Yavapai-Maricopa County AZ Archives Biographies.....Powers, Ridgely C. 1836 - living in 1896 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/az/azfiles.html ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com March 5, 2005, 7:00 pm Author: McFarland & Poole p. 492-493 HON. R. C. POWERS. The American product, man, is the finest type upon the face of the earth, for the reason that he is not pampered and spoiled by luxury and for the further reason that he knows he may aspire to any height without prejudice against him as to birth or previous condition. While the subject of this sketch received excellent educational advantages in his youth, he has practically made his own way in the world, and his present substantial position in the business world is due to his own efforts. He was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, December 24, 1836, a son of Milo and Lucy A. (Dickenson) Powers. The ancestors were early settlers of New England and Pennsylvania, and fought bravely and well for American independence in the Revolutionary War. This independent spirit also asserted itself in the War of 1812, for in that struggle both grandfathers were participants, and Samuel Dickenson held the rank of lieutenant. The male members of both the Powers and Dickenson families were sturdy and prosperous tillers of the soil as a general thing, but there were exceptions to this rule. Both grandfathers died in Trumbull County, Ohio, of which region they were pioneers, and here they found their greatest field of usefulness, for the country was inhabited by Indians and wild beasts and was in a wild and unsettled condition. They assisted in bringing about a changed condition of affairs, drove the red man from his haunts, captured and killed many wild animals, cleared and cultivated and improved the soil, made roads by blazing trees, built bridges, in fact, assisted in all work incident to pioneer life. Milo Powers followed in his ancestors' footsteps and became a tiller of the soil. While in Noxubee County, Mississippi, his death occurred, but his widow still survives him. Of a family of seven children born to them, three survive: Mrs. James McKee of New Orleans, whose husband is clerk in the United States Court of Appeals; Mrs. C. W. Loomis of Cleveland, Ohio, and Ridgely C., the immediate subject of this biography. In the county that gave him birth his youthful days were spent, and there he received far more liberal educational advantages than the average boy of his day. At the age of twenty-one he entered the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he completed a course, after which, in June, 1862, he was graduated from Union College, Schenectady, New York. He had long been imbued with the patriotic spirit that had influenced his ancestors at Bunker's Hill and Lundy's Lane, and immediately after his graduation he enlisted in Company C, I25th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the close of the war, being mostly on detached duty. He was captain and assistant adjutant general the greater part of the last year of his service, to which position he attained through force of pluck and native ability. He was brevetted major and lieutenant-colonel for gallant conduct during the Atlanta campaign, and his entire military career was characterized by a marked fidelity to duty and by the utmost courage on all occasions. He was in all the most important engagements in which his regiment participated and in the battle of Jonesboro was slightly wounded. In December, 1865, immediately after being mustered out of the service at New Orleans, he located in Noxubee County, Miss., where he purchased a cotton plantation and followed planting for fifteen years. He became prominent in that locality, was in favor of reconstruction, and in 1869 was elected lieutenant-governor of Mississippi on that ticket, with J. L. Alcorn, who two years later was elected United States Senator, at the end of which time Mr. Powers became Governor and filled the position with marked ability from 1872 to 1874. He continued his planting operations, however, up to 1879, when he came to Arizona and located at Prescott, in which place he has since been engaged in mining surveying and engineering and has been an active promoter of mining interests and quite an extensive dealer in real estate. He is the owner of the "Model" gold mine and also owns an interest in the "Emmett" gold mine, both of which are paying. Since locating in Prescott he has taken no active interest in political matters, but has devoted his time and attention to his business interests, in the management of which he has shown excellent business capacity and foresight. He owns a ranch on the Gila River below Phoenix, which is a valuable one, besides other real estate interests. Mr. Powers is a member of the G. A. R. and politically is a life-long Republican, He was married in 1875 to Miss Louise Born, by whom he became the father of one son, Ridgely C., Jr. His second marriage occurred in 1893, his wife being Miss Mary Wilson of Cleveland. The degree of A. M. was conferred upon him in 1866 by Union College. Additional Comments: From: A Historical and Biographical Record of the Territory of Arizona Published by McFarland & Poole, Chicago, 1896 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/az/yavapai/bios/gbs62powers.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/azfiles/ File size: 5.5 Kb