(30 June 1880-12 Feb. 1962), hardware merchant. (R. H. Cowan, Harry Cowan) Born in Ottawa. Parents: John Cowan and his wife Elizabeth Clark. In his earlier years Harry Cowan followed the hardware trade in Ottawa, Montreal and Buckingham, Que. Thereafter, coming to Alexandria, he operated a hardware store (commonly known as Cowan’s) from about the beginning of 1909 till he retired in 1950. From 1932 to 1938, there was also a branch of the Cowan store in Maxville, with T. W. Munro as manager. Cowan was married to (1) Isobel Sicard, of Buckingham, who was killed in a car accident in 1928, and (2) Evelyn A. Sicard. A prominent member of the Alexandria business community over many decades, R. H. Cowan was involved in a broad range of Alexandria activities, and served as reeve of the town. He was a Mason. He died in the Cornwall General Hospital survived by one child. He had a son Leroy who was also killed in a car accident, 1927 (Glengarry News 19 Aug.1927), the year before the similar death of this young man’s mother, and another son John H. who died in WWII. In 1976 Cowan’s Alexandria home was purchased to become the new presbytery of St. Finnan’s Parish.

Glengarry News 15 Feb. 1962 * adverts. for his hardware store can be traced through the GN over the years * Ostrom 109-110 * GN 4 Sept. 1908, 3 Nov. 1950, plans to begin, sells hardware business, Alexandria * Maxville (1991) 308, 320 * obituary GN 6 April 1994 of his daughter Mrs Isobel Cowan Anderson, d. in Tennessee