Nov. 29, 1908: Adam Clayton Powell Jr. was born in New Haven, CT. A preacher and congressman, he is also known for his civil rights work. Powell was the first person of African-American descent to be elected from New York to Congress and the fourth in the 20th century. He grew up in the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem where his father was the pastor, and graduated from Colgate University in 1930. ABHS has Powell’s autobiography and other of his writings as well as many books and magazine articles about him.
