David Bowman

David Bowman (24 August 1860 – 25 February 1916) was a Labor politician in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland and Queensland Leader of the Opposition from 1908 to 1912.

Early life Bowman was born in Bendigo, Victoria on 4 August 1860. He was son of Archibald Bowman, a miner and Isabella Bowman (née Spence) both of whom were born in Scotland. Trained as a bootmaker in Victoria, Bowman moved north to Queensland in 1888. The following year, Bowman became the president of the Brisbane District Council of the Australian Labour Federation (ALF). In 1891, as an employee of the ALF, Bowman was responsible for organizing shearers and bushworkers during the pastoral strike. In 1892, he was elected as vice-president and the following year he became the president of the ALF.

Though accepting his party's decision to join the Morgan-Browne coalition in September 1903, Bowman believed that Labor should not ally itself with other parties but should aim to govern in its own right. By 1905, he had joined Albert Hinchcliffe and Mat Reid, secretary and president of the Central Political Executive, and Henry Boote, editor of The Worker, in opposing the continuation of the Liberal-Labor coalition, now dominated by William Kidston.

Bowman became vice-president of the Central Political Executive in 1904 and at the 1905 and 1907 Labor in Politics conventions led a parliamentary faction opposed to Kidston, which succeeded in committing the party to fighting future elections alone. George Kerr, Labor leader from 1904 to 1907 supported the continuation of the coalition but was decisively defeated when the convention resolved that Labor should stand alone. Following the 1907 convention, Bowman was elected as the parliamentary Labor leader. He was not an outstanding parliamentarian and was disabled as a leader by poor health. He was, however, liked and respected for his personality and integrity by colleagues and opponents alike. with Presbyterian rites.