Agnes Cowen
{{Short description|Cherokee politician and language advocate}}
{{infobox officeholder
| name = Agnes Cowen
| image =
| office = Cherokee Nation Tribal Councilor for the at-large district
| predecessor =
| successor =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1927|05|01}}
| birth_place = Welling, Oklahoma, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1999|08|29|1927|05|01}}
| death_place = Gore, Oklahoma, U.S.
| party = Democratic
| spouse =
| education = Northeastern State University
| citizenship = Cherokee Nation
United States
| children = 3
| birth_name = Agnes Louise Stacy
}}
Agnes Louise Cowen (née Stacy; May 1, 1927 – August 29, 1999) was a Cherokee educator and politician who worked on bilingual education and language preservation initiatives. She served as the first elected female Cherokee Nation tribal councilor, representing the at-large district.
Early life and education
Agnes Louise Cowen was born on May 1, 1927, in Welling, Oklahoma, to John Stacy and Jenny Spade. She attended schools in Welling and later studied at Northeastern State University where she earned a master’s degree in education.{{Cite news |date=1999-09-02 |title=Agnes Louise Cowen |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sequoyah-county-times-agnes-louise-cowen/161494683/ |access-date=2024-12-24 |work=Sequoyah County Times |pages=2 |via=Newspapers.com}}
Career
= Education =
Cowen worked in education with a focus on bilingual and Native American educational initiatives. She was a language advocate who led the Cherokee Nation's language revitalization efforts in the early 1960s by implementing the Cherokee Bilingual Education Program and developing the first written Cherokee language lessons through a federal grant.{{sfn|Peter|2008|p=16}}
Cowen was the first president of the Oklahoma Association for Bilingual Education and served as the first elected representative for the Central States on the National Association for Bilingual Education Board. She was recognized by the Oklahoma Association for Bilingual Education as an outstanding educator. She was inducted into the Chilocco Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Association for Bilingual Education Hall of Fame.
Cowen's professional affiliations included membership in the Technical Advisory Committee for the First National Indian Bilingual Center, the International Women’s Year Committee, and the Directory of American Indian-Alaska Native Women. She was also associated with the National Indian Education Association and the National Association for Bilingual Education.
= Politics =
Cowen was involved in civic and social organizations, including the Democratic Women Organization. She was a member of the Phi Kappa Delta sorority. Cowen was the first elected female Cherokee Nation tribal councilor.{{sfn|Chavez|2004}} She represented the at-large district.{{Cite web |title=Council of the Cherokee Nation |url=https://cherokee.legistar.com/PersonDetail.aspx?ID=44107&GUID=0CF87BC2-913D-4BB1-8565-A76E1D4EAA9B&Search= |access-date=2024-09-14 |website=Cherokee Nation}}
In 1983, Cowen lost by absentee votes in a run-off election for the deputy chief of Cherokee Nation post against Wilma Mankiller.{{sfn|Agnew|2004|p=215}}{{sfn|Schwarz|1994|p=77}} Cowen demanded a recount and filed a suit with the Cherokee Judicial Appeals Tribunal and U. S. District Court alleging voting irregularities.{{sfn|Sturm|2002|p=183}} Both tribal and federal courts ruled against Cowen.{{sfn|Sturm|2002|p=183}}
Personal life
On August 6, 1969, Cowen married David Cowen. They lived in Gore, Oklahoma. She had three children. Her personal interests included gardening, sewing, quilting, and writing.
Cowen died on August 29, 1999, in Gore, Oklahoma, at the age of 72. Her funeral was held at Reed-Culver Chapel in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and she was interred at Manus Cemetery.
References
=Citations=
{{reflist}}
=Bibliography=
{{refbegin|30em}}
- {{cite book |last=Agnew |first=Brad |editor-last=Edmunds |editor-first=R. David |title=The New Warriors: Native American Leaders Since 1900 |url= |year=2004 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |location=Lincoln, Nebraska |isbn=978-0-8032-6751-0 |pages=211–237 }}
- {{Cite web |last=Chavez |first=Will |date=2004-06-04 |title=Former marshal dies while on duty with BIA |url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/news/former-marshal-dies-while-on-duty-with-bia/article_cff2e496-b4ff-57cf-ad04-928ab2b11213.html |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=cherokeephoenix.org |language=en}}
- {{Cite web |last=Peter |first=Lizette A. |date=2008 |title=The Cherokee Nation and its Language |url=https://carla.umn.edu/conferences/past/immersion2008/documents/Peter_L_CherokeeNation.pdf |website=Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, University of Minnesota}}
- {{cite book |last=Schwarz |first=Melissa |editor-last=Baird |editor-first=W. David |title=Wilma Mankiller: Principal Chief of the Cherokees |date=1994 |edition=1st |publisher=Chelsea House |location=New York, New York |isbn=978-0-7910-1715-9 |url=https://archive.org/stream/wilmamankillerpr00schw#page/11/mode/1up }}
- {{cite book |last=Sturm |first=Circe |title=Blood Politics: Race, Culture, and Identity in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma |url= |year=2002 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley, California |isbn=978-0-520-23097-2 }}
{{refend}}
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Category:20th-century Native American women
Category:20th-century Native American politicians
Category:Women in Oklahoma politics
Category:Members of the Council of the Cherokee Nation
Category:Cherokee Nation women
Category:Native American women in politics
Category:20th-century American women politicians
Category:Year of birth missing
Category:Place of birth missing
Category:20th-century American women educators
Category:Educators from Oklahoma
Category:Native American women educators
Category:Northeastern State University alumni