[1] Howell was born in Pwllheli, the son of the Archdeacon David Howell,[2] Dean of St David's (he was the vicar of Pwllheli at the time of his son's birth).
[2] After the resignation of the sitting Conservative MP, George Thomas Kenyon, at the 1895 General election, Howell stood as the Conservative candidate in the constituency of Denbigh Boroughs.
[2] However, at the 1900 General Election, Howell decided that he would not seek re-election and Kenyon agreed to stand again.
According to the 1901 Census he was living in Brighton and married to Louise May a 30-year-old woman born in Nice, France;[6] they eventually had two children.
Around 1911, he bought a ranch by Kootenay Lake, near Nelson, British Columbia in Canada.