John Owen (politician)

John Owen

John Owen (born August 1787 in Bladen County , North Carolina , † October 9, 1841 in Chatham County , North Carolina) was an American politician and the 24th governor of North Carolina.

Early years and political advancement

The exact date of birth of John Owens is unknown, but the sources assume a date in August 1787. John attended the local schools in his home country and was briefly at the University of North Carolina , where he did not graduate. In 1812, John Owens was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives, where he remained until 1814. From 1819 to 1820 and again from 1827 to 1828 he was in the Senate of his home state . In between he was from 1824 to 1827 a member of the State Council of North Carolina under Governor Hutchins Burton .

North Carolina Governor

In December 1828, Owen was elected the new governor in a vote in the North Carolina Parliament with 96 to 92 votes against Richard Spaight junior . He was re-elected the following year. He renounced a third constitutional term in 1830. Thus, his time as governor ended in December 1830. During these two years he promoted education policy. He himself was a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina. He also campaigned for the expansion of the infrastructure, especially the waterways and canals.

Further career

After the end of his term as governor, he applied unsuccessfully for a seat in the US Senate. In 1835 he was a member of the congregation intended to revise the North Carolina Constitution. The former Democrat and supporter of Andrew Jackson joined the Whig Party in his final years . In 1839 he was chairman of the party's national congress. Their top candidate for the American presidency, William H. Harrison , offered him the candidacy for the office of vice president on this occasion. John Owen turned it down, and so John Tyler received that nomination that would bring him to the White House after Harrison's death in 1841, an opportunity Owen had missed. John Owen died in October 1841. He was married to Mary Lucy Brown. They had a child together.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 2, Meckler Books, Westport, Conn. 1978, 4 volumes

Web links

• John Owen in the National Governors Association (English)
• John Owen in the database of Find a Grave (English)