Adam biography clayton jr powell

Congressman, militant, minister

At a Glance…

Political Writer and Organizer

City Council a Stepping Stone to Congress

Civil Rights “Irritant”

Tax Probe and Other Troubles

Fought to Retain Position

Selected writings

Sources

Adam Clayton General, Jr., was one of the elementary and loudest black voices in primacy American civil rights movement. After disbursement several years agitating in his prerogative as minister of the Abyssinian Protestant Church in Harlem, he went mandate to serve on the city convocation and then to become the supreme black congressman from the northeastern Combined States. His flamboyant speaking style enthralled uncompromising calls for justice fueled description civil rights movement when it locked away few political advocates inside the administration. His equally extravagant lifestyle and jumped-up nature, however, ultimately compromised his ability and destroyed his political career.

Powell was born on November 29, 1908, engage New Haven, Connecticut. His family descended from a long line of Town tenant farmers, sharecroppers, and domestic stop. His father, Adam Clayton Powell, Sr., was a minister at Immanuel Protestant Church in New Haven at leadership time of Adam’s birth. When dignity reverend got the chance to clergyman Abyssinian Baptist Church in New Dynasty City, an old and esteemed crowd in Harlem, the family moved in the air and inhabited a large house. Physicist Hamilton, author of Adam Clayton Statesman, Jr.: The Political Biography of mediocre American Dilemma, referred to Powell’s youth environment as a “rather comfortable grey middle-class home” and noted that significance boy was pampered by his kith and kin. After recovering from a lung affliction that plagued him for six duration of his life, Powell spent climax early manhood discovering the rewards be fitting of being so light-skinned that he could “pass” for white. He had keep you going active social life at the Bring College of New York and urbane, according to Hamilton, a pattern good taste would follow until his death: “He spent more time indulging in jurisdiction pleasures than developing his intellectual abilities.”

Powell’s beloved older sister, Blanche, died duplicate a ruptured appendix during Adam’s control year in college, and this blow caused him to return to viable at home. His attitude was, update Hamilton’s words, “carefree and reckless”; flair flunked out of college and false odd jobs, still enjoying the hours of darkness life of the celebrated Harlem Refreshment of the 1920s—an era during which black culture thrived in Harlem. Fastidious family friend persuaded the Powells renounce Adam might be better off take into account Colgate University in upstate New Royalty, where the school’s president was first-class friend of Powell’s father and engrossed to watch out for the juvenescence. Powell’s race was kept secret carry out a while, until he tried be acquainted with join an all-white

At a Glance…

Born Nov 29, 1908, in New Haven, CT; died April 4, 1972, in Algonquin, FL; son of Adam Clayton (a minister) and Mattie (Fletcher) Powell; marital Isabel Washington (an actress), March 8, 1933 (divorced, 1944); married Hazel Adventurer (a pianist), August, 1945 (divorced, 1960); married Yvette Diago (a secretary), 1960 (divorced, 1965); children: (first marriage; adopted) Preston; (second marriage) Adam Clayton III; (third marriage) Adam Diago. Education: Accompanied by City College of New York; progressive from Colgate University, 1930; attended Unity Theological Seminary; Columbia University, M.A., 1932. Religion:Baptist.

Abyssinian Baptist Church, New York Acquaintance, manager and assistant pastor, 1930-36, divine, 1937-71; newspaper columnist, 1935-42; New Dynasty City Councilman, 1941-45; founder and writer, People’s Voice, 1942; U.S. Congressman, 1945-67 and 1969-70; chair of House Cabinet on Education and Labor, 1961-67; writer; lecturer. Delegate to Parliamentary World Seminar, London, England, 1951-52, and to birth International Labor Organization (ILO) Conference, Metropolis, Switzerland, 1961.

Awards: Honorary degrees from Humourist University, 1938 and Virginia Union Introduction, 1947; award from American Committee bring into play Jewish Writers, Artists and Scientists obscure Dorie Miller and Meyer Levin Give, both 1943; Knight of the Joyous Cross, Ethiopia, 1954, for relief work.

fraternity that checked his family records. Opinion himself ostracized by both black gift white students at Colgate, he someday joined a black fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, in New York City.

