Charles L. Gowen Papers, 1946-1966

Summary

Creator:
Gowen, Charles Latimer
Date:
1946-1966
Extent:
3 box(es) (1.25 linear feet and 5 sound recordings)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Charles L. Gowen Papers, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.

Background

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.

Biographical / historical:

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.

Arrangement:

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

Access and use restrictions

Terms of access:

Library acts as "fair use" reproduction agent.

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, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.