George Washington Owen (October 20, 1796 – August 18, 1837) was an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the

United States 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

for

Alabama's 3rd congressional district Alabama's 3rd congressional district is a United States congressional district in Alabama that elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. It is based in east central Alabama and encompasses portions of Montgomery an ...

and the 10th

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Mobile.

Early life and education

Owen was born in

Brunswick County, Virginia Brunswick County is a United States county located on the southern border of the Commonwealth of Virginia. This rural county is known as one of the claimants to be the namesake of Brunswick stew. Brunswick County was created in 1720 from parts ...

, in 1796, but moved to

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

at a young age. He graduated from the

University of Nashville University of Nashville was a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It was established in 1806 as Cumberland College. It existed as a distinct entity until 1909; operating at various times a medical school, a four-year military college, a ...

, where he studied law.

Career

Owen was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1816 and moved to Alabama to practice law. He also served in the

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency contai ...

. Owen unsuccessfully ran for

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

in 1821 and successfully in 1823 when he became the first representative of

. He served in that position until 1829, when he was succeeded by

Dixon Hall Lewis Dixon Hall Lewis (August 10, 1802 – October 25, 1848) was an American politician who served as a Representative and a Senator from Alabama. Life and career Lewis was born on Bothwick plantation, Dinwiddie County, Virginia, and moved to H ...

, who later became a member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. Owen was elected mayor of

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

, in 1836, a position in which he served until his death the following year.

Personal life

In 1823, he married Louise Sarah Hollinger, the daughter of Adam Hollinger (for whom Hollinger's Island is named), who was the great-granddaughter of Mobile co-founder Charles Rochon.

References

1796 births 1837 deaths Mayors of Mobile, Alabama Members of the Alabama House of Representatives People from Brunswick County, Virginia Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama 19th-century American politicians Lawyers from Mobile, Alabama {{Alabama-mayor-stub