Lead: 19th century British social reformer and business tycoon, Robert Owen, is considered the father of the cooperative movement and, ironically, an early inspiration to labor and trade unions. Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts. Content: Robert Owen was born in 1771, in Newton, Wales, the youngest son of Anne Williams and Robert Owen, a saddle maker and postmaster of the town. Young Owen was bright and curious, loved to read and actually enjoyed going to school as a young boy. At the age of ten, he was sent to London to join his older brother and was apprenticed to a draper, a cloth merchant, whose family treated him well and encouraged him to continue his reading. . Loading... Taking too long? Reload document | Open in new tab Download [105.47 KB] Share