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Howard Brode was born in Osceola, Illinois on August 28, 1866. He graduated from the University of Illinois where he continued to work in the zoology research lab. He married Martha Catherine Bigham in Chatsworth, Illinois, on August 30, 1893. Catherine studied education at the University of Illinois. In 1896 he completed a Ph.D. in zoology at the University of Chicago. He taught for three years in Wisconsin at Beloit College before joining Whitman in 1899. He was appointed Professor of Natural Sciences.

Brode had a great influence during his time at Whitman. He was very involved with the science department as he taught General Biology, General Physiology, Sanitation and Hygiene, Embryology, Biology and Present Day Problems, Field and Experimental Biology, Anatomy and Histology, and Evolution. He served as the chairman of the natural sciences department and was a major advocate for funding, especially during the Great Depression. He was also the advisor of the pre-medical association, on the committee that selected members of Phi Beta Kappa, and the advisor of the biology club. As a long-standing member of the faculty he was in close contact with the presidents of the college. During his time at Whitman some significant changes included the construction of two brick buildings, the establishment of the endowment, the adoption of the major subjects system, and the expansion of the natural sciences department.

Brode was appointed to be the curator of the museum upon his arrival at Whitman in 1899. He collected items for the museum that would be of interest to people who studied the Bible, such as artifacts from Babylonian cities mentioned in the Bible. However, the focus of the Whitman Museum was on early settlers to the Walla Walla Valley and regional history—He received many of the documents and artifacts for the museum from local residents. He helped with the class "History of the Pacific Northwest" in which students "were required to do considerable research and planning in order intelligently to handle the materials." The class and project continued on beyond the first year. For over thirty years Brode was superintendent of Sunday schools and also served as Clerk of the Church, Social Service Commissioner, Trustee, and Leader of Men's and Young Men's classes in the Walla Walla Christian community. He often lectured to the Farmers' Union and other groups introducing the new advances in biology such as the Mendelian principles of heredity for the breeding of better crops, control of smut in wheat, limiting pests, and meat and dairy inspection. He was a committed volunteer for the American Red Cross and member of the Anti-Tuberculosis League. He played a critical role in bringing the tuberculosis control and treatment center to the Walla Walla Valley. Within the community he was also a leader of the Naturalist's Club and a member of the Round Table,a men's discussion group. As a member of the Archaeological Society he was named an Institute Lecturer in the Archaeological Institute of America. Howard and Catherine had four sons. Their oldest son, James Stanley, was born in 1895. They had triplets, Wallace, Robert and Malcolm, in 1900. All of their sons graduated from Whitman and went on to earn doctorate degrees and with distinguished careers. Dr. Wallace R. Brode was appointed to be the science advisor for the State Department in January of 1958. As president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, his main goal was to match Russian advances in science and technology. Wallace had been a chemistry professor at Ohio State University for twenty years prior. He was also president of the American Chemical Association during the Eisenhower presidency. J. Stanley taught in Pendleton for several years and then taught life sciences at Santa Monica City College for twenty years. Malcolm was a naturalist and professor of biology. He died in 1943. Robert was a professor of physics at the University of California for almost 30 years.

Howard S. Brode taught for almost forty years at Whitman and retired in 1936 as Professor Emeritus of Biology. He continued to work as the curator of the Whitman College museum until 1940 before moving to California. He died on December 11, 1955 in Santa Monica, California. He had been living with his son Stanley since the death of his wife Catherine in 1946.