Samuel Stringham Powell (February 16, 1815 – February 6, 1879) was an American businessman, politician, and Mayor of Brooklyn.

Life

Powell was born on February 16, 1815, in New York City, New York, on Water Street,[1] the son of Jonah Powell and Abigail Stillwell.[2]

When Powell was 13, family reverses led him to begin working, initially with a New York store. In 1828, he moved to Brooklyn[1] and began working for Sylvanus B. Stillwell, the city's leading clothier. After four years, he began working on his own and became a successful businessman. He was a director of the Central Bank, the Citizens Gas Light Co., and the Nassau and Lafayette Insurance Companies.[2]

In 1845, Powell was elected alderman of Second Ward as a Democrat.[1] He was later elected Mayor of Brooklyn, serving in the office from 1857 to 1861. He was later re-elected as Mayor and served from 1872 to 1873.[3] In 1874, he was elected Comptroller. In 1877, he was appointed Park Commissioner. He was then elected County Treasurer, and his term for the office began in 1878, but his declining health meant he did little in that position.[4]

In 1837, Powell married Huldah A. Frazer. They had two children, Thomas Frazer and William Stilwell.[2]

Powell died at home from cancer on February 6, 1879. He was buried in his family plot in Green-Wood Cemetery.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Stiles, Henry R. (1869). A History of the City of Brooklyn. Vol. II. Brooklyn, N.Y. pp. 427–428 – via Google Books.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. 1 2 3 Stillwell, John E. (1930). The History of Captain Nicholas Stillwell, Son of Lieutenant Stillwell, and His Descendents. New York, N.Y. pp. 125–126 – via Internet Archive.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ↑ Howard, Henry W. B.; Jervis, Arthur N. (1893). The Eagle and Brooklyn: The Record of the Progress of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, N.Y.: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 385 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ↑ Stiles, Henry R.; Proctor, L. B.; Brockett, L. P. (1884). The Civil, Political, Professional and Ecclesiastical History, and Commercial and Industrial Record of the County of Kings and the City of Brooklyn, N. Y. from 1683 to 1884. Vol. I. New York, N.Y.: W. W. Munsell & Co. pp. 485–486 – via Google Books.
  5. ↑ "A Real Loss". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 40, no. 37. Brooklyn, N.Y. 7 February 1879. p. 4 – via Brooklyn Public Library: Historical Newspapers.
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