Irving Howbert

Irving Howbert (April 11, 1846 – December 22, 1934) was a pioneer of the Pikes Peak region, businessman, investor, politician, and philanthropist. He helped William Jackson Palmer establish the municipality of Colorado Springs. As county clerk and recorder, as well as a real estate agent, he sought and attained land for what would become Colorado Springs. Investments in mines and railways fostered the mining industry and transportation of ore.

As a young man, Howbert fought in the Sand Creek massacre while serving the 3rd Colorado Cavalry Regiment.

Early life and marriage On April 11, 1846, Irving Howbert was the first of eight children born to Martha, née Marshall, and William Howbert.

Howbert's father was a missionary for the Methodist Episcopal Church and he first traveled to Colorado in 1860. began having a prominent role in development of the Colorado Springs area beginning in 1878.

The city of Colorado Springs Howbert helped William Jackson Palmer found the city of Colorado Springs. Along with Matt France, he was a real estate agent, purchasing land for Colorado Springs and Old Colorado City. Ore was delivered on the Midland Terminal Railway, founded based upon Howbert's concept, to the Midland Terminal Railroad Roundhouse, near the chlorination process mill.

On July 17 of that year, Howbert oversaw the development of the goal or intention: "It is hoped that the republican women of the state will actively participate in all primaries, and that they will be fully recognized in the selection of delegates to this and other conventions of the part." Colorado was the first state in the country to secure voting rights for its women during the November 7, 1893 referendum on women's suffrage.

Discussions became "spirited" among the committee members on July 29 as Edward O. Wolcott lobbied for selection of William McKinley as a candidate for the 1896 United States presidential election. Howbert resigned as chairman the next day, stating that it was to accommodate his trip to Europe. At the time, Howbert was chairman of the El Paso County Pioneer Society and led an event on August 30, 1912, to celebrate the burial of a time capsule, including ceremonial dances performed by Utes on ancestral sacred land. The event was held at Soda Springs Park in Manitou Springs, Colorado and then traveled west along Ute Pass to mark the ancient trail.

Personal life, philanthropy, and death Howbert was a member of the El Paso Masonry Lodge No. 13 for 64 years. He collected fossils in Colorado, donating them to a college in Ohio. From the fortune that he made on the Robert E. Lee mine, Howbert funded the construction of the Opera House along with J.F. Humphrey and B.F. Crowell. It was completed in 1881. After the Opera House was constructed, the Masonry Lodge was located on the third floor. With E.T. Stone and B.F. Crowell, Howbert sought land for a cemetery for lodge members.

Howbert died on December 22, 1934 and was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs. An elementary school in the city was named for him.