Edward Farrior Powell was born on October 11, 1892, in Whiteville, North Carolina. Powell was employed as a cashier at the Bank of Columbus when he registered for the draft (World War I) in June 1917. He served in the United States Navy at Section Base Charleston in South Carolina from August 1918 until the armistice on November 11, 1918. Powell died in Columbus County, North Carolina, on November 19, 1923.