Gore & Owen: Oklahoma's First Two U.S. Senators
2022
Adult

Gore & Owen: Oklahoma's First Two U.S. Senators

Robert L. Owen served as U.S. Senator for the first 18 years of statehood. After coming to Indian Territory with his moth­er, Owen was a school­teacher, lawyer, journalist, Indian agent, and banker. He was popular for win­ning a major court case on behalf of the Eastern Cherokees in seeking compensation from the federal government for eastern lands lost during removal. A Democrat who fought to strengthen public control of government and fight child labor use, Owen is best known as the Senate sponsor of the Glass-Owen Federal Reserve Act of 1913, the legislation that created the Federal Reserve Sys­tem. For his efforts in stabilizing America’s banking industry, Owen has been called the “Father of the Federal Reserve.”