Background
The son of Mary Byrne and John Howlett, he was born in Saint John"s and was educated at Saint Patrick"s Hall, Saint Bonaventure"s College, the University of Toronto and the Philadelphia Dental College.
The son of Mary Byrne and John Howlett, he was born in Saint John"s and was educated at Saint Patrick"s Hall, Saint Bonaventure"s College, the University of Toronto and the Philadelphia Dental College.
He served as mayor of Saint John"s from 1929 to 1932. He set up practice in Saint John"s in 1906. In 1908, Howlett married Eleanor M. Walsh.
Before being elected as mayor in 1929, he was active in local amateur theatre productions.
From 1916 to 1929, he was president of the Newfoundland Dental Board. From 1928 to 1929, Howlett was president of the local Rotary Club.
As mayor during the Great Depression, Howlett focused on the city"s finances, battling the provincial government for more control over borrowing and for access to the city"s share of district grants. He initiated infrastructure improvements such as street paving which also provided much needed jobs.
In 1932, he organized a civic relief committee to aid the poor of the city.
After experiencing health problems worsened by the demands of his job as mayor, Howlett died in hospital at Saint John"s at the age of 47.