Robert Dale Owen
| Robert D. Owen | |
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Robert Dale Owen as he appeared in the 1840s.
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| United States Minister to the Two Sicilies | |
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In office 1853–1858 |
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| President | Franklin Pierce |
| Preceded by | Edward Joy Morris |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Ripley Chandler |
| Member of the Indiana House of Representatives from the 76th district |
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In office 1851–1853 |
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In office 1835–1838 |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 1st district |
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In office March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847 |
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| Preceded by | George H. Proffit |
| Succeeded by | Elisha Embree |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 7, 1801 Glasgow, Scotland, UK |
| Died | June 24, 1877 (aged 75) Lake George, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | British-American |
| Political party |
Working Men's (1829–1831) Democratic (1832–1858) |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Jane Robinson (m. 1832; her death 1871) |
| Children | Florence Julian Dale Ernest Rosamond |
| Parents |
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| Religion | Spiritualism |
Robert Dale Owen (November 7, 1801 – June 24, 1877) was a Scottish-born American social reformer who was a longtime exponent in the United States of the socialist doctrines of his father, Robert Owen, as well as a politician in the Democratic Party. He served in Congress, where he successfully pushed through the Smithsonian Institution bill and served on the first Board of Regents.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Owen emigrated to the United States in 1825, and helped his father create the community of New Harmony, Indiana. After the community dissolved, Owen returned briefly to Europe, then moved to New York City and became the editor of the Free Enquirer, a socialistic and anti-Christian weekly, which he ran with Frances Wright from 1828 to 1832.
Owen's Moral Physiology, published in 1830 or 1831, was the first book to advocate birth control in the United States (specifically, coitus interruptus).
In 1829 and 1830, Owen was an active leader in the Working Men's Party in New York City. In contrast to many other Democrats of the era, Owen and Wright were opposed to slavery, though their artisan radicalism distanced them from the leading abolitionists of the time.
He returned to New Harmony, Indiana, in 1833 and served in the Indiana House of Representatives twice (1835–1838; 1851–1853). There he distinguished himself by securing appropriations for the public school system. After two unsuccessful campaigns, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1842, and served from 1843 to 1847. While in Washington, he drafted the bill for the founding of the Smithsonian Institution. He was on the first Board of Regents and chaired the Building Committee, which oversaw the construction of the Smithsonian Institution Building. Owen's committee selected James Renwick, Jr. as architect, Gilbert Cameron as the contractor, and the Seneca Quarry for its distinct red sandstone. In 1849, he published Hints on Public Architecture to argue the case for public buildings such as the Smithsonian Castle.
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