 He served as president of the Ontario Mutual Life Insurance Company and the Mercantile Fire Insurance Company.He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada in an 1864 by-election for the North riding of Waterloo and he was acclaimed in the same riding after Confederation.He was defeated by Hugo Kranz when he ran for reelection in 1878; Bowman defeated Kranz to win the seat in 1887 and 1891.