Frank Llewellyn Bowman (January 21, 1879 – September 15, 1936) was an American politician who represented West Virginia in the United States House of Representatives from 1925 to 1933.

Biography

Early life

Bowman was born in

Masontown, Pennsylvania Masontown is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population of the borough was 3,274 at the 2020 census. It is served by the Albert Gallatin Area School District. Masontown is a ...

on January 21, 1879. He attended the public schools, and then moved with his parents to

Morgantown, West Virginia Morgantown is a city in and the county seat of Monongalia County, West Virginia, Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Monongahela River. The largest city in North-Central West Virginia, Morgantown is best known as th ...

. He graduated from the West Virginia University in 1902, where he was known to have been a brilliant student, winning the Inter-Society Oration and Debate prize, and where he had been a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.

Professional Years

After graduation, he worked as a teller in a bank at Morgantown from 1902 until 1904, when he resigned to take up the study of law, again at West Virginia University. In 1904 he became a member of the then-professional law fraternity, Delta Chi.Like many early law-focused ΔΧ chapters, the West Virginia chapter allowed members of other general fraternities to join. Established as a chapter in 1902, it survived only until 1908, when, during the ongoing debate to become a "single standard" fraternity, it disbanded. Per th
Delta Chi history
, accessed 6 July 2016. He was admitted to the bar in 1905 and commenced practice in Morgantown, West Virginia. In addition, he pursued an interest in coal mining, both as a shareholder and board member. Bowman was appointed

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

May 25, 1911, and served until April 14, 1915, when a successor was appointed. He was the city mayor in 1916 and 1917 but declined renomination for mayor. Bowman was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-ninth and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1933) but was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1932 to the

Seventy-third Congress The 73rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1933, ...

. After leaving Congress, Bowman organized the Tropf coal company in Washington, D.C., and served as president until appointed a member of the Board of Veterans Appeals of the Veterans’ Administration in 1935. He also served several other coal companies in the role of corporate attorney.

Personal life

In addition to his fraternal memberships during college, Bowman was a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, with involvement in both the Rotary Club, and also holds membership in the Knights Templar, belonging to Morgantown Commandery No. 18, Knights Templar, and Osiris Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Wheeling. He also belongs to the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

, in all of which he was remembered by his biographers as "very popular." His religious faith is that of the Presbyterian Church. He married Miss Pearl Silveus of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on 3 June 1904, with whom he had two children. He served in his role on VA Board until his death in Washington, D.C., on September 15, 1936. He was buried in East Oak Grove Cemetery, Morgantown, West Virginia where his wife and parents were later also buried.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowman, Frank L.) 1879 births 1936 deaths Mayors of Morgantown, West Virginia People from Washington, D.C. People from Masontown, Pennsylvania West Virginia University alumni West Virginia lawyers West Virginia postmasters Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia