John Howard prison reformer plaque, put up by the Warrington Society, 1777-89, Bridge Street, Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK, WA1 2HE

John Howard FRS (2 September 1726 – 20 January 1790) was a philanthropist and early English prison reformer. Howard was born in North London, either in Hackney or Enfield. His father, also John, was a wealthy upholsterer at Smithfield Market in the city. His mother Ann Pettitt, or Cholmley, died when he was five years old, and, described as a "sickly child", he was sent to live at Cardington, Bedfordshire, some fifty miles from London, where his father owned property. Statue of John Howard, Bedford John Howard was appointed High Sheriff of Bedfordshire in 1773, : 9  initially for a one-year period. Rather than delegating his duties to the under-sheriff as was customary, Howard inspected the county prison himself. He was shocked by what he found, and spurred into action to inspect prisons throughout England. Of particular concern to Howard were those prisoners who were held because they could not pay the jailer's fee – an amount paid to the owner or keeper of the prison for upkeep. He took this issue to parliament, and in 1774 was called to give evidence on prison conditions to a House of Commons select committee. Unusually, Howard was called to the bar of the House of Commons and publicly thanked for his "humanity and zeal".