Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.

• Born: Nov. 29, 1908, New Haven, Conn.
• Political party: Democrat
• Education: Colgate University, graduated, 1930; Columbia University, graduated, 1932; Shaw University (theological department), graduated, 1934
• Representative from New York: 1945–67, 1969–71
• Died: Apr. 4, 1972, Miami, Fla.

Adam Clayton Powell excelled in the politics of confrontation. An African American, he won election to Congress in 1944, when racial segregation existed in much of the country and when Southerners who advocated white supremacy chaired most of the congressional committees. Instead of acting deferentially and seeking compromise, Powell ridiculed segregation, attacked discrimination, and promoted equality and civil rights at every opportunity. He set out to be an “irritant,” believing that “whenever a person keeps prodding, keeps them squirming… it serves a purpose.” Between 1950 and 1960, he repeatedly attached a “Powell Amendment” to other bills, seeking to ban federal funds for segregated facilities.

Seniority eventually made him chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, where he managed many important bills. But Powell's antagonistic style worked better when he was an “outsider” rather than an “insider.” Friends and enemies alike found him increasingly unreliable, and he was frequently absent from the House. In 1967, after much criticism of his behavior, the House removed Powell as committee chairman and voted not to seat him as a member. The Supreme Court ruled 7 to 1 that Powell's exclusion had been unconstitutional. He won his seat back in a special election. But by 1970 Powell's constituents had lost patience, and they defeated him in the Democratic primary when he ran for renomination.

See also African Americans in government; Insurgents

Sources

• Charles Hamilton, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.: The Political Biography of an American Dilemma (New York: Macmillan, 1991).
• Adam Clayton Powell, Adam by Adam (New York: Dial, 1971)