William Owsley

Who was William Owsley?

William Owsley was an associate justice on the Kentucky Court of Appeals and the 16th Governor of Kentucky. He also served in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly and was Kentucky Secretary of State under Governor James Turner Morehead.

Owsley studied law under John Boyle. After briefly serving in the state legislature, he was appointed by Governor Charles Scott to serve alongside Boyle on the Kentucky Court of Appeals. During his service on the court, Owsley was involved in the Old Court-New Court controversy. In 1824, the state legislature, unhappy with the court's rulings against debt relief legislation, attempted to abolish the court and replace it with a new court. For a time, both courts operated simultaneously, and both claimed to be the court of last resort in the state. Supporters of the old court won control of the legislature and abolished the new court in 1826. Owsley resigned from the Court of Appeals two years later.

In 1831, Owsley returned to the state legislature, where he served until Governor Morehead appointed him secretary of state in 1834. He resumed his legal practice in 1836 and in 1843, retired from that profession. The next year, he was nominated for governor on the Whig ticket and defeated William O. Butler in the general election. Through fiscally conservative policies, he was able to reduce the state's debt. In spite of his opposition to the Mexican-American War, large numbers of Kentucky's citizens volunteered for military service. Owsley's popularity declined sharply when he attempted to remove Benjamin Hardin as Secretary of State. Hardin successfully challenged his removal in court, then resigned in protest of Owsley's actions and charged him with practicing nepotism in his appointments. After his term as governor, Owsley never again sought public office. He died December 9, 1862 and was buried in Belleview Cemetery in Danville, Kentucky.