Biography
George Powers was one of five Detroit workers sentenced to 90 days in jail for holding a workers' meeting, pictured (surname only) in the July 1930 Labor Defender. A contemporary Daily Worker report identifies George E. Powers as secretary of the Trade Union Unity League's Michigan District, and the May 22, 1930 Daily Worker names Powers among those arrested at the Briggs factory-gate meeting. Born in Boston on February 15, 1892, he worked as a sheet-metal worker and labor organizer, lived for a time in Detroit, and ran as the Workers' Party candidate for United States senator from Michigan in 1930. (Recorded as George Edward Powers)
The Daily Worker of July12,1930 names Powers among the labor organizers still jailed during the Detroit/Flint automobile struggle and reports a hunger strike by the detained workers over their treatment.
The October 3, 1933 Daily Worker identifies George E. Powers as the Communist candidate for Queens borough president. It recalls his September 21, 1932 arrest while leading an unemployment demonstration at New York City Hall and reports that his inciting-to-riot trial before Judge Corrigan was adjourned indefinitely on October 2, 1933. He was on bail; the adjournment is not a new arrest or discharge. Source: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1933/v10-n237-oct-03-1933-DW-LOC.pdf#page=2
Daily Worker, November 3, 1928, page 2: Identified as G. E. Powers, an organizer of the Architectural Iron, Bronze and Structural Workers Union, he faced a felonious-assault prosecution during the Garman Iron Works strike in Long Island City. The jury trial began October 29, 1928; after two days the case was dismissed for lack of evidence. William Karlin was defense counsel, not prosecutor. No separate physical release day or completed custody total is established. Source: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1928/1928-ny/v05-n261-NY-nov-03-1928-DW-LOC.pdf
The January 29 Pontiac dispatch reports the criminal-syndicalism defendants still held under $7,500 bail each while the hearing was postponed. This is a contemporaneous bail report in the existing January case, not an additional conviction or service total. Daily Worker, January 30, 1930, page 1. Source: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1930/v06-n281-NY-jan-30-1930-DW-LOC.pdf
The February 3 issue reports his January 31 unlawful-assembly conviction, remand to the Tombs after bail was denied and next-day release on $3,500 bail. Its April 21, 1932 date for the underlying relief demonstration conflicts with the September 21 date in the established earlier report; that conflict is preserved. The announced February 8 sentencing and one-year maximum do not prove a completed sentence. Source: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1934/v11-n030-feb-03-1934-DW-LOC.pdf#page=2
The January 23, 1934 Daily Worker reports that a jury had been empaneled for Powers trial on inciting-to-riot and police-assault charges arising from the New York City Hall demonstration. It dates the underlying arrest April 21, 1932, retaining the already noted conflict with the September 1932 date in another report. This procedural report is not a new physical custody episode. Source: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1934/v11-n020-jan-23-1934-DW-LOC.pdf#page=2
The official House Clerk returns for the November 4, 1930 congressional election list George Powers as a candidate for the United States Senate from Michigan with the Workers designation. This corroborates electoral activity rather than a fresh arrest or custody endpoint. Source: https://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1930election.pdf#page=10
The July 3 dispatch, continued on page 2, named these participants among those arrested in the Wall Street anti-imperialist demonstration and jailed at the second precinct. The report gave collective charges of obstructing traffic, speeches to incite riot and insulting an officer, with hearings scheduled that night and International Labor Defense representation. Later case-specific reporting may differ from these initial collective charges. Daily Worker, July 4, 1928, original PDF page 2. Source: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1928/1928-ny/v05-n157-NY-jul-04-1928-DW-LOC.pdf#page=2
The July 11 report announced the next morning's court hearings for these July 3 anti-imperialist demonstration defendants, charged with disorderly conduct. Nathan Kaplan was separately charged with felonious assault. This gives more specific charges than the initial July 4 collective account. Daily Worker, July 11, 1928, original PDF page 1. Source: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1928/1928-ny/v05-n163-NY-jul-11-1928-DW-LOC.pdf#page=1
The Daily Worker of January 23, 1930, reported that Philip Raymond and George Powers were held under $15,000 bail each on criminal syndicalism charges after an unemployed workers demonstration in Pontiac, Michigan. Its Detroit dispatch dated January 22 described the arrests as occurring the previous day. This is a separate episode from the later 1930 factory meeting prosecution. Release and disposition are not established by this report.
The report identifies George E. Powers as the leader arrested and beaten at an April 21, 1932 New York City Hall unemployment demonstration. It says he had been on $3,500 bail, the trial was called yesterday and adjourned to March 9 before Judge Allen, with riot, incitement and assault allegations. The April 21 date differs from the September 21 date in the later October 1933 report already stored for a City Hall arrest. These could reflect separate events or a reporting error; no second case is created without resolving that identity-of-event question, and neither stored arrest day nor an individual discharge day is overwritten. Eleven months is the article’s approximate bail interval, not imprisonment.
Daily Worker, November 3, 1928; relevant page stated in the accompanying profile note.
The January 23 jury-selection report places his inciting-to-riot and assault prosecution before Judge Freschi in General Sessions and dates the underlying City Hall unemployment demonstration to April 21, 1932. This supports the existing record’s documented source-date discrepancy with September 21 accounts without resolving it. Jury selection and a scheduled witness hearing are not a conviction or another physical arrest.
The July12 court hearing dismissed the WallStreet demonstration cases of GeorgePowers,MaxShachtman,D.Benjamin and I.Zimmerman. MagistrateSimpson said they had exercised free speech without breaking the peace. This supplements the existing July3 arrest row; exact physical discharge and complete custody remain unprinted.
