Agnes Cowen

Agnes Cowen
Cherokee Nation Tribal Councilor for the at-large district
Personal details
Born	Agnes Louise Stacy (1927-05-01)May 1, 1927 Welling, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	August 29, 1999(1999-08-29) (aged 72) Gore, Oklahoma, U.S.
Citizenship	Cherokee Nation United States
Political party	Democratic
Children	3
Education	Northeastern State University

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.

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.

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. She represented the at-large district.

In 1983, Cowen lost by absentee votes in a run-off election for the deputy chief of Cherokee Nation post against Wilma Mankiller. Cowen demanded a recount and filed a suit with the Cherokee Judicial Appeals Tribunal and U. S. District Court alleging voting irregularities. Both tribal and federal courts ruled against Cowen.

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

Bibliography

• Agnew, Brad (2004). Edmunds, R. David (ed.). The New Warriors: Native American Leaders Since 1900. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 211–237. ISBN 978-0-8032-6751-0.
• Chavez, Will (2004-06-04). "Former marshal dies while on duty with BIA". cherokeephoenix.org. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
• Peter, Lizette A. (2008). "The Cherokee Nation and its Language" (PDF). Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, University of Minnesota.
• Schwarz, Melissa (1994). Baird, W. David (ed.). Wilma Mankiller: Principal Chief of the Cherokees (1st ed.). New York, New York: Chelsea House. ISBN 978-0-7910-1715-9.
• Sturm, Circe (2002). Blood Politics: Race, Culture, and Identity in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-23097-2.