Howland presidential election, 1949

The 1949 Howland presidential election was the first presidential election to be held in Howland. It took place on Saturday, June 25, 1949, with the winner scheduled to be inaugurated as the first President of Howland on August 15, 1949. Elections to both chambers of the National Assembly of Howland, the House of Representatives and the Senate, were held on the same day.

Unlike all subsequent presidential elections in Howland, the 1949 election was held pursuant to the transitory provisions in the Constitution, rather than the main text of the Constitution itself. This was due to the fact that the National Assembly of Howland and many of the various local government councils had not yet been formed. While the election itself was conducted identically to the way all future elections would be, the process for nominating candidates and the agencies responsible for counting the votes and certifying the result was different.

The election had four candidates: Adam Benson, John Grimley, Martin Norris and Harold Zane. Benson was put forth by the Independence Party of Howland, and Zane was nominated by the Howland Social Democrats. Grimley and Norris stood as independents.

Adam Benson was ultimately elected the first President of Howland. Zane finished in second place.