DIRECTOR
POWER OF ATTORNEY

Know all by these presents, that the undersigned hereby constitutes and
appoints each of Bruce A. Backberg, Kenneth F. Spence, III, Matthew S.
Furman and Wendy Skjerven, signing individually, the undersigned's true and
lawful attorney-in-fact to:

(1)  execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, a Form ID Application
and submit the same to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission;

(2)  execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the undersigned's
capacity as a director of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (the "Company"),
Forms 3, 4 and 5 in accordance with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, and the rules
thereunder;

(3)  execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the undersigned's
capacity as a director of the Company, Form 144 in accordance with the
Securities Act of 1933 and the rules thereunder;

(4)  do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the undersigned
which may be necessary or desirable to complete and execute any such Forms 3,
4, 5 and 144 and timely file such form with the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission and any stock exchange or similar authority; and

(5)  take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection with the
foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be of benefit
to, in the best interest of, or legally required by, the undersigned, it being
understood that the documents executed by such attorney-in-fact on behalf of
the undersigned pursuant to this Power of Attorney shall be in such form and
shall contain such terms and conditions as such attorney-in-fact may approve
in such attorney-in-fact's discretion.

The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power and
authority to do and perform any and every act and thing whatsoever requisite,
necessary, or proper to be done in the exercise of any of the rights and powers
herein granted, as fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might
or could do if personally present, with full power of substitution or
revocation, hereby ratifying and confirming all that such attorney-in-fact,
or such attorney-in-fact's substitute or substitutes, shall lawfully do or
cause to be done by virtue of this power of attorney and the rights and powers
herein granted.  The undersigned acknowledges that the foregoing
attorneys-in-fact, in serving in such capacity at the request of the
undersigned, are not assuming, nor is the Company assuming, any of the
undersigned's responsibilities to comply with the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, the Securities Act of 1933 and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the
undersigned is no longer required to file Forms 3, 4, 5 and 144 with respect
to the undersigned's holdings of and transactions in securities issued by the
Company, unless earlier revoked by the undersigned in a signed writing
delivered to the foregoing attorneys-in-fact.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney to be
executed as of this 7th day of May, 2008.

Signature:  /s/Glen D. Nelson
Printed Name:  Glen D. Nelson