George William Howlan

George William Howlan was an Irishborn merchant, ship owner and political figure in Prince Edward Island.

He was born in Wexford and came to Nova Scotia with his parents in the late 1830s. They settled in Prince Edward Island in 1839. Howlan was educated in Charlottetown and was hired as a clerk in a store there in 1850. He moved to Cascumpec , first working for a Boston merchant there and then setting up his own business. In 1866, he married Elizabeth Olson. Howlan was named to the Executive Council in 1867, serving until 1873. However, in 1870, he threw his support behind the Conservatives after Protestants in the Liberal caucus refused to support separate schools. Howlan initially opposed Confederation, believing that the island would have little say. However, he supported railway building in the province and the resulting debt load forced the island to reconsider union with Canada. In 1873, he was named customs collector at Charlottetown.

Source: Wikipedia