Henry Howard (September 15, 1801 – July 15, 1878)[1] was a banker and businessman, and served as mayor of Detroit in 1837,[2] and as the first treasurer of the state of Michigan.

[3] Ralph Wadhams had lived in Detroit since 1823, operating a dry goods store in the Smart Block on the corner of Jefferson and Woodward with another business partner.

[4] Wadhams was looking to form a new partnership, covering the dry goods store and expanding into the timber business.

[3] They still need to purchase pine forest for timber production, however, and due to overspending and the financial panic of 1837, were forced to assign assets to their creditors in 1839,[5] after which the company was dissolved.

[3] In 1840, Ralph Wadhams' father, a wealthy businessman from New York, personally intervened to save his son's business from creditors,[3] and in 1844 reconveyed some of the lumber firm's assets to his son, who continued to run the firm without Henry Howard.