William Powell was born in 1839 in Herefordshire, England. His family had a large estate and William was encouraged to learn all that he could about cattle breeding and the management aspects of the cattle business.

When he was in his early twenties, William Powell took the reins to one of his father's properties. Still, being the boss wasn't enough to hold William in England. He wanted to go to the states.

In 1866, William immigrated to the United States and settled in Pittsfield, Ohio. There, he managed to gain half interest in championship-quality Hereford bulls. During his time in Ohio, he also had a flock of Cotswold sheep.

1871 brought with it another move for William Powell. He moved to Illinois and met up with a man by the name of T.L. Miller. A Chicago insurance salesman, Miller joined with Powell to begin a Hereford cattle-breeding business. They were the first businessmen in the central area of the United States to enter into the Hereford cattle breeding business.

Powell and Miller promoted the Hereford breed. Four years later, Powell decided to start his own farm and exhibitions were open to the public. Soon, cattlemen and businessmen from around the country came to view the Hereford cattle.

Eventually, William ended up in Texas. He took the finest stock he had and met up with B.C. Rhome of Fort Worth. Together, they purchased a 12,000 acre farm and began what became known as the Home Herd.

With business booming, William Powell's brother saw opportunity. He moved from Wyoming to join his brother and by 1904, the brothers had developed one of the largest Hereford breeding centers in the United States.

William Powell died in 1917. After his death, Powell's brother continued the family business later passing the business on to his own sons.