Thomas Henry Howard

Born in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, on July 17, 1849, Thomas Henry Howard began working life as a builder before joining The Salvation Army after what accounts describe as a decisive night of prayer. He first served at the Whitechapel Corps and soon moved into officer training, beginning a long career of leadership within the organization.

Howard later worked in Australia, where he helped expand Salvation Army activity and became the first commander of the Australia Southern Territory from 1886 to 1889. He went on to hold several senior posts, including British Commissioner, International Training Commissioner, and Foreign Secretary at International Headquarters in London.

In 1912, Bramwell Booth appointed him the Salvation Army's second Chief of the Staff, a role he held until retiring from active service in 1919. He received the Order of the Founder in 1920, the movement's highest honor. Howard died on July 1, 1923. His best-known book, Standards of Life and Service, shows the same plain, earnest religious outlook that marked his public work.