Walter E. Powell

Walter Eugene Powell (April 25, 1931 – January 17, 2020) was an American educator and politician of the Republican party who served two terms as a U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1971 to 1975.

Walter E. Powell
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio
In office January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1975
Preceded by	Buz Lukens
Succeeded by	Tom Kindness
Constituency	24th district (1971–1973) 8th district (1973–1975)
Member of the Ohio Senate from the 4th district
In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1971
Preceded by	Inaugural holder
Succeeded by	Buz Lukens
Personal details
Born	(1931-04-25)April 25, 1931 Hamilton, Ohio, U.S.
Died	January 17, 2020(2020-01-17) (aged 88) Hamilton, Ohio, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Bobbi Mae ​ ​ (m. 1952, died)​
Children	2
Alma mater	Miami University Heidelberg University (Ohio) University of Cincinnati
Occupation	Educator, lawyer

Life and career

Powell was born in Hamilton, Ohio, the son of Anna and Walter Powell.^[1] Before entering politics, Powell was a history teacher.^[2]

He met his wife, Bobbi Mae, in the summer of 1951, as summer employees of LeSourdsville Lake. They married June 2, 1952.^[3]

Early political career

He began his career as the city clerk of Fairfield, Ohio in 1956, and became a member of Fairfield City Council in 1958. In 1960, Powell successfully ran for the Ohio House of Representatives. He was reelected in 1962, and 1964.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 provided Powell with incentive to run for the Ohio Senate, 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. However, he eventually entered the race for a seat in the United States House of Representatives.^[4]

Congress

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.^[5]

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. He became a high school administrator, rising to the level of principal. He later changed careers, attending University of Cincinnati Law School and passing the bar exam at age 53. He worked for many years thereafter as a real estate, tax, and probate lawyer.

Death

Powell died on January 17, 2020.^[2]

See also

• Biography portal

• List of United States representatives from Ohio