Countelow M. Bowles Explained

Countelow M. Bowles (born c. 1840) was a cooper, soldier, and state legislator. He served in the Mississippi House of Representatives and Mississippi Senate.^[1] He was a Republican and African American.^{[2] [3] [4]}

Born in about 1840 in Virginia he lived in Cleveland for a few years leading up to the American Civil War.^[5]

Bowles joined the 38th United States Colored Infantry Regiment just before the end of the American Civil War in March 1865.^[6] He was soon promoted to Corporal before being discharged the following year.^[7]

He was elected onto the board of the Bolivar County police in 1869.

Bowles was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives for the 1870-1871 session, and then served in the Mississippi Senate from 1872 until 1874 and again 1877-1878.He had been removed from his position in 1874 as he had not been in Mississippi for over four months.^[8]

See also

• African-American officeholders during and following the Reconstruction era

Notes and References

1. Book: The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi . 1904 . Department of Archives and History. 155 .
2. Book: History of Bolivar County, Mississippi . 9780871522306 . 1976 . Reprint Company .
3. Book: Reconstruction in Mississippi . 1901 . Macmillan .
4. Book: From Cotton Field to Schoolhouse: African American Education in Mississippi, 1862-1875 . 9781469601335 . April 2012 . UNC Press Books .
5. Book: Foner . Eric . Freedom's Lawmakers: A Directory of Black Officeholders During Reconstruction . 1 August 1996 . LSU Press . 978-0-8071-2082-8 . . en. 22.
6. Web site: Civil War Enlistment Record – Against All Odds . 10 September 2022.
7. Web site: Countelow M. Bowles – Against All Odds . 10 September 2022.
8. News: Exit Bowles . 10 September 2022 . The Clarion-Ledger . 9 April 1874 . 2.