- Caleb Powers
Caleb Powers (
February 1 ,1869 –July 25 ,1932 ) was aUnited States Representative fromKentucky and the firstSecretary of State of Kentucky convicted as an accessory to murder.Early life
He was born near
Williamsburg, Kentucky . He attended the public schools,Union College inBarbourville, Kentucky , theUniversity of Kentucky atLexington, Kentucky andCentre College inDanville, Kentucky . He graduated from the Northern Indiana Normal School and Business Institute (now known asValparaiso University ) inValparaiso, Indiana and attended theUnited States Military Academy in 1890 and 1891.Powers studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1894 and commenced practice at Barbourville, Kentucky. He was the superintendent of public schools for
Knox County, Kentucky 1894-1899. He was electedsecretary of state of Kentucky in 1899 but was unseated after a contest.Assassination of William Goebel
Powers was convicted of complicity in the
assassination of GovernorWilliam Goebel in 1900. The prosecution charged that Powers was the mastermind, having a political opponent killed so that his boss, GovernorWilliam S. Taylor , could stay in office. He was sentenced toprison . Anappeals court overturned Powers' conviction, though Powers was tried three more times, resulting in two convictions and ahung jury . GovernorAugustus E. Willson pardoned Powers in 1908. Powers had served 8 years in jail. While in prison, Powers authored the book "My Own Story" in 1905.Congress and Later Life
After leaving prison, Powers was elected as a Republican to the 62nd and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1911-March 3, 1919) but was not a candidate for renomination in 1918. He served as a delegate to the
Republican National Convention in 1912 and moved toWashington, D.C. , and served as assistant counsel for theUnited States Shipping Board from 1921 until his death inBaltimore, Maryland in 1932. He was buried in City Cemetery, Barbourville, Kentucky.Caleb Powers married Laura Rawlings in January 1896 and she died six months later. He was survived by his second wife, Dorothy. He had one daughter named Elsie.
References
*CongBio|P000487
* [http://apps.sos.ky.gov/secdesk/sosinfo/default.aspx?id=55 Secretary of State Caleb Powers] - From the Secretary of State of Kentucky.
*Elliot, R. "Assassination at the State House: The Unsolved Mystery of Kentucky's Governor Goebel". McClanahan Publishing House, 1995.External links
*
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
