Alexander McGowan

File: Alexander McGowen.jpg

Alexander McGowen (sometimes spelled McGowan; July 5, 1817 – December 26, 1893) was a foundry owner, Mayor of Houston, Texas, and a Chief Justice of Harris County, Texas.

Early life

Alexander McGowen was born in Duplin County, North Carolina on July 5, 1817. He was raised by foster parents and spent most of his youth in Montgomery, Alabama. He moved to Houston in September 1839, opening a tin shop shortly after arriving. He married Sarah Christopher in 1841, and together they had eight children.{{cite book|year=1895|title=A History of Texas and Texans, Including a Biographical Sketch of the Cities of Houston and Galveston|publisher=Lewis Publishing Company|location=Chicago|pages=467{{endash}}469|url=https://archive.org/details/historyoftexasto01chic}}

Manufacturing

McGowen graduated from tinner to hardware manufacturer, and eventually established a foundry in Houston. He sold his castings and hardware to people in various parts of Texas. He made the castings that Gail Borden used in his machine for making condensed milk. McGowen's foundry manufactured the boiler tubes for the first electrical power plant in Houston.{{cite book|author=Aulbach, Louis F|title=Buffalo Bayou: an echo of Houston's Wilderness beginnings|publisher=Louis F. Aulbach|location=Houston|page=340|year=2011}}

Political life

In 1845, McGowen was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention for prepare for the annexation of Texas to the United States. He served as Chief Justice of Harris County. He was an alderman (City Council member) in the City of Houston for several terms, and a mayor of Houston for three terms. He was Tax Assessor for Harris County, and served as Harris County Treasurer.