Richard Bowie

Richard Johns Bowie (born June 23, 1807 in Washington, DC , †  March 12, 1881 in Rockville , Maryland ) was an American lawyer and politician . Between 1849 and 1853 he represented the state of Maryland in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Richard Bowie attended public schools in his home country as well as the Brookville Academy . After a subsequent law degree at Georgetown University and his admission to the bar in 1826, he began to work in this profession in Washington. He later moved to Rockville, Maryland, where he worked in agriculture in addition to his legal practice. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Whig Party . Between 1835 and 1837 he was a member of the Maryland House of Representatives ; from 1837 to 1841 he was a member of the State Senate . In December 1839, Bowie attended the Whig National Convention in Harrisburg as a delegate . From 1844 to 1849 he was a district attorney in Montgomery County .

In the congressional elections of 1848 Bowie was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington in the first constituency of Maryland, where he succeeded John Grant Chapman on March 4, 1849 . After re-election, he was able to complete two legislative terms in Congress until March 3, 1853 . This time was dominated by the discussions about the question of slavery . In 1850, the 1850 compromise introduced by US Senator Henry Clay was passed.

In 1853, Bowie ran for governor of Maryland, but was defeated by Democrat Thomas Watkins Ligon with 47:53 percent of the vote. He then practiced again as a lawyer in Rockville. From 1861 to 1867 he succeeded John Carroll LeGrand as Chief Justice at the Maryland Court of Appeals ; then he became chief judge in the sixth district of his state. He died on March 12, 1881 near Rockville.

Web links

• Richard Bowie in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Richard Bowie in the database of Find a Grave (English)