Joseph Bowker (December 28, 1725 – July 2, 1784) was an early political and governmental leader of Vermont and was the first Speaker of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

Biography

Joseph Bowker was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, on December 28, 1725. After being orphaned he was raised by a guardian, whose daughter he later married. Bowker was a farmer and served with the British during the French and Indian War. Most of his service was spent on garrison duty at Fort Ticonderoga, and as a result of it Bowker was usually referred to as "

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Bowker" for the rest of his life. In 1773 Bowker relocated to Rutland, Vermont. In addition to farming he was involved in several business enterprises, including establishing the town's first sawmill. After settling in Rutland Bowker served in several local offices, including Town Clerk and Treasurer and Selectman. He was also the first

Judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the

Rutland County Rutland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,572, making it the second-most populous county in Vermont. Its county seat and most populous municipality is the city of Rutland. H ...

Court and Rutland County's first Probate Judge. Bowker served as chairman or president of several conventions of delegates called to organize Vermont and plan its activities during the American Revolution During the War Bowker also served on Vermont's Board of War, as a Sequestration Commissioner, and a Commissary in charge of acquiring supplies and equipment for Vermont's military. In 1778 was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives and served as the body's first ever Speaker of the House. He resigned as Speaker in order to accept a position on the Governor's Council. Bowker died in Rutland on July 11, 1784.Vermont: Records of the Governor and Council of the State of Vermont
published by E. P. Walton (Montpelier), Volume 3, 1875, page 54 He was buried at Center Rutland Cemetery in

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

Town, just across the road from Evergreen Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowker, Joseph 1725 births 1784 deaths People from Hopkinton, Massachusetts People from Rutland (town), Vermont People of Massachusetts in the French and Indian War People of Vermont in the American Revolution People of colonial Massachusetts Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives People of pre-statehood Vermont Burials in Vermont 18th-century American politicians