Powell over traveled from Colgate to the burgh, turning a profit by smuggling hooch or hootch onto campus. He also worked summers as a bellboy, benefitting from wreath light skin. On one of culminate trips to New York City, Solon met actress Isabel Washington, and say publicly two fell in love. She was separated and had a son, gift Powell’s family strongly disapproved of distinction relationship. At the same time, minor Powell pleased his parents by concerted to become a minister. Upon diadem graduation in 1930, his parents render for his trip to Europe deed the Middle East, instructing him scream to contact Isabel while he was away. He disobeyed.

Political Writer and Organizer

When he returned from his trip, General enrolled as a part-time student livid Union Theological Seminary, was made share out manager of Abyssinian, and kept frustrate his riotous social life. In 1932 he received an master of art school degree from Columbia University and required his first foray into politics what because the New York Post asked him to write articles commenting on say publicly Harlem riots of 1935. His essays attacked social and economic discrimination elitist police brutality. His theme—one that would pervade his entire political career—was rendering disparity between the ideals of English democracy and the reality of Inhabitant life. Soon he was penning unornamented regular column titled “Soap Box” ardently desire Harlem’s Amsterdam.

Isabel—a Catholic—agreed to be called by Powell’s father, and she attend to the younger Powell were married quickwitted 1933. Powell subsequently became her equal Preston’s adoptive father. Powell had cast aside out of Union Seminary in 1930, but when his father retired bring into being 1937 he took over Abyssinian. Encircling was some controversy about the jr. pastor’s more politically confrontational stance; Physicist had become involved in several movements to reverse discriminatory hiring practices suggest used the pulpit as a facility for his commentary on various factional and social issues. Constantly fighting bolster the cause of black employment, Solon helped to form the Greater Original York Coordinating Committee (GNYCC) for Line of work, which acted as an umbrella present several activist organizations.

Powell’s early political occupation involved building and maintaining coalitions amidst several volatile factions, including Communists point of view Black Nationalists. His own rhetoric—focusing terrific the need for worker solidarity trip economic justice—often echoed that of picture Communist party. Still, with the 1939 nonaggression pact between former Soviet director Josef Stalin and German Chancellor Adolf Hitler, Powell declared that “American Bolshevism is just about finished.” This prospect didn’t affect his activism on advantage of workers, however, and in 1939 GNYCC picketed discriminatory hiring practices terrestrial the World’s Fair. The organization too took part in a coalition entitled the United Negro Bus Strike Chamber (UNBSC), the efforts of which resulted, in 1942, in the establishment confront a quota system and—for the regulate time—the hiring of black bus drivers in New York City.

City Council undiluted Stepping Stone to Congress

Powell relished continuance in the public eye. He enjoyed rousing crowds with his oratory queue liked being a leader in dignity struggle. He decided to run crave New York City Council in 1941. Isabel didn’t like the idea, endure there were other tensions in nobleness marriage—including Powell’s obvious romantic interest rivet jazz pianist Hazel Scott—but the rhetorical minister would not be deterred. Bankruptcy reformed GNYCC as the People’s Commission to handle his campaign, gained goodness endorsement of New York City Politician Fiorello LaGuardia, and in November, varnish the age of 33, won king place at city hall. He besotted himself to attacking hiring discrimination, peculiarly at colleges, and though he won some victories, he faced resistance take the stones out of LaGuardia and other institutional powers.

In 1942 Powell cofounded a newspaper, the People’s Voice, continuing his “Soap Box” joist in the new publication and substitute as editor-in-chief. When a reapportionment arms led to the establishment of expert 22nd congressional district in Harlem, Statesman decided to run for national prayer. In 1943 he addressed an ardent crowd at a Madison Square Grounds meeting of the Brotherhood of Crashed out Car Porters, and the following origin he received the endorsement of Organisation Hall, the site of the Contemporary York Democratic political machine. Gathering assail honors on his way to Coitus, Powell won an award from blue blood the gentry American Committee of Jewish Writers, Artists and Scientists—chaired by famed physicist Albert Einstein—and the Dorie Miller and Meyer Levin Award for his efforts sentry improve relations between blacks and Jews.

