 Edward Paxson Howard IV was born in Santa Monica, California and raised in Los Angeles.He graduated from Taft High School in 1981.Howard received his B.A from George Washington University's political science program in 1986 where he was editor-in-chief of the yearbook, Cherry Tree, state chairman of College Democrats for Washington DC, editorials editor for the George Washington University student newspaper The Hatchet, and editor-in-chief of the George Washington University arts and literary magazine Wooden Teeth.