Adam Clayton Powell IV (politician)

Adam Clayton Powell IV (born in 1962), son of Civil Rights leader and former congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. is a member of the New York State Assembly. The controversial Assemblyman has been involved in various litigation's in which the accusations against him have ranged from rape to DUI. [http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/03/06/2008-03-06_harlem_pol_adam_clayton_powell_4th_buste-3.html New York Daily News] ]

Early years

Powell (born Adam Clayton Powell Diago) was born to Civil Rights leader and former congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and his third wife Yvette Diago of Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In 1944, his father, ( known as "Mr. Civil Rights"), became the first African-American from the northeast region of the United States elected to Congress. Powell had an older half-brother, Adam Clayton Powell III (1946-). His parents owned some beachfront properties in Puerto Rico. When his parents separated, his mother Yvette was granted custody of him and he was raised and educated in Puerto Rico. Politics always surrounded Powell. Not only was his father a congressman, but his grandfather on his mother's side, Don Gonzalo Diago, had been the Mayor of the capital city of Puerto Rico, San Juan, during the 1940's.

In 1980, Adam Clayton Powell Diago changed his name to Adam Clayton Powell IV, which can be confused with his nephew, also named Adam Clayton Powell IV, son of Adam Clayton Powell III. He enrolled at Howard University in Washington, D.C. and earned an undergraduate degree. After he graduated from Howard University, he enrolled in Fordham University in New York and earned his law degree.

Public Life

In 1989, Powell joined the Democratic Party and ran for a seat on the New York City Council, coming in second place. In 1991, he ran again for a seat on the New York City Council, and this time he won.

IN 1994, Powell ran in the Democratic primary election for US Congress against Rep. Charles B. Rangel. Rangel defeated Powell, 4th's father, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., in 1970, ending the political career of the elder Powell, who succumbed to cancer less than two years later on April 4, 1972. The younger Powell achieved 35% of the Democratic Primary vote against Rangel and is considered the heir apparent to the Congressional seat as a result of his challenge to the senior NY Democrat.

He served on the council, representing Harlem, for five years; in 1997, he gave up his seat and ran for Manhattan borough president. He was defeated by C. Virginia Fields and then semiretired from politics.

For the next three years, he worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and dedicated his spare time to his properties in Puerto Rico. There he participated in the Vieques protests, which demanded the departure of the U.S. Navy from that island.

In 2000, Powell returned to New York's political scene and ran for a seat in the New York State Assembly against his former ally Nelson Denis. Powell won the seat for District 68, representing East Harlem and the Bronx in New York City. As member of the New York State Assembly, he sits on the committees for Housing, Insurance, Small Business, and Corporations.

Powell is credited with working on education issues and with helping to create new job opportunities in his district. He also passed the Senior Citizens Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) bill, which benefits low-income senior citizens.

Powell was married to Andrea Dial, a former Ebony Fashion Fair model; they had a son, Adam Clayton Powell V, before divorcing in the mid-1990s.

KEEP THE FAITH

Powell and his campaign manager Geoffrey L. Garfield, who lead the team as Producer, initiated the film on the life of his father, the 2002 cable television movie KEEP THE FAITH, BABY starring Harry Lennix as Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and Vanessa L. Williams as his second wife, jazz pianist Hazel Scott. Powell and his half brother Adam, III, were credited as Co-Producers of the biopic.

The film debuted on February 17, 2002 on premium cable network Showtime and was a production of Showtime and Paramount Network Television. It garnered three NAACP Image Award nominations for Outstanding Television Movie, Outstanding Television Actor in a TV Movie (Lennix) and Outstanding Television Actress in a TV Movie (Williams). It won two NAMIC Vision Awards (cable executives) for Best Drama and Best Actor (Lennix). Williams also earned a Best Actress in a TV Movie Golden Satellite Award from the International Press Association.

Later years

In 2008, he was arrested and charged for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) in New York City. In 2004, he was accused of rape by a 19-year old legislative intern in Albany. Two months later, also in 2004, he was accused of raping a second woman in Manhattan.

ee also

*List of famous Puerto Ricans

References

External links

* [http://www.assembly.state.ny.us Official site of the New York Assembly]
* [http://www.adamclaytonpowell.com/family_tree.htm# Adam Clayton Powell family tree contains a mini biography of Adam Clayton Powell IV]
*"Adam Clayton Powell IV." "Carroll's State Directory". Carroll Publishing, 2005. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2005.