Peter Magowan was a lawyer and political figure in Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...

. He represented Kings County

Kings County, Prince Edward Island

Kings County is located in eastern Prince Edward Island, Canada.It is the province's smallest, most rural and least-populated county. Kings County is also least dependent upon the agriculture industry compared with the other two counties, while being more heavily dependent on the fishery and...

 in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island

Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island

The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, along with the Lieutenant-Governor, forms the parliament of the province. The General Assembly meets at Province House, which is located at the intersection of Richmond and Great George Streets in Charlottetown....

 from 1790 to 1810. His surname also appears as McGowan or Macgowan.

Born in Bridgnorth

Bridgnorth

Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...

, Shropshire

Shropshire

Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...

, (the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online states that he may have been a native of Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

) Magowan was educated in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 and was admitted to practice as an attorney of the King's Bench in 1782. In 1788, he married Ann Stainforth. He immigrated to St. John's Island (later Prince Edward Island) in 1789 from London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. He was first elected to the colony's assembly in 1790. For some time, he and Attorney General Joseph Aplin

Joseph Aplin

Joseph Aplin was a lawyer and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Barrington township in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1785 to 1787....

 were the only practicing lawyers on the island. Magowan was deputy to Thomas Desbrisay, secretary and registrar, from 1795 to 1800. He was named acting attorney general in 1798 when Aplin was relieved of his duties and became attorney general in 1800, serving in that post until his death in Charlottetown

Charlottetown

Charlottetown is a Canadian city. It is both the largest city on and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885...

 in 1810. Magowan was reelected to the assembly in 1803 and 1806.

His grandson Alexander Henry Boswall MacGowan

Alexander Henry Boswall MacGowan

Alexander Henry Boswall MacGowan was a businessman and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Vancouver City from 1903 to 1916 in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as a Conservative...

later served in the British Columbia assembly.