Calvin Cowgill

Calvin Cowgill (January 7, 1819 – February 10, 1903) was an American lawyer and Republican politician who served one term as a U.S. representative from Indiana from 1879 to 1881. His congressional service occurred during a significant period in American history, as he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his Indiana constituents in the post–Civil War era.

Cowgill was born in Clinton County, Ohio, on January 7, 1819. He attended the common schools in his youth, receiving a basic formal education typical of the period. In 1836 he moved with his parents to Indiana, a relocation that would shape the course of his professional and political life. As a young man he pursued legal studies, preparing for a career in the law at a time when formal law schools were still relatively uncommon.

Cowgill studied law in Winchester, Randolph County, Indiana, where he read law in the traditional manner and qualified for admission to the bar. In 1846 he moved to Wabash County, Indiana, and settled in the city of Wabash. There he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law, establishing himself as a local attorney. His legal practice provided the foundation for his later public service and helped bring him into contact with the civic and political affairs of his community.

Cowgill’s political career began at the state level. He was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives, serving as a member in 1851. During this early legislative service he participated in state policymaking at a time when Indiana was experiencing growth and institutional development. He later returned to the Indiana House during the special session of 1865, convened in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, when the state legislature addressed issues related to wartime governance and reconstruction.

In addition to his legislative work, Cowgill held important local and federal administrative positions. He served as treasurer of Wabash County from 1855 to 1859, overseeing county finances and public funds. During the Civil War he was appointed provost marshal of the eleventh district of Indiana, serving from 1862 to 1865. In that role he was responsible for enforcing federal draft laws, maintaining order, and carrying out other military and civil duties within his district, reflecting the trust placed in him by federal authorities during a period of national crisis.

Cowgill’s experience in law and public administration led to his election to the United States House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to the Forty-sixth Congress and served from March 4, 1879, to March 3, 1881, representing Indiana. During his single term in Congress, he contributed to the legislative process as a Republican voice in the national government during the late Reconstruction and early Gilded Age period. He chose not to be a candidate for renomination in 1880 to the Forty-seventh Congress, thereby concluding his brief but notable tenure in federal office.

After leaving Congress, Cowgill returned to Wabash, Indiana, where he resumed the practice of law. He continued to live and work in the community that had long been his home, remaining a figure of local prominence due to his years of legal practice and public service. Calvin Cowgill died in Wabash on February 10, 1903. He was interred in Falls Cemetery, bringing to a close a career that spanned local, state, and national service over the course of the nineteenth century.