A Woman’s Way: Elizabeth Powel’s Informal Influence

You probably don’t know the name Elizabeth Powel, but George Washington did. So did Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Benjamin Rush, and the Marquis de Lafayette.

Powel was—well, it’s hard to say what she really was because English doesn’t have a word that perfectly captures the role she played in colonial America. Some might call her a “socialite” or merely a “wife,” but Powel (and countless other women like her) deserve something better. By working through means outside formal political channels, she (and they) managed to shape the course of events at a time when women typically did not hold office or even have the right to vote.

It’s time for us to recognize this form of influence-and learn from it.

A Different Route to Influence

Born in 1742, Elizabeth was the daughter of Charles and Anne Willing. Charles was a wealthy merchant, as well as a two-time mayor of Philadelphia, and he and Anne were able to provide their three daughters with considerable advantages. These daughters were active in social circles, even coming to be known as the “three goddesses,” as noted in a brief biography on the website Philadelphia Landmarks:

Whether it was a dancing assembly, tea table, or a trip to one of the fishing clubs along the Schuylkill River, Elizabeth and her sisters would be there. Elizabeth used these events to learn about international goings-on and local politics and to establish her own powerful place in society.

Elizabeth also enjoyed a fine education, which would have helped prepare her for a life of intelligent conversation and influence.

In 1769, she married Samuel Powel, who would later serve as mayor of Philadelphia. Firmly situated in the elite circle of movers and shakers in the city, the Powels entertained some important guests at their home on Fourth Street, just a few blocks from the Pennsylvania State House, the building we know as Independence Hall.

Recalling one “sinful feast” he had at the Powel home in 1774, John Adams wrote of “Every Thing which could delight the Eye or allure the Taste...20 sorts of Tarts, fools, Trifles, floating islands, whipped sillabubs etc; etc;..."

Guests did more than dine at these gatherings. When you put politicians and intellectuals in a room, they’re going to talk—and not merely about the whipped sillabubs.

A Woman “outspoken in her views”

Now, we might imagine that colonial women stayed out of the political discourse, but not Elizabeth Powel. “From her extensive correspondence,” the author of the article in Philadelphia Landmarks explains, “it is clear that Elizabeth was outspoken in her views and never hesitated in expressing them at gatherings.”

Thanks to her background, Elizabeth could hold her own in such conversations, as Abigail Adams, an influential woman in her own right, observed, saying that “of all the ladies I have seen and conversed with, Mrs. Powel is the best informed.”

Anne Willing Francis had a similar view of her sister. "When in society [Elizabeth] will animate and give a brilliancy to the whole Conversation, [with] the uncommon command she has of Language and [the fact that] her ideas flow with rapidity,” Francis said, but added, “I sometimes think her Patriotism causes too much Anxiety. Female politicians are always ridiculed by the other Sex.”

This is the impression that I suspect many of us have of the place of women in earlier eras in our country’s history, and it’s not entirely inaccurate. (See, for example, the fascinating scene involving Senator Bird and his wife in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin.) Still, Elizabeth Powel’s experience is different. Indeed, none other than Dr. Benjamin Rush, one of the leading figures of his day, dedicated his pamphlet “Thoughts Upon Female Education,” based on a speech he gave in 1787, to Elizabeth Powel.

Consider, too, the famous remark that Benjamin Franklin made after the completion of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. You may know the story: Franklin was asked, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” What you may not know is that the question came from Elizabeth Powel. Franklin’s response is telling. According to an account by Maryland delegate James McHenry, Franklin said, “A republic, madam, if you can keep it.”

According to this account, Franklin not only responded directly to the question—a sign of respect to the woman who asked it—but also explicitly referred to her as a woman (with the word “madam”) and, in using the pronoun “you,” included Powel, as a woman, in the body of people who would have to “keep” this republic. He could have said, “if the men can keep it” or even “if it can be kept,” but McHenry’s account has him referring explicitly to the woman he was addressing. (Franklin held women in high regard, as his experience in France a few years earlier shows. Yes, he was a flirt, but part of his charm for women, as I see it, was the sincere respect he had for them.)

In her article “The Influencer,” Samantha Snyder calls Elizabeth Powel “a force in late 18th–century Philadelphia” and sums up her influence in this way:

She was a political power player, in a time when women were not supposed to be involved with politics. Although she could not run for office, she used her home as her public stage, situating herself at the center of a robust network of powerful individuals. . . . She and her husband Samuel Powel, an intellectual and wealthy politician, developed a social network of elites by hosting events and salons at their home in the Society Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia. Powel directed these salons, participating in informal discussions that influenced decisions about the founding of the United States government.

Having Washington’s Ear

Perhaps no one among the founders held Elizabeth Powel in greater esteem than George Washington, who became close to her in the 1770s while he and others were in Philadelphia for the Continental Congress meetings. Many years later, while serving as the nation’s first president, Washington was considering stepping down, and he consulted his longtime friend, Elizabeth Powel. In his article “Washington’s Other Woman,” Welles Brandriff explains what happened next, drawing on work by Washington scholar Ron Chernow:

On November 17, Powel sat at her writing desk and in a seven-page letter reminded her friend the president of his responsibilities to the millions who looked to him to guide the ship of state. Resigning would cost him his popularity, she said. Resignation would please his enemies and cause his friends and followers dismay and regret. Some would question his motives or call him self-serving. "The Antifederalists would use it as an argument for dissolving the Union" and claim that Washington, finding the system flawed, was absconding lest blame for its failure fall on his shoulders, Eliza declared. Finally, Powel invoked the prosperity and happiness of the people that the nation had entrusted to him, closing with "Your sincere affectionate Friend." Chernow maintains that Eliza's letter was among factors that bucked George up. He stayed on the job and did run again in 1793—as in his first campaign, taking every electoral vote.

Now, that’s political influence. Although she held no political office, Elizabeth Powel was able to advise the president—the father of our country, no less—to remain in office.

One possible reason for Elizabeth’s influence in this case seems to have been her personal connection with Washington. Snyder notes:

Powel skillfully deployed her emotional connection with Washington to attain her political goals. As one of Washington’s closest friends, she knew him in a way his Cabinet members did not. Aware that Washington valued patriotism and disinterestedness, Powel questioned if his actions were truly for the good of the country, or if they were instead rooted in unconscious selfishness.

This is the kind of influence we may not always recognize. We think in terms of objective arguments based on facts and logic, but we should remember that appealing to a person’s personality, values, and feelings is also a potent—perhaps an even more potent—form of persuasion.

What’s Your Way?

Elizabeth Powel was never a mayor (like her father or husband), a delegate to the Constitutional Convention (like Franklin), or president (like Washington), but she found ways to share her thoughts and, it seems, exert influence.

America has come a long way since those early days. Women, along with other marginalized members of our society, have secured the right to vote and, furthermore, occupied very influential positions in politics, business, and more. We are still not where we need to be, though. Even as we strive to achieve that level of equality, we should remember that influence comes in a variety of forms. Creativity, paired with confidence, can go a long way, as Elizabeth Powel’s example shows.

I hope you feel empowered to make a difference. If you feel you do not have sufficient access to formal spheres of influence—or even if you do—I encourage you to do as Elizabeth Powel and others have done and exert your influence through informal channels, which can be even more impactful than the formal ones.

You may be surprised by how much power you have.