Wayne Owens

Douglas Wayne Owens (May 2, 1937 – December 18, 2002) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for Utah's 2nd congressional district from 1973 to 1975 and again from 1987 to 1993.

In 1984, Owens lost the Utah gubernatorial race to Republican Norman H. Bangerter, but was re-elected to the House in 1986 and served through 1992, when he ran for the U.S. Senate again.

[4] On December 18, 2002, Owens suffered a fatal heart attack[5] in Tel Aviv, Israel while on a trip to further the cause of Middle East peace.

Speaking at the funeral, Gordon B. Hinckley called Owens "a man of achievement" and a peacemaker who desired to make the world better.

At the time of his death, he was continuing his efforts to improve the world, heading up the Center for Middle East Peace & Economic Cooperation.

U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) (left) holds a press conference with U.S. Rep. Wayne Owens (D-Utah) (right) in March 1989 as part of their successful charge to win passage of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), which provides for ongoing compensation to Southern Utahns and others damaged by nuclear testing in the 1950s and 1960s.