Walter Eugene Powell (April 25, 1931 – January 17, 2020) was an American educator and politician of the Republican party who served as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

from 1971 to 1975.

Life and career

Powell was born in Hamilton, Ohio, the son of Anna and Walter Powell. Before entering politics, Powell was a history teacher. He met his wife, Bobbi Mae, in the summer of 1951, as summer employees of LeSourdsville Lake. They married June 2, 1952. He began his career as the city clerk of

Fairfield, Ohio Fairfield is a city in southern Butler County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb located about north of Cincinnati and is situated on the east bank of the Great Miami River. The population was 44,907 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1 ...

in 1956, and became a member of Fairfield City Council in 1958. In 1960, Powell successfully ran for the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

. He was reelected in 1962, and 1964. The

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights move ...

provided Powell with incentive to run for the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of t ...

, which he did. He ended up winning, and took a seat in the upper chamber on January 3, 1967. While he was up for reelection to the Senate in 1970, he instead initially opted to run for

Ohio State Treasurer The treasurer of the U.S. state of Ohio is responsible for collecting and safeguarding taxes and fees, as well as managing state investments. The Treasury was located in the Ohio Statehouse from 1861 to 1974, when it was moved to the Rhodes Stat ...

. However, he eventually entered the race for a seat in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

. He went on to win the seat, and ultimately swapped seats with his predecessor, Buz Lukens, who then was appointed to Powell's senate seat. Powell went on to serve two terms in Congress, and opted to retire after his second term ended in 1975. He was succeeded by Tom Kindness.

Retirement

Following his tenure in Congress, he retired to

Middletown, Ohio Middletown is a city in Butler County, Ohio, Butler and Warren County, Ohio, Warren counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 50,987 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area in sou ...

. He became a high school administrator, rising to the level of principal. He later changed careers, attending

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

Law School and passing the bar exam at age 53. He worked for many years thereafter as a real estate, tax, and probate lawyer. Powell died on January 17, 2020.

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External links

1931 births 2020 deaths American school administrators Educators from Ohio Heidelberg University (Ohio) alumni Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Miami University alumni Ohio city council members Ohio lawyers Republican Party Ohio state senators People from Fairfield, Ohio People from Middletown, Ohio Politicians from Hamilton, Ohio University of Cincinnati College of Law alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Ohio General Assembly {{Ohio-Representative-stub

Life and career

Retirement

See also

References

External links