william forrester owens (born october 22, 1950) is an american attorney, author, and former politician who served as the 40th governor of colorado from 1999 to 2007. owens was re-elected in 2002 by the largest majority in colorado history, after making transportation, education, and tax cuts the focus of his governorship. as of 2020, he is the most recent republican to serve as governor of colorado.