Owings, Lewis

Lewis Owings was born in County, Tennessee , where he was a doctor and a merchant. He later moved to Arkansas , and then to Texas , where he was one of the founders and the first postmaster of . In 1855, the Owings was a member of the Texas House of Representatives, but was not reelected for a second term, moving to , where his family lived.

In 1860, the Owings was elected by the Convention in Tucson as interim governor of the Arizona Territory, which included the lands of New Mexico and Arizona. The U.S. Congress refused to recognize this power, but Owings, nevertheless, de facto continued to manage a largely unorganized territory, leading three militia campaigns to protect residents from Indian raids and smugglers.

In March 1861, with the outbreak of civil war , the southern part of the territory began the process of secession . Congress created Arizona Territory , which became part of the Confederation of States of America , and the Owings became its first governor. He held this position until August 1, 1861, when the territory of Arizona was reorganized, and Colonel John Baylor declared himself its governor.

In 1862, after Baylor resigned, the Owings was elected interim governor and held this post in exile in San Antonio until the end of the war. After the war ended, Owings briefly moved to Kansas , and then settled in , where he was mayor for a short time.

• Marshall Trimble In Old Arizona: True Tales from the Wild Frontier. - 1985.

• WT Block. Dr. Lewis S. Owings . wtblock.com. Date of treatment July 30, 2012. Archived on October 7, 2012.
• Dr Lewis Sumpter "LS" Owings . Find a Grave. Date of treatment July 30, 2012. Archived on October 7, 2012.