Clement W. Howard
Co-founder
1906-1907
William M. Hoffman
Co-founder
1906-1951
Howard & Hoffman, Inc. was founded in 1906 when Clement W. Howard and William M. Hoffman formed a partnership on March 3, in Washington, DC. At the time, both men worked for the Firemen's Insurance Company of Washington and Georgetown. Howard, 60, was Secretary and CEO and Hoffman, 33, was the Assistant Secretary.
The desire to form the agency came from their desire to better serve their customers. In 1906 a gentleman from the Dodge Hotel Corporation came into the Firemen's office looking for a policy to cover his new hotel. Unfortunately, he needed $100,000 of coverage, and Firemen's capacity at the time was only $5,000. When Mr. Hoffman told him that they could only insure $5,000 of his hotel and that he would have to go elsewhere to insure the rest, the gentleman got very upset.
Mr. Howard and Mr. Hoffman decided that the gentleman was right, they should be able to serve all of his insurance needs. They decided to form an agency representing larger multi-line insurance companies that could provide the coverage needed. Unhappily, Clement W. Howard did not get to see his new agency grow and prosper. He died the year after its founding. Hoffman died in 1951, having devoted 60 years to the insurance industry.
Van Manning Hoffman
1929 - 1970
In 1929, after graduating from the Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, Van (Buff) Manning Hoffman joined his father working for the agency. Buff was a dynamic salesman, and helped drive the agency's growth through the Great Depression of the 1930's. His client list included the Intentional Monetary Fund, The National Rifle Association, The National Bank of Washington, and the Evening Star.
Along with becoming president of Howard & Hoffman, Inc. and the Firemen's Insurance Company, Buff was also president of the following organizations: The Optimists Club, Reciprocity Club, and The D.C. Insurance Agents Association. After serving the agency and the insurance industry as a whole for 44 years, Buff passed away in 1970.
In 1954, after serving his country in the Marines, William (Bill) G. Hoffman started working in the Mapping Department, launching the family's third generation. He quickly worked his way up to the Accounting Department, then Claims, and finally into sales, were like his father, he excelled.
Due to his father, Buff's, early death in 1970, Bill became president at a very early age. Despite the added responsibility of being president and now handling all of his father's accounts, he continued to be the agency's top producer and helped guide the agency into the 21st Century. Bill has given over 55 years of service to the agency and is still going strong! Bill also servers on the Campaign Planning Committee for Sibley Memorial Hospital helping them raise money for their cancer center.
In 1980, while still in high school, Scott M. Hoffman started working summers at the agency, becoming the fourth generation of the Hoffman family. He started working at the agency full-time in 1986 after graduating from St. Stephen's High School and earning his B.S. degree from the E. Claiborne School of Business of the University of Richmond. He started as an assistant in the Personal Lines Department and later went on to sales for both personal and commercial lines.
In 1989, Scott was promoted to Treasurer and elected to the Board of Directors. In 1993, he successfully completed the required courses and earned his Certified Insurance Councilors (CIC) designation from the Professional Insurance Agents Association. In 2005, Scott was elected as President of the D.C. Insurance Agents Association. He loves cars and motorcycles and is an advanced driving instructor for the BMW car club. In addition, Scott is an avid barefoot water skier. If you like to water ski, or want to learn, give him a call, he loves to teach people.
Scott & Willy's first day on the job in 1974!
In 1982, like his brother Scott, William (Willy) G. Hoffman, Jr. started working summers at the agency while still attending high school. He started working full-time at the agency in 1991 after graduating from St. John's College High School and earning his B.S. degree in Business from Mt. St. Mary's College. He started working in the Personal Lines Department, then went into sales for both personal and commercial lines.
In 1994 Willy was promoted to Asst. Vice-president and elected to the Board of Directors. In 1997 he earned his CIC designation. and in 2019 he was promoted to President. If he is not in the office, Willy is probably, playing lacrosse, building speakers in his wood shop, taking photographs (most of the photos on this website are his), or barefoot water-skiing.
