US Congressman. Born Major Robert Odell Owens, he was raised in Memphis, graduated from Morehouse College (1956), received a Master's degree from Clark Atlanta University (1957), and worked as a librarian and anti-poverty program administrator in Brooklyn. From 1968 to 1973 Owens was New York City's Community Development Agency Commissioner. A Democrat, in 1974 he won election to the New York Senate, where he served three terms, 1975 to 1983. In 1982 he was the successful candidate to replace the retiring Shirley Chisholm in the US House. He served 12 terms, 1983 to 2007, and became a senior member of the Education and the Workforce and Government Reform and Oversight Committees. One his main achievements was passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and he supported minimum wage increases, expanded workplace oversight by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and improved access to higher education for minorities and others historically unable to attend college. After leaving Congress, Owens was a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Library of Congress's John W. Kluge Center and taught at Medgar Evers College. He was in declining health in his later years, and died at New York University's Langone Medical Center.
US Congressman. Born Major Robert Odell Owens, he was raised in Memphis, graduated from Morehouse College (1956), received a Master's degree from Clark Atlanta University (1957), and worked as a librarian and anti-poverty program administrator in Brooklyn. From 1968 to 1973 Owens was New York City's Community Development Agency Commissioner. A Democrat, in 1974 he won election to the New York Senate, where he served three terms, 1975 to 1983. In 1982 he was the successful candidate to replace the retiring Shirley Chisholm in the US House. He served 12 terms, 1983 to 2007, and became a senior member of the Education and the Workforce and Government Reform and Oversight Committees. One his main achievements was passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and he supported minimum wage increases, expanded workplace oversight by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and improved access to higher education for minorities and others historically unable to attend college. After leaving Congress, Owens was a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Library of Congress's John W. Kluge Center and taught at Medgar Evers College. He was in declining health in his later years, and died at New York University's Langone Medical Center.
Bio by: Bill McKern
Advertisement
See more Owens memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