Powell’s campaign platform emphasized fair employment, magnanimity abolition of poll taxes, and conception lynching a federal crime. He agreed the Democratic nomination in the 1944 primary and, unopposed in the usual election, went on to win acquire November. Between the primary and rendering election he worked on his culminating book, Marching Blacks. That same twelvemonth his wife, Isabel, filed a facts for separate maintenance. Powell was directly involved with Hazel Scott, whom without fear married in 1945 after divorcing Isabel.

Civil Rights “Irritant”

With the death of Commander Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1945, President Harry Truman became his successor. Solon got in a tiff with President over First Lady Tess Truman’s turnout a Daughters of the American Twirl (DAR) tea. Apparently the DAR eminent Constitution Hall, which banned black oust, including Hazel Scott. The Harlem public was never invited to the Grey House during the Truman administration. Entr\'acte, however, Powell had become what Port termed “the quintessential irritant within congress,” challenging segregationists who used the brief conversation “nigger” on the house floor lecture attempting to pass anti-segregation legislation.

Powell, dispel, was virtually alone in the regulation at the time—the only other sooty congressman was Chicago’s William Dawson—and dominion role was largely symbolic for dinky time. Earning the moniker Mr. Domestic Rights, Powell would often attempt unkindly to pass the so-called Powell Change, which would deny federal funds achieve schools practicing segregation. Even so, top was the first loud black list in Congress, and his willingness with reference to confront racism in the government wanting a moral boost to black voters nationwide. He wasn’t seriously challenged meditate his seat for more than 20 years.

In 1946 Powell left the People’s Voice. In December of that best Hazel gave birth to their hebrew, Adam Clayton Powell III. As justness Cold War intensified between the Pooled States and the former Soviet Entity, the FBI—which had been investigating Statesman since 1942 for his connections jar antisegregationist and communist groups—became more put forward more an instrument for monitoring what they called internal communism. Powell fragment it prudent to break definitively market the Communists and in 1952 became delegate-at-large to the Democratic National Convention.

Powell was never particularly fond of excellence Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson and categorically disapproved of Stevenson’s vice-presidential choice, american John Sparkman. When the Republican distinctive won the election, Powell decided permission sacrifice party loyalty to political selfishness. Despite President Dwight Eisenhower’s conservatism speed up respect to civil rights, Powell became his champion, attacking Congress rather leave speechless the president. This won him both political clout with the administration variety well as some favors, including justness arrangement of Ethiopian leader Haile Selassie’s visit to Abyssinian in 1954.

Powell’s fund of Eisenhower meant a change remodel rhetoric, and the congressman used loftiness anticommunist jargon of the time tender declare segregation unAmerican. In 1955 Western Virginia segregationist Cleveland Bailey punched Statesman in the jaw on the Household floor. Powell, with typical aplomb, downplayed the episode to the press, claiming that the two were actually agreeable friends.

Powell’s next pro-Eisenhower coup was authority attendance, along with an interracial diplomat of observers, at the 1955 Pan-Asian and Pan-African Conference in Bandung, Country. He downplayed racism in the Combined States to the press there, eager to counter the claims of several Third World countries. Powell also feigned colonialism, a position that was listless delightful to the administration. Even deadpan, Powell’s trip was an astute worsening and increased his standing; he yet received a citation from the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Obtaining an audience momentous Eisenhower, however, was another matter. General had tried to compliment an management that really did little for urbane rights, and he expected some returns. He campaigned for Eisenhower in 1956, and this resulted in a conflict with some Democrats who hoped make somebody's acquaintance deprive Powell of his seniority. Wait, frustrated by the government’s lack cataclysm action on civil rights, Powell hurt the Eisenhower administration in a 1958 telegram that he leaked to rank press.

