Herbert Alonzo Howe was born November 22, 1858 in Brockport, New York, the son of Alonzo J. Howe and Julia M. Osgood. Herbert A. Howe graduated from the University of Chicago at the age of 16 and received his master's degree from the University of Cincinnati. While at the University of Cincinnati, he was an assistant in the Cincinnati Observatory. He also held a Sc.D from Boston and LL.Ds from two other schools. Herbert Howe married Fannie Shattuck in 1884 and the couple had four sons. Fannie was the daughter of Joseph Shattuck, Professor of Pedagogy at the University of Denver. 

Herbert Alonzo Howe came to the University of Denver in 1880 with Chancellor David H. Moore. In 1888, Humphrey Barker Chamberlin offered to finance the building of an observatory for the University. During the next six years, Howe oversaw the building of the Chamberlin Observatory. He picked the location that was far from the smoke and lights of Denver. Chamberlin was financially ruined in the panic of 1893 before the telescope was purchased. Howe made design changes to the telescope to bring the price down to $3,000 and then personally borrowed the $3,000 needed even though his salary was only $2,000 a year. Howe went to the manufacturer George Saegmuller in Washington, D.C. to learn how to install the telescope and then took a three week train ride to bring the telescope to the University. Howe oversaw the installation of the telescope and the opening of the Chamberlin Observatory in 1894. 

Herbert Howe was at the University of Denver for 46 years. During those years he became an internationally known astronomer and mathematician. He held numerous positions at the University, including Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Director of the Chamberlin Observatory.  He was Professor of Astronomy and Applied Mathematics before there was an observatory. Without his dedication, the Chamberlin Observatory could not have been built.