Howard Maxwell was born in Douglasville, Georgia, on January 23, 1949, and has lived in Dallas, Georgia, since 1958. After graduating from Dallas High School, he attended Georgia State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He served in the United States Army and completed a tour in Vietnam in 1969-1970, and began working for Allstate Insurance in 1977, opening the Howard Maxwell Agency in Cartersville in 1984. He has been actively involved with several community groups, including the Dallas Rotary Club and the Paulding County Chamber of Commerce.

After serving as chair of the Paulding County School Board for five years, in 2003 Maxwell was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives as a Republican representing District 17. He served in the body until his retirement at the end of 2018. While in the House, Maxwell served on a number of committees, and at various times served as chair of the Retirement Committee, the Information and Audits Committee, and the Insurance Committee.