William F. Howe

Born in 1828 and dying in 1902, William F. Howe was an American lawyer best remembered for his work in New York City. He gained a reputation as a criminal defense attorney and became well known enough that later accounts singled him out as one of the era's notable courtroom figures.

Howe also wrote about his experiences, helping preserve the atmosphere of 19th-century legal life for later readers. His career is often remembered less for a single book than for the larger-than-life world of trials, publicity, and advocacy that surrounded him.

Today he is usually encountered in connection with legal history, especially the dramatic style of American criminal practice in the late 1800s.