Summary
Richard Johns Bowie (June 23, 1807 – March 12, 1881) was an American slave owner,[1] politician and jurist.
Richard Johns Bowie | |
|---|---|
| Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals | |
| In office 1861–1867 | |
| Preceded by | John Carroll LeGrand |
| Succeeded by | James Lawrence Bartol |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | |
| In office March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853 | |
| Member of the Maryland State Senate | |
| In office 1837–1841 | |
| Member of the Maryland House of Delegates | |
| In office 1835–1837 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 23, 1807 Georgetown, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | March 12, 1881 (aged 73) Rockville, Maryland, U.S. |
| Resting place | Rockville Cemetery |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse |
Catherine L. Williams
(m. 1833) |
| Alma mater | Georgetown Law School (LL.B.) |
Early life edit
Richard Johns Bowie was born on June 23, 1807, to Margaret (née Johns) and Colonel Washington Bowie in Georgetown, Washington, D. C., Bowie attended the public schools and Brookville Academy. He studied law and graduated from the Georgetown Law School in 1826 with a LL.B., commencing practice soon thereafter in the District. He was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States in 1829.[2][3]
Career edit
Bowie moved to Rockville, Maryland, engaged in agricultural pursuits, and also practiced law. He served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1835 to 1837, served in the Maryland State Senate from 1837 to 1841, representing the Western Shore, was delegate to the Whig National Convention at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1840, and was State's attorney for Montgomery County, Maryland from 1844 to 1849.[2][3]
Bowie was elected as a Whig to the Thirty-first and Thirty-second Congresses, serving from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1853. He was an unsuccessful Whig candidate for Governor of Maryland in 1853, and resumed the practice of his profession in Rockville.[2]
Bowie served as chief judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals from 1861 to 1867. In 1863, he was detained by Confederate general J.E.B. Stuart near Rockville, Maryland, but was released soon thereafter. He later served as chief judge of the sixth judicial circuit of Maryland, and as such also an associate judge of the court of appeals of Maryland, from November 7, 1871 until his death.[2]
Personal life edit
Bowie married Catherine L. Williams on May 7, 1833. He had three adopted daughters: Emma, Rose and Marie Holland.[3] He died at Glen View, on March 12, 1881, in Montgomery County, Maryland. Bowie is interred in Rockville Cemetery.[2][3]
References edit
- ^ Weil, Julie Zauzmer; Blanco, Adrian; Dominguez, Leo. "More than 1,800 congressmen once enslaved Black people. This is who they were, and how they shaped the nation". Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
- ^ a b c d e "BOWIE, Richard Johns". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
- ^ a b c d "Richard Johns Bowie (1807–1881)". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
- United States Congress. "Richard Bowie (id: B000694)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Biography at the Maryland State Archives