Joseph Withers Power

Joseph Withers Power
29th Secretary of State of Mississippi
In office
September 24, 1901 – April 5, 1926
GovernorAndrew H. Longino
James K. Vardaman
Edmond Noel
Earl L. Brewer
Theodore G. Bilbo
Lee M. Russell
Henry L. Whitfield
Preceded byJohn Logan Power
Succeeded byWalker Wood
Personal details
Born(1867-03-02)March 2, 1867
Jackson, Mississippi
DiedApril 5, 1926(1926-04-05) (aged 59)
Jackson, Mississippi
Political partyDemocrat
SpouseEva Truly m. 1896-1926, his death
Children3
ParentJohn Logan Power (father)

Joseph Withers Power (March 2, 1867 - April 5, 1926) was a Mississippi politician and the Secretary of State of Mississippi from 1901 to 1926.

Early life

Joseph Withers Power was born on March 2, 1867, in Jackson, Mississippi.[1][2][3] He was the son of Irish emigrant John Logan Power, who became the Mississippi Secretary of State from 1893 to 1901, and his wife, Elizabeth (Wilkinson) Power.[1][4] J. W. Power attended public schools in Jackson.[1] Then, he attended Southwestern Presbyterian University in Clarksville, Tennessee.[1][2] After leaving school, he assisted his father in the publishing business and became a bookkeeper.[2]

Political career

When Joseph's father, John Logan Power, was the Secretary of State of Mississippi, he was an assistant in the office of the Secretary of State of Mississippi.[2] After his father's death on September 23, 1901, Mississippi governor A. H. Longino appointed him Secretary of State of Mississippi.[2] He was re-elected in 1903, 1907, and 1911.[1][2][3] In 1923, he defeated Walker Wood in the primary election for the Democratic nomination to the office.[5]

Death

While still the Secretary of State of Mississippi, Power died suddenly in Jackson on April 5, 1926.[6][5] Walker Wood was appointed to the office finish the unfinished term.[5]

Personal life

Power was a Democrat, member of the Episcopal Church, Freemason, Odd Fellow, and a Knight of Pythias.[2] In 1896, Power married Eva Truly (1868 or 1869 - 1947); her brother Jeff became an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi.[2][7] The Powers had three children: Dorothy, Mary, and Josephine Jeffrey "Jo Jeff".[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Mississippi Department of Archives and History (1908). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History. p. 953.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mississippi Department of Archives and History (1917). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History. p. 498.
  3. ^ a b Mississippi Department of Archives and History (1912). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History. p. 312.
  4. ^ Mississippi, Royal and Select Masters (Masonic order) Grand Council in the State of (1898). Annual Assembly of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters in the State of Mississippi.
  5. ^ a b c "Obituary for Joseph Withers Power". The Winona Times. 1926-04-09. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  6. ^ Sullivan, Elsie Smiley (1989). Smiley Family Research Data. E. S. Sullivan. p. 162.
  7. ^ "Obituary for Eva Truly Power". Clarion-Ledger. 1947-01-10. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-03-26.