John Lancelot Cowan (14 August 1893 – 19 May 1971) served as one of the 4 members for the District of Southern Districts in the

South Australian Legislative Council The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the House of Assembly. It sits in Parli ...

from 26 May 1949 to 28 February 1959.

Early life

Cowan who was born in

Murray Bridge, South Australia Murray Bridge (formerly Mobilong and Edwards Crossing) is a city in the Australian state of South Australia, located east-southeast of the state's capital city, Adelaide, and north of the town of Meningie. The city had an urban population of a ...

, was the eldest son of

John Cowan John Cowan (born August 24, 1953) is an American soul music and progressive bluegrass vocalist and bass guitar player. He was the lead vocalist and bass player for the New Grass Revival. Cowan became the band's bassist in 1972 after the departure ...

, a pastoralist and parliamentarian, and his wife Elizabeth, née Jones. He was educated at

Prince Alfred College , motto_translation = Do Brave Deeds and Endure , established = 1869 , type = Independent, single-sex, day & boarding , headmaster = David Roberts , chaplain = Reverend ...

and served in the

First Australian Imperial Force The First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during the First World War. It was formed as the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) following Britain's declaration of war on Germany on 15 Aug ...

. In 1920, Cowan married Florence Yates.’Death of ex MLC’, ''The Advertiser'', Friday 21 May 1971, page 7.

Political career

Cowan served as a councillor on the

District Council of Mobilong The District Council of Mobilong was a local government area in South Australia from 1884 to 1977. It was proclaimed on 26 June 1884, comprising the cadastral Hundred of Mobilong. The first meeting was held on 12 July 1884 in the Murray Brid ...

from 1927 to 1949, and was chairman of the council from 1932 to 1949. He also served as the President of the Local Government Association of South Australia. In 1944, he unsuccessfully contested the House of Assembly seat of

Murray Murray may refer to: Businesses * Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles * Murrays, an Australian bus company * Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust * D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...

. Cowan was elected unopposed to the Legislative Council on 26 May 1949, and retired during his second term on 28 February 1959.

Early life

Political career

References

Further reading