David Howell was born on New Year's Day 1747 in Morristown, New Jersey. After graduating from the College of New Jersey (present-day Princeton University), he earned admission to the bar and established a practice in Providence, Rhode Island. In addition to his legal work, Howell served Brown University in several capacities. He was also a delegate to the Continental Congress (1782–85), Rhode Island Supreme Court associate justice (1786–87), state attorney general (1789), and judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island (1812–24).