Biography

04/22/1786 - 06/24/1856

John Hare Powel Federalist (F1) 1827-1828, National Republican (NR1) 1828-1830

Early Life: 

Born John Hare legally changed name to John Hare Powel (i) born April 22, 1786, Poulton, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; son of Robert and Margaret Willing Hare; later adopted Senator Samuel Powel’s widow, the sister of Margaret; counting house of Willing and Francis, 1806; traveled, Calcutta, 1806-1807; Secretary, American Legation, London, 1807-1811; Brigade-Major, Pennsylvania militia, 1811; Inspector-General, Pennsylvania militia, War of 1812; colonel, United States Army, Inspector-General, 1814-1815; married Julia De Veaux, 1817 seven children, Samuel, De Veaux, Henry Baring, Robert Hare, Julia, John Hare Jr., and Ida; Founded, Pennsylvania Agricultural Society, 1823; author, Memoirs of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Society, 1824, Hints for American Farmers, 1827; Charter Trustees, Lafayette College, 1826-1835; elected, Federalist, Pennsylvania State Senate, 1827-1830; died, June 14, 1856, Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island; interment, Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.

Early Career:  

Secretary, American Legation, London, 1807-1811, under minister of England, William Pinkney.

Brigade-Major, Pennsylvania militia, Thomas Cadwalader, Camp Dupont, Wilmington, Delaware, 1811; Inspector-General, Pennsylvania militia, War of 1812; colonel, United States Army, Inspector-General, 1814-1815.

Founded, Pennsylvania Agricultural Society, 1823. 

Charter Trustees, Lafayette College, 1826-1835

Authored:

Memoirs of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Society (1824); Hints for American Farmers (1827).

Pennsylvania Politics:

Elected, Federalist, Pennsylvania State Senate, 1st district, Philadelphia City, 1827-1828; reelected, National Republican, 1828-1829, 1829-1830. (ii)

Legacy:

Built a massive Greek-Revival mansion and estate, named "Powelton" West Philadelphia, designed by the architect William Strickland, overlooking the Schuylkill River. Powel sold Powelton to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, 1851. The railroad kept 30 acres along the river and sold the rest for development of residential housing. The mansion was demolished in 1885, and the estate developed as the neighborhood Powelton Village.

Powelton Village, Philadelphia is a national historic district that is part of University City. It extends north from Market Street to Spring Garden Street, east to 32nd Street, west to 40th and Spring Garden Streets, and to 44th and Market Streets.

Cited:

       (i) John Powel Hare, son of her sister, Margaret Willing, and Robert Hare. John changed his name by an act of legislature in 1809 to John Hare Powel in order to carry on the Powel legacy. (Actually, the year was 1808: Poulson's American Daily Advertiser; Volume XXXVII; Issue 9738; p. 3; February 19, 1808, found on Genealogybank.com.)

       (ii) https://staffweb.wilkes.edu/harold.cox/legis/SP.html