Cyrus S. Bowman, of Newton, Kan., a lawyer of pronounced ability, the first county attorney of Harvey county and for the past forty years one of the leading members of the Newton bar, is a native of Ohio. He is a descendant of German ancestry on the paternal side and of Holland Dutch ancestry on the maternal side. His great-grandfather Bowman emigrated from Wurttemberg, Germany, when quite young, and settled, lived, and died in Pennsylvania. The grandfather, Jacob Bowman, born in Pennsylvania in 1761, died there in 1841. Jacob Bowman, son of Jacob and father of Cyrus S., was born in Clearfield county, Pennsylvania, in 1796; moved to Wayne county, Ohio, in 1817, and there, on Oct. 14, 1821, married Catherine Robbins, whose ancestors came from Holland. After marriage they remained in Wayne county until 1839, when they removed to near Bryan, Williams county, Ohio, where, in a log cabin, Cyrus Bowman was born Feb. 5, 1840. This was in the heavy timbered lands of northwestern Ohio, then inhabited by Indians and game, the lonely cabin being twenty miles from the nearest market or milling place, mail or news, and surrounded by flat lands that were covered a good portion of the year by snow and water, and almost inaccessible except to Indians and wild animals. Under those conditions this mother nurtured her son, and his adoration for her and her memory is unbounded. There the father invested in some 2,000 acres of land when it was cheap, dammed a creek, cut a race, built a sawmill and grist mill, and with the help of his sons operated them. He also caused the land to be cleared of its timber. The lad Cyrus assisted in the labors incident to that pioneer life by chopping fire wood, picking brush, plowing new ground full of stumps and roots with an ox team, raising corn, potatoes and garden truck, and stopping muskrat holes in the bank of the mill race, attending to chores generally, and in the winter season walked two miles to the log school house, where, for about three months each year, he was taught "readin', ritin,' and 'rithmetic," according to the standard of that day. In 1854, Jacob Bowman disposed of his holdings in Williams county and moved back to Wayne county, where he located on a farm five miles northwest of Wooster, Ohio. There his death occurred May 2, 1861, his body being interred in the beautiful Wooster city cemetery, where beside him now reposes the body of his wife, the beloved mother of our subject.

Cyrus Bowman had returned to Williams county in 1858 and there worked at odd jobs and learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed until his father's death, in 1861, when he returned to Wooster, and while sojourning there enlisted in the Union army, Nov. 14, 1861, to serve three years, as a private in Company B, McLaughlin's squadron, Ohio cavalry. In October, 1861, at the request of the governor of the State of Ohio, Maj. William McLaughlin (at the age of seventy-two years), on account of his service in the Mexican war and his bravery in the three months' service in the Civil war, was authorized by the war department to raise and command two companies of cavalry—A and B—to be named "McLaughlin's Squadron of Ohio Volunteer Cavalry." In pursuance thereof he raised and organized said squadron, which was assigned to and became a part of Sherman's brigade. This brigade, consisting of the Sixty-fourth and Sixty-fifth Ohio infantry, the Sixth Ohio battery, and this squadron, was organized at Camp Buckingham, near Mansfield, Ohio, in honor of United States Senator John Sherman, who was commissioned brigadier-general and given command. In December, 1861, this brigade moved to the front. On reaching Cincinnati the squadron was detached from the brigade and assigned to Col. James A. Garfield's command, and with it moved up Big Sandy river against Humphrey Marshall, being engaged at Jennie Creek, Middle Creek, and Pound Gap. Colonel Garfield was transferred to the Army of the Cumberland, but the McLaughlin squadron remained in east Kentucky and West Virginia until August, 1863, scouting, reconnoitering, and operating against guerrillas, thus taking part in many skirmishes. In 1863 they moved to Nicholasville, Ky., and were assigned as body guard to General Hartsuff, commander of the Twenty-third corps, with which they moved across the mountains to Knoxville, Tenn., doing escort duty, scouting, bush skirmishing, and participating in the siege of Knoxville. On Jan. 9 and 10, 1864, at Strawberry Plains, Tenn., nearly all the members of this squadron veteranized by reënlisting to serve until the end of the war. By reënlisting, Jan. 10, 1864, Cyrus Bowman was honorably discharged from his first enlistment and, being granted a thirty days' veteran's furlough, the squadron was transferred to Tod's Barracks, Columbus, Ohio, whence the members went to their respective homes. While on furlough Mr. Bowman's mail was frequently delivered to a cousin by the same name, hence he took the letter "S," and since that time has been known as Cyrus S. Bowman. At the expiration of the furlough the squadron reassembled at Camp Dennison, Ohio, and moved to Camp Nelson, Ky., where it was assigned to General Stoneman's cavalry. On June 3, 1864, the squadron commenced its march, reaching Sherman's army at Big Shanty, Ga., June 30, 1864, and took part in Stoneman's famous raid at Macon, Ga., where it lost heavily in wounded, missing and killed. It also took part in the investment and capture of Atlanta, after which the squadron was assigned to Gen. Judson Kilpatrick's cavalry division and operated with Sherman's army from Atlanta to the sea and up through the Carolinas. It took part in the engagements at Lovejoy's Station, Bear Creek Station, Macon, Griswoldville, Waynesboro, Buck Head Creek, Buck Head Station, and Savannah, all in Georgia; Whippy Swamp, Blackville, and Aiken, S. C.; and Rockingham, Fayetteville, Taylor's Hole Creek, Averasboro, Bentonville, Raleigh, and the surrender of Johnston at Durham Station, N. C. After the surrender the McLaughlin squadron became Company C of the Fifth Ohio cavalry and was kept in North Carolina, doing provost duty, until Oct. 30, 1865, when the regiment was mustered out of service at Charlotte. Mr. Bowman was honorably discharged from his second enlistment, received his final discharge at Camp Chase, Ohio, Nov. 15, 1865, and then returned to his old home in Wayne county, Ohio.

