Robert H. Howey
History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894
USGENWEB Montana Archives
May be copied for non-profit purposes.

Robert H. Howey, one of Helena's prominent lawyers, dates 
his birth in Carroll County Ohio, April 8, 1842. He is of 
Scotch-Irish descent. Some of his ancestors settled in 
Pennsylvania previous to the Revolution and from there the 
family has spread out over various states in the union. The 
parents of Robert H. were Ebenezer and Julia Ann (Shaw) 
Howey, the former born in Pennsylvania in 1810 and the latter 
in Carroll County Ohio in 1820. The Shaws were an old colonial 
family and Mrs. Howey's grandfather, Nathan Shaw, served as a 
soldier in the Revolution as First Lt. of the First Battalion, 
Cumberland County, New Jersey Militia. He fought in the Battle 
of Trenton and in various other engagements in that war. Her 
father also served in the War of 1812. Mr. Howey's parents had 
five children, of whom only two are now living. The father 
died in 1861. The mother still survives, now in her seventy-third 
year.

Robert H. Howey received his education in the public schools of 
Ohio and in Rural Seminary, afterward known as Harlem Springs 
College. He also took a course in the McNeily Normal School, 
Hopedale, Ohio where he graduated in 1862 receivingthe degree 
of B.A. Then he began the study of law under the instructions 
of Eckley and McCoy at Carrollton. It was during the Civil War 
that he was engaged in the pursuit of his studies but when 
Morgan made his famous raid through the state of Ohio young 
Howey dropped his studies and joined the Home Guards.

Mr. Howey was admitted to the bar of the District Court of Ohio 
at Steubenville in 1867 and there engaged in the practice of 
his profession. Later, however, he accepted the position of 
Professor of Mathematics in Harlem Springs College. In 1872 he 
entered Western Theological Seminary at Alleghany, where in due 
time he graduated with high honors.
After his graduation in April 1874 he was ordained by the 
Presbytery of Steubenville and was commissioned by the 
Presbyterian Board of Home Missions to take charge of a 
church at Unionville, Missouri. He at once went to Unionville,
assumed charge as pastor and through his instrumentality, a 
church edifice was soon built. Later he was the principal
of the public schools at Unionville. He continued there until 
February 1879 when he came to Montana and accepted the position 
of principal of the Helena city schools, serving as such for 
five successive years. At the end of that time he was appointed 
by Governor Potts as Superintendent of Public Instruction for 
Montana and served as such most efficiently until February 
1883 and while acting in this latter capacity he ws appointed 
by the Secretary of the Interior to select the university lands 
for Montana. He selected for that purpose seventy-two sections. 
Few indeed,have done more to advance the educational interests 
of Montana than has Mr. Howey.

Mr. Howey was married March 14, 1870 to Laura E. Spencer, of 
Cadiz Ohio, a graduate of Beaver College Pennsylvania with the 
class of 1868. She was at the time of their marriage and for 
several years after, engaged in teaching instrumental and vocal 
music. Since their coming to Helena she has been president of 
the W.C.T.U. of Montana and has delivered numerous lectures and 
organized many unions in Montana.

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