Christopher Columbus Bowen (January 5, 1832 – June 23, 1880) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

Early life

Born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

in 1832, Bowen attended the public schools. He moved to Georgia in 1850 as a young man, as good lands were available. There he engaged in agricultural pursuits and then studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1862 and commenced practice in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

he enlisted in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

and served throughout the war as a captain in the Coast Guard. After the war, he resumed the practice of law in Charleston.

Political career

Bowen served as a member of the Republican State convention at Charleston in May 1867. He then served as the first chairman of the South Carolina Democratic State central committee. He served as delegate to the State constitutional convention in November 1867. Upon the readmission of South Carolina to the Union in 1868, he 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Fortieth and Forty-first Congresses and served from July 20, 1868, to March 3, 1871. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1870 to the Forty-second Congress, being defeated by Robert De Large, a Republican He challenged the victory by De Large, but the Election Committee took a long time to rule in the case. He served as a member of The South Carolina House of Representatives from 1871 to 1872, and was elected sheriff of Charleston in November 1872. The Election Committee declared that there were so many irregularities in the 1870 election that they could not declare a victor and demanded the congressional seat be made vacant in 1873. Bowen died in New York City, June 23, 1880. He was interred in St. Laurence Cemetery,

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowen, Christopher Columbus 1832 births 1880 deaths Politicians from Providence, Rhode Island American people of Welsh descent Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina Confederate States Army personnel 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly