Stephen Wheeler Downey

Downey was born in Westernport, Maryland on July 25, 1839, a son of Owen Dorsey Downey and Elizabeth L. (Powell) Downey.[1] He was educated locally, and studied law with Francis Thomas of Cumberland, Maryland in preparation for a career as an attorney.[2]

On 31 October 1861, Downey enlisted in the Union Army for the American Civil War, joining 3rd Maryland Infantry Regiment, Potomac Home Brigade as a private.[3] He was promoted to first lieutenant in January 1862, lieutenant colonel in March 1862, and colonel in September 1862.[4] In March 1862, Downey was in command of Union troops in Romney, Virginia (now West Virginia).[3] By May his regiment was serving as part of Christopher C. Augur Division, Nathaniel P. Banks' Army Corps.[3]

When the Maryland campaign began in early September 1862, Downey commanded the post at Kearneysville, Virginia (then West Virginia).[3] On September 10, he was in command of a reconnaissance patrol from the 1st Maryland Cavalry Battalion, Potomac Home Brigade.[3] Near Boonsboro, Maryland, Downey's patrol encountered Confederate commander Stonewall Jackson and his staff riding in advance of their troops on the Sharpsburg Road.[3] Jackson fled, his escort skirmished with Downey's troops, and Downey was wounded.[3]

Downey and his command were captured with the Union garrison at the Battle of Harpers Ferry on September 15.[3] As a result of his wounds, Downey was discharged from the army in November 1862.[3]

After leaving the army, Downey attained admission to the bar and established a law practice in Washington, D.C.[4] In 1869, he moved to the Territory of Wyoming and established a law practice in Laramie.[2] A Republican, Downey served as the prosecuting attorney of Albany County, Wyoming in 1869 and 1870.[4] He also opened a survey office in Laramie and was assigned to six government survey contracts between 1870 and 1873.[4] He served as a member of the Wyoming Territorial Council in 1871, 1875, and 1877.[4] Downey was territorial treasurer 1872 to 1875, and territorial auditor from 1877 to 1879.[4]

In 1878, Downey was elected as Wyoming's Delegate to the United States House of Representatives.[4] He served one term, March 4, 1879 to March 3, 1881, and did not run for another term in 1880.[4]

During his congressional term, Downey earned nationwide headlines after he proposed legislation that would have declared the United States to be "a Christian people" and appropriated $500,000 (about $14.5 million in 2022) to create and install Christian-themed paintings and other artwork in federal buildings.[5] Press coverage of Downey's unsuccessful bill began after he obtained permission to have printed in the record his remarks in favor of his proposed law, which was revealed to be a 15 page prose poem, Argument of Hon. Stephen W. Downey.[5] After realizing Downey's text was copyrighted, Republican floor leader James A. Garfield persuaded a majority of the House that the body's rules prohibited printing copyrighted works, and they voted against allowing Downey's poem into the record.[5]

After leaving Congress, Downey resumed practicing law in Laramie.[4] He served in the territorial House of Representatives in 1886 and 1890, was a member of the state constitutional convention in 1889.[4] In 1886, Downey sponsored the bill that created the University of Wyoming and became known as "The Father of the University of Wyoming".[4] From 1891 to 1897 he was a university trustee member, and he was the longtime president of the board of trustees.[4]

Wyoming achieved statehood in 1890, and Downey was a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives in 1893 and 1895.[4] In 1895, he served as chair of the Judiciary Committee and Speaker pro tempore.[4][6] From 1897 until his death he served as prosecuting attorney for Albany County.[2] Downey died in Denver, Colorado on August 14, 1902.[4] He was buried at Greenhill Cemetery in Laramie.[4]

Downey had two daughters with his first wife, Fannie Fisher who died in 1870, not long after the family moved to Laramie, Wyoming.[7][8]

Downey married Evangeline Victoria Owen (1853–1937) in Laramie, Wyoming in 1872 and they had ten children.[2] His son, Sheridan Downey (1884–1961), became a lawyer and United States Senator from California. His daughter, Dr. June Etta Downey (1875–1932), became a prominent psychologist, and a professor of psychology and philosophy at the University of Wyoming.[9]

The Downey Family Papers (1866–1997) are located at the University of Wyoming's American Heritage Center Archives.[10]

• Stephen Wheeler Downey at Find a Grave
• Bureau of Land Management Wyoming Cadastral Survey: Stephen W. Downey. Retrieved May 28, 2006.
• United States Congress. "DOWNEY, Stephen Wheeler (id: D000470)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. - From the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Thompson, Saban (2004). "Wyoming Photo History: Colonel Stephen Wheeler Downey". Retrieved May 28, 2006. - Includes a photo of Stephen Wheeler Downey.
• Civil War Archive, Union Regimental Histories: Maryland 3rd Regiment Potomac Home Brigade Infantry - Provides more details about the regiment Downey served in during the Civil War.