Archives West Finding Aid

John Havard Powell and Elizabeth Sargent Gastman, both Illinois natives and graduates of the University of Michigan, married in Spokane, WA, in 1892. The Powells soon settled in Seattle, where John began a successful law partnership with W.A. Peters. In addition to practicing law and serving as vice president of the Seattle Bar Association, John was also elected to the Washington State Legislature for one term, and served on the Board of Regents of the University of Washington.

The couple had five children after moving to the Seattle area: Sargent, Janet, Alisa, John Jr., and George. Many of the Powell children similarly distinguished themselves in western Washington. Sargent Powell taught chemistry for forty-four consecutive years at the University of Washington. Janet Tourtellotte was active in regional and national politics for over four decades, and served on the Evergree State College Board of Trustees from its founding in 1967. Following his father's example, George Van Tuyl Powell divided his time between a successful law practice, the State Legislature, and the University of Washington Board of Regents.

Several of the Powell children embarked on a trip to Europe in the summer of 1931, shortly after the death of their father. Janet, John Jr., George, and Neal Tourtellotte (Janet's husband) departed from New York City aboard the Lafayette , travelling at their mother's expense to celebrate the graduation of George from Princeton. Disembarking at Plymouth, England, the group toured several European countries in a Ford sedan brought over from the United States for this purpose.