Photo of Mrs. Jennie Powers from a 1917 Boston Post newspaper. Colorized by J.W. Brown.
The Boston Sunday Globe newspaper called her “a fearless woman.” At her death the National Humane review said of her: “For in all the state there was no one like Jennie Belle Powers. Mrs. Powers was humane agent for the Cheshire County Humane Society. A unique personality, no other woman was better qualified for the duties of an active humane officer. She had an unusual background and an amazing career.”
Despite her tough job you rarely saw criticism of her though she was frequently in the news. She devoted much of her life to insuring that both man (mostly women and children) and beast were protected from cruelty in all its forms. Her personal life was touched by tragedy as both of her children died as infants. Perhaps it was that sense of loss, that became part of her drive to protect the young and mothers. Continue reading
