Richard Owen (December 11, 1922 – November 20, 2015) was an American attorney, jurist, and composer who served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Early life and education

The son of an opera-loving attorney, Owen was born and raised in New York City. He served in the United States Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1945, and then received an

Artium Baccalaureus Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from Dartmouth College in 1945. He received a Bachelor of Laws from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1950

Career

After earning his law degree, Owen entered private practice in New York City from 1950 to 1953. He was also an assistant professor at New York Law School from 1951 to 1953. In 1953, Owen became an

assistant United States attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. Attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gove ...

for the Southern District of New York, also serving as a special assistant United States attorney general in 1954. He was a senior trial attorney in the

Antitrust Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...

Division of the United States Department of Justice from 1955 to 1958. He returned to private practice in New York City from 1958 to 1974, also working as associate counsel to the New York State Commission on Alcoholic Beverage Laws from 1963 to 1964. Owen presided over the Mafia Commission Trial and sentenced eight convicted defendants of racketeering on January 13, 1987.

Federal judicial service

On November 15, 1973, Owen was nominated by President Richard Nixon to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York vacated by Judge Edward Cochrane McLean. Owen was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 13, 1973, and received his commission on December 19, 1973. He assumed senior status on September 30, 1989. His service terminated on November 20, 2015, due to his death in New York City.

Personal life

From 1960 until his death, Owen was married to Wisconsin-born Lynn Rasmussen, an opera singer.

Musical career

Owen was also a composer, and "dabbled in music all his life".Villamil, p. 285 He studied piano as a child and again once he finished law school. He studied composition with Vittorio Giannini and

Robert Starer Robert Starer (8 January 1924 in Vienna – 22 April 2001 in Kingston, New York) was an Austrian-born American composer, pianist and educator. Robert Starer began studying the piano at age 4 and continued his studies at the Vienna State Academ ...

. His opera ''Abigail Adams,'' based on the lives of the second president and his wife, was first produced in 1987. Five of his

art song An art song is a Western vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment, and usually in the classical art music tradition. By extension, the term "art song" is used to refer to the collective genre of such songs ...

s were published by the General Music Publishing Company between 1962 and 1973; they are known for their declamation and dramatic qualities.

Operas and other musical works

*''Dismissed With Prejudice'', opera, mid-1950s, presented under the auspices of the New York City Bar Association *''A Moment of War'', one-act opera, 1958 *''A Fisherman Called Peter'', sacred concert piece/opera, 1965 *''Mary Dyer'', opera, 1976 *''The Death of the Virgin,'' opera, libretto by Michael Whitney Straight, 1980/1983 *''Abigail Adams'', opera, 1987 *''American Stereopticon'', orchestral piece, 1988, unpublished *''Tom Sawyer'', opera, 1989 * '' Rain'', opera, 2003

Songs

''published by General Music Publishing/Boston Music'' *The Impulse (1966, text by

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloq ...

from ''The Hill Wife'') *I Saw a Man Pursuing the Horizon (1966, text by Stephen Crane) *Patterns (1973, text by Amy Lowell) *There were many who went in Huddled Procession (1966, text by Stephen Crane) *Till we watch the Last Low Star (1962, text by Witter Bynner) ''unpublished'' *I felt a funeral in my brain (1981, text by Emily Dickinson) *Morning musings (1982, text by Emily Dickinson) *The last night she lived (1981, text by Emily Dickinson)Copies of the manuscripts for the three unpublished Dickinson songs are located at the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

References

Sources

* *

External links

*
''New York Times'' review of ''Abigail Adams''

* ttp://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?n=richard-owen&pid=176663652& Richard Owen's obituary {{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, Richard 1922 births 2015 deaths Dartmouth College alumni Harvard Law School alumni New York University faculty Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York United States district court judges appointed by Richard Nixon 20th-century American judges United States Army Air Forces soldiers United States Army personnel of World War II 20th-century classical composers American male classical composers American classical composers American opera composers Male opera composers Musicians from New York City 20th-century American composers Assistant United States Attorneys 20th-century American male musicians