Jay Bowerman

Jay Bowerman (August 15, 1876 – October 25, 1957) was an American politician, a Republican, who served most notably as the 13th Governor of Oregon.

Early life

Bowerman was born in Hesper, Iowa, the son of Daniel and Lydia (Battey) Bowerman. His siblings were named Ralph, Martha and Mary.

He received his early education in public schools of Hesper, then moved to Salem, Oregon, in 1893. He entered Willamette University that same year and graduated with a law degree in 1896. He was admitted to the Oregon Bar the following year, practicing law in Salem until 1899. He then moved to Condon, in Gilliam County, Oregon, where he lived for the next 12 years. There he became a law partner of H. H. Henricks. Bowerman's service in the Spanish-American War briefly interrupted his practice of the law.

Personal life

He married Elizabeth Hoover in 1903 and together they had four children: twins, Thomas and William (Bill), Daniel and Elizabeth. Bill Bowerman became a well-known track and field coach at the University of Oregon, as well as coach of several U.S. Olympic teams, and co-founder of Nike, Inc. However, from an early age, he was estranged from his father.^[1]

Jay and Elizabeth Bowerman eventually divorced, and Jay Bowerman married Wayfe Hockett in 1914. This marriage produced two further children, Sally and Jayne.

Political career

He was elected to the Oregon State Senate from Gilliam County in 1904 and was reelected four years later. He served as president of that body from 1909 to 1911. When Governor Frank W. Benson was incapacitated by ill health in June 1910, he asked Bowerman, as president of the Senate, to assume gubernatorial responsibilities. On June 16, 1910, at age thirty-three, Bowerman became Acting Governor.

Mindful of bureaucratic economy, Bowerman advocated establishment of a Board of Control to administer the state institutions, which would permit fiscal savings by combined purchasing for state institutions through the office of a single purchasing agent. However, the Board of Control was not established until the administration of his successor. He acted to reduce the risk of loss through bank failure by prohibiting Oregon bankers from the use of speculative stock as assets if they had actively promoted that stock. In 1904 the citizens of Oregon adopted a direct primary law prohibiting party nominating conventions. But establishment Republicans, unwilling to relinquish party control over nominations, held an "assembly" in 1910 at which they nominated Bowerman as their candidate for governor.

Bowerman's Democratic gubernatorial rival, Oswald West, cast him as an opponent of the Oregon System of direct government. Bowerman campaigned on a platform supporting modernized highway systems, increased economies in the administration of government, and continued tight control of state land management. Bowerman was also involved in a sex scandal, having an affair with his secretary.^[1] West defeated him 54,853 votes to 48,751.

Later life

After leaving the office of governor on January 8, 1911, Bowerman moved to Portland, where he resumed the practice of law. He was reelected president of the State Senate but retired following the 1911 session. As a private citizen he actively supported Oregon's first statewide bond issue for highway construction, a $6,000,000 proposal. He also served as an active lobbyist for years at the State Legislature. He died in Portland in 1957.

References

External links

• Acting Governor's Message, Oregon Messages and Documents, 1909–1910, Acting Governor's Regular Session Message, Salem, Oregon, Willis S. Duniway, State Printer, 1911.