Lazarus W. Powell

Lazarus Powell

Lazarus Whitehead Powell (born October 6, 1812 in Henderson , Kentucky , † July 3, 1867 ibid) was an American politician , governor of Kentucky and US senator for this state .

Early years and political advancement

Lazarus Powell attended local schools in his home country and then attended St. Joseph College in Bardstown . After studying law at Transylvania College , he became a lawyer in Henderson. His political career began in 1836 with his election to the Kentucky House of Representatives . In 1848 he was defeated as a candidate for the Democratic Party in the gubernatorial elections to Whig John J. Crittenden .

Kentucky governor

In 1851 Powell was again a Democratic Party candidate for governor. The election result was very close. Powell won with 48.8 percent of the vote against Archibald Dixon , with whom he had previously run a law firm; this came to 48.1 percent. The two traveled together to their election events and remained friends. In absolute votes, Powell had a lead of only 800 votes. This made him the first Democrat in the office of governor since John Breathitt , who held the office between 1832 and 1834. During his tenure (1851–1855) he raised taxes to finance better education policies. He also promoted the further expansion of the railway network. At that time, the constituencies in Kentucky were also reorganized. In the national conflict between the North and the South, Powell, as governor, tended more towards the southern position ; at least he was closer to their politics than to the north.

According to him, Powell County named in Kentucky.

US Senator

In 1858 he was hired by the federal government to mediate in a conflict with the Mormons in the Utah Territory . From 1859 to 1865 he was a US Senator in Washington . He hadn't joined the South after all, but was a critic of Abraham Lincoln and his policies in Congress . This led to an unsuccessful attempt to remove him from his Senate mandate. He was accused of being a secret friend of the Confederation , but this could not be proven nor was it true. After leaving Congress, he returned to practice as a lawyer. An attempt to be re-elected to the Senate failed. Lazarus Powell died in July 1867. He was married to Harriet Ann Jennings, with whom he had four children.

Web links

• Lazarus W. Powell in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Lazarus W. Powell in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• Lazarus Powell in the National Governors Association (English)