Frank Cowan
Encyclopedia
Frank Cowan was an American
lawyer
, doctor
, writer
, and former secretary to U.S. President Andrew Johnson
.
He was born in Greensburg
, Pennsylvania
to Lucetta Oliver and Edgar Cowan
, a local lawyer. He studied at Jefferson College, but faculty there expelled him for a prank. In 1861, however, he moved to Washington, D.C.
to join his father, who was newly elected as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania. His father gave him a clerk position on the Committee on Patents. During this formative period Cowan studied law (he was admitted in 1865 to the Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
bar), and also became a writer of fiction, poetry, nonficiton, and drama.
In April 1867 President Andrew Johnson appointed the 22-year-old Cowan as his personal secretary for managing land patents. He worked for Johnson for the next year and a half, then opened his own law practice in Washington after Ulysses S. Grant
succeeded Johnson. At this time he also started to study medicine at Georgetown Medical College
, from which he graduated in 1869. He returned to Greensburg later that year and married Harriet Jack, daughter of U.S. Congressman William Jack
. He opened both a law and medical practice there, and also started a newspaper, Frank Cowan's Paper, focused on Western Pennsylvania
and which he edited and published for three years.
In 1873 his wife died after child birth, as would the infant son Jack. Cowan then became ill himself, and after a time sought relief by sailing around the world in 1880-81, and again in 1884-85, writing about Australia
, Brazil
, Hawaii
, India
, Korea
, and New Zealand
.
He gained some notoriety in 1867 when he partnered with Thomas Birch Florence
to write and publish a literary hoax. This scheme to sell newspapers for Florence's struggling Georgetown newspaper did cause sales to skyrocket. The hoax claimed the discovery of the body of an Icelandic Christian woman, who had died in 1051, below the Great Falls of the Potomac River
, proving that America had been "discovered" five centuries before Christopher Columbus
.
In 1904, knowing that he was terminally ill, Cowan conceived another media hoax connected to the Viking hoax of his youth. He contracted a local carpenter, John Walthour, to build him a model of a fire ship, the funeral vessel of Vikings chiefs. He then gave instructions to be buried beneath a tree at the summit Tollgate Hill, from which he would sail symbolically "over the Sea of Appalachia . . . ."
Cowan died in Greensburg and was buried in St. Clair Cemetery. Even his New York Times obituary had to note that his Viking burial had not taken place. After his death, his estate atop Tollgate Hill was donated to the city of Greensburg for use as a park called Mt. Odin. The clubhouse of the golf course there is named for him.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and former secretary to U.S. President Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
.
He was born in Greensburg
Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Greensburg is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city is named after Nathanael Greene, a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
to Lucetta Oliver and Edgar Cowan
Edgar Cowan
Edgar Cowan was an American lawyer and Republican politician from Greensburg, Pennsylvania. He represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate during the American Civil War....
, a local lawyer. He studied at Jefferson College, but faculty there expelled him for a prank. In 1861, however, he moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to join his father, who was newly elected as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania. His father gave him a clerk position on the Committee on Patents. During this formative period Cowan studied law (he was admitted in 1865 to the Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...
bar), and also became a writer of fiction, poetry, nonficiton, and drama.
In April 1867 President Andrew Johnson appointed the 22-year-old Cowan as his personal secretary for managing land patents. He worked for Johnson for the next year and a half, then opened his own law practice in Washington after Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
succeeded Johnson. At this time he also started to study medicine at Georgetown Medical College
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, from which he graduated in 1869. He returned to Greensburg later that year and married Harriet Jack, daughter of U.S. Congressman William Jack
William Jack (US politician)
William Jack was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.William Jack was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and practiced. He moved to Brookville, Pennsylvania, in 1831 and engaged in mercantile pursuits...
. He opened both a law and medical practice there, and also started a newspaper, Frank Cowan's Paper, focused on Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
and which he edited and published for three years.
In 1873 his wife died after child birth, as would the infant son Jack. Cowan then became ill himself, and after a time sought relief by sailing around the world in 1880-81, and again in 1884-85, writing about Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
He gained some notoriety in 1867 when he partnered with Thomas Birch Florence
Thomas Birch Florence
Thomas Birch Florence was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.Thomas B. Florence born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He learned the hatter's trade and engaged in that business in 1833. He was engaged in the newspaper business...
to write and publish a literary hoax. This scheme to sell newspapers for Florence's struggling Georgetown newspaper did cause sales to skyrocket. The hoax claimed the discovery of the body of an Icelandic Christian woman, who had died in 1051, below the Great Falls of the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
, proving that America had been "discovered" five centuries before Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
.
