William O. Cowger
| William Owen Cowger | |
 | |
| In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Charles R. Farnsley |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Romano L. Mazzoli |
| In office December 1961 – December 1965 | |
| Preceded by | Bruce Hoblitzell |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth Schmied |
| Born | January 1, 1922 Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska |
| Died | October 2, 1971 (aged 49) Louisville, Kentucky |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Cynthia T. Thompson Cowger |
| Children | David Garvin Cowger |
| Residence | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Alma mater | University of Louisville |
| Occupation | Businessman |
Military Service
| |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Rank | Midshipman |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
William Owen Cowger (January 1, 1922 – October 2, 1971), also known as Bill Cowger,[1] was a Moderate Republican mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, from 1961 to 1965 and a United States Representative for the 3rd congressional district for two terms from 1967 to 1971. He died of an illness nine months after leaving the House.[2]
Contents
Background
Cowger was born in Hastings in Adams County in southeastern Nebraska, and later moved to Louisville to study political science at the University of Louisville. After other graduate work and military service in World War II, he returned to Louisville and became president of a mortgage loan company.
Political career
In 1961, Cowger was elected mayor of Louisville for a single four-year term along with Marlow W. Cook.[1] Under this capacity, he worked to end racial discrimination and was popular among urban voters.[3][4]
Cowger was ineligible under state law to have run for re-election in 1965.[2]
U.S. House of Representatives
Cowger won a U.S. House seat in November 1966,[5] when his party gained forty-seven seats in the midterm elections that year during the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson. Cowger voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 proposed by President Johnson to halt racial discrimination in the sale and rental of housing.[6]
Despite having been bolstered by Vice President Spiro Agnew,[4] Cowger's re-election bid in 1970 while dealing with a fatal illness was unsuccessful, very narrowly losing the general election to Democrat Romano L. Mazzoli.[2][7] Cowger was the last Republican representative for the 3rd district seat until educator Ann Meagher Northup (born 1948) held the seat for the decade from 1997 to 2007. Since that time, Democrat John Yarmuth has been consistently re-elected in the district.
Death and burial
Along with his wife, the former Cynthia T. Thompson (died 1995), and son, John Garvin Cowger (1954–2014), Cowger is interred at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Runyon, Keith (February 5, 2017). Remembering Marlow Cook, A Bygone Kind Of Kentucky Republican. WFPL. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 William Owen Cowger (1922-1971) - Find A Grave Memorial, retrieved September 17, 2021.
- ↑ October 3, 1971. William Owen Cowgfer, 49, Dies; Former Kentucky Representative. The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Weaver, Warren (September 2, 1970). AGNEW TO ASSIST KENTUCKY LIBERAL. The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ↑ KY District 3 Race - Nov 08, 1966. Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ↑ TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO ESTABLISH PENALTIES FOR INTERFERENCE WITH CIVIL RIGHTS. INTERFERENCE WITH A PERSON ENGAGED IN ONE OF THE 8 ACTIVITIES PROTECTED UNDER THIS BILL MUST BE RACIALLY MOTIVATED TO INCUR THE BILL'S PENALTIES..
- ↑ KY District 3 Race - Nov 03, 1970. Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