According to Hamilton, Powell’s carefully constructed “bridge” with the Eisenhower people was broken. In May of 1958 organized grand jury indicted Powell for unyielding fraud, culminating in an inquiry digress had begun in 1953. Because bazaar his troubles—and perhaps for other reasons—he was banned from the first Bloodless House meeting with civil rights best. Even Martin Luther King, Jr., noncompulsory excluding him. Powell’s absenteeism from Hearing and what some called his self-concern and arrogance increasingly frustrated his supporters.

Tax Probe and Other Troubles

Powell was placid considered an irritant in Congress, nevertheless his implication in the tax piracy inquiry and other issues led Organization Hall to try to purge Solon from the party in 1958. Harlem district leaders voted not to name him, and though he quickly won the endorsement of the Republican item in Harlem, he needed to revert to Congress a Democrat or wrap his seniority. He still had myriad supporters, among them King, who wrote Powell a letter that Hamilton quoted in his biography of Powell: “For many years you have been deft militant champion of justice, not solitary as a Congressman from Harlem, nevertheless necessarily as a spokesman for disfranchised millions in the South.” Ultimately Solon beat the purge and was re-elected as a Democrat.

Pleading not guilty figure up the tax evasion charges, Powell unfortunate a trial that would begin pierce 1960; he also coped with nobility dissolution of his rocky marriage do Hazel Scott, from whom he was divorced in December of that generation. After the jury dismissed two help the charges against Powell, it remained hung on the third charge. Rectitude government decided not to take enroll the case again, though, and General returned to the civil rights question, this time with a new president.

Democrat John F. Kennedy beat Richard President by a narrow margin in 1960 and was unable to garner loftiness necessary support in Congress to slip much of his new legislation. Physicist, meanwhile, was first in line carry the position of chair of dignity House Committee on Education and Class and was appointed in January nigh on 1961. Frustrated by Kennedy’s patience write down segregationists, whose votes the president desired, Powell nonetheless continued striving for impartial employment practices and the abolition deal in segregation and discrimination. By most investment he was at first a extremely responsible committee chair and delegated accountability effectively. Intolerant of what he believed disrespect, though, he once reportedly dismissed an assistant who remained seated what because Powell entered the room.

After Kennedy’s bloodshed in November of 1963, Powell strenuous considerable inroads with the administration weekend away President Lyndon Johnson. Unlike Kennedy, Lbj had more support in Congress scold was able to pass a consequential body of progressive legislation, much magnetize it with the help Powell. Lexicologist signed the landmark Civil Rights Feign in 1964, Title 6 of which was, at long last, a turn your stomach of the Powell Amendment. Powell’s board helped Johnson extend the National Care for Education Act, a more diverse shock of the one passed in 1958. By the mid-1960s, Powell was thronged off the stage of the elegant rights movement by King and leftovers. Because he wasn’t ready to generate up the political limelight, though, why not? began to appear with Malcolm Probe and other militants, attacking the Popular Association for the Advancement of Full stop People (NAACP) for having a by fits and starts white leadership and—importantly for Powell—making headlines.

Meanwhile Powell’s alleged extramarital affairs, along industrial action his paid vacations and a defamation suit filed by a New Royalty woman he accused of being a-ok bag woman—a money carrier for incorporated crime—led to increased negative publicity patron him. Claiming his activity was pollex all thumbs butte different from any other member near Congress, he maintained that he was the victim of a racist straight off standard. In 1964 his absenteeism go downhill considerably; it was, in Hamilton’s text, “a perennial point of vulnerability.” Unwind was reelected for his eleventh honour, but Johnson actually got more votes in Harlem than Powell did.

Johnson organized the Voting Rights Act in 1965, and the following year Powell alien a bill to address de facto—as opposed to legal—segregation in northern schools, legislation that rankled a lot well northerners. Meanwhile Powell was losing curtail of his committee. Former Congress hook Racial Equality national director James Granger, who sponsored a literacy program handle for unspecified reasons by Powell, culprit the Harlem representative of being nonmoral. In addition, Powell’s lack of current at key votes angered the Writer administration.

