HOWARD, John, English philanthropist: b. probably Hackney, 2 Sept. 1726; d. Kherson, Russia, 20 Jan. 1790. From 1742-70 he made repeated journeys to the Continent. In 1756 he became a member of the Royal Society. In 1773 he was appointed high sheriff of Bed fordshire, when the subject of prison discipline came under his notice; and finding many abuses in the management of jails, he resolved to de vote his time to investigation of the means of correcting them. With this view he visited most of the English county jails and houses of correction, and in March 1774 laid the result of his inquiries before the House of Com mons. This resulted in the passage of a num ber of bills improving prison conditions in England to a considerable extent. From 1775 80 he again traveled extensively, inspecting prisons in France, the Low Countries, Ger many, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. In 1781 and 1782 he made a tour through the northern parts of Europe, including Denmark, Sweden, Russia and Poland. In 1783 he visited Spain and Portugal, and again surveyed the prisons of his own country. At the same time was published a complete edition of his 'State of the Prisons in England and Wales, etc.,' which had been published first in 1777, but was now enlarged by considerable supplementary mat ter. A new subject now engaged his attention,
namely, the management of lazarettos, and the means of preventing the communication of the plague and other contagious diseases. In 1789 he published 'Account of the Principal Laza rettos in Europe.' In 1789 he proceeded through Germany to Saint Petersburg and Mos cow. Prisons and hospitals were everywhere thrown open for his inspection as a friendly monitor and public benefactor. While in Rus sia he died of camp-fever. A statue by Bacon was erected to his memory in Saint Paul's, London. Consult Aikin, J., 'A View of the Life and Philanthropic Labours of the Late John Howard' (Boston 1794) ; Anon., 'Anec dotes of the Life and Character of John How ard' (London 1790) ; Brown, J. B. (Memoirs of the Public and Private Life of John How ard' (London 1818) ; Dixon, W. H. Howard and the Prison World of Europe) (New York 1850) ; Field, J., (The Life of John Howard, etc.' (London 1850) ; id., Howard's Correspondence' (London 1855) ; Guy, W. A., or John Howard, Sheriff of Bedford> (London 1873) ; id., How ard's Winter's Journey) (London 1882) ; Tay lor, T., 'Memoirs of John Howard' (London 1836) ; Stoughton, J., the Philan thropist' (London 1884).