
Emmett Marshall Owen (October 19, 1877 – June 21, 1939) was an American
politician
A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
,
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
,
farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer ...
and
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters.
The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...
.
Early life and education
Owen was born near
Hollonville,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, in
Pike County.
He graduated from the
Gordon Institute in 1898 and from the
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...
School of Law
A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for bec ...
in
Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
in 1900. While at UGA, he was a member of the
Phi Kappa Literary Society
The Phi Kappa Literary Society is a College literary societies (American), college literary society, located at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, and is one of the few active literary societies left in America. Originally founded in ...
. Owen taught school in
Butts County, Georgia
Butts County is a county in the West Central region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,434,US 2020 Census Bureau report, Butts County, Georgia up from 23,655 in 2010. The county seat is Jackson. The ...
from 1901 to 1902. He was admitted to the Georgia state bar in 1902 and became a practicing lawyer in
Zebulon, Georgia
Zebulon is a city in Pike County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,225 in 2020. The city is the county seat of Pike County. The city and county were named after explorer Zebulon Pike.
History
Zebulon was incorporated in 1825. The to ...
. He also was a
peach
The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and Agriculture, cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called necta ...
farmer.
Public office
In 1902, Owen was elected to the
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republican Party (United States), Repu ...
and served in that body through 1906. He was also the
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...
of Zebulon from 1905 through 1907. From 1906 through 1909, Owen was the Pike County court solicitor after which he became solicitor of the Zebulon city court from 1909 to 1912. He continued in that same role for the Flint judicial circuit from 1913 through 1923 and for the Griffin judicial circuit from 1923 through 1933.
Owen won election to the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
in 1932 as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY)
**Democratic Part ...
representing
Georgia's 4th congressional district
Georgia's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. The district is currently represented by Democrat Hank Johnson, though the district's boundaries have been redrawn following the 2010 census, whi ...
in the
73rd United States Congress
The 73rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1933, ...
. He was reelected for three additional terms.
Death
Emmett Marshall Owen died on June 21, 1939, in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, from a heart attack, while serving his fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. On April 24, 1940,
Rep. Marvin Jones of Texas and
Rep. Milton A. Romjue of Missouri delivered memorial speeches before the
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
recounting the life and career of Representative Owen.
As was the practice at the time, Owen's two children received a death benefit appropriation from the United States government of $5,000 each ($10,000 total).
Owen was buried in East View Cemetery in Zebulon.
See also
*
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, Emmett Marshall
1877 births
1939 deaths
20th-century mayors of places in Georgia (U.S. state)
People from Pike County, Georgia
University of Georgia alumni
Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers
Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state)
People from Zebulon, Georgia
20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives