Senate, President Ulysses S. Grant offered Howe the position of Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. However, Howe declined the offer because he feared his successor to the Senate would be a Democrat. Howe lost his senate seat in 1879 to fellow Republican Matthew H. Carpenter. In 1881, he was appointed United States Postmaster General by President Chester A. Arthur, a position he held until his death in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on March 25, 1883. Electoral history U.S. House of Representatives (1848) | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, November 7, 1848 Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor (1849) | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, November 6, 1849 Sources consulted Wisconsin Supreme Court biographical sketch Footnotes Further reading William H. Russell, "Timothy O. Howe, Stalwart Republican," Wisconsin Magazine of History, vol. 35, no. 2 (Winter 1951), pp. 90–99. In JSTOR 1816 births 1883 deaths Politicians from Green Bay, Wisconsin People from Livermore, Maine United States Postmasters General Members of the Maine House of Representatives Wisconsin state court judges People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Wisconsin Republicans Wisconsin Whigs Republican Party United States senators from Wisconsin Arthur administration cabinet members Maine Whigs 19th-century American politicians People from Readfield, Maine Kents Hill School alumni 19th-century American judges