"Keep the faith, baby!"
1908-
1972.
Pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in
Harlem, succeeding his father in the post. He used that platform to become a one-man
political machine, first as a successful community activist, then as a
New York City councilman, and later as a member of the
US House of
Representatives, where he served from 1945 to
1967 (and beyond).
Powell was a very loud, liberal voice in Washington, and a powerful committee chairman (Education and Labor); his unabashed playboy lifestyle also made him a politician of note, but perhaps in the wrong ways - he was supposed to be a preacher, after all. He got into some legal trouble in '67 (This sentence is Under Construction), and ran off to Bimini, in the Bahamas; he was stripped of his perks and his House seat, but won reelection in 1968 nonetheless. The
Supreme Court eventually ruled that his ouster had been unconstitutionally handled.
Suffering ill health, he retired to Bimini after a defeat in the 1970 Democratic Party primary (the seat now belongs to Charles Rangel). His son, Adam Clayton Powell III, a veteran journalist, was once a vice president at NPR, and is now with the Freedom Forum; he didn't follow in his father's and grandfather's footsteps - the current pastor at
Abyssinian is Calvin Butts. Adam IV, who, despite his name, is also the son of Adam, Jr., born in Puerto Rico, was elected to the New York City Council in 1991, the 50th anniversary of his father's election.