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North Carolina's Governors
John Owen (1787-1841) presided over advances in internal improvements and education while governor and, post-term, turned down an offer to be the Whig vice-presidential candidate. Born in Bladen County, Owen studied at the University of North Carolina and, although he did not graduate, he served for more than twenty years as a trustee. Owen represented Bladen County in the House and Senate for multiple terms. From 1824 to 1827 he also served on the Council of State under Governors Hutchins G. Burton and James Iredell Jr. In 1828 he was elected governor, narrowly defeating Richard Dobbs Spaight Jr. Owen's two terms as governor brought significant initiatives in county government and internal improvements. His positions on education were especially progressive. He stressed the obligations of government and the moral utility of public education in reducing not only ignorance, but poverty and crime as well. While other states had forged ahead, North Carolina, in his view, had been guilty of "a manifest dereliction of duty." In 1830, just prior to the Nat Turner rebellion in Virginia, Owen warned the General Assembly and the public at large of abolitionist attempts to "sow sedition" among the state's slave population. In light of the growing public concern, the General Assembly that same year strengthened the existing patrol system. In 1839 Owen presided over the first Whig Party convention in the state and over the Whigs' national convention in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He declined to run as vice-president on the ticket headed by William Henry Harrison. Had he accepted the nomination, and the election results remained the same, he would have become president following Harrison's early death in April 1841. Owen died while in Pittsboro in October 1841, and was buried there at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church.
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