•
Austin Blair, 1818–1894. Politician, serving in the 40th, 41st, and 42nd U.S. Congress in the House of Representatives from 1867–1873 for Michigan's 3rd district. 13th
Governor of Michigan, 1861–1865. Practiced law in Owego. •
Isaac S. Catlin, 1835–1916. lawyer, Brevetted Major General in the
Union Army. Awarded the
Medal of Honor for his efforts in the
Battle of the Crater in Petersburg, Virginia. Born and practiced law in Owego. •
Daniel Cruger, 1780–1843. Soldier, newspaper publisher, lawyer, state and national politician. As a member of the
Democratic-Republican party he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, 1817–1819 for New York's 20th district.
15th United States Congress. •
Amasa Dana, 1792–1867. Studied and practiced law in Owego. Later, as a
Democratic Party (United States) politician, he would serve New York's 26th and 22nd districts in the
26th United States Congress and the
28th United States Congress. •
John R. Drake, 1782–1857. Local, state, and national politician. The First Judge of the
Broome County Court. As a member of the
Democratic-Republican party he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, 1817–1819 for New York's 15th district, serving simultaneously with fellow Owegan Daniel Cruger in the
15th United States Congress. •
Washington Gladden, 1836–1918. Leading American Congregational Pastor and pioneer of the
Progressive Era-
Social Gospel Movement. Educated and lived in Owego. •
Douglas G. Hurley, born 1966. Is an American engineer,
United States Marine Corps Naval Aviator, and
NASA astronaut. He was also the first Marine to fly the
F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet. He is a pilot in the
Space Shuttle program. Hurley attended Owego Free Academy. •
Mame Stewart Josenberger, 1868–1964. African American educator, businesswoman and
clubwoman that was born and raised in the village. •
Helen Dean King, 1869–1955. Celebrated biologist, professor, author. One of Dr. King's crowning achievements was the breeding of the
Wistar rat which would greatly facilitate the future of biological, genetic, and medical research. In 1932, King was awarded the Richards Research prize, also known as the Women’s Nobel. Born in Owego. •
Thomas Le Clear, 1818–1882. Famous visual artist. Le Clear is known for his portraits of Edwin Booth-as Hamlet, Presidents: Millard Fillmore, U.S Grant, and his
genre scenes including
Interior with Portraits. Born in the Town of Owego, he taught painting at the Owego Female Institute in 1844. Moving to New York City he was elected to full membership in the National Academy of Design in 1863. He was one of the most prominent portrait painters on the East Coast. •
Osmund A. Leahy, 1915–1989. Major General United States Army. 1940 graduate of the
United States Military Academy. Awarded three
Silver Star medals during the Second World War. Resident of Owego. •
Stephen B. Leonard, 1793–1876. Local publisher, politician, and postmaster. Elected as a Democrat to the 24th and the
26th United States Congress. He represented New York's 22nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. Lived in Owego. •
Belva Ann Lockwood, 1830–1917, Attorney, politician, educator, author, and
National Equal Rights Party U.S. presidential candidate (first woman to run for president – 1884), headed a girls' seminary in Owego for three years in the 1860s. Around this time she met
Susan B. Anthony; nearby
Lockwood is named for her. •
John Alden Loring, 1871–1947. Noted mammalogist and field naturalist. He served on the
Smithsonian-Roosevelt African Expedition (1909–1910). Born and lived in Owego. •
Daniel McCallum, 1815–1878, American
railroad engineer,
general manager of the
New York and Erie Railroad and Union
Brevet Major General during the
American Civil War, known as one of the early pioneers of management. Lived in Owego. •
John M. Parker (New York politician), 1805–1873. Justice who served on the New State Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Former U.S. Congressman elected as an
Opposition Party candidate in the 34th, and a
Republican in the
35th United States Congress serving
New York's 27th congressional district. •
Thomas C. Platt, politician. A two-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1873–1877) and a three-term U.S. Senator from New York in the years 1881 and 1897–1909. He is best known as the "political boss" of the Republican Party in New York State. Born and lived in Owego. •
Darryl Ponicsan, born 1938. American author and screenwriter. Taught high school English in Owego. •
Raphael Pumpelly, 1837–1923. World renowned American geologist and explorer. Born in Owego. • George Raymond Sr. 1890–1967 grew up on McMaster street in the village, founder of the Raymond Corporation headquartered in
Greene, NY •
Henry Martyn Robert, 1837–1923. Brigadier General in the U.S. Army, engineer, and author. In 1876, Robert published the first edition of his manual of
parliamentary procedure,
Robert's Rules of Order, which remains today the most common
parliamentary authority in the United States. •
Howard W. Robison, 1915–1987. Republican politician elected to the
United States House of Representatives serving the 37th, 33rd, and 27th districts of New York State from 1958 to 1975. Robison was born in Owego and is buried in
Evergreen Cemetery (Owego, New York). •
John D. Rockefeller, 1839–1937. American oil industry business magnate, industrialist, and philanthropist lived in the Owego, NY area as a young child and attended the Owego Free Academy. He is widely considered the wealthiest American of all time, and the richest person in modern history. •
Richard Stout, 1836–1896.
Union Navy sailor during the American Civil War. Recipient of the United States military's highest decoration-the
Medal of Honor for his actions while serving on the
USS Isaac Smith in an engagement with
Confederate forces on the
Stono River in South Carolina. Born, lived, and interred in Owego. •
John J. Taylor, 1808–1892. Lawyer, banker, state and local Democratic politician, U.S. Congressman elected to the
33rd United States Congress serving
New York's 27th congressional district. •
Benjamin Franklin Tracy, 1830–1915. Brigadier General in the U.S. Army-
Medal of Honor winner. Lawyer, state politician, 32nd
United States Secretary of the Navy. Considered the 'Father' of the modern American two ocean fighting Navy. Was educated and practiced law in the Village of Owego. •
Gilbert Carlton Walker, 1833–1885. Lawyer, banker, politician. Served as the
36th Governor of Virginia – 1869–1874, first as a provisional Republican then as a Democrat. He also served as a Democratic in the
Forty-fourth and
Forty-fifth U.S. Congresses. He practiced law in Owego. •
Nathaniel Parker Willis, 1806–1867. Nationally known author, poet, and editor, lived at his estate Glenmary (namesake of Glen Mary Drive), from 1837 to 1842, in the town just outside the present village. Founder of
Town and Country (magazine). Lived on the border of the Village of Owego. ==References==