William Forrester "Bill" Owens (born October 22, 1950) is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He served as the 40th Governor of Colorado from 1998 to 2006, when he was forced out of office by term limits. Owens was reelected in 2002 by the largest majority in Colorado history, after making transportation, education and tax cuts the three focuses of his governorship..