education than most of his peers. On March 30, 1802, he was appointed adjutant of the 26th Regiment of the Kentucky Militia. For a time, Owsley taught at a country school, and in 1803, he married Elizabeth Gill, one of his students. Gill was almost seventeen; Owsley was twenty-one. The couple had six children. During his time as a teacher, Owsley also studied surveying and eventually became a deputy surveyor. Later, he served as a deputy sheriff under his father, who was High Sheriff of Lincoln County. While in this capacity, he attracted the attention of John Boyle, who offered Owsley the use of his library. Owsley availed himself of this opportunity, and read law with Boyle. In 1809, Owsley opened a legal practice in Garrard County. Kentucky Court of Appeals Owsley's political career began in 1809 when he was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives, serving one term. Governor Charles Scott appointed him to the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 1810, where he served alongside his teacher, John Boyle. Soon after Owsley's appointment, the legislature reduced the number of justices on the court, and Owsley resigned his seat. He was elected to the state House again in 1811. When a vacancy on the Court of Appeals occurred in 1813, Governor Isaac Shelby re-appointed Owsley to the court. One of the court's most crucial decisions during Owsley's tenure was in the case of Commonwealth of Kentucky v. James Morrison, which held that the Bank of the United States did not have the right to establish branches in Kentucky. The Supreme Court of the United States later overturned this ruling. A second important decision in which Owsley was a participant was the case of Blair, etc. v. Williams, which invalidated the Kentucky Replevin Act of 1820. This law granted debtors a two-year grace period in repaying their debts unless their creditors would accept notes from the Bank of Kentucky. Owsley and his colleagues opined that this law was in violation of the Contract Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The decision was extremely unpopular with the Commonwealth's citizens, but it was re-affirmed by the court's opinion in the related case of Lapsley v. Brashcars and Barr. Following these decisions, the General Assembly attempted to remove all three justices from their positions, but lacked the two-thirds majority required for impeachment. The Assembly then attempted to abolish the Court of Appeals and create