HOWARD, CHARLES H. -- A potent factor in the development and growth of the financial and commercial enterprises of Huntington Beach, a man of unusual resourcefulness and executive ability, is Charles H. Howard, a pioneer merchant of this thriving beach city and one of the founders of the First National Bank of Huntington Beach. He was born at Frewsburg, N. Y., January 2, 1862, and there was reared and educated. His school days being over he went to Jamestown in 1877, where he began working as delivery boy, then as clerk, and later as a partner in the same store. Thus he became a prominent merchant in that place, residing there until 1893 when he took a trip to the Golden State, locating for two years at Redlands, where he was engaged in the mercantile business, the first novelty store in that place. Afterwards he returned East, but the lure of the land of sunshine and flowers, with its equable climate, was too strong to resist longer, so in 1906 he returned to California, this time locating at Huntington Beach. He opened a grocery store, becoming one of the pioneer merchants of the beach town.
Possessing keen business foresight and realizing the potential financial and commercial possibilities of the then small town, Mr. Howard became a stockholder in the First National Bank of Huntington Beach, serving as its vice-president and one of its directors. In 1916 Mr. Howard sold his grocery business and assumed the active management of the bank, being one of its largest stockholders. He continued in the banking business until 1918, when he sold out his interest, resigned his position and removed to Covina, where he purchased an orange grove, remaining there until the spring of 1920 when he returned to the city of his choice, Huntington Beach, where as of yore, in the same optimistic way he saw the great commercial opportunities and realizing this laid his plans to again enter business life. With his son, Marcus G., and his son-in-law, Roy K. Smith, under the firm name of Howard & Smith, he has established two general stores. Store Number One is located in a building he owns on the corner of Main and Walnut streets, and Store Number Two in a building he has just completed on the corner of Eleventh and Orange Streets. His many years of experience and successful business career, in connection with his high standing as a man of strict integrity and honesty of purpose enabled him to immediately establish a large and ever-increasing trade.
On his return he also became active in real estate development and built three fine residences which he sold; he has just completed a handsome house overlooking the ocean, where he intends to make his permanent home. Another of his successful enterprises is the Princess Theatre, which he built and owns. Among the many enterprises Mr. Howard was instrumental in founding at Huntington Beach, none have given him as much real pleasure and satisfaction as the organizing and building of the First Methodist Church of Huntington Beach, to which he gave freely of his time and financial help and served as president of the church board. He is recognized as one of the most public-spirited men of the city and is always ready to help promote every worthy movement that has as its ultimate aim the upbuilding and fostering of the best interests of Huntington Beach. Mr. Howard has served as president of the Chamber of Commerce and also was one of the original board of trustees of the city.
In 1886 Mr. Howard was united in marriage at Jamestown, N. Y., with Miss Adelaide M. Hazzard, a native of Little Falls, N. Y., and they are the parents of four children: Marcus G., who is manager of one of the Acme Grocery Stores in Los Angeles, married Miss Mable Elfeld of Huntington Beach; Lillian S. is the wife of J. J. Goetz, a teacher in the Long Beach high school; Frances L. is the wife of Roy K. Smith, the general manager of the chain of Acme Grocery Stores in Los Angeles; Virginia is a student at the Huntington Beach high school.
