Lazarus W. Powell
| Lazarus W. Powell | |
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United States Senator from Kentucky |
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In office March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1865 |
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| Preceded by | John B. Thompson |
| Succeeded by | James Guthrie |
| 19th Governor of Kentucky | |
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In office September 2, 1851 – September 4, 1855 |
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| Lieutenant | John B. Thompson |
| Preceded by | John L. Helm |
| Succeeded by | Charles S. Morehead |
| Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives | |
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In office 1836 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Lazarus Whitehead Powell October 6, 1812 Henderson County, Kentucky |
| Died | July 3, 1867 (aged 54) Henderson County, Kentucky |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Harriet Ann Jennings |
| Alma mater | Saint Joseph College Transylvania University |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
Lazarus Whitehead Powell (October 6, 1812 – July 3, 1867) was the 19th Governor of Kentucky, serving from 1851 to 1855. He was later elected to represent Kentucky in the U.S. Senate from 1859 to 1865.
The reforms enacted during Powell's term as governor gave Kentucky one of the top educational systems in the antebellum South. He also improved Kentucky's transportation system and vetoed legislation that he felt would have created an overabundance of banks in the Commonwealth. Powell's election as governor marked the end of Whig dominance in Kentucky. Powell's predecessor, John J. Crittenden, was the last governor elected from the party of the Commonwealth's favorite son, Henry Clay.
Following his term as governor, Powell was elected to the U.S. Senate. Before he could assume office, President James Buchanan dispatched Powell and Major Benjamin McCulloch to Utah to ease tensions with Brigham Young and the Mormons. Powell assumed his Senate seat on his return from Utah, just prior to the election of Abraham Lincoln as president. Powell became an outspoken critic of Lincoln's administration, so much so that the Kentucky General Assembly asked for his resignation and some of his fellow senators tried to have him expelled from the body. Both groups later renounced their actions.
Powell died at his home near Henderson, Kentucky shortly following a failed bid to return to the Senate in 1867.
Powell was born on October 6, 1812 near Henderson, Kentucky, the third son of Lazarus and Ann McMahon Powell. He attended the common schools of Henderson, and was tutored by George Gayle. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Joseph College in Bardstown, Kentucky in 1833, and began studying law under John Rowan. He then enrolled in the Transylvania University School of Law, studying under Justice George Robertson and Judge Daniel Mayes. He was admitted to the bar in 1835, and partnered with Archibald Dixon to start a law practice in Henderson. The two remained partners until 1839.
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Wikipedia