Allen Ferdinand Owen (October 9, 1816 – April 7, 1865) was an American politician and

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

who served in the United States Congress. Owen was born near the Yadkin River in Wilkes County, North Carolina. He graduated from Franklin College at the University of Georgia in Athens, where he was a member of the

Phi Kappa Literary Society The Phi Kappa Literary Society is a college literary society, located at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, and is one of the few active literary societies left in America. Founded in 1820, the society continues to meet every academic ...

. He then graduated from Yale College in 1837, where he was a member of Skull and Bones, "This list is compiled from material from the Order of Skull and Bones membership books at

Sterling Library Sterling Memorial Library (SML) is the main library building of the Yale University Library system in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Opened in 1931, the library was designed by James Gamble Rogers as the centerpiece of Yale's Gothic Revi ...

, Yale University and other public records. The latest books available are the 1971 ''Living members'' and the 1973 ''Deceased Members'' books. The last year the members were published in the ''

Yale Banner Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

'' is 1969." and from the

Dane Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class i ...

at Harvard University in 1839. He was admitted to the bar in Boston, Massachusetts in 1839 and began the practice of law in Talbotton, Georgia in 1840. In 1843, Owen was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives and served in that position until 1847. The next year, he served as the clerk of the state House of Representatives and was delegate to the Whig National Convention. Owen was elected as to

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

as a Whig in 1848, serving one term, from March 4, 1849 through March 3, 1851; however, he later became associated with the

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. After his congressional career, Owen was a consul in

Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

from May through December 1851 and then resumed the practice of law in Talbotton. He died in Upatoi in

Muscogee County, Georgia Muscogee County is a county located on the central western border of the U.S. state of Georgia; its western border with the state of Alabama is formed by the Chattahoochee River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 206,922. Its county se ...

in 1865 while visiting relatives, and he was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Talbotton.

References

1816 births 1865 deaths People from Wilkes County, North Carolina Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers University of Georgia alumni Yale College alumni Harvard Law School alumni Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Talbotton, Georgia 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves {{GeorgiaUS-politician-stub