appointed as a distinguished visiting scholar at The John W. Kluge Center with the position to commence in January 2007. During his time at The John W. Kluge Center, Owens's work focused "on a case study of the Congressional Black Caucus and its impact on national politics." Owens used his time at the Kluge Center to research and write his book The Peacock Elite: A Subjective Case Study of the Congressional Black Caucus and Its Impact on National Politics," which was published in 2011. Owens served as a senior fellow for the DuBois-Bunche Center for Public Policy at Medgar Evers College. Personal life Owens was married twice. His first marriage to Ethel Werfel ended in divorce after twenty-five years. From his marriage to Ethel, Owens had three sons: Brooklyn politician Chris Owens, actor Geoffrey Owens (best known for playing "Elvin" on The Cosby Show), and Millard Owens. He then married Maria A. Cuprill (Maria Owens), and the couple had two children. Owens died October 21, 2013 in New York City of congestive heart failure. He was 77. See also List of African-American United States representatives References External links Education Mobilization by Rep. Major Owens Voting record, Washington Post 1936 births 2013 deaths African-American members of the United States House of Representatives African-American people in New York (state) politics African-American state legislators in New York (state) Baptists from Tennessee Clark Atlanta University alumni Deaths from kidney failure Medgar Evers College faculty Democratic Socialists of America politicians from New York Morehouse College alumni Democratic Party New York (state) state senators People from Collierville, Tennessee African-American librarians American librarians Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians Baptists from New York (state) 20th-century Baptists 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American politicians