E. Henry Powell (September 3, 1839 – May 4, 1911) was a

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has ...

of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who served as State Auditor.

Biography

Edward Henry Powell was born in

Richford, Vermont Richford is a town in Franklin County, Vermont, United States, located along the Canada–United States border. The population was 2,346 at the 2020 census. Richford is the birthplace of R. G. LeTourneau, an industrialist who founded LeTourneau ...

on September 3, 1839, a son of Hermon Powell and Julia (White) Powell. He was educated in Richford and at Potsdam Academy in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and

New Hampton Institute New Hampton School is an independent college preparatory high school in New Hampton, New Hampshire, United States. It has 305 students from over 30 states and 22 countries. The average class size is eleven, and the student-faculty ratio is five ...

Fairfax, Vermont Fairfax is a town in Franklin County, Vermont, United States. The population was 5,014 at the 2020 census. Geography The New England town of Fairfax is in southern Franklin County and is bordered by Chittenden County to the south. According to ...

. Powell worked as a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

for several terms while he was attending school. In 1860, Powell began studies at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

, where he remained until withdrawing to enlist for the Civil War. He enlisted as a

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the 10th Vermont Infantry Regiment on July 17, 1862, and was soon promoted to First Sergeant. In 1863, he passed a competitive examination and a promotion board to receive an officer's appointment in the

United States Colored Troops The United States Colored Troops (USCT) were regiments in the United States Army composed primarily of African-American (colored) soldiers, although members of other minority groups also served within the units. They were first recruited during ...

. He was commissioned as a

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in the 10th United States Colored Troops and served with this unit until the end of the war. After the Civil War ended in 1865 the 10th U.S.C.T. performed duty in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

as part of a separate brigade, and Powell often acted as brigade commander. After being mustered out Powell returned to Vermont, studied law and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1866. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, Powell served as a federal customs inspector for Franklin County from 1866 to 1869. From 1872 to 1874, he was Franklin County

State's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

. He served in the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

from 1874 to 1876, and in the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

from 1878 to 1880. In 1874, Powell was an original incorporator of the Richford Savings Bank & Trust Company, and was named its President. In 1878, Powell was elected State Auditor, and he served until 1892. In 1883, he received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from the University of Vermont. Powell moved to

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

in 1892 to accept the position of

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

at the University of Vermont. In 1892, he was also elected to the

Board of Directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

of the Burlington Trust Company. Powell died in Burlington on May 4, 1911. He was buried in Burlington's

Lakeview Cemetery Lake View Cemetery is a Private property, privately owned, Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Rural cemetery, garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland, Ohio, East Cleveland ...

Family

In 1865, Powell married Ellen Grace Rowell, a music teacher. They were the parents of two children, Max L. Powell and Blanche Powell Spring. Ellen Powell died in 1876 and in 1877 he married Georgiana Reed Bailey, the widow of George W. Bailey Jr., who had served as

Secretary of State of Vermont The secretary of state of Vermont is one of five cabinet-level constitutional officers in the U.S. state of Vermont which are elected every two years. The secretary of state is fourth (behind the lieutenant governor, speaker of the House of Repres ...

. With his second wife Powell was the father of two children, Thomas Reed Powell and Gertrude Powell Morris.

Max L. Powell Max L. Powell (April 26, 1869 – March 2, 1941) was a Vermont politician who served as President of the Vermont Senate. Biography Max Leon Powell, the son of E. Henry Powell was born in Richford, Vermont on April 26, 1869. He graduated fr ...

served as

President pro tempore of the Vermont State Senate The President ''pro tempore'' of the Vermont Senate presides over the Senate of the U.S. state of Vermont in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor. The President ''pro tempore'' also sets the policy priorities and legislative agenda for the Senate. ...

. Thomas Reed Powell (1880–1955) was a professor at Columbia and

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Law Schools and president of the

American Political Science Association The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, E. Henry 1839 births 1911 deaths University of Vermont alumni State Auditors of Vermont Vermont lawyers State's attorneys in Vermont People from Franklin County, Vermont Politicians from Burlington, Vermont Republican Party Vermont state senators Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives People of Vermont in the American Civil War 19th-century American legislators Burials at Lakeview Cemetery (Burlington, Vermont) 19th-century American lawyers