Actually, Robert Owen was one of first two senators from Oklahoma when it became a state in 1907. Born in Lynchburg, Virginia February 2, 1856, Owen grew up a child of privilege, living in a mansion, and attending private schools in Lynchburg and Baltimore, Maryland. His father died in 1873, after the Panic of 1873 financially ruined his father's wealth. However, he managed to graduate from Washington and Lee University as valedictorian in 1877.
Owen's mother, Narcissa Chisholm Owen was part Cherokee and she wrote memoirs about her life being raised among the Cherokee. Robert Owen moved to what is now Salina, Oklahoma and was accepted as a member of the Cherokee Nation. After being admitted to the bar in 1880, Owen served as the secretary of the board of education of the Cherokee Nation from 1881-1884.
He argued many significant cases dealing with Native American land issues. He took the case of the Eastern Cherokees against the US government, seeking compensation for them under a treaty of 1835 for land they lost at the time of the Native American removals. He finally won the case after 6 years and obtained almost $5M for the Eastern Cherokees.
When Oklahoma became a state in 1907, he was elected as one of the first two US senators to represent the new state. He served from December 1907 to March 1925.
Owen passed away in July 1947 in Washington DC from complications from prostate surgery and is buried in Lynchburg, Virginia.
He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1941.
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