Representative George Welshman Owens

George Welshman Owens (August 29, 1786 – March 2, 1856) was a United States representative and lawyer from Georgia. A member of the Democratic Party and earlier the Jacksonian faction, he served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives during a formative period in American political and sectional development, representing the interests of his Georgia constituents in the national legislature.

Owens was born in Savannah, Georgia, on August 29, 1786. In his youth he was sent to England for his education, where he attended school at Harrow, one of the leading public schools in the country. He subsequently enrolled at the University of Cambridge, from which he graduated, receiving a classical education that prepared him for a professional career in the law and public life.

Following his university studies, Owens continued his legal training in London. He studied law in the office of Mr. Chitty, a prominent legal practitioner and author, gaining exposure to English common law and legal practice. After completing his studies abroad, he returned to his native Savannah, Georgia. There he was admitted to the state bar and commenced the practice of law, establishing himself as a member of the local legal community.

Owens entered national politics in the 1830s. He was elected as a Jacksonian Representative from Georgia to the Twenty-fourth Congress and took his seat on March 4, 1835. Reflecting the evolving party system of the era, he was reelected as a Democrat to the Twenty-fifth Congress, serving continuously from March 4, 1835, until March 3, 1839. As a member of the Democratic Party representing Georgia, he contributed to the legislative process during his two terms in office, participating in debates and votes on issues arising in the Jacksonian and early Van Buren administrations, and taking part in the democratic process at a time of significant political and economic change in the United States.

After the conclusion of his congressional service in March 1839, Owens returned to Savannah and resumed the practice of law. He continued his professional activities there for the remainder of his life, remaining a figure in the legal and civic affairs of his community. Owens died in Savannah on March 2, 1856, and was interred in Laurel Grove Cemetery in that city.