George W. Mowbray was an American politician and missionary who served as the fifth Mayor of Tulsa from 1903 to 1904.

George Mowbray
5th Mayor of Tulsa
In office
1903–1904
Preceded byGeorge D. Blakey
Succeeded byH. R. Cline
Personal details
Born(1847-07-05)July 5, 1847
Melton, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
DiedJanuary 12, 1910(1910-01-12) (aged 62)
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Political partyRepublican
EducationThe King's School, Grantham

Early life, family, and education

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George W. Mowbray was born on July 5, 1847, in Melton, Leicestershire, United Kingdom to John and Catherine Lockton Mowbray. He attended Grantham Grammar School and studied religion. He started preaching at sixteen and became known as "the Boy Preacher." Although raised in the Church of England, Mowbray was ordained in the Wesleyan Methodist Church. He married Hannah E. Harley in 1867 and the couple had four children who survived to adulthood: Anna, George W. Jr., Mary, and Grace. In 1869 his family immigrated to the United States and by 1886 he had moved to McCune, Kansas.[1]

Move to Oklahoma

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In 1887 he moved to Tulsa as a missionary to the Muscogee Nation for the Southern Kansas Methodist Conference. In 1896 he retired from the ministry to run his late son-in-law T. J. Archer's store. He served as the fifth Mayor of Tulsa from 1903 to 1904 and was instrumental in bringing the Santa Fe Railway to Tulsa.[1] Mowbray led the Republican ticket which swept every city office except the office of recorder.[2] He was also the first president of the Tulsa Public Schools school board.[3] He died on January 12, 1910.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Henry, Heath C. "Mowbray, George W. (1847–1910)". okhistory.org. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  2. ^ "It was Neck to Neck". The Tulsa Weekly Democrat. April 10, 1903. p. 1. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  3. ^ "Gallery of Mayors". City of Tulsa. Retrieved 14 January 2024.