Gershom Powers

Gershom Powers (July 11, 1789 – June 25, 1831) was an American lawyer, jurist, and law enforcement officer who served one term as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1829 to 1831. Born in Croydon, New Hampshire, he attended the common schools and was largely self-taught in his early years. Seeking broader opportunities, he moved to central New York as a young man, joining the stream of New Englanders who were settling in the region in the early nineteenth century.

Powers pursued further education while supporting himself through teaching. He taught school in the town of Sempronius, New York, and at the same time attended the local law school there. He completed his legal studies and graduated in 1810. In that same year he was admitted to practice law before the courts of New York and commenced his legal career in Auburn, New York, which would remain his principal place of residence and professional activity.

Alongside his private law practice, Powers quickly became involved in public service and the administration of justice. He was appointed warden of Auburn Prison in 1820, a position he held until 1823. Auburn Prison was then a leading institution in the development of new penal methods, and his role placed him at the center of early nineteenth-century debates over prison discipline and reform. In 1823 he was appointed first judge of the court of common pleas of Cayuga County, a post he held until 1828. As first judge, he presided over a broad range of civil and criminal matters, helping to shape the legal order of a rapidly growing region of upstate New York.

Powers entered national politics as a supporter of Andrew Jackson. As a member of the Jackson Party representing New York, he was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-first Congress and served from March 4, 1829, to March 3, 1831. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, marked by the rise of Jacksonian democracy and intense debates over federal authority, economic policy, and the expanding role of popular participation in government. During his single term, he contributed to the legislative process and represented the interests of his New York constituents in the U.S. House of Representatives.

While in Congress, Powers held a notable leadership position as chairman of the Committee on the District of Columbia in the Twenty-first Congress. In that capacity he was involved in legislation affecting the governance and administration of the nation’s capital, which was under direct congressional authority. Despite the prominence of this role, he declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1830, choosing not to seek a second term and thereby concluding his brief but active period of congressional service.

After leaving Congress, Powers returned to responsibilities connected with the state penal system. He was appointed inspector of Auburn Prison on April 2, 1830, and served in that capacity until his death. His work as both former warden and later inspector reflected a sustained engagement with prison management and oversight at a time when Auburn was one of the most closely watched penal institutions in the United States.

Powers’s personal life was closely tied to other prominent New York political families. He married Eliza Hatch (1800–1885), who was a half-sister of Governor Enos T. Throop, thereby linking him by marriage to one of the leading Democratic figures in the state. After his death, his widow married Judge William B. Rochester (1789–1838) in 1832, another notable New York jurist and public official, underscoring the family’s continued association with the state’s legal and political elite.

Gershom Powers died in Auburn, New York, on June 25, 1831, while still serving as inspector of Auburn Prison. He was interred in North Street Cemetery in Auburn. His career encompassed the roles of attorney, prison administrator, county judge, and member of Congress, and his public service reflected the intertwined development of law, penal reform, and democratic politics in early nineteenth-century New York.