John Holbrook Powers (c. 1831–1918), who was known as "Honest John," was a

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

pioneer who ran for

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 ...

as a

populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...

in 1892. Powers was born in

Madison County, Illinois Madison County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a part of the Metro East in southern Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 264,776, making it the eighth-most populous county in Illinois and the most popu ...

, and served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

in 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 ...

before moving to Nebraska. In 1884, Powers joined the

Farmers' Alliance The Farmers' Alliance was an organized agrarian economic movement among American farmers that developed and flourished ca. 1875. The movement included several parallel but independent political organizations — the National Farmers' Alliance and ...

and rose rapidly in the organization. In 1892, he was nominated as the gubenarorial candidate of the People's Party, the political wing of the Alliance. Of the three candidates, Powers received the most votes, but after a long and bitter fight, James E. Boyd, the

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, was declared elected. In his ''History of Nebraska'', James Olson described Powers as "a modest man who lived in a sod house on his homestead in Hitchcock County."(Page 222).

Robert B. Crosby Robert Berkey Crosby (March 26, 1911 – January 7, 2000) was an American United States Republican Party, Republican politician who served as the List of Governors of Nebraska, 27th governor of Nebraska from 1953 to 1955. Crosby was born in N ...

, the Republican Governor of Nebraska from 1954 to 1955, was John Powers' great grandson.

Further reading