Llewellyn Powers (October 14, 1836July 28, 1908) was a U.S. Representative from

Maine Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...

and the 44th

Governor of Maine The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive. The current governor of Maine ...

Biography

Born in

Pittsfield, Maine Pittsfield is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,908 at the 2020 census. Pittsfield is home to the Maine Central Institute, a semi-private boarding school, and the annual Central Maine Egg Festival. History ...

, Powers attended the common schools of Pittsfield and St. Albans Academy. He graduated from the Colburn Classical Institute. He attended Colby University,

Waterville, Maine Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The city is home to Colby College and Thomas College. As of the 2020 census the population was 15,828. Along with Augusta, Waterville is ...

, and graduated from the law department of Union University,

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York Ci ...

, in 1860. He was admitted to the bar in Albany, New York, and Somerset, Maine, in 1860 and commenced practice in

Houlton, Maine Houlton is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, on the Canada–United States border. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 6,055. It is perhaps best known for being at the northern terminus of Interstate 95 and as the birthplace of Sa ...

, in January 1861. He served as prosecuting attorney for

Aroostook County Aroostook County ( ; french: Comté d'Aroostook) is a county in the U.S. state of Maine along the Canada–U.S. border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,105. Its county seat is Houlton, with offices in Caribou and Fort Kent. ...

from 1864 to 1871. He also served as collector of customs for the district of Aroostook from 1868 to 1872. He served as a member of the Maine House of Representatives, 18731876, 1883, 1892, and 1895; during the last term, he served as

speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

. While in the Maine House, his bill abolishing capital punishment was considered by the House in 1876 and passed by a vote of 75 to 68, making Maine the third state to abolish the death penalty. Powers was elected as a Republican to the Forty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1877March 3, 1879). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1878 to the Forty-sixth Congress. He served as Governor of Maine from 1897 to 1901. Powers was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-seventh Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Charles A. Boutelle. He was reelected to the Fifty-eighth, Fifty-ninth, and Sixtieth Congresses and served from April 8, 1901, until his death in Houlton, Maine, July 28, 1908. In December 1886, Powers married Martha Averill with whom he had five children. He is buried in West Pittsfield Cemetery, near Pittsfield, Maine. His brother,

Frederick A. Powers Frederick Alton Powers (June 19, 1855 in Pittsfield, Maine – February 13, 1923)List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49) There are several lists of United States Congress members who died in office. These include: * List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899) * List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–1949) * List ...

References

External links

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Llewellyn Powers, late a representative from Maine, Memorial addresses delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1909
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powers, Llewellyn 1836 births 1908 deaths Republican Party governors of Maine Republican Party members of the Maine House of Representatives Maine lawyers People from Pittsfield, Maine Colby College alumni Albany Law School alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maine County district attorneys in Maine People from Houlton, Maine 19th-century American politicians