Adam Clayton Powell Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York | |
| In office January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Walter A. Lynch |
| Succeeded by | Charles Rangel |
| Constituency | 22nd district (1945–1953) 16th district (1953–1963) 18th district (1963–1971) |
| Member of the New York City Council | |
| In office January 1, 1942 – January 3, 1945 | |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin J. Davis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 29, 1908 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | April 4, 1972 (aged 63) Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Other political affiliations | American Labor |
| Spouses | Yvette Flores Diago
(m. 1960; sep. 1965) |
| Children | Adam III Adam IV 1 adopted |
| Parent |
|
| Education | City College of New York Colgate University (BA) Columbia University (MA) Shaw University (DDiv) |
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (November 29, 1908 – April 4, 1972)[1] was an American Baptist pastor and politician who represented the Harlem neighborhood of New York City in the United States House of Representatives from 1945 until 1971. He was the first African American to be elected to Congress from New York, as well as the first from any state in the Northeast.[2] Re-elected for nearly three decades, Powell became a powerful national politician of the Democratic Party, and served as a national spokesman on civil rights and social issues. He also urged United States presidents to support emerging nations in Africa and Asia as they gained independence after colonialism.
In 1961, after 16 years in the House, Powell became chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, the most powerful position held by an African American in Congress to that date. As chairman, he supported the passage of important social and civil rights legislation under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Following allegations of corruption, in 1967 Powell was excluded from his seat by Democratic Representatives-elect of the 90th United States Congress, but he was re-elected and regained the seat in the 1969 ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States in Powell v. McCormack. He lost his seat in 1970 to Charles Rangel and retired from electoral politics.