Public Service:In 1861 a new charter changed the title of Intendent to Mayor. Owens held the office for only one month before he resigned to serve in the Confederate Army.
Personal:Owens was a graduate of the University of North Carolina. After the beginning of the Civil War, Owens resigned as Mayor in order to command a Confederate regiment. He was killed in August 1864 at the battle in Snicker's Gap, Virginia.