James Owen

James Owen (December 6, 1784 – September 4, 1865) was an American politician from North Carolina, a planter, adjutant general, businessman, and slave owner, including of Omar ibn Said. He was educated at William Bingham's Academy in Pittsboro. Subsequently, he was for many years president of the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad and an adjutant general in the North Carolina militia during the War of 1812.

James Owen succeeded Edward B. Dudley as president of the Wilmington & Raleigh Railroad (later renamed the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad in 1855). Under his leadership, he played a key role in developing a rail rode via Weldon that connected Wilmington with major northern markets. Upon its completion in 1840, the 161.5 mile line became the longest railroad in the world at that time, significantly impacting regional transportation and commerce in antebellum North Carolina. Moreover, Owen's relationship with Omar ibn Said, an educated Muslim scholar whom Owen enslaved, demonstrated an unexpected cultural complexity. Capable of writing in Arabic, Ibn Said lived in Owen's household and received both an English translation of the Quran and an Arabic Bible; reflecting his owner's unusual accommodation of Ibn Said's faith and learning.