William Lewis Owens (born January 20, 1949) is an American attorney and former U.S. Representative from New York, a post he held from 2009 to 2015.

After graduating from Chaminade High School, where he was a classmate of television host and conservative political commentator Bill O'Reilly.

Owens earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Manhattan College in 1971 and a Juris Doctor from the Fordham University School of Law in 1974.

He served as Lead Director for several years and Chairman of the Board for approximately 14 months, ending his term on May 5, 2024, when he reached the mandatory retirement age.

[8] On August 10, 2009, the Democratic Party of New York's 23rd congressional district chose Owens to run in a special election to fill the House seat vacated by the incumbent Republican John McHugh, who had resigned to take a post as the Secretary of the Army.

“The race,” wrote Valerie Bauman of the Associated Press, “received national attention, with some calling it a referendum on Obama and others saying it could help Republicans focus their message to attract more people to the party.” Bauman said that “Despite the fervor that surrounded Hoffman in the final week of the campaign, Owens managed to appeal to the voters with his talk of job creation and the need for more federal support for Fort Drum (an army base in the district) and farmers.”[11] Scozzafava was a social liberal, and high-profile conservatives such as Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and Michelle Malkin threw their support behind Hoffman, who enjoyed Tea Party support.

Under pressure from conservative elements in her party, who saw “Doug Hoffman as the man who would save them,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle, Scozzafava dropped out of the race on October 31, the weekend before the election.

[15] During his campaign, Owens said he would focus on creating jobs throughout his district, attracting foreign manufacturers, taking care of veterans, and ensuring that Fort Drum is preserved.

[17] Owens has consistently voted for legislation to build the controversial Keystone Pipeline to carry tar sand oil across the United States from Canada for export to foreign nations.

On December 14, 2011, Marc Heller reported that Sen. Claire McCaskill had accused Owens and other members of the House Armed Services Committee “of loading up an annual defense bill with pork-barrel projects despite a congressional ban on home-state 'earmarks.

[21] In August 2009, Owens stated that he supported civil unions and believed marriage should be legally recognized as one man one woman.