James Butler Bowlin was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

.

Born near Fredericksburg, Virginia

Fredericksburg, Virginia

Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...

, Bowlin apprenticed to a trade, but abandoned it to teach school.
He received a classical education.
He moved to Lewisburg, Virginia

Lewisburg, West Virginia

Lewisburg is a city in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,830 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Greenbrier County.-Geography:Lewisburg is located at ....

, in 1825.
He studied law.
He was admitted to the bar in 1826 and commenced practice in Greenbrier County.
He moved to St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

, in 1833 and continued the practice of law.
He established the Farmers and Mechanics' Advocate.
Chief clerk of the State house of representatives in 1836.
He served as member of the Missouri House of Representatives

Missouri House of Representatives

The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 31,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections held in even-numbered years.In 1992 Missouri...

 in 1836 and 1837.
He was appointed district attorney for St. Louis in 1837.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for the State house of representatives in 1838.

Bowlin was elected judge of the criminal court in 1839 and served until his resignation in 1842.

Bowlin was elected as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 to the Twenty-eighth and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1843–March 3, 1851).
He served as chairman of the Committee on Private Land Claims (Twenty-ninth Congress), Committee on Public Lands (Thirty-first Congress).
He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1850 to the Thirty-second Congress.
He was appointed Minister Resident to New Granada by President Pierce

Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...

 December 13, 1854.
He was appointed commissioner to Paraguay

Paraguay

Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...

by President Buchanan September 9, 1858, and served until February 10, 1859.
He resumed the practice of law.
He died in St. Louis, July 19, 1874.
He was interred in Bellefontaine Cemetery.