Ridgley C. Powers

Ridgely Ceylon Powers (born December 24, 1836 in Mecca , Trumbull County , Ohio , † November 11, 1912 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American politician and governor of the state of Mississippi from 1871 to 1874 .

Early years

Ridgley Powers attended the University of Michigan after elementary school and then Union College at Schenectady, New York State . During the Civil War , he rose from being a soldier to a colonel in the Union's army between 1862 and 1865. He took part in several battles and General William T. Sherman's Atlanta campaign . After the war, he moved to Noxubee County , Mississippi, where he ran a cotton plantation.

Political career

In 1868 Powers became a member of the Republican Party . He was sheriff of Noxubee County from 1868 to 1869 and was elected lieutenant governor of Mississippi in 1870. This office was abolished in 1832 and only reintroduced after another constitutional reform in 1869. As lieutenant governor, Powers managed to gain popular recognition and respect, despite the fact that his party was very unpopular during the Reconstruction in Mississippi.

After the resignation of Governor James L. Alcorn on November 30, 1871 Powers had to end the term of office as his deputy. This allowed him to exercise this office until January 4, 1874. This time was determined by the consequences of the war and the reconstruction. There were racial unrest and economic problems, which were reflected in the state's budgetary position. The governor supported the industrial reconstruction. Grain cultivation was promoted in agriculture. However, the success of this measure was limited due to the subsequent crop failures. In 1873 he also had to deal with a split within his party that was revealed in the subsequent gubernatorial election. Some of the Republicans supported the ex-governor and current US Senator Alcorn, while others supported the former military governor Adelbert Ames , who then won the controversial election.

Another résumé

After the end of his governorship, Powers withdrew from politics. He later moved to Prescott , Arizona, and then to Los Angeles, where he ran a ranch. He died there in November 1912. Ridgley Powers was married to Mary J. Wilson.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 2, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Ridgley Powers at the National Governors Association (English)
• Mississippi Historical Society ( Memento from July 2, 2019 in the web archive archive.today )
• Ridgley C. Powers in the database of Find a Grave (English)