H. Henry Powers
| H. Henry Powers | |
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| Member of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont's 1st district |
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In office March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1901 |
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| Preceded by | John Wolcott Stewart |
| Succeeded by | David J. Foster |
| Member of the Vermont House of Representatives | |
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In office 1858 1874 |
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| Member of the Vermont Senate | |
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In office 1872–1873 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 29, 1835 Morristown, Vermont, U.S. |
| Died | December 8, 1913 (aged 78) Morristown, Vermont, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Caroline Waterman Powers |
| Children | Carrie L. Powers and George M. Powers |
| Alma mater | University of Vermont |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer, Judge |
Horace Henry Powers (May 29, 1835 – December 8, 1913) was an American lawyer, judge and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont.
Powers was born in Morristown, Vermont to Dr. Horace Powers and Love E. Gilman Powers. He graduated from People's Academy, and received a bachelor's degree from the University of Vermont in 1855, where he was initiated into Delta Psi. He earned his master's degree from UVM in 1858. Powers studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1858, and practiced first in Hyde Park, and later in Morristown.
He served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives in 1858. Powers was the Lamoille County State's Attorney in 1861 and 1862. He served as a member of the council of censors in 1869, and was a member of the State constitutional convention in 1870.
Powers served in the Vermont State Senate in 1872 and 1873. In 1874, he was again a member of the Vermont State House and served as Speaker.
Powers served as a Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from December 1874 to December 1890. He was a Trustee of the University of Vermont from 1883 until his death in 1913.
He as a member of the Lamoille County Bank board of directors from 1888 until his death. He was a Delegate to the 1892 Republican National Convention.
Powers was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-second United States Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1891 until March 3, 1901. He served as chairman of the Committee on Pacific Railroads from the Fifty-fourth through Fifty-sixth Congresses. In 1896 he sponsored a controversial bill that would have allowed the Central Pacific Railroad to obtain a 75-year delay paying off a 30-year-old debt to the government. The bill inspired a campaign of opposition led by publisher William Randolph Hearst and his employees, journalists Ambrose Bierce and Frank Norris. In one article about the Powers Bill, Bierce memorably wrote that while the handsome Powers might not be qualified to serve as chairman of the Pacific Railroads committee, he was certainly qualified to head the "Committee on Visible Virtues." In January, 1897 the Powers Bill was defeated 168 to 102.
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