Charles L. Gowen Papers, 1946-1966 (bulk 1954)
2 boxes, 1 linear foot

Administrative Information

- Access Restrictions
- User Restrictions
- Copyright Information
- Preferred Citation

Biographical Note

Scope and Content

Home

Organization and Arrangement

Related Collections

- In Russell Library
- In other repositories


Series Descriptions


Access Points

Folder List
Charles L. Gowen


ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Access Restrictions:

User Restrictions: Library acts as “fair use” reproduction agent.

Copyright Information: Before material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permission. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original.

Preferred Citation: Charles L. Gowen Papers, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, The University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia.


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BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL NOTE:

Charles Latimer Gowen was born in Westgate, Iowa and moved to Brunswick, Georgia at an early age. He graduated from Glynn Academy in 1921 and received his law degree from the University of Georgia Law School in 1925. He was admitted to the bar upon his graduation and returned to Brunswick in July 1925, to become a partner in the law firm of Conyers & Gowen.

Gowen practiced law in Brunswick for thirty-six years and served as Brunswick Juvenile Court Judge from 1939 to 1946. In 1939, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives where he served until his retirement in 1960, except for a two-year absence when he ran an unsuccessful race for governor of Georgia in 1954 against Samuel Marvin Griffin. While in the legislature, he was a chairman of both the Appropriations and Judiciary Committees and a member of the 1945 State Constitution Revision Committee. He was elected president of the Georgia Bar Association for the 1945-46 term, and in 1958 he was elected a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

In 1962, Gowen became a senior partner in the Atlanta firm of King & Spalding. He then moved to Atlanta where he practiced trial law and became involved in a variety of civic activities. Gowen's courtroom appearances covered half a century and include his successful argument before the United States Supreme Court in 1968 representing the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. in a precedent-setting case involving church-state conflict and his successful defense in 1972 of the Coca-Cola Company in an anti-trust jury trial.

Gowen served on the University of Georgia Law School's Board of Visitors and was a recipient of the Law School Association's Distinguished Service Scroll. In July 2002, his family honored him with the dedication of the Charles Latimer Gowen Courtyard on the University's Old Campus. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Richard B. Russell Foundation, Inc.

Gowen died in Atlanta, Georgia on March 31, 2003.



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SCOPE AND CONTENT:

The collection consists of personal and political papers of Charles L. Gowen from 1946 to 1966. The papers primarily document Gowen's unsuccessful bid for Georgia governor in 1954. Consisting mainly of news clippings relating to the 1954 gubernatorial race, the collection also contains correspondence, speeches, brochures, and several original Marvin and Baldy cartoons depicting Gowen's highly ethical campaign philosophy. Also included are a small amount of materials that reflect his work in the state legislature and his law practice.



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ORGANIZATION AND ARRANGEMENT:

The collection is organized into five series: I. Political, II. Legislative, III. Law career, IV. Personal, and V. Photographs. The collection is arranged topically within each series.



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RELATED COLLECTIONS IN THIS REPOSITORY:

Records of the Commission to Revise the Constitution of Georgia
Herman E. Talmadge Collection
Richard B. Russell, Jr. Collection


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RELATED COLLECTIONS IN OTHER REPOSITORIES:

Georgia Government Documentation Project, Special Collections, Georgia State University
Samuel Marvin Griffin Papers, Bainbridge College Library



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SERIES DESCRIPTIONS:

I. Political, 1946-1966
1 box and 6 folders

This series contains news clippings and correspondence concerning Gowen's unsuccessful bid for governor of Georgia in 1954 against Samuel Marvin Griffin. It also includes some news clippings and magazine articles on Gowen's campaigns for and political activities in the Georgia House of Representatives. The series contains a collection of Anne Gowen's news clippings on her father, Charles Gowen, including a political cartoon from the Atlanta Journal and Atlanta Constitution and one of her scrapbooks containing humorous political references.


II. Legislative, 1952-1954
1 folder

This series contains news clippings on Gowen's political activities in the Georgia General Assembly from 1952 to 1954 and his unsuccessful bid for governor of Georgia in 1954.


III. Law Career, 1945-1946
2 folders

This series contains the text of Gowen's presidential speech at the Georgia Bar Association's annual meeting and news clippings on the meeting. It also includes a few news clippings with references to Gowen's private law practices in Brunswick and Atlanta.


IV. Personal, n.d.
1 folder

This series contains personal correspondence to Gowen from friends and relatives, blank postcards, financial records, event programs, and miscellaneous news clippings.

V. Photographs, 1954-1959, undated
29 items
This series consists of formal portraits of Gowen and images of Gowen campaigning for Georgia Governor in 1954. It also contains two negatives of Gowen's law office in Brunswick, Georgia.


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ACCESS POINTS

Georgia. General Assembly. House of Representatives.
Legislators --Georgia.
Georgia --Politics and government --1951-
Griffin, Samuel Marvin.
Legislative records.
Political cartoons.



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FOLDER LIST

Not available at this time. Please contact Russell Library for more information.


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