Powell Glass, Jr., was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, on February 21, 1917, to Powell and Anne Glass. His grandfather, Carter Glass, served as United States Secretary of the Treasury between 1918 and 1920, and his father, Powell Glass, Sr., served as a major in France during the First World War, and later worked as a newspaper editor. The family published a Lynchburg newspaper, the News and Daily Advance . Glass joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve before 1941, and served as a major with the 5th Marine Corps Division headquarters in 1944 and 1945. He married before 1945. He died in February 1979.
From the guide to the Powell Glass, Jr., papers, Glass, Powell, Jr., papers, 1941-1945, 1944-1945, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)
