Joseph Kinsey Howard
1906 – 1951

Inducted April 16, 1967

Joseph Kinsey Howard, at the age of 20 news director of the Great Falls Leader, has been characterized as “the conscience of Montana.” He was a newspaperman and author for 28 years.

Although he became nationally known for his books, articles and short stories, Howard never disassociated himself from the problems and progress of the state. He defined those problems in precise prose, and he participated energetically in projects to rectify what he considered inequities in mining and power activities and inadequacies in programs for education and for rural communities.

He was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa, Feb. 28, 1906. As a youngster he lived in Lethbridge, Altberta, where his father operated a coal mine. He subsequently moved to Great Falls and, it is said, was hurled from a school window by classmates for defending the British posture in the War of 1812.

The Great Falls Leader hired Howard when he was graduated from high school in 1923. He was 17, and in a few months he became a reporter.

Howard served as news editor of the Leader from 1926 to 1944. His skill in selecting, interpreting and presenting the news was admired by journalists throughout the state.

His first and best-known book, “Montana: High, Wide, and Handsome,” was published in 1943. It traces the history of Montana and examines state issues in the 20th century.

Three years later, he edited “Montana Margins: A State Anthology,” a thorough, witty and influential collection of materials depicting Montana history. A third book, “Strange Empire,” the story of Louis Riel and Canada’s Metis Rebellion, appeared posthumously.

He contributed to several books, and his articles and stories were published by magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, Harper’s, Collier’s, The Nation, The American Mercury, Yale Review, Esquire and The Woman.

Howard never married. He died Aug. 25, 1951, at the age of 45. His legacy lay in words and thoughts. Clear and vibrant, they tell much about the man and his love for a state: “This sums up what I want in life – room to swing my arms and to swing my mind. Where is there more opportunity than in Montana for creation of these broad margins, physical and intellectual?”

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