JOHN COWAN (1858-1917)
North Dakota’s Most Popular State Executive of the 19^th Century

The most popular North Dakota state executive officer of the nineteenth century became the first person in the state to face impeachment charges. Attorney General John F. Cowan was the only state executive to be elected to three terms in the nineteenth century, and, while serving as district court judge, he became the first North Dakotan to receive impeachment charges. However, in a 1911 senate hearing, he was cleared of the charges.