In 1904, knowing that he was terminally ill, Cowan conceived another media hoax connected to the Viking hoax of his youth. He contracted a local carpenter, John Walthour, to build him a model of a fire ship, the funeral vessel of Vikings chiefs. He then gave instructions to be buried beneath a tree at the summit Tollgate Hill, from which he would sail symbolically "over the Sea of Appalachia . . . ."
Cowan died in Greensburg and was buried in St. Clair Cemetery. Even his New York Times obituary had to note that his Viking burial had not taken place. After his death, his estate atop Tollgate Hill was donated to the city of Greensburg for use as a park called Mt. Odin. The clubhouse of the golf course there is named for him.
Works
- Curious facts in the history of insects; including spiders and scorpions. A complete collection of the legends, superstitions, beliefs, and ominous signs connected with insects; together with their uses in medicine, art, and as food; and a summary of their remarkable injuries and appearances, nonfiction (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co, 1865)
- The Physique of the United States at the Close of the War, nonfiction (1865)
- The Three-Fold Love: A Comedy in Five Acts, drama (1866)
- Zomara: A Romance of Spain, poetry, (Pittsburgh: Stevenson & Foster, 1873)
- Southwestern Pennsylvania in Song and Story with Notes and Illustrations, with an Appendix: The Battle Ballads and Other Poems of Southwestern Pennsylvania, fiction and poetry (Greensburg: privately printed, 1878)
- Revi-Lona : A Romance of Love in a Marvelous Land, fiction (Greensburg: Tribune Press, n.d., 188?)
- Short Stories from Studies of Life in Southwestern Pennsylvania, fiction (Greensburg: Stevenson and Foster, 1881)
- An American Story-book. Short Stories from Studies of Life in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Pathetic, Tragic, Humorous, and Grotesque, fiction (Greensburg: Vogle & Winsheimer, 1881)
- The City of the Royal Palm and Other Poems, poetry (Rio de Janeiro: A. J. Lamoureux & Co., 1884)
- A Visit in Verse to Halemaumau, poetry (Honolulu: P.C. Advertiser Steam Print, 1885)
- Fact and Fancy in New Zealand. The Terraces of Rotomahana; A Poem By Frank Cowan, nonfiction and poetry (Auckland, H. Brett, 1885)
- Australia: A Charcoal Sketch, nonfiction (Greensburg: Press Printing House, 1886)
- At Gettysburg: A Poem, poetry (Greensburg: Vogle & Winsheimer, 1887)
- The Meaning of the Monument: A Poem. Read at the Dedication of the Soldier's Monument. At Braddock, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, poetry (Pittsburgh: William Johnston, 1887)
- The Principles and Practice of Medicine in Corea, nonfiction (Greensburg: The Oliver Publishing House, 1888)
- What I Saw in India, While on the Wallaby Around the World: Two Lectures with Notes and Illustrations, and a Poem, Entitled, The Taj, nonfiction and poetry (Greensburg: The Oliver Publishing House, 1888)
- Faustina: A Fantasy of Autumn in the Heart of Appalachia, (1888)
- The Taj Mahal : A Poem, poetry (Greensburg: The Oliver Publishing House, 1889)
- The Poetical Works of Frank Cowan : In Three Volumes, poetry (Greensburg: The Oliver Publishing House, 1892)
- A dictionary of the proverbs and proverbial phrases of the English language, relating to the sea and such associated subjects as fish, fishing ... With notes, explanatory, historic, and etymologic, nonfiction (Greensburg: The Oliver Publishing House, 1894)
- David Alter, the Discoverer of Spectrum Analysis: A Sketch of His Life and Labors, nonficton (Greensburg: The Oliver Publishing House, 1894)
- Andrew Johnson, President of the United States. Reminiscences of his Private Life and Character. By One of His Secretaries (Frank Cowan.), nonfiction (Greensburg: The Oliver Publishing House, 1894)
- Jane Jansen: A Story of a Woman's Heritage in the Heart of Appalachia, nonficton (Greensburg: The Oliver Publishing House, 1895)
- The Wake of Moichael Cassidy: In the Big Shanty, Mount Odin Park, on Froiday Ayvnin, 26th Aproil, 1901, (1901)