Walter Bowie (October 15, 1748 – November 9, 1810) was an American slave owner and politician.

Biography

Born in

Mattaponi The Mattaponi () tribe is one of only two Virginia Indian tribes in the Commonwealth of Virginia that owns reservation land, which it has held since the colonial era. The larger Mattaponi Indian Tribe lives in King William County on the reserva ...

, near

Nottingham, Prince George's County, Maryland Nottingham is a small town on the Patuxent River in Prince George's County, Maryland, Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. It contains an archaeological site which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Pre-E ...

, Bowie attended Reverend John Eversfield's School near Nottingham, the common schools in

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

, and Craddock’s School near

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. His father,

Captain William Bowie Captain William Bowie was an early colonist in the Province of Maryland and an American Revolutionary, a member of the Assembly of Freemen, and a delegate to the Annapolis Convention (1774–1776). Early life Captain William Bowie was the son of ...

bought him a large farm near

Collington, Maryland Collington is a now defunct settlement in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, dating from colonial times. Collington has been subsumed by the city of Bowie. Geography Collington is located at 38°58'6" North, 76°45'35" West (38.9684 ...

, known originally as "Darnell's Grove" and later as "Locust Grove" and "Willow Grove". He engaged in agricultural pursuits, was a large landowner, and also was interested in shipping. He served as one of four members of the Maryland constitutional convention from Prince George's County in November 1776. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, Bowie served as captain and later major of a Prince George's County company. He was a member of the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

from 1780 to 1800 and served in the

Maryland State Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single- ...

from 1800 to 1802. He was elected as a Republican to the

7th United States Congress The 7th 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, 1801, ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Richard Sprigg, Jr., was reelected to the

8th United States Congress The 8th 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, 1803, ...

, and served from March 24, 1802 to March 3, 1805. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1804 to the

9th United States Congress The 9th 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, 1805, t ...

, and died near Collington in Prince George's County. He is interred in the family burying ground on his estate.

References

External links

Retrieved on 2009-05-27 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowie, Walter 1748 births 1810 deaths Bowie family Maryland state senators Maryland militiamen in the American Revolution People of Maryland in the American Revolution Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland People from Prince George's County, Maryland People of colonial Maryland

Biography

See also

References

Further reading

External links