Gershom Powers (July 11, 1789 – June 25, 1831) was an American lawyer, jurist, and law enforcement officer who served one term as a U.S. Representative from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

from 1829 to 1831.

Biography

Born in

Croydon, New Hampshire Croydon is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 801 at the 2020 census. History Incorporated in 1763, the town takes its name from Croydon, a suburb of London, England. Croydon was home to Ruel Durkee, a ...

, Powers attended the common schools and was largely self-taught. He taught school in the town of

Sempronius, New York Sempronius is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 895 at the 2010 census. The town was named after a Roman military and political leader by Robert Harpur, a clerk interested in the classics. Sempronius is in the sou ...

, while attending the local law school, from which he graduated in 1810. He was admitted to

New York State Bar Association The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justice ...

the same year and commenced practice in

Auburn, New York Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States. Located at the north end of Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York, the city had a population of 26,866 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city of Cayuga County, ...

. He was appointed Warden of Auburn Prison from 1820 to 1823. First judge of the court of common pleas of Cayuga County 1823–1828.

Congress

Powers was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-first Congress (March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831). He served as chairman of the Committee on District of Columbia (Twenty-first Congress). He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1830.

Later career and death

He was appointed inspector of Auburn prison on April 2, 1830, and served until his death. He died in

, June 25, 1831. He was interred in North Street Cemetery.

Family

He was married to Eliza Hatch (1800–1885), a half-sister of Gov.

Enos T. Throop Enos Thompson Throop ( ; August 21, 1784 – November 1, 1874) was an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat who was the tenth Governor of New York from 1829 to 1832. Early life and career Throop was born in Johnstown, New York on August 21, ...

. In 1832, his widow married Judge

William B. Rochester William Beatty Rochester (January 29, 1789 Hagerstown, Maryland – June 14, 1838) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Early life Rochester was the first child of Col. Nathaniel Rochester (1752–1831), founder of the City of Ro ...

(1789–1838).

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Powers, Gershom 1789 births 1831 deaths Wardens of the Auburn Correctional Facility Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians People from Croydon, New Hampshire Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)