Charles O'Brien Cowardin, C'1874 (October 23, 1835 – July 5, 1900) was president of the Richmond Dispatch Company and editor-in-chief of the Richmond Dispatch newspaper.1
Cowardin, born in Virginia, was the son of James Andrew Cowardin, the founder and senior editor of the Richmond Dispatch newspaper. Like his older brothers, he enrolled in Georgetown College a few years after the Civil War. An excellent student, he was involved in several extra-curricular activities and was first censor of the Philodemic Society, captain of the Georgetown College Cadets, and director of the Philharmonic Society. After graduation, he went to work at the Dispatch; he was especially interested in improving the design of printing presses and typesetting equipment. In 1879 he succeeded his father as president of the Richmond Dispatch Company and as editor in chief. He also served as president of the Southern Press Association and director of the choir of St. Peter’s Church in Richmond. He was awarded an honorary masters degree in 1885.2
