Henry Absalom Powell

Who was Henry Absalom Powell?

Henry Absalom Powell was a Canadian lawyer and politician.

Born in Richibucto, New Brunswick, the son of Edmund Powell, Powell was educated at Kent County Grammar School and at Mount Allison University where he graduated in 1875. He was called to the Bar of New Brunswick in 1880 and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1894. Powell practised law in Sackville and Saint John. He was also professor of law at King's College in Windsor, Nova Scotia.

He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in the general elections of 1890, but resigned after the election was protested. He was re-elected, and again, in 1891, after being unseated. He was re-elected in 1892 and resigned in August 1895 when he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons for the electoral district of Westmorland. A Liberal-Conservative, he was re-elected in 1896. He was defeated in 1900, 1904, and 1911. He was a member of the Board of Governors of Mount Allison University.

In 1878, he married Allie Payson. Powell died in Saint John at the age of 75.