H. Henry Powers

H. Henry Powers was born in Morristown, Vermont on May 29, 1835, the son of Dr. Horace Powers and Love E. (Gilman) Powers. He graduated from Morristown's People's Academy and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Vermont (UVM) in 1855. Powers graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UVM and was initiated into Delta Psi. He earned his Master of Arts degree from UVM in 1858. He attained admission to the bar in 1858 and practiced first in Hyde Park, and later in Morristown. ==Start of career==

He served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives in 1858. He served as a member of the council of censors in 1869, and was a member of the State constitutional convention in 1870. In 1874, he was again a member of the Vermont House and served as Speaker. Powers served as an associate 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. He was also a member of the Lamoille County Bank board of directors from 1888 until his death. ==U.S. Congressman==

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. Powers was a delegate to the 1892 Republican National Convention. The bill inspired a campaign of opposition led by publisher William Randolph Hearst and his employees, journalists Ambrose Bierce and Frank Norris. Powers was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1900. After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law in Morrisville, Vermont, and was chief counsel for the Rutland Railroad. ==Personal life==

Powers married Caroline Waterman on October 11, 1858. George M. Powers also served as the state's attorney of Lamoille County, Vermont, and an associate justice and chief justice of the Vermont Supreme Court. ==Death and legacy==

Powers died in Morristown on December 8, 1913. He was interred at Pleasant View Cemetery in Morristown. ==References==