Powell, Adam Clayton, Jr. (1908-1972), was a political and religious leader of New York City’s Harlem area. From 1945 to 1955, he and William Dawson of Chicago were the only African Americans in the United States Congress. Powell condemned all forms of segregation and discrimination, especially in his early years in Congress. Later, his absenteeism, boastful attitude, and colorful private life disappointed many reformers and offended many members of Congress. But he remained popular in his congressional district.
Powell became pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem in 1937. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1944. In 1960, he became chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor. Powell was denied his seat in Congress by the House in 1967 on grounds he misused public funds. He won a special election to fill the vacancy, but he did not claim his seat. He won the regular election in 1968 and returned to Congress in January 1969. In 1969, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Congress had acted unconstitutionally when it excluded Powell in 1967. In 1970, he was defeated in his bid for renomination in the Democratic primary.
Powell was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on Nov. 29, 1908. He graduated from Colgate University and received graduate degrees from Columbia and Shaw universities. Powell died on April 4, 1972.
