James Bowman, 1st Baronet (8 March 1898–25 September 1978) was a British trade unionist.
Born in Great Corby, near Carlisle, Bowman worked at Ashington colliery from the age of fifteen. He served in the Royal Marines during World War I, then returned to coal mining, where he became active in the Northumberland Miners' Association. He became General Secretary of the union in 1935, and Vice President of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain in 1939, holding the post unopposed until 1949, during which period he took a leading role in reorganising the union into the National Union of Mineworkers.[1]
Bowman advised in reforming the German trade unions after World War II. He also served on the 1947 Royal Commission on the Press, and Beveridge's committee on broadcasting. He withdrew from trade unionism at the end of 1949, instead taking a National Coal Board post; in 1956, he was appointed its chairman. He stood down in 1961, due to ill health, at which point he was created a baronet.[1]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Straker |
General Secretary of the Northumberland Miners' Association 1935–1950 |
Succeeded by ? |
| Preceded by Will Lawther |
Vice President of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain 1939–1945 |
Succeeded by Position abolished |
| Preceded by New position |
Vice President of the National Union of Mineworkers 1945–1949 |
Succeeded by Ernest Jones |
| Preceded by Hubert Houldsworth |
Chairman of the National Coal Board 1956–1961 |
Succeeded by Alfred Robens |
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