Robert L. Owen

Cherokee citizen from Oklahoma who sponsored the Federal Reserve Act in the Senate.

Overview

Owen, an attorney of Cherokee descent who ran the Indian school system, was one of Oklahoma's first two senators in 1907 alongside Thomas Gore, serving until 1925. He chaired the Senate Banking Committee and sponsored the Owen-Glass Federal Reserve Act of 1913, managing the bill that created the central banking system, and wrote its public-control features. He later championed direct election of senators, federal aid to roads, and the lobbying regulation attempts of the 1920s. His authorship of the Fed's enabling act makes him a principal architect of American finance.