Luther Theophilus Powell was a Jamaican immigrant best known as the father of former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Born in rural Jamaica, he emigrated to the United States in the early 1920s, arriving in New York City where he worked as a shipping clerk in the garment district—a role that demanded long hours and physical labor, reflecting the challenges faced by many Caribbean immigrants during that era. He married Maud Ariel McKoy, another Jamaican immigrant, in 1936, and the couple settled in the South Bronx, raising two sons: Colin Luther Powell (born 1937) and Luther Theophilus Powell Jr. Luther emphasized education, discipline, and self-reliance, values that profoundly influenced Colin's path to military and political prominence. Despite his low-profile life, his experiences as an immigrant shaped the Powell family's narrative of opportunity and perseverance in the face of racial and economic barriers. Luther Theophilus Powell passed away in 1975 at the age of 77.