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Edwin Cull  HOWELL

 Edwin Cull Howell (Nantucket 1860 - Gwathmey 16 dicembre 1907), laureato ad Harvard e professore di matematica alla John Hopkins University, viene continuamente ricordato nel mondo del bridge, anche se il gioco gli è postumo, per essere stato nel 1897 l'ideatore del movimento che porta il suo nome e che regola l'alternarsi dei boards e dei giocatori in un Torneo a Coppie.

 Noto e valente giocatore di Whist, nella seconda parte della sua vita fu anche giornalista e scrisse anche dei libri che ebbero una buona diffusione tra i quali ricordiamo "Howell Method of Duplicate Whist for Pairs" edito nel 1896.

  Edwin Cull Howell (1860-1907) is credited with the invention of the Howell movement in 1897.  

 Born in Nantucket MA to clergyman George  Howell and his wife Frances Sarah Cull, Howell attended prep school Charlier Institute in New York City prior to entering Harvard in 1877.

 He left in 1881 before completing his degree and taught in a private  school in Asbury Park NJ.  He returned to Harvard in 1883, graduated  11th in his class and took honors in math; taught math at Johns Hopkins U 1884-85 and in two private schools.  

After leaving the teaching  field in 1887, Howell joined the staff of The Daily News in Baltimore.

For 14 years beginning in 1889 he worked for the Boston Herald.  He became assistant city editor in 1896 and assistant news editor in 1898.

In July of 1903 he became assistant in the National Almanac Office of  the U.S. Navy in Washington DC, a position he held until his death.

Howell learned whist at Harvard and became its best player.  He took a  prominent part in the activities of the American Whist League and in  1896 published "Howell's Whist Openings: a systematic treatment of the  short-suit game", and in 1897 "The Howell Method of Duplicate Whist for Pairs".