author
Robert L. (Robert Latham) Owen
1856–1947
A lawyer, banker, and teacher in Indian Territory, he became one of Oklahoma’s first U.S. senators and a major voice in the Progressive Era. His long public career linked Cherokee heritage, statehood politics, and national debates over banking reform.
1 Audiobook
Foreign Exchange
by Robert L. (Robert Latham) Owen
About the author
Born in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1856, he was the son of Robert Latham Owen Sr. and Narcissa Chisholm Owen, who was of Cherokee ancestry. After graduating from Washington and Lee University, he moved to Indian Territory, where he taught in Cherokee schools, worked as a federal agent for the Cherokee Nation, and later built a successful career as a lawyer and banker.
When Oklahoma entered the Union in 1907, he was elected as one of its first two U.S. senators. He served until 1925 and became known as a reform-minded Democrat who supported Progressive Era measures. He was especially influential on banking issues and is closely associated with the movement that led to the Federal Reserve Act of 1913.
His career reflected both regional and national history: the world of the Cherokee Nation, the making of Oklahoma, and the rise of modern federal policy in the early twentieth century. He remained a notable public figure long after leaving the Senate and died in 1947.