John C. Bowen
Constituency | Edmonton |
---|---|
City of Edmonton Alderman | |
In office December 8, 1919 – December 12, 1921 Serving with Alderman elected in 1919 | |
In office December 12, 1927 – December 10, 1928 Serving with Alderman elected in 1927 | |
Personal details | |
Born | John Campbell Bowen October 3, 1872 Metcalfe, Ontario |
Died | January 2, 1957 Edmonton, Alberta | (aged 84)
Nationality | Canadian |
Political party | Liberal |
Spouse |
Edith Oliver (m. 1906) |
Children | 2 |
Residence(s) | Edmonton, Alberta |
Alma mater | McMaster University |
Occupation | Clergyman, Insurance broker, politician |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Canada |
Branch/service | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
Years of service | 1915–1918 |
Rank | Captain |
Unit | Chaplain |
Battles/wars | World War I |
John Campbell Bowen (October 3, 1872 – January 2, 1957) was a clergyman, insurance broker and long serving politician. He served as an alderman in the City of Edmonton and went on to serve as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1921 to 1926, sitting with the Liberal caucus in opposition. He also briefly led the provincial Liberal party in 1926.
Bowen was appointed as the sixth and longest-serving lieutenant governor of Alberta. He served that post from 1937 to 1950.
Early life
John Campbell Bowen was born in Metcalfe, Ontario, on October 3, 1872. He was the son of Peter Bowen and Margaret Poaps, and grew up in Ottawa.
He took his post-secondary education at Brandon Baptist College, where he earned a degree in theology, and also at McMaster University. After university he moved west to Dauphin, Manitoba, to become the pastor of the Baptist church in that town.[1] He married Edith Oliver on October 25, 1906.[1]
Bowen moved to Edmonton, Alberta, with his family in 1912 to become pastor of Strathcona Baptist Church. He also got into the insurance business.[1]
Bowen joined the
Political career
Municipal
Bowen ran for a seat to Edmonton City Council for the first time in the 1919 Edmonton municipal election. He won the fifth-place seat to serve a two-year term on council as an alderman.[2]
Bowen won election to the Alberta Legislature in 1921 and decided not to run for re-election in the municipal election that year. After he failed a re-election bid in the 1926 Alberta general election, he returned to the municipal politics by winning an aldermanic seat in the 1927 Edmonton municipal election held using single transferable vote.[3]
Bowen ran for mayor in the
Provincial
Bowen was elected to the Alberta Legislature as a Liberal candidate in the electoral district of Edmonton. He won the second of five seats that was contested by 26 candidates, under the block voting system.[5] In his maiden speech to the legislature, Bowen brought attention to the need for increased government assistance for the unemployed and for adjustment to the taxation system to reduce the financial burdens facing urban centres.[6]
In 1926 Bowen briefly held leadership of the Alberta Liberal Party and also became Leader of the Official Opposition in Alberta. Bowen ran for re-election in 1926 but was not re-elected.
Bowen attempted a political comeback five years later. He ran for the Liberal nomination for a by-election to be held in the Edmonton electoral district on January 9, 1931. Bowen defeated Joseph Clarke for the right to stand as a Liberal candidate on December 19, 1930, at a convention attended by almost 200 delegates with a vote of 98 to 54.[7] He was defeated in the election finishing third place in the field of four candidates, losing to Conservative candidate Frederick Jamieson.[8]
Lieutenant governor
On March 23, 1937, following the sudden death in office of his predecessor,
One of Bowen's first acts as Lieutenant Governor on May 1, 1937, was an
A few weeks after taking office, Bowen became involved in a
Mindful of the federal government's disallowance of some of the
In the summer of 1938 Aberhart's government announced the elimination of Bowen's official residence, his government car, and his secretarial staff. Biographers attribute this action to retaliation by Aberhart.[9][10][11] For a time, Bowen defiantly remained in Government House, despite the power, heat, and telephone service being cut off by the government. Eventually, however, after being forced to sign an order-in-council closing Government House, Bowen moved to a suite at the Hotel Macdonald.[12][13] The building, the furniture, and fixtures were subsequently sold, and Bowen was the last lieutenant governor to officially reside at Government House. Bowen would eventually move into a home in Edmonton's Glenora neighbourhood.[6]
In September 1938 Bowen insisted that an order in council regarding the establishment of credit houses and other Cabinet expenditure proposals be amended to remove the authority for unlimited expenditures, and instead have a limit of $200,000.[6]
During
Despite the friction between him and the government his posting was renewed. Bowen served almost 13 years as lieutenant-governor, resigning in 1950 due to ill health.
Honours
John Bowen received an
In 2002, the City of Edmonton named Bowen Wynd, a road, in his honour.[6]
Late life
Bowen died on January 2, 1957, in Edmonton, and was buried in the Edmonton Cemetery.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Biographies of Mayors and Councillors – B". Edmonton Public Library. Archived from the original on July 5, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
- ^ "Election Results 1892–1944". City of Edmonton. p. 44. Archived from the original on September 4, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
- ^ "Election Results 1892 – 1944". City of Edmonton. p. 59. Archived from the original on September 4, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
- ^ "Election Results 1892–1944". City of Edmonton. p. 61. Archived from the original on September 4, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
- ^ "Edmonton Official Results 1921 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
- ^ ISBN 0-9689217-1-X. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ "Capt. Bowen Is Liberal Choice In Edmonton". The Lethbridge Herald. Vol. XXIV, no. 8. December 19, 1930. p. 1.
- ^ "By-elections 1905–1973". Elections Alberta. Archived from the original on June 7, 2009. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
- ^ ISBN 0-919091-44-X.
- ISBN 978-1-897252-16-1.
- ^ McWhinney, Edward; The Governor General and the Prime Ministers; Ronsdale Press, Vancouver; 2005; pp. 38–39
- ISBN 978-1459709904.
- ^ "70 years after rift, family donates artifacts to Alberta". CBC News. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2015.