Bill Bowman (May 26, 1946 – August 15, 2020) was an American politician and businessman who served as a member of the

North Dakota State Senate The North Dakota Senate is the upper house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, smaller than the North Dakota House of Representatives. Per the state constitution, North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts appor ...

from 1990 until 2018.

Early life and education

Bowman was born in

Baker, Montana Baker is a city in and the county seat of Fallon County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,802 at the 2020 census. It was named after A. G. Baker, an engineer with the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. History Bak ...

and raised on his parents' ranch in

Slope County, North Dakota Slope County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 706, making it the least populous county in North Dakota and the List of United States count ...

. Bowman briefly attended

Dickinson State University Dickinson State University (DSU) is a public university in Dickinson, North Dakota. It is part of the North Dakota University System. It was founded in 1918 as Dickinson State Normal School and granted full university status in 1987. History Di ...

, but left to serve in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. While Bowman was awaiting deployment to

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, his father died in a farming accident. Bowman received a hardship discharged and returned to

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, where he helped his mother operate the family's ranch. His mother encouraged him to return to

, where Bowman played on the football team and earned a bachelor's degree in business. During his time at Dickinson State, Bowman also became friends with

Rich Wardner Rich Wardner (born August 26, 1942) is a Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the North Dakota Senate for the 37th district. Biography He graduated from Dickinson State University and received a Master's of Science from Norther ...

, with whom he later served in the

North Dakota Senate The North Dakota Senate is the upper house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, smaller than the North Dakota House of Representatives. Per the state constitution, North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts appor ...

Career

During his career, Bowman worked as an auctioneer, rancher, farmer, and served on the Bowman County Commission. In 1989, Bowman was selected to serve as vice chairman of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

in the 39th district.

North Dakota Senate

In 1990, Bowman received the Republican nomination to run for a seat in the

from the 39th district. He defeated incumbent Democratic Senator Rich Maixner. On January 8, 1991, Bowman was appointed to the Human services, and Agriculture Senate committees.

Personal life

Bowman was a resident of

Bowman, North Dakota Bowman is a city and county seat of Bowman County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 1,470 at the 2020 census. History Bowman was founded in 1907 at about the same time the railroad was extended to that point. The city took its na ...

. He died on August 15, 2020. He was 74 years old.

References

1946 births 2020 deaths County commissioners in North Carolina Republican Party North Dakota state senators 21st-century American politicians People from Baker, Montana People from Bowman County, North Dakota People from Slope County, North Dakota Military personnel from Montana Dickinson State University alumni American auctioneers Ranchers from North Dakota {{NorthDakota-politician-stub