William D. Owen

Owen was born in Bloomington, Indiana, the son of William D. Owen and Priscilla (Rawlings) Owen.^[1] He was educated in Bloomington, and began working as a store clerk at age 13 to save money so that he could attend college.^[2] He worked until age 18, including time as a farmhand and a brickyard laborer in addition to his work as a store clerk.^[3] He attended Indiana University in Bloomington for over two years, and left before graduating so that he could begin to study law in the office of a local attorney.^[4]

He quit the study of law when he was called to the ministry; he received his ordination in the Christian Church in 1870, and became pastor of congregations in Oxford, Indiana, Salem, Oregon, Tallula, Illinois, and Chicago, Illinois.^[5] In 1878 he resumed the study of law, attained admission to the bar, and began to practice, first in Oxford, and later in Logansport.^[6] In addition, Owen was a part-owner and editor of two weekly newspapers, the Logansport Saturday Night^[7] and the Logansport Sunday Critic.^[8]

In 1880, Owen was a Republican candidate for presidential elector; his party carried Indiana, and he cast his ballot for the ticket of James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur.^[9] Owen also published two well-received books, 1878's Success In Life, And How To Secure It, and 1883's The Genius Of Industry, Or How Work Wins and Manhood Grows.^[10]

Owen was elected as a Republican to the Forty-ninth, Fiftieth, and Fifty-first Congresses (March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1891).^[11] He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1890 to the Fifty-second Congress.^[12]

From July 1, 1891, to April 7, 1893, Owen served as the first superintendent of the United States Office of Immigration; he had been chairman of the House Committee on Immigration and Naturalization during his Congressional service, and played a lead role in passage of the legislation which created the agency.^[13]

Owen was elected Secretary of State of Indiana in 1894^[14] and served from January 17, 1895, to January 16, 1899.^[15][16][17]

After leaving office, Owen engaged in real estate speculation and invested in coffee and rubber plantations in Mexico.^[18]

In 1905, Owen and his business partner were indicted for fraud and theft in connection with the promotion of their Mexican plantations.^[19] The partner was convicted and sentenced to prison.^[20] Owen fled the United States to escape prosecution.^[21] Individuals from Indiana later reported having seen Owen in Paris, Switzerland, and Egypt, but the sightings did not lead to his arrest.^[22][23]

An individual was arrested in Georgia in 1909 and accused of being Owen.^[24] Investigators subsequently determined it to be a case of mistaken identity, and the individual who had been detained was released.^[25]