Charles Martin Bowman (May 7, 1863 – October 24, 1932) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

who represented the ridings of

Bruce North Bruce North was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1935. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the county of Bruce into two ridings ...

from 1898 to 1914 and Bruce West from 1914 to 1919.

Background

Bowman was born in

St. Jacobs St. Jacobs is a community and former village located in the township of Woolwich, Ontario, Woolwich in Waterloo Regional Municipality, Ontario, Waterloo Region, Ontario, just north of the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Waterloo. It is a popular locati ...

, Canada West, the son of

Isaac Erb Bowman Isaac Erb Bowman (17August 18323September 1897) was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He represented Waterloo North in the House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal member from 1867 to 1878 and from 1887 to 1896. He was born Isaac Er ...

, and educated there and in Berlin (later Kitchener, Ontario). He entered his father's

tanning Tanning may refer to: * Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather * Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin ** Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun ** Sunless tanning, application of a stain or d ...

business and set up a tannery in

Southampton Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire, S ...

in 1882. After a fire destroyed that business, he purchased a tannery at Port Elgin. He went on to operate a furniture business in Southampton. With

James Conmee James Conmee (October 13, 1848 – July 23, 1913) was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He represented Algoma (provincial electoral district), Algoma West from 1885 to 1902 and Port Arthur (provincial electoral district), Port Art ...

, Bowman was awarded a contract for construction on the

Algoma Central Railway The Algoma Central Railway is a railway in Northern Ontario that operates between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst. It used to have a branch line to Wawa, Ontario. The area served by the railway is sparsely populated, with few roads. The rail ...

. In 1902 he and James Whalen, son-in-law of Liberal M.P. James Conmee, formed the

Great Lakes Dredging Company Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

, obtaining large contracts to dredge the Fort William and Port Arthur harbors. In 1886, he married Louisa Hesse. He resided in

, Saugeen Township, Bruce County in 1920, continuing his involvement in the leather business. He died in Kitchener, Ontario in 1932. Charles Martin Bowman: Elected Director of Mutual Life Assurance Co. of Canada 1916, and Chairman in 1926. Chairman of the Board of Mutual Life Assurance Co. of Canada; President: Colonization Finance Corp. Ltd.; Director: Durham Furniture Co. Ltd.,; Director: Canada Colonization association. Ref.: Who's Who in Canada, Advance Press Service

Politics

Bowman served on the town council for Southampton and also served as reeve for the town. In the 1898 provincial election, he ran as the Liberal candidate in the riding of

. He defeated Conservative candidate D.M. Jormyn by 419 votes.

References

External links

*
''A History of Ontario : its resources and development. Part II'', A Fraser (1907)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowman, Charles M 1863 births 1932 deaths Mayors of places in Ontario Ontario Liberal Party MPPs People from Woolwich, Ontario Politicians from the Regional Municipality of Waterloo