Howard Duvall is a native of Cheraw, South Carolina. He graduated from Cheraw High School in 1961 and The Citadel in 1965 with a BA in Political Science.  In 1990, he earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of South Carolina.

Upon graduating from The Citadel, Mr. Duvall served four years in the US Air Force and continued his military service with the South Carolina Air National Guard. He resigned from the SC Air Guard in 1973.

Mr. Duvall returned to Cheraw after his military service to join Cheraw Hardware & Supply Company.  He was active in civic affairs with many organizations.  His love for history was shown in his efforts at preserving the history of Cheraw, Chesterfield County and the Pee Dee area.

Mr. Duvall represented South Carolina from 1985 to 1994 on the Advisory Board of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  He is an Advisor Emeritus.  He also served on the Board of Review for historic places in South Carolina and was the first president of the South Carolina Archives Foundation.

In 1973, Duvall was elected to the Cheraw Town Council.  In 1980 he was elected mayor.  In 1986, Duvall resigned as mayor to become an Executive Assistant to Governor Richard W. Riley. 

Governor Riley honored Duvall with the Order of the Palmetto in 1986 at the Cheraw Chamber of Commerce Annual meeting for his service as mayor of Cheraw.

Governor Riley appointed Duvall to the South Carolina Tax Commission where he served from January to July of 1987.  In July of 1987, Duvall became Director of Intergovernmental Relations for the Municipal Association of South Carolina. Duvall became Executive Director of the Municipal Association in October of 1992 and served until his retirement in 2008.

In 2015, Duvall was elected to the At-Large seat on the Columbia City Council.  He has been an active member of the council.  He was an early supporter of the preparations for the Total Eclipse in August 2017.  This was the largest natural event ever for South Carolina and the midlands. Over 1 million visitors came from all over the world to see the eclipse.  

As a strong supporter of public safety, Duvall worked to find funding for an acoustical system called ShotSpotter.  The system, implemented in April 2019, has been very successful in identifying the location of gunfire and has resulted in multiple arrest and seizure of weapons.

When the neighborhoods surrounding Five Points asked for help in restoring law and order, Duvall proposed a repeal of the all night permits for bars in the city.  While the council did not repeal the permits, the compromise led to tighter regulations of the bars.  Before the new rules were enacted, 22 bars had all night permits.  Today only 6 meet the new requirements.

The new threat to our youth posed by electronic cigarettes and vaping led Duvall to propose amending the ban on smoking in public to include vaping.  This amendment to the smoking ban prevents the use of vaping in public places and increases the penalties for non-compliance.

Duvall represents the City on the Bull Street Commission, Transitions Board of Directors and the River Alliance Board.

Duvall and his wife, Allianne, are active members of Trinity Cathedral Parish.  He has served as a Lay Eucharistic Minister since 1995. He serves on the pickle booth committee for the Trinity Bazaar where his artichoke chow chow quickly sells out.

The Duvalls have two daughters, Jackie Boylston of Forest Acres and Rena Duvall of Lake Wylie. He is the proud grandfather to four grandchildren.