Caleb Powers

Caleb Powers


Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 11th district
In office March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1919
Preceded by	Don C. Edwards
Succeeded by	John M. Robsion
56th Secretary of State of Kentucky
In office December 12, 1899 – January 31, 1900
Preceded by	Charles Finley
Succeeded by	Caleb Breckinridge Hill
Personal details
Born	(1869-02-01)February 1, 1869 Whitley County, Kentucky
Died	July 25, 1932(1932-07-25) (aged 63) Baltimore, Maryland
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Valparaiso University
Profession	Lawyer

Caleb Powers (February 1, 1869 – July 25, 1932) was a United States Representative from Kentucky and the first Secretary 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 in Barbourville, Kentucky, the University of Kentucky at Lexington, Kentucky and Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. He graduated from the Northern Indiana Normal School and Business Institute (now known as Valparaiso University) in Valparaiso, Indiana and attended the United 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 elected secretary 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 Governor William Goebel in 1900. The prosecution charged that Powers was the mastermind, having a political opponent killed so that his boss, Governor William S. Taylor, could stay in office. He was sentenced to prison. An appeals court overturned Powers' conviction, though Powers was tried three more times, resulting in two convictions and a hung jury. Governor Augustus E. Willson pardoned Powers in 1908. Powers had served eight years in jail. While in prison, Powers authored the 1905 book My Own Story.

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 to Washington, D.C., and served as assistant counsel for the United States Shipping Board from 1921 until his death in Baltimore, 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

United States Congress. "Caleb Powers (id: P000487)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
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.
Aggregated Citations
Collected Papers
News article of death
"COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY v. CALEB POWERS. IN THE MATTER OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY, COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY"
GovTrack.us

External links

Caleb Powers at Find a Grave

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Don C. Edwards	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 11th congressional district 1911 – 1919 (obsolete district)	Succeeded by John M. Robsion

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 43593333 LCCN: n97113881 US Congress: P000487

Miscarriage of justice

Types of misconduct	Prosecutorial misconduct Police misconduct Selective prosecution Malicious prosecution Selective enforcement Abuse of process Attorney misconduct Abuse of discretion Entrapment False arrest Gaming the system Legal malpractice Kangaroo court Sharp practice Jury tampering Witness tampering Brady disclosure Spoliation of evidence

False evidence	Forced confession False accusation of rape False allegation of child sexual abuse Police perjury False accusation Mistaken identity Eyewitness memory Misinformation effect Tampering with evidence

Wrongful convictions	List of wrongful convictions in the United States List of exonerated death row inmates Miscarriage of justice List of miscarriage of justice cases Overturned convictions in the United States Wrongful execution

Advocacy	Innocence Project National Registry of Exonerations Investigating Innocence

Related concepts	Legal ethics Exculpatory evidence Right to a fair trial Race in the United States criminal justice system Capital punishment in the United States Innocent prisoner's dilemma Racial profiling Loophole Ineffective assistance of counsel Show trial Actual innocence Cross-race effect Eyewitness memory Eyewitness identification Equal Protection Clause Batson v. Kentucky List of United States death row inmates Prosecutor's fallacy Innocence Protection Act

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