Thomas Adolphus Bowden (26 July 1824 – 24 June 1906) was an English-born New Zealand Anglican clergyman, farmer, teacher and educationalist.

Biography

Thomas Bowden was born in London, England, on 26 July 1824. He was the son of John Bowden, a

solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...

, and his wife Rebecca Treacher. Bowden received education at private schools in London, before completing a B.A. at

Magdalen Hall Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colle ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

from 1842 to 1845. He married his cousin, Caroline Treacher, on 26 February 1848, with whom he would have nine children. Bowden emigrated with his family to

Nelson, New Zealand Nelson () is a List of cities in New Zealand, city and Districts of New Zealand, unitary authority on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay at the top of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the oldest city in the South Island and the second-old ...

in 1855 where he initially began farming and briefly acted as

Curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...

for the parish of Waimea South. Bowden became secretary to the Bishop of Nelson, Edmund Hobhouse, in 1860 and would also teach at the local school. In 1865, the Wellington Provincial Government appointed Bowden as inspector of schools, although he would resign three years later and became headmaster of Wellington Grammar School. Due to a shortage of educational resources, Bowden published many text books and in 1873 set up the New Zealand Educational Depository. Bowden also became a justice of the peace and served as inspector of the Karori Lunatic Asylum. From 1879, Bowden returned to the church and took up clergy positions in

Greymouth Greymouth () (Māori language, Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast List of regions in New Zealand, region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The populat ...

, Nelson and

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

. He retired in 1882 and died in Wakefield on 24 June 1906.

Selected publications

* ''An introduction to the geography of New Zealand'' (1868) * ''Manual of New Zealand geography'' (1869) * ''Geographical outlines of New Zealand'' (1872)

References

1824 births 1906 deaths Alumni of Hertford College, Oxford English emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand farmers 19th-century New Zealand Anglican priests New Zealand geographers Heads of schools in New Zealand Headmasters of Wellington College, Wellington {{NewZealand-academic-bio-stub