Memorable Manitobans: James Langstaff Bowman (1879-1951)

James Langstaff Bowman Click to enlarge

Lawyer, MP (1930-1935).

Born at Thornhill, Ontario on 6 October 1879, son of William Robert Bowman (1853-1929) and Mary French (1857-1906), he attended the Portage Collegiate Institute, studied law, and was called to the Manitoba Bar in 1911. He practiced law at Dauphin with the firm of Bowman, McFadden and Bowman, and later Bowman, McFadden and Carmichael. He was made a King’s Counsel in 1923.

On 28 December 1910, he married Francis Annie Cadman (1878-1944) of High Bluff and they had three children: John Franklin Bowman (1911-?), ? Bowman (wife of C. F. Hickling), and ? Bowman (wife of D. E. Brekke). He was a member of the Dauphin Country Club, Dauphin Curling Club, and Manitoba Curling Association. He was a member of the championship curling team that played at the 1932 Olympics at Lake Placid.

He served as Mayor of Dauphin from 1917 to 1919. He stood as a candidate in the federal general elections of 1925, 1926, and 1940 for Dauphin, being defeated each time by William John Ward. He was elected in 1930, served as Speaker of the House of Commons from January to August 1935, but was defeated in the 1935 general election. He served as a Bencher for the Law Society of Manitoba (1943-1951). On 22 December 1949, he was appointed to the Privy Council of Canada.

He died at Dauphin on 14 September 1951 and was buried in the Dauphin Community Cemetery.

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Bowman House (308 River Avenue West, Dauphin)

Sources:

Birth and marriage registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

The Canadian Directory of Parliament, 1867-1967, edited by J. K. Johnson, Public Archives of Canada, Ottawa [Library and Archives Canada], 1968.

“Once Commons speaker, Hon. J. L. Bowman dies,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 September 1951. [Manitoba Legislative Library, Biographical Scrapbook B10]

“Prominent barrister, citizen, Hon. J. L. Bowman, K.C., dies,” Dauphin Herald, 20 September 1951, page 1.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 7 August 2019

Memorable Manitobans This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Browse deaths occurring in: 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!