William Powell: Diplomacy in courage

Doug Kiovsky THE BEND IN THE RIVER

After the Civil War ended in 1865, a young African American by the name of William Francis Powell (18481920) graduated from the New Jersey Collegiate Institute on Park Street in Bordentown. He was about to enter a whole new world with whole new possibilities.

Born in Troy, New York, he moved with his family to New York City, where he received his early education in the city’s school system. Then after graduating from Bordentown, he went to Lincoln University, near Oxmead,

Not one to rest on his laurels, William came back to Bordentown with wonderful memories of the institute and friendships that filled his soul. He also seized the opportunity for the next chapter in his life as school administrators offered him the position as principal of their educational facility for black children. It was known as School No. 2.

William felt quite comfortable within the confines of the small clapboard structure on Burlington Street. He not only served as a guiding hand for promising youth, but also became involved in local organizations.

He was affiliated with the Masons and joined the Woodlin Lodge, No. 30 as an officer. Within time, he was elected and held the post as Grand Master. His participation was equally impressive in the Holy Royal Arch, the Knights Templar, and the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.

Pennsylvania.

Established as the nation’s first college for African-American students, Powell was honored in being accepted, and soon immersed himself in his studies. After four years of hard work, he was humbled upon graduating with a Doctor of Laws degree.

However, it was during his time at college that he met and married the lovely Elizabeth Hughes (1848-1898) who hailed from Burlington. She encouraged many of his decisions.

As the nation slowly healed from the aftermath of war during the era of Reconstruction, Powell demonstrated that he was not afraid of challenge and boldly moved to Leesburg, Virginia with his wife in 1869 to begin his teaching career at an African-American school.

Subjected to different treatment as a citizen in the South, William quickly learned to adapt. He did rather well considering that a year later he founded and became principal of an AfricanAmerican school in Alexandria, Virginia.

As such, within the shadow of Washington, where recent Amendments were approved in changing the lives of all African-Americans, William became the first black school principal in the state. Accomplishing what he set out to do, he left the school after almost six years.

However, when his obligations became excessive, by 1881 he spied the horizon for a career change. The couple moved back to the Washington area, where William worked as a bookkeeper in the Fourth Auditor’s Office of the US Treasury. As his name was becoming synonymous with responsible education, he was offered a U.S. government post in Haiti, but declined, due to his inexperience in political matters.

Three years later, he returned to New Jersey, but not to Bordentown. Missing his passion as an educator, his took on a new role as superintendent of black schools in the fourth district in the city of Camden.

Under his guidance, the student population increased, and many projects came to fruition, including a new school for industrial education. Although his accomplishments were praised by school officials, within two years he relinquished his position in order to teach at the Camden High and Training School.

It had been noted as a predominantly white school, but William broke the color barrier by being one of the first AfricanAmericans to cross over racial lines regarding segregation. This was a major milestone that came with significant opposition and social ramifications. Despite setbacks, he raised the quality of education until his departure from the school in 1894. included assassination attempts, when he narrowly escaped the wrath of gunmen on two separate occasions.

In 1897, he attracted the attention of President William McKinley, who was sworn into office that year. As luck or fate would have it, he was offered a U.S. diplomatic position again.

This time, he accepted. William Powell was appointed the official titles of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Haiti and Charge d’Affaires to the Dominican Republic on the same day. Therefore he became the sixth U.S. ambassador to Haiti. All previous statesmen to the position before him were African-American, including the highly revered abolitionist and social reformer, Frederick Douglass, who served from 1889-1891.

In 1903, an assassination plot that originated in the Dominican Republic was supposed to take place in Port-auPrince, but was thwarted. The prior year, William had witnessed the forced resignation of the country’s president and the placement of the provisional government that followed.

In spite of the danger that was present, Powell did find time to travel back to the United States and to his home in Camden. After the death of his wife, he met and married city native Jane Shepard (1864-1917), almost a year to the day of his wife’s passing in 1899. His second wife was referred to as the scale that kept his life balanced. During his appointment, he had seen 15 revolutions occur in Haiti.

In 1905, Powell tendered his resignation to President Theodore Roosevelt. He had grown weary of the constant fighting and

Residing in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, William and his wife adjusted to their new surroundings as well as his new role. Two of his main goals were improving relationships between the two countries’ governments and encouraging American business leaders to invest their capital interests in Haiti.

That meant extracting materials and agricultural products that were favorable to the country’s geology and climate. Copper, lumber, sugar, coffee, and cotton were highly valued commodities on any market in the Western Hemisphere. He also urged the US to make Haiti a “protectorate” whereas their finances, and to a degree their sovereignty, would be under the control of the United States.

Although that idea was floated and was rejected by elected officials, a few years later at the dawn of the new century, it did transpire for almost two decades. As a former educator and advocate of Booker T. Washington, Powell urged Haiti’s government to understand and implement the same model of Tuskegee Institute that he heard about with the Manual Training and Industrial School in Bordentown.

Since the country was rife with corruption, violence and mounting insurrections, the atmosphere took its toll on William’s health. That also riots that plagued Haiti and its people. Speaking to a reporter about his decision, he solemnly quipped: “I have attempted the fates long enough.”

Powell’s diplomatic service to his fellow man was not in vain. During the dozen years of his foreign tenure, at least 20 African-Americans were appointed consuls during the McKinley and Roosevelt administrations. Times were changing.

From bullets to bulletins, in 1909, William accepted a job as an editorial writer for an African-American newspaper known as the Philadelphia Tribune. He took his assignments in stride and did the best job that he could. He always enjoyed writing stories as opposed to being the story. Preceding his death at age 71 in 1920, he was referred to his colleagues as a “polished gentleman.”

Although William Francis Powell is largely forgotten today, his dedication to the field of education was a masterful achievement beyond bounds and beyond borders. His legacy was his unwavering devotion to the betterment of his fellow man because as we know, the spectrum of a rainbow doesn’t exist if it consists of one color.