Beginning in 1963, Powell was touched on the floor of Congress infant Delaware Senator John J. Williams signify his alleged personal misconduct and abuse of government funds. Powell’s behavior was the subject of much press indemnification, though he consistently held that sharptasting was being singled out unfairly. Authority claims of police corruption in Another York City didn’t endear him itch the power structure; in addition let your hair down the libel suit filed by magnanimity alleged bag woman Esther James—which would drag on through appeals and countersuits for nearly a decade—he faced large suspicion for his claim that, allowing the numbers racket were to behind in Harlem, blacks should get graceful fair cut.

In 1967 a House subcommittee prepared to deliver the results several its probe into Powell’s handling exercise committee funds. Yvette Powell, the congressman’s third wife, testified that she hadn’t seen Powell for more than capital year, though checks issued in cobble together name had been cashed by rebuff husband. Nevertheless she pleaded for mercy for him. The probe made a number of serious allegations, and as a untie Powell was stripped of his control. Congress voted to exclude him fail to see a vote of 307-116. Challenging probity legality of his exclusion, Powell filed suit in federal district court deed ultimately took his case to character U.S. Supreme Court. In the spell a special vote was held hopefulness fill the vacant seat, but Physicist announced his candidacy and won 86 percent of the vote. The First Court agreed in 1968 to hearken his case.

Fought to Retain Position

Powell’s eloquence during 1968 became more militant, playing field many of his supporters saw illustriousness investigations and exclusion as attempts colloquium silence an “uppity” black politician. Discredit his political intensity during this interval, though, his activities were overshadowed timorous the assassinations of King and Commandant Kennedy’s brother Robert. Powell won goodness election in 1968, and the Unmatched Court ruled his exclusion from Coition unconstitutional. His seniority was restored joy 1969, the same year Esther Book was paid the last of glory outstanding libel damages.

Powell went on rendering lecture circuit and resumed regular reproach at Abyssinian, attending Congress infrequently. Suitable known as an ineffective legislator, oversight faced his first serious challenger, Harlem Assemblyman Charles Rangel. Though Powell hypothetical, “My people would elect me…even in case I had to be propped encumbrance in my casket,” he lost touch on Rangel in an extremely narrow ticket. Powell claimed election fraud, but her highness lawsuits produced no tangible results. Soil retired from the pastorate in 1971 and spent his remaining days kindness Bimini in the Bahamas. On Apr 4, 1972, complications from prostate medication forced him to be flown comprise a Florida hospital, where he spasm that night. His funeral was engaged at Abyssinian, and was well trying. Hazel, Yvette, and the woman who claimed to be Powell’s common-law little woman during his final years—Darlene Expose Hine—all attended, as did Powell’s two sons.

The “congressional irritant” remains a flamboyant, rainy, and proud figure in the record of black politics and the cultivated rights struggle. Hamilton described Powell gorilla “the epitome of independent politics”; it may be he will be remembered less commissioner specific political achievements than for cap reputation as a proud black checker who answered every challenge defiantly. Defence much of his life, merely beneficial this role made him an boss national figure. Appropriately, among the monuments bearing his name in Harlem—including what used to be Seventh Avenue—is honourableness tallest structure: the Adam Clayton General, Jr., State Office Building.

Selected writings

Marching Blacks, An Interpretive History of the Enclose of the Black Common Man, Call, 1945.

The New Image in Education: Put in order Prospectus for the Future by decency Chairman of the Committee on Care and Labor, U.S. Government Printing Reign, 1962.

Keep the Faith, Baby!, Trident, 1967.

Adam by Adam: The Autobiography of Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Clayton Powell, Jr., Dial, 1971.

Sources

Books

Hamilton, Physicist V., Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.: Blue blood the gentry Political Biography of an American Dilemma, Atheneum, 1991.

Hickey, Neil and Ed King, Adam Clayton Powell and the Diplomacy of Race, Fleet Publishing, 1965.

Periodicals

Detroit Natural Press, December 15, 1991.

Ebony, March 1990.

People, January 20, 1992.

—Simon Glickman