Harold Jay "Butch" Powers (October 8, 1900 – October 16, 1996) was the 36th

Lieutenant Governor of California The lieutenant governor of California is the second highest executive officer of the government of the U.S. state of California. The lieutenant governor is elected to serve a four-year term and can serve a maximum of two terms. In addition to l ...

, having served from 1953–1959 under fellow liberal Republican

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Goodwin Knight Goodwin Jess "Goodie" Knight (December 9, 1896 – May 22, 1970) was an American politician who served as the 31st governor of California from 1953 until 1959. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the 35th lieutenant governor ...

. He died at the age of 96 in Modoc County, California in 1996.

Career

Powers was born in

Eagleville, California Eagleville is a census-designated place in Modoc County, California. It is located east-southeast of Alturas, at an elevation of 4642 feet (1415 m). Its population is 45 as of the 2020 census, down from 59 from the 2010 census. Located in Surpr ...

. He was a rancher in Modoc County who owned many ranches in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, and Idaho. First elected to the California State Senate in 1932, Powers represented Lassen, Modoc and Plumas counties. Powers served as President pro tempore of the California State Senate, President pro tempore of the Senate beginning in 1947. In 1953, Powers became Lieutenant Governor of California, was elected to a full term in 1954, and served until 1959. In 1962, he ran for governor but withdrew due to the urging Republican leaders who supported Nixon. After he decided to quit campaigning for governor, Powers focused on rallying opposition to Nixon and to gain support for Democrat Edmund G. Brown.

Education

Powers obtained his degree from University of California, Davis, UC Davis.

References

Lieutenant Governors of California 1900 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American politicians University of California, Davis alumni Republican Party California state senators Presidents pro tempore of the California State Senate {{california-politician-stub