George Cowie (August 25, 1828 – February 17, 1904) was an American farmer and politician. Born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, Cowie was a miner. In 1848, he emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and settled in

Pottsville, Pennsylvania Pottsville is the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,346 at the 2020 census, and is the principal city of the Pottsville, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city lies along the west bank of th ...

, where he continued to work as a miner. From 1850 to 1851, he lived in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, returning to Pottsville in 1851. In 1855, Cowie moved to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

and settled in

Buffalo County, Wisconsin Buffalo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,317. Its county seat is Alma. The county was created in 1853 and organized the following year. History Buffalo County, founded in ...

, where he had a farm. He helped set up the town of

Glencoe, Wisconsin Glencoe is a town in Buffalo County, Wisconsin, Buffalo County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 485 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated community of Glencoe (community), Wisconsin, Glencoe is located in the town. Geography Ac ...

, which was named for the region in Scotland where Cowie's family came from. Cowie was the chairman of the Glencoe Town Board and was the postmaster of Glencoe. He also served on the Buffalo County Board of Supervisors. After defeating Republican candidate John Hauser in 1871, in 1872 Cowie served in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

and was the first

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. In 1894, he retired and moved with his wife to

Arcadia, Wisconsin Arcadia is a city in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Trempealeau River. The population was 3,737 at the 2020 census. Arcadia is a Latino-majority city and the largest city in Trempealeau county. History Arcadia was founde ...

. Cowie died on February 17, 1904, in

Longmont, Colorado The City of Longmont is a home rule municipality located in Boulder and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. Longmont is located northeast of the county seat of Boulder and north-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. Longmont ...

, while visiting a daughter.''History of Buffalo and Pepin Counties, Wisconsin'', vol. 1, Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge, H. C. Cooper, Jr. & Company: Winona, Minnesota: 1919, Biographical Sketch of George Cowie, pp. 127–128.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cowie, George 1828 births 1904 deaths Politicians from Edinburgh Politicians from Pottsville, Pennsylvania People from Buffalo County, Wisconsin Scottish emigrants to the United States Farmers from Wisconsin Mayors of places in Wisconsin County supervisors in Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin postmasters Burials in Wisconsin 19th-century American politicians