Lemuel Cambridge Owen

OWEN, LEMUEL CAMBRIDGE, business person and shipping magnate; b. 1 November 1822 in Charlottetown, son of Thomas Owen and Ann Campbell; m. 9 July 1861 Lois Welsh, and they had three children, William Edward Wallace, Lemuel Cambridge, and Marion Adele; Anglican; d. 26 November 1912. Owen, a Conservative, was first elected to the House of Assembly in the general election of 1867 for 3rd Kings. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1870 and 1873. He was defeated in the general election of 1872. In 1870 Owen became Chairman of the Board of Works and, in September of that year, a member of Executive Council in the coalition government of Premier James C. Pope*, until Pope's defeat in 1872. In 1873 Owen was appointed to Executive Council for a second time under Pope, and in September of that year was selected as premier. He served in this position until his retirement in 1876, shortly before the election of that year. Premier Owen's government was forced to deal with the immediate problems and issues produced by Confederation. These included the negotiations regarding assumption of the Island debt by Ottawa, the transfer of the railway to the federal government, and the final settlement of the land question. According to a fellow Member, A. J. MacDonald ', Owen was something of a figurehead, who deferred to Haviland on most matters. Owen, along with his Executive Council, which included Thomas Heath Haviland, Jr.*, as Colonial Secretary, Frederick de St. Croix Brecken* as Attorney- General, and William Wilfred Sullivan as Solicitor-General, successfully dealt with those issues. However, in 1874 the issue of government funding of schools became central in the province, and Owen lost some members of his caucus. The alignments within the House of Assembly shifted from political parties to new alliances based on the school funding question. Owen retired from politics before the 1876 election. Owen came from a wealthy and prominent family that controlled, along with the Chanters, Peakes, Yeos, and Popes, much of the Island's shipping and shipbuilding industry. He was educated at private schools and later at Central Academy in Charlottetown. Owen was involved in the family business. He began his career with James Peake, in James Peake and Company, a firm of merchants and shipbuilders that was perhaps the most successful of its generation. Owen established a number of agencies for oft-Island merchants and manufacturers. He also served as the agent for Lloyd's of London. In I860 both Thomas Owen and James Peake died. Lemuel Cambridge Owen succeeded his father as Postmaster-General for the Island and carried on much of Peake's business with his new partner, William Welsh *. As Postmaster-General, Owen introduced a prepayment system for the mailing of letters and packages using postal stamps. He established regular mail service to and from the Island, and instituted a system which allowed for the interchange of money orders between Prince Edward Island and the United Kingdom. In 1861 the partnership between Owen and Welsh was sealed by the marriage of Owen to Welsh's youngest sister, Lois. In 1862 Owen was appointed to serve as the commanding major of the Kings County regiment, a confirmation of his stature within the Island community. He served as a captain and volunteer with the militia responsible for Company D Rifles at Georgetown. Owen was a director of the Merchant's Bank, a director of the Steam Navigation Company, a director of the Marine Insurance Company, and a trustee of the Lunatic Asylum. He refused to take any interest or part in the political activities of the province after his retirement. Instead, Owen devoted his time and energy to building his new family home on Longworth Avenue in Charlottetown and to his declining business interests. He died at the home of his son Lemuel Cambridge on 26 November 1912. Lois Owen, daughter of Charles Welsh and Lois Bell, was born 4 September 1825 and died in 1903. Owen's sister Anna Louise MacDonald was married to Hugh Lord MacDonald*.