Charles Martin Bowman (May 7, 1863 – October 24, 1932) was a politician in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada. He was a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who represented the ridings of Bruce North from 1898 to 1914 and Bruce West from 1914 to 1919.

Background

Bowman was born in St. Jacobs,

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

, the son of Isaac Erb Bowman, and educated there and in Berlin (later

Kitchener, Ontario ) , image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , blank_emblem_type = ...

). He entered his father's

tanning Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...

business and set up a tannery in

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

in 1882. After a fire destroyed that business, he purchased a tannery at Port Elgin. He went on to operate a furniture business in Southampton. With

James Conmee James Conmee (October 13, 1848 – July 23, 1913) was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He represented Algoma West from 1885 to 1902 and Port Arthur and Rainy River from 1902 to 1904 in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and Thu ...

, Bowman was awarded a contract for construction on the

Algoma Central Railway The Algoma Central Railway is a railway in Northern Ontario that operates between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst. It used to have a branch line to Wawa, Ontario. The area served by the railway is sparsely populated, with few roads. The ra ...

. In 1902 he and James Whalen, son-in-law of Liberal M.P. James Conmee, formed the Great Lakes Dredging Company, obtaining large contracts to dredge the Fort William and Port Arthur harbors. In 1886, he married Louisa Hesse. He resided in

, Saugeen Township, Bruce County in 1920, continuing his involvement in the leather business. He died in

in 1932. Charles Martin Bowman: Elected Director of Mutual Life Assurance Co. of Canada 1916, and Chairman in 1926. Chairman of the Board of Mutual Life Assurance Co. of Canada; President: Colonization Finance Corp. Ltd.; Director: Durham Furniture Co. Ltd.,; Director: Canada Colonization association. Ref.: Who's Who in Canada, Advance Press Service

Politics

Bowman served on the town council for Southampton and also served as reeve for the town. In the 1898 provincial election, he ran as the

candidate in the riding of Bruce North. He defeated Conservative candidate D.M. Jormyn by 419 votes.

References

External links

*
''A History of Ontario : its resources and development. Part II'', A Fraser (1907)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowman, Charles M 1863 births 1932 deaths Mayors of places in Ontario Ontario Liberal Party MPPs People from Woolwich, Ontario Politicians from the Regional Municipality of Waterloo