Ins2861.76
Nov 2, 1999[18]GeneralWilliam J. HowellRepublican11,58780.08
Garrett T. BakerIndependent2,83919.62
Write Ins440.30
Nov 6, 2001[19]GeneralWilliam J. HowellRepublican10,96463.83
Noreen C. CrowleyDemocratic6,19636.07
Write Ins170.10
Nov 4, 2003[20]GeneralWilliam J. HowellRepublican7,37396.49
Write Ins2683.51
Nov 8, 2005[21]GeneralWilliam J. HowellRepublican14,80794.64
Write Ins8385.36
Nov 6, 2007[22]GeneralWilliam J. HowellRepublican8,72661.70
Clyde W. MatthewsDemocratic4,92634.83
Craig E. EnnisIndependent Greens4573.23
Write Ins330.23
Nov 3, 2009[23]GeneralWilliam J. HowellRepublican14,90974.82
Craig E. EnnisIndependent Greens4,87424.46
Write Ins1430.71
Nov 8, 2011[24]GeneralWilliam J. HowellRepublican9,35091.77
Write Ins8388.22
Nov 5, 2013[25]GeneralWilliam J. HowellRepublican14,99890.77
Write Ins1,5259.23
Nov 3, 2015[26]GeneralWilliam J. HowellRepublican8,06060.26
Kandy A. HilliardDemocratic5,27239.41
Write Ins440.33

References

  1. ^ Vozzella, Laura & Schneider, Gregory S. (2017-02-20). "Va. House Speaker William Howell, a pragmatic Republican, will not run again". Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-08-05. "Presiding over that growing majority became tricky with the rise of more conservative, tea-party-affiliated members, who looked askance at Howell’s pragmatic streak."
  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 April 26, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  3. ^ Mason, Edward S. & Asher, Robert E. (December 2010). The World Bank since Bretton Woods. ISBN 978-0815720300. Archived January 24, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  4. ^ "Howell, William F. | Archives". Archived April 18, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  5. ^ Sherrod, Bill. "Speaking from Experience". Archived from the original on 2021-01-20. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  6. ^ "Log Cabin Lawyer: William J. Howell '67 Quietly Leads Virginia's House of Delegates". Archived April 18, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  7. ^ "Hammond Alums Are Feeling Blue (And White) | Alexandria Times | Alexandria, VA". 10 September 2009. Archived April 18, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  8. ^ Chase, Dawn (2008). "Virginia Lawyer-Legislators". Archived 2022-06-02 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  9. ^ "Delegate Kirk Cox elected as the next Speaker of the House". The Progress-Index. February 22, 2017. Archived May 17, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  10. ^ "The Civil War Sesquicentennial in Virginia: Final Impact and Lasting Legacies". 2015. Archived May 23, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  11. ^ "Former House speaker joins McGuireWoods Consulting". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 2018-07-15. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  12. ^ "General Election- November 3, 1987". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  13. ^ "General Election- November 7, 1989". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  14. ^ "General Election- November 5, 1991". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  15. ^ "November 2, 1993 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  16. ^ "General Election- November 7, 1995". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  17. ^ "General Election- November 4, 1997". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived October 1, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  18. ^ "Election Results - House of Delegates - Nov 1999 Gen Election". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on December 28, 2012. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  19. ^ "General Election- November 6, 2001". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on December 29, 2012. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  20. ^ "General Election- November 4, 2003". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  21. ^ "General Election- November 8, 2005". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on December 28, 2012. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  22. ^ "November 6, 2007 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived March 4, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  23. ^ "November 2009 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived March 3, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  24. ^ "November 2011 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived March 4, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  25. ^ "November 2013 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on 2015-04-06. Retrieved 2015-01-07.
  26. ^ "November 2015 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived April 7, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2017-04-17.