Preceded by John Wolcott Stewart Role Lawyer Political party Republican Education University of Vermont | Alma mater University of Vermont Party Republican Party Name H. Powers Succeeded by David J. Foster | |
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Born May 29, 1835
Morristown, Vermont, U.S. ( 1835-05-29 ) Spouse(s) Caroline Waterman Powers Children Carrie L. Powers and George M. Powers Profession Politician, Lawyer, Judge Died December 8, 1913, Morristown, Vermont, United States | ||
Horace Henry Powers (May 29, 1835 – December 8, 1913) was an American lawyer, judge and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont.
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Life and career
Powers was born in Morristown, Vermont to Dr. Horace Powers and Love E. Gilman Powers. He graduated from People's Academy, and received a bachelor's degree from the University of Vermont in 1855, where he was initiated into Delta Psi. He earned his master's degree from UVM in 1858. Powers studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1858, and practiced first in Hyde Park, and later in Morristown.
He served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives in 1858. Powers was the Lamoille County State's Attorney in 1861 and 1862. He served as a member of the council of censors in 1869, and was a member of the State constitutional convention in 1870.
Powers served in the Vermont State Senate in 1872 and 1873. In 1874, he was again a member of the Vermont State House and served as Speaker.
Powers served as a Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from December 1874 to December 1890. He was a Trustee of the University of Vermont from 1883 until his death in 1913.
He as a member of the Lamoille County Bank board of directors from 1888 until his death. He was a Delegate to the 1892 Republican National Convention.
Powers was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-second United States Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1891 until March 3, 1901. He served as chairman of the Committee on Pacific Railroads from the Fifty-fourth through Fifty-sixth Congresses. In 1896 he sponsored a controversial bill that would have allowed the Central Pacific Railroad to obtain a 75-year delay paying off a 30-year-old debt to the government. The bill inspired a campaign of opposition led by publisher William Randolph Hearst and his employees, journalists Ambrose Bierce and Frank Norris. In one article about the Powers Bill, Bierce memorably wrote that while the handsome Powers might not be qualified to serve as chairman of the Pacific Railroads committee, he was certainly qualified to head the "Committee on Visible Virtues." In January, 1897 the Powers Bill was defeated 168 to 102.
Powers was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1900. After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law in Morrisville, Vermont, and was the chief counsel for the Rutland Railroad.
Personal life
Powers married Caroline Waterman on October 11, 1858. They had two children, Carrie L. Powers and George M. Powers. George M. Powers also served as the prosecuting attorney of Lamoille County, Vermont.
Death and legacy
He died in Morristown on December 8, 1913, and is interred in Pleasant View Cemetery.
Powers home in Morrisville is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior. The home was built around 1850 and is named the Horace Henry Powers House.