This work represents a biography of Benjamin F. Howard (1835—1908) as a soldier, police officer, and Mason. It reveals little-known aspects of his life. The work leaned on five groups of historical sources — (1) archival documents, (2) museum items, (3) collections of published documents, (4) sources of private origin, and (5) periodical press materials. Of particular importance in the context of this research is the second group — a selection of items from the American Civil War Museum and the Museum of the History of the American Knights Templar at Cherkas Global University. Methodologically, the study relied on a set of methods commonly used in biographical research. The study’s findings revealed that Benjamin Franklin Howard (1835—1908) started out working as a stonecutter (initially in Washington, DC, and later in Richmond, VA); but it was the American Civil War that truly revealed him to be an organizer and leader, someone whose direction people would follow in the challenging climate of military confrontation. He finished the Civil War in the rank of Captain in command of Company I of the 1st Virginia Infantry Regiment. Subsequently, he served for many years in the police, where he was promoted to the rank of Major and was appointed Chief of Police for the city of Richmond. At the same time, starting in 1871 he was active as a Mason, progressing in that hierarchy from a candidate for Masonry to a member of the York Rite Knights Templar. In 1900, he filled the post of Eminent Commander of Richmond Commandery No. 2. Throughout his life, Benjamin F. Howard was the kind of person who would not back down from a challenge and would stay true to his duty to the very end.
Source: Cherkas, Alexander C. (2025). Sir Benjamin F. Howard (1835–1908): Soldier, Police Officer, Mason. Bylye Gody. 2025. 20(4): 1811-1822.
Source web-site: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1764585268.pdf
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