 After his tenure in Congress , Rowan was elected to represent Nelson County in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1813 to 1817 . In 1817 , the House debated a resolution instructing Governor Gabriel Slaughter to negotiate with the governors of Indiana and Ohio to secure passage of legislation requiring citizens of those states to return fugitive slaves . Representative James G. Birney vigorously opposed the resolution , and it was defeated . The pro @-@ slavery members of the House then rallied behind Rowan 's leadership to pass a substitute resolution which softened the most objectionable language but retained the call for fugitive slave legislation in Indiana and Ohio . 
