Charles Calvin Bowman (November 14, 1852 – July 3, 1941) was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Charles Calvin Bowman was born in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

. He attended

Lansingburgh Academy The Lansingburgh Academy was a seminary in Lansingburgh, New York. The seminary was in existence from the late 18th century to 1900, when the building that housed it was leased to the Lansingburgh School District. The building was sold to the sch ...

in Troy, and learned the woodworking trade. He graduated in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...

from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, in 1875. He was engaged in civil engineering work for the State of

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Danvers, Massachusetts Danvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts. The suburb is a fairly short ride from Boston and is also in close proximity to the renowned beaches of Glo ...

, in 1875. He organized the western shipping department of the

Pennsylvania Coal Company Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Mary ...

Pittston, Pennsylvania Pittston is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated between Scranton, Pennsylvania, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The city gained prominence in the late 19th an ...

, in 1876, which he managed the company until 1883. He served as general manager of the Florence Coal Co., in 1883 and 1884, later operating as an independent miner and shipper of

anthracite coal Anthracite, also known as hard coal, and black coal, is a hard, compact variety of coal that has a submetallic luster. It has the highest carbon content, the fewest impurities, and the highest energy density of all types of coal and is the high ...

. He served as mayor of Pittston in 1896, and served as a member of the city council for sixteen terms. He was a delegate to the Independent Republican State convention in 1890 and to the Republican State convention in 1898. Bowman presented credentials as a Republican Member-elect to the Sixty-second Congress, but his election was contested by his opponent George B. McLean. McLean argued that Bowman reported only $7,000 in campaign expenditures but actually spent more than $9,000. The House Committee on Elections found that this was not an error, but active fraud as evidenced by "erasures on check stubs and alteration of memoranda". As a result, the House declared that Bowman had not be elected. Bowman served from March 4, 1911 until December 12, 1912, when the seat was declared vacant. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1912. He resumed the coal business, and died in Pittston in 1941 at the age of 88. He was interred in Pittston Cemetery.

References

Sources

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowman, Charles Calvin 1852 births 1941 deaths People from Pittston, Pennsylvania Politicians from Troy, New York Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Members of the United States House of Representatives removed by contest