CHEROKEE ROBERT LATHAM OWEN BORN—U.S. SENATOR FROM OKLAHOMA
Born in Lynchburg, Virginia, Owen’s mother was an enrolled Cherokee. Owen attended private schools in Lynchburg & Baltimore, but at age 16, after the 1873 financial panic, he moved to Salina, Indian Territory, and taught school among the Cherokee. Graduating from Washington & Lee University as valedictorian (1877), Robert then studied law. Admitted to the bar in 1880, he became Federal Indian agent for the Five Civilized Tribes (1885-89). Owen joined the Democratic National Committee (1892-96) & organized the First National Bank of Muskogee (1890-1900). With Oklahoma Statehood (1907), Owen was elected its senior U.S. Senator and served through 1925 where, at various times, he chaired the Indian Depredations, Mississippi River & Its Tributaries, Pacific Railroads, Banking & Currency, and Five Civilized Tribes Committees. Leaving Congress, Owen practiced law in Washington, D.C. and chaired the National Popular Government League from 1913 until his death in Washington, D.C., on July 19, 1947.
Source: "Robert Latham Owen (id: O000153)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 3/14/2021, Bioguide Search (congress.gov) Photo: Underwood & Underwood, 1922. Public Domain. Source: Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ppmsc03679
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