Obadiah Bowne

Obadiah Bowne (May 19, 1822 – April 27, 1874) was an American politician and a United States Representative from New York. He was born on Staten Island, New York, where he spent his early years in a community long associated with his family. His collateral ancestor was John Bowne, a noted early advocate of religious liberty in North America, a heritage that placed him within a lineage connected to the development of principles of conscience and tolerance in colonial America.

Bowne received his early education in private schools on Staten Island. He later attended Princeton College, where he was a student from 1838 to 1840. Although he did not complete a degree there, his time at Princeton provided him with a classical education and exposure to the political and intellectual currents of the antebellum period, which would inform his later public service.

After leaving Princeton, Bowne returned to New York and became active in local affairs. He held several local offices on Staten Island, participating in the civic life of his community and building a reputation that would support his later election to national office. These roles, though not all individually recorded, placed him among the recognized local leaders of Richmond County during a period of growth and political realignment in New York.

As a member of the Whig Party representing New York, Bowne contributed to the legislative process during one term in office. Elected as a Whig to the Thirty-second Congress, he served as a United States Representative for New York’s 2nd congressional district from March 4, 1851, to March 3, 1853. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, marked by intensifying sectional tensions over slavery and national expansion. During this term, he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents from the New York City and Staten Island area. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1852, thereby limiting his congressional service to a single term.

Following his departure from Congress, Bowne continued in public service in New York. He was appointed quarantine commissioner from 1857 to 1859, a position of particular importance in the port city of New York, where public health concerns related to immigration and maritime commerce were pressing issues. In this capacity he was involved in overseeing measures designed to protect the city and state from the spread of infectious diseases arriving by sea, reflecting the growing role of government in public health during the mid-nineteenth century.

Bowne remained engaged in national politics as the Whig Party declined and the Republican Party emerged. He served as a presidential elector on the Republican ticket in 1864, participating in the Electoral College that reflected the nation’s political will during the Civil War and contributing to the formal process of electing the president and vice president of the United States. His role as an elector underscored his continued standing within his party and his ongoing involvement in the political life of his state.

Obadiah Bowne spent his later years on Staten Island. He died in Richmond Village, Staten Island, New York, on April 27, 1874, at the age of 51 years and 343 days. He was interred at St. Andrew’s Cemetery on Staten Island, New York, returning in death to the community in which he had been born, educated, and long active in public life.