William Eager Howard was born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1877, the son of Dr. Henry Peyton Howard (1829-1913) and Lucy Evelyn "Lee" Weir (1842-1929). Following his father into the medical profession, William graduated from the University of Texas Department of Medicine in Galveston (now the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston) in 1897 and began his practice in San Antonio. A noted eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist and eye surgeon, Dr. Howard settled in Dallas, where he practiced until his retirement in 1942.
Also like his father, a Mexican War and Civil War veteran, Dr. Howard served in the military, participating in the Spanish-American War in Cuba. He also traveled throughout Latin America and once represented the United States at a medical meeting in Mexico City at the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Dr. Howard’s family ties to Texas inspired his interest in the state’s history, and he developed an extensive collection of books, documents, and autographs related to Texas and Mexico. Toward the end of his life, he donated portions of his collection to several institutions in Texas. His donation of over 2,000 Texana items to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library became the core of its collection; the Library was established in 1945 in part to house his materials.
Dr. Howard married Augusta T. Muller (1878-1946) in Galveston, Texas, on 1900 May 6. The couple had two children: Catherine Lee, who married Loughton Thayer Smith, and Harold P. Dr. Howard died in Dallas on 1948 February 21.
Campbell, Camilla Boykin. "William Eager Howard - A Short Biography." San Antonio: Carleton Printing, 1961.
William E. Howard biographical file, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.
Utterback, Martha D. "William Eager Howard."
Utterback, Martha D. "Henry Peyton Howard."
Consisting of a small body of professional and personal material, the William E. Howard papers document some of the highlights of his career as a physician and his avocation as a historical researcher and collector.
Howard’s correspondence is a mix of letters concerning professional organizations and activities and letters exchanged with historians and book and document dealers. A number of letters were received in connection with pamphlets published by Howard.
A small body of pages removed from a scrapbook contains additional letters, clippings, and printed items associated with Howard’s activities. Other clippings in the papers are on more general topics. One of Howard’s publications, a calendar of his Texana collection, is part of the papers in manuscript and printed galley form, each displaying corrections and annotations. A few transcripts of historical documents and some notes and printed items are also in the papers.
Another source on Howard’s extensive book and document collection is found in three bound volumes containing copies of forms that describe items he submitted to the Texas Centennial exposition for exhibit in Dallas in 1936. The forms include a brief description of each item, including its date and information on its condition. Many of the items were later included in Howard’s donation to the DRT Library.
No restrictions. The collection is open for research.
Please be advised that the library does not hold the copyright to most of the material in its archival collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure those rights when needed. Permission to reproduce does not constitute permission to publish. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright, literary property rights, and libel.
The items that make up the William E. Howard book and document collection in the DRT Library are described elsewhere. Books and periodicals are described individually in the Library's online catalog. The majority of documents and manuscripts are included in the
William E. Howard Papers, 1826 (1830-1853, 1930-1936) 1945, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
[Identification of item], William E. Howard Papers, 1910-1947, Col 5190, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.
Gift of William E. Howard, circa 1940-1949.
Processed by Warren Stricker, 2002 February.
Finding aid edited and encoded by Caitlin Donnelly, 2011 February.