Henry Bowen (December 26, 1841 – April 29, 1915) was a

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

lawyer, soldier and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

from

Tazewell County, Virginia Tazewell County () is a county located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,429. Its county seat is Tazewell. Tazewell County is part of the Bluefield, WV-VA Micropolitan S ...

. After raising a unit which became the 22nd Virginia Cavalry, he fought for the Confederate States of America during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, after which Bowen served in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

, as well as 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 ...

, first as a Readjuster, then as 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 ...

Family and early life

Born at "

Maiden Spring Maiden Spring is a historic home and farm complex and national historic district located at Pounding Mill, Tazewell County, Virginia. The district encompasses eight contributing buildings, two contributing sites, and one contributing structure. ...

," near Tazewell, Tazewell County, Virginia, Bowen was the son of Democratic Congressman Rees Bowen, nephew of Senator

John Warfield Johnston John Warfield Johnston (September 9, 1818February 27, 1889) was an American lawyer and politician from Abingdon, Virginia. He served in the Virginia State Senate, and represented Virginia in the United States Senate when the state was readmitted ...

(a postwar member of the Conservative Party of Virginia, and cousin of Tennessee's last Whig governor William Bowen Campbell. After a private education suitable to his class, he attended

Emory and Henry College Emory & Henry College (E&H or Emory) is a private liberal arts college in Emory, Virginia. The campus comprises of Washington County, which is part of the Appalachian highlands of Southwest Virginia. Founded in 1836, Emory & Henry College is ...

Emory, Virginia Emory is a census-designated place (CDP) in Washington County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,251 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a com ...

Confederate captain

Bowen farmed, then entered the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

in 1861 as a captain of the 22nd Virginia Cavalry, which fought with Payne's brigade, Lee's division, Army of Northern Virginia. On December 21, 1864, Sheridan's cavalry captured Capt. Bowen at Lacy Springs, Virginia. Upon being paroled on June 19, 1865, Bowen returned to his native county and resumed farming.

Political career

Bowen was elected and re-elected as a one of Tazewell County's representatives in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1869 to 1873. In 1883, he was elected as a Readjuster to the Forty-eighth Congress, serving from March 4, 1883 to March 3, 1885. Bowen failed to win renomination in 1884. He was elected as a

to the

Fiftieth Congress The 50th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1887, ...

, serving from March 4, 1887 to March 3, 1889. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1888 to the Fifty-first Congress. In 1892, he was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

. He returned to his farm and raised livestock in Tazewell County, Virginia.

Death and legacy

Bowen died at his home, "Maiden Spring", in Tazewell County, April 29, 1915, and was buried in Jeffersonville Cemetery,

Tazewell, Virginia Tazewell () is a town in Tazewell County, Virginia, Tazewell County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,627 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bluefield, West Virginia, Bluefield, West Virginia, WV-VA Bluefield micropolitan area, micr ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowen, Henry 1841 births 1915 deaths Emory and Henry College alumni Republican Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Virginia lawyers Readjuster Party politicians Readjuster Party members of the United States House of Representatives Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia People from Tazewell County, Virginia 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers