Walter Stewart Owen

Walter Stewart Owen, born on January twenty-sixth, nineteen oh four, was a distinguished lawyer, politician, and businessperson who served as the twenty-second Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from nineteen seventy-three to nineteen seventy-eight.

In his early years, Owen made a mark as the first premier of the British Columbia Older Boys' Parliament, which later evolved into the British Columbia Youth Parliament. He was called to the Bar of British Columbia in nineteen twenty-eight and, by nineteen thirty-three, had earned the title of the youngest crown prosecutor in Canada at that time. His legal career flourished as he transitioned into private practice, co-founding the Vancouver law firm Owen Bird.

Owen's influence extended beyond law; in nineteen fifty-six, he and his business partner Frank Griffiths acquired the New Westminster radio station CKNW and co-founded Western International Communications Ltd. (WIC). His leadership skills were recognized when he was elected president of the Canadian Bar Association in nineteen fifty-eight.

As a proud father, Owen raised Philip Owen, who would go on to serve three terms as the mayor of Vancouver. In recognition of his contributions to society, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in nineteen seventy-eight.