Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Cowen, Charles
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1828-1914
History
He was born in England but emigrated to the Cape in 1853 and soon became active in journalism, using the pseudonym "Caractacus". He was one of the first to visit the Diamond Fields and to publish something on them. In 1875 he moved to Port Elizabeth where he edited local newspapers and wrote on commercial subjects. In 1887 he went to Johannesburg and was again active in journalism. He was interested in native affairs and was an important figure in free-masonry. Amongst his published works were the South African Exhibition, Port Elizabeth 1885 published in 1886, Johannesburg: Golden centre of South Africa, 1889 and Memoir of W.H. Schrader, artist, 1894.