Background
POWELL, Clifford Ross was born on July 26, 1893 in Lumberton, New Jersey, United States. Son of Spencer H. and Florence (Ross) Powell.
POWELL, Clifford Ross was born on July 26, 1893 in Lumberton, New Jersey, United States. Son of Spencer H. and Florence (Ross) Powell.
High School.
Powell practiced in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey, and served as an Assistant County Prosecutor for Burlington County and the city or town attorney for several Burlington County municipalities. Powell enlisted in the New Jersey National Guard, and advanced to the rank of Sergeant. He served in the United States Army during World War I, receiving a commission in the Aviation branch.
In 1941 he was promoted to Major General in the New Jersey National Guard as commander of the 44th Infantry Division.
Powell was relieved of his division command after maneuvers in North and South Carolina, and continued to serve in New Jersey until he retired from the military in 1948. In 1922 he was elected to the New Jersey State Assembly.
He was Majority Leader in 1924, and served as Speaker in 1925. He served as acting governor for the last five days of his tenure as President of the New Jersey Senate, after A. Harry Moore resigned to take a seat in the United States Senate.
In his brief time as Acting Governor, he took the opportunity to abolish the New Jersey State Recovery Administration, the state-level counterpart of the National Recovery Administration, which had been establishing minimum prices and other "fair competition" codes.
He ran unsuccessfully for Governor in 1937. He died on March 30, 1973 in Burlington County Memorial Hospital.
He was a member of the New Jersey Senate from Burlington County, New Jersey from 1928 to 1939.
Spouse H. Irene Emery, November 3, 1916, N.