His popularity and charisma led him to election victory to the House of Representatives in 1944 after a stint in the New York City Council. The first black congressman from New York and only the second black in Congress, Powell made his mark early. He spearheaded a movement to keep the N-word out of the mouths of members of Congress and off the floor of both Houses.

He survived threats in the 1950’s from Tammany Hall, the powerful New York political machine and helped pass key social domestic legislation during President Kennedy’s “New Frontier” and President Johnson’s “Great Society” respectively in the 1960’s.  

Rising fast, he would chair the influential Education & Labor Committee and it was in this capacity that Powell would lead the passage of over 50 bills in one session, which is still a congressional record to this day.

With that said, Powell was considered one of the most influential bridges between the Northeastern black communities, the federal government, and the civil rights movement. But as his legislative successes became more present, Powell became more absent.

Bimini Beach, courtesy footloosecharters.net

“He openly drank alcohol, smoked, and had adulterous affairs. When he strode up the aisle of his packed church to preach,

women parishioners later admitted to being distracted from thoughts of God by enrapture with the tall playboy- minister.”

By 1968, he moved to his beloved Bimini during these tough times to get away from it all.

The islands are so small that they are reachable only by boat, but that didn’t deter him. The islands had also become a safe haven for famed author Ernest Hemingway in the 1930’s. But Bimini, or Powell’s activities there, would attribute to his undoing as photos of Powell surfaced in Harlem of the congressman on the island with women, liquor, and a cigar in hand. He was also facing tax evasion charges and accused of taking kickbacks from former employees. The congressional leadership in turn stripped him of his seat as chairman on the Education & Labor Committee. He would fight this in the 1969 case Powell v. McCormack, where it was decided that he could remain on the committee, but all of his previous seniority was gone when he returned.

The next year Powell would lose his seat all together in the Democratic primary to a young Korean War vet, Charlie Rangel, who still holds the seat today. He would return to Bimini, where he would spend the rest of his days. 
                                                                                 
Bimini is now a tourist vacation spot for many Americans, as it is believed to have once been apart of the road system to the lost city of Atlantis. Today the islands are filled with restaurants, top hotels, and are considered a hub for big-game fishing.

arrival of Hemingway or Powell, now it is considered a luxury weekend hot spot for many residents of South Florida.  His presence on Capitol Hill was the precursor to the Congressional Black Caucus. In his day black members of Congress were a rarity, now there are 43.