Dr. Lewis S. Owings (September 6, 1820 – August 20, 1875) was an American politician, physician, and businessman from

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

who served as the 2nd Governor of

Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona, commonly known as the Arizona Territory, was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the ...

(

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

), in exile, from 1862 to 1865. He had previously served as provisional governor of Arizona Territory from 1860 to 1861.

Early life

Born in Roane County, Tennessee, Owings went to

Yell County, Arkansas Yell County is a county in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,263. The county has two county seats, Dardanelle and Danville. Yell County is Arkansas's 42nd county, formed on December 5, 1840, from port ...

and then to

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, where he helped found the town of Helena, serving as the first postmaster. In 1855, he served in the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

but was defeated for reelection moving to Mesilla,

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, where he had a mine.

Political career

In 1860 Owings was chosen as Provisional Governor of "Arizona Territory"—a region including New Mexico and Arizona—in an organization convention at

Tucson Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

. The Convention subsequently petitioned the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

for recognition of their government, but the impending conflicts of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

in the east distracted Washington's attention away from what was then a remote frontier outpost. Owings nevertheless proceeded to carry out the official functions of a '' de facto'' governor in the largely unorganized territory and established three

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

companies to protect residents from Indian raids and border smugglers. Owings held the post until August 1, 1861, when the

was formally reorganized by the Confederacy and declared south of the 34th Parallel by Lieutenant Colonel John R. Baylor, who then assumed the governorship. In 1862, following Baylor's ouster and the Confederate retreat from the territory following the Union victory at Glorieta Pass, Owings was again appointed Governor of the territory and held the office in exile in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

until the end of the Civil War.

Later life

After the American Civil War, Owings went to

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

briefly and then settled in Denison, Texas, serving briefly as mayor.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Owings, Lewis 1820 births 1875 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American physicians Governors of Arizona Territory Businesspeople from Tennessee Exiled politicians Mayors of places in Texas Members of the Texas House of Representatives People of Arizona in the American Civil War People from Roane County, Tennessee Physicians from Tennessee 19th-century members of the Texas Legislature

Early life

Political career

Later life

References

Further reading

External links