George Cowie (August 25, 1828 – February 17, 1904) was an American farmer and politician. Born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, Cowie was a miner. In 1848, he emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and settled in

Pottsville, Pennsylvania Pottsville is a city and the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,346 at the 2020 census, and is the principal city of the Pottsville, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city lies along the wes ...

, where he continued to work as a miner. From 1850 to 1851, he lived in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, returning to Pottsville in 1851. In 1855, Cowie moved to

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and settled in

Buffalo County, Wisconsin Buffalo County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 13,317. Its county seat is Alma, Wisconsin, Alma. The county was created in 1853 and ...

, where he had a farm. He helped set up the town of Glencoe, Wisconsin, which was named for the region in Scotland where Cowie's family came from. Cowie was the chairman of the Glencoe Town Board and was the postmaster of Glencoe. He also served on the Buffalo County Board of Supervisors. After defeating Republican candidate John Hauser in 1871, in 1872 Cowie served in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

and was the first

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 ...

. In 1894, he retired and moved with his wife to

Arcadia, Wisconsin Arcadia is a city in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Trempealeau River. The population was 3,737 at the 2020 census. Arcadia is a Latino-majority city and the largest city in Trempealeau county. History Arcadia was fo ...

. Cowie died on February 17, 1904, in

Longmont, Colorado Longmont is a home rule municipality located in Boulder and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. Its population was 98,885 . Longmont is located northeast of the county seat of Boulder. It is named after Longs Peak, a prominent mountain th ...

, while visiting a daughter.''History of Buffalo and Pepin Counties, Wisconsin'', vol. 1, Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge, H. C. Cooper, Jr. & Company: Winona, Minnesota: 1919, Biographical Sketch of George Cowie, pp. 127–128.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cowie, George 1828 births 1904 deaths Politicians from Edinburgh Politicians from Pottsville, Pennsylvania People from Buffalo County, Wisconsin Scottish emigrants to the United States Farmers from Wisconsin Mayors of places in Wisconsin County supervisors in Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin postmasters 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature