Edward James (Ted) Bowman (1874–1943)
This article was published:
- in the Biographical Register of the Australian Labour Movement, 1788-1975
- online in 2022
Edward James Bowman (1874-1943) rouseabout, shed hand, shearer and trade union leader
Birth: 8 August 1874 in Tichbourne goldfields, Young, New South Wales, son of William Sefton Bowman (1829-1918), a farmer born in Kent, England, and native-born Margaret Catherine, née Flynn (1850-1928). Marriage: 1910 at Marrickville, Sydney, to Ada Rose. Death: 14 July 1943 in Newcastle Hospital, New South Wales. Religion: Anglican.
- 1892 joined General Laborers’ Union, ‘Canonbar’ shed, as shearer. Joined the Australian Socialistic Union in same year.
- 1896 prominent in western NSW sheds around Bourke and in Toorale strike in 1902. Organiser at Paroo. Moved south to Louth where, near Tilpa, he persuaded a coach load of strike breakers not to scab on the union.
- 1902-1908 Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) organiser, Culgoa, Brewarrina, Walcha, Narrabri, Armidale and Glen Innes.
- 1910 elected secretary Bourke Branch of AWU, later Western District based at Armidale.
- 1894 Secretary, Tichbourne Political Labor League, 1907 Walcha. In 1907 was unsuccessful ALP candidate for state seat of Armidale.
- Cause of death: congestive cardiac failure, myocardial degeneration and chronic bronchitis.
- ‘A quiet but solid worker in the Labor movement’.
Sources
obit, Newcastle Morning Herald, 16 July 1943, p 4; Australian Worker (Sydney), 13 Jan 1910.
Additional Resources and Scholarship
- is elected secretary of the Bourke branch of the AWU; biography, Worker (Wagga, NSW), 13 January 1910, p 23
- nominates as a Labor candidate in the federal New England seat, Glen Innes Examiner (NSW), 10 August 1914, p 4
Related Entries in NCB Sites
Citation details
'Bowman, Edward James (Ted) (1874–1943)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/bowman-edward-james-ted-32525/text40365, accessed 10 May 2025.
Life Summary [details]
Birth
8 August,
1874
Young,
New South Wales,
Australia
Death
14 July,
1943
(aged 68)
Newcastle,
New South Wales,
Australia
Cause of Death
Cultural Heritage
Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.
Religious Influence
Includes the religion in which subjects were raised, have chosen themselves, attendance at religious schools and/or religious funeral rites; Atheism and Agnosticism have been included.