This article incorporates public domain material from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library document "HOWARD, KATHERINE G.: Papers 1917-1974".
Katherine Graham Howard (b. September 30, 1898, d. 1986) was born in Guyton, Georgia[1] and grew up there and in North Carolina. She was the daughter of Margaret Nowell Graham and Joseph L. Graham, who was Chairman of the Board of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in the early 1900s.[2] Howard attended Salem Academy and Salem College in North Carolina (majoring in fine arts at the latter) before completing her bachelor’s degree in politics and government at Smith College in Massachusetts. She was the elder sister of John Stephens Graham and a cousin of Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell.
In 1921 she married Charles P. Howard, but without the approval of her father, who for a short period of time disinherited her.[3] Mr. Howard (1887–1967), an attorney, maintained a Boston Law practice and served in public service posts, including State Senator, Massachusetts State Commissioner of Administration and Finance (1928–1938), and Commissioner for Banks. In World War I and in World War II he served overseas in the Army.
During his absence, her interest in politics grew and resulted in a series of key positions in the Massachusetts Republican Party. After the war she became a member of the Republican National Committee, serving as Secretary (1948–1952), and ultimately participated in Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1952 election campaign as a member of his Campaign Policy & Strategy Committee. During this period of increasing political involvement, Howard developed lasting relationships with many leading Republicans, most notably those from Massachusetts such as Everett Saltonstal and Sinclair Weeks.
In 1953, Howard, a dedicated Republican, began her public service career in the Eisenhower administration with positions in the Federal Civil Defense Administration (1935–1957),[4] U.S. delegate to NATO committee on civil defense (1953–56); Deputy U.S. Commissioner General to the Brussels World Fair (1957–58).[5]
Beginning with Howard’s early involvement in politics and continuing throughout her service in the Eisenhower Administration, she advocated a larger role for women in politics and government. But first and foremost Howard was involved in the process of enlarging that role. With a commitment to a career in public service, she sought realistic opportunities for service in what was almost exclusively a man’s world.