Lemuel Cambridge Owen (November 1, 1822 – November 26, 1912) was a

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

shipbuilder, banker, merchant and politician, the second

premier of Prince Edward Island The premier of Prince Edward Island is the first minister and head of government for the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. The current premier of Prince Edward Island is Dennis King (politician), Den ...

. He was born in

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in ...

to Thomas Owen, who was Postmaster General for Prince Edward Island for eighteen years, serving until his death in 1860. Owen was educated in private schools and at the Central Academy in Charlottetown (later

Prince of Wales College Prince of Wales College (PWC) is a former university college, which was located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. PWC merged with St. Dunstan's University in 1969 to form the University of Prince Edward Island. PWC traces its hist ...

). One of the island's most successful businessmen, Owen succeeded his father as

Postmaster General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official respons ...

of the island in 1860 before entering politics in 1866 winning election as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

. Owen became

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

of the province in 1873 after

James Colledge Pope James Colledge Pope, (June 11, 1826 – May 8, 1885) was a land proprietor and politician on Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada. He served as premier of the colony from 1865 to 1867, and from 1870 to 1873. He was premier of PEI in 1873 whe ...

entered federal politics. Owen was the second premier since PEI joined

Canadian confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Canada, Dom ...

on July 1, 1873. His government set up a Land Commission that was responsible for using funds provided by the federal government to implement land reform and end the island's system of proprietary land ownership and tenant farming. His government was unable to resolve the contentious schools question that divided both the Conservative and

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

parties along sectarian lines and his government was replaced in 1876 by a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

coalition formed to implement a secular school system on the island. Owen retired from politics and returned to his business interests. Owen had married Lois Welsh in 1861. He retired from business in 1892 and died at the home of one of his sons in Charlottetown in 1912.

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''''The Canadian parliamentary companion for 1876'' HJ Morgan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, Lemuel 1822 births 1912 deaths People from Charlottetown Canadian Anglicans Premiers of Prince Edward Island Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island MLAs Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island leaders Prince of Wales College alumni