Shortly afterward he removed to Bryan, Ohio, and there engaged in the milling business. Subsequently he read law and was admitted to the bar in Bryan in March, 1871. The following month he traveled west, seeking a location, and on April 26 selected Newton, Harvey county, Kansas, as a residence. He was the first lawyer to locate for practice in the county, and in May of the following year, 1872, at the organization of the county, was elected its first county attorney. The following November he was reëlected to this position for the regular term. He again became an incumbent of this office in 1890, by appointment to fill an unexpired term, and in November of that year was elected for a full term. He has several times acted as judge pro tempore of the court of the Ninth judicial district. He is local attorney for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railway and the St. Louis & San Francisco railway, and for many years was attorney for the National Surety Company, of New York, traveling extensively in its interests. During his practice, which has covered a span of more than forty years, Mr. Bowman has appeared in connection with important litigations in both the State and Federal courts. He is a man of strong character and powerful individuality, and in argument is logical and convincing. His methods are clean and forceful and his knowledge of the law broad. Mr. Bowman is a member of Judson Kilpatrick Post No. 36, Department of Kansas, Grand Army of the Republic, and has served two terms as post commander and one term as judge advocate of the department. He is a charter member of James Dawson Regiment No. 4, Union Veterans Union. He is a Republican in politics and a member of the Masonic fraternity.

On Feb. 5, 1867, Mr. Bowman married Miss Clara J. Bates, daughter of Pearson Bates, a native of Ohio, who was by trade a blacksmith, and for many years a resident of Fairfield, Ill., where he died in 1844. Mr. and Mrs. Bowman became the parents of five children: Ola B. is the widow of William Raymond and resides with her parents; Nina C. is a graduate of the literary department of the University of Kansas and for several years has been a teacher in the New York City schools. She has made two extended European trips—one in 1909 and a second in 1911; Harry C. Bowman, the only son, is well and favorably known to the citizens of Kansas as chairman of the state board of control, having been appointed to a membership in that body by Governor Hoch on its organization, reappointed by Governor Stubbs in 1909, and again in 1911, in which year he was elected chairman; Ellen C. is the wife of Harry C. Herby, of Clovis, N. M., where he is engaged with the Santa Fe system; and Dora B. is deceased. The family has for many years been active and prominent in the social life of Newton, in which city they have resided since its founding.