HOWE, JOSEPH (1804-1873), Canadian statesman, was born at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Dec. 13, 1804, the son of John Howe (1752-1835), a United Empire Loyalist who was for many years king's printer and postmaster-general for the Maritime Provinces and the Bermudas. In 1827 he started the Acadian, a weekly non-political journal, but soon sold it, and in 1828 pur chased the Nova Scotian, which later became amalgamated with the Morning Chronicle. In 1836 he was elected member for Hali fax in the provincial assembly, and during the next twelve years agitated for responsible government for Nova Scotia. This brought him into conflict with the lieutenant-governor, Lord Falk land (1803-1884), whom he forced to resign. Responsible gov ernment was finally conceded in 1848 by the imperial authorities. In 185o he was sent to England on behalf of the Intercolonial rail way, for which he obtained an imperial guarantee. In 1854 he resigned from the cabinet, and was appointed chief commissioner of railways.
From 186o to 1863 he was premier of Nova Scotia. Though his eloquence had done more than anything else to make practicable a union of the British North American provinces, he opposed confederation, but finally entered (on Jan. 3o, 1869) the cabinet of Sir John Macdonald as president of the council. In May 1873 he was appointed lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia, but died suddenly on June 1 of the same year.
His Letters and Speeches were published in 1858 in Boston, Mass., in 2 vols., edited nominally by William Annand, really by himself. See also Public Letters and Speeches of Joseph Howe (Halifax, 1909). The Life and Times by G. E. Fenety (1896) is poor. The Life by the Hon. James W. Langley (Toronto, 1904) is dispassionate, but other wise mediocre. Joseph Howe, by George Monro Grant (reprinted Halifax, 1904), is a brilliant sketch.