James Butler Bowlin (January 16, 1804 – July 19, 1874) was a
U.S. Representative
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 c ...
from
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
. Born in
Spotsylvania County, Virginia
Spotsylvania County is a county in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the July 2021 estimate, the population was 143,676. Its county seat is Spotsylvania Courthouse.
History
At the time of European encounter, the inhabitants of the area that b ...
near
Fredericksburg, Bowlin took an apprenticeship to a trade but abandoned it to teach at a school. He received a classical education and moved to
Lewisburg, Virginia
Lewisburg is a List of cities in West Virginia, city in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,930 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Greenbrier County.
Geography
Lewisbu ...
in 1825. Bowlin studied law and was
admitted to the bar
An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
in 1822, commencing his practice in Greenbrier County. He moved to
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
in 1833 and continued the practice of law. Bowlin also established the Farmers and Mechanics' Advocate. He owned slaves.
Bowlin served as Chief Clerk of the State House of Representatives in 1836. He served as member of the
Missouri House of Representatives
The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...
in 1836 and 1837, was appointed district attorney for St. Louis in 1837, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the State House of Representatives in 1838. Bowlin was elected judge of the criminal court in 1839 and served until his resignation in 1842.
Bowlin was elected as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
to the
Twenty-eighth and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1851). He served as chairman of the Committee on Private Land Claims (Twenty-ninth Congress), Committee on Public Lands (Thirty-first Congress). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1850 to the Thirty-second Congress.
Bowlin was appointed
Minister Resident
A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of indi ...
to
New Granada by President
Pierce
Pierce may refer to:
Places Canada
* Pierce Range, a mountain range on Vancouver Island, British Columbia
United States
* Pierce, Colorado
* Pierce, Idaho
* Pierce, Illinois
* Pierce, Kentucky
* Pierce, Nebraska
* Pierce, Texas
* Pierce, We ...
December 13, 1854. He was appointed commissioner to
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
by President Buchanan September 9, 1858, and served until February 10, 1859. Afterwards, Bowlin resumed the practice of law. He died in St. Louis, July 19, 1874, and was interred in
Bellefontaine Cemetery
Bellefontaine Cemetery is a nonprofit, non-denominational cemetery and arboretum in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1849 as a rural cemetery, Bellefontaine is home to a number of architecturally significant monuments and mausoleums such as t ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowlin, James Butler
1804 births
1874 deaths
People from Spotsylvania County, Virginia
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri
Democratic Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives
Ambassadors of the United States to Colombia
American slave owners
19th-century American diplomats
19th-century American politicians