Jonathan Bowman

Jonathan Bowman (May 16, 1828July 16, 1895) was an American lawyer, businessman, and politician. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate. Biography Born in Charleston, New York, his father was a farmer who served in the New York State Legislature. Bowman was educated at the Canajoharie academy and graduated from the State and National Law School in Ballston Spa, New York in 1850. He then moved to Delton, Wisconsin, in 1851, where he practiced law and was invested in several businesses. His business interests led him, in 1852, to take part in laying out the village of Newport, Wisconsin—where he resided until 1862. Newport was chosen as the site of the first dam across the Wisconsin River, and Bowman was one of the incorporators of the project. He worked with Joseph Bailey, who later became famous in the American Civil War for his bridge across the Red River. Despite his efforts, Newport lost out on a railroad bridge to neighboring Kilbourn City. Bowman moved to Kilbourn City (now Wisconsin Dells) in 1862 and resided there for the rest of his life.