Alexander McGowan (sometimes spelled "McGowen," 1817–1893) was a foundry owner,
Mayor of Houston
The following is a list of people who have served as mayor of the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas.
Until 2015, the term of the mayor was two years. Beginning with the tenure of Bob Lanier, the city charter imposed term limits on offi ...
, Texas, and a Chief Justice of
Harris County, Texas
Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas; as of the 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145, making it the most populous county in Texas and the third most populous county in the United States. Its county seat is Houston, ...
on July 5, 1817. He was raised by foster parents and spent most of his youth in
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...
. He came to Houston in September 1839, opening a tin shop shortly after arriving. He married Sarah Christopher in 1841, and together they had eight children.
Manufacturing
McGowan graduated from tinner to hardware manufacturer, and eventually established a foundry in Houston. He sold his castings and hardware to people in various parts of Texas. He made the castings that
Gail Borden
Gail Borden Jr. (November 9, 1801 – January 11, 1874) was a native New Yorker who settled in Texas in 1829 (then still Mexico), where he worked as a land surveyor, newspaper publisher, and inventor. He created a process in 1853 to make sweet ...
used in his machine for making condensed milk. McGowan's foundry manufactured the boiler tubes for the first electrical power plant in Houston.
Political life
In 1845, McGowan was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention for prepare for the annexation of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
to the United States. He served as Chief Justice of Harris County. He was Alderman for the City of Houston for several terms, and a
Mayor of Houston
The following is a list of people who have served as mayor of the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas.
Until 2015, the term of the mayor was two years. Beginning with the tenure of Bob Lanier, the city charter imposed term limits on offi ...
for three terms. He was Tax Assessor for Harris County, and served as Harris County Treasurer.
Death
McGowan died December 26, 1893. He was buried at
San Felipe, Texas
San Felipe ( ), also known as San Felipe de Austin, is a town in Austin County, Texas, United States. The town was the social, economic, and political center of the early Stephen F. Austin colony. The population was 747 at the 2010 census.
Histo ...