IRA H. BOWMAN.
 


	Ira H. Bowman is head of the Regina branch of the firm of Bowman
Brothers, Limited, automotive supplies, whose headquarters and home
office are in Saskatoon. He was born in Fargo, Michigan, United States
of America, on the 26th of April, 1890, and is the son of the Rev. Ben-
jamin U. and Rachael (Hallman) Bowman, who are mentioned at length
elsewhere in this work, in connection with an account of another son, Aden
Bowman.
	At the age of eight Ira H. Bowman went to live with an uncle in
Breslau, Ontario, and there obtained his education in the public schools.
When he was eighteen he embarked upon his business career as a grain
buyer for the North Star Grain Company, with which he was connected
in 1908 and 1909. After a year spent selling fruit for the Early Fruit
Company of Saskatoon, he joined his brothers in Saskatoon in the conduct
of the wholesale automotive supplies business known as Bowman Broth-
ers, Limited. This business, founded in Saskatoon a number of years ago
by two of the Bowman brothers, as a bicycle, motorcycle and Goodyear
tire concern, has prospered in proportion to the phenomenal growth of
the automotive industry in the Canadian west. In 1907 a third brother,
Irvin Bowman, joined the undertaking and in 1910 Ira H. Bowman be-
came a partner in the firm. As the motor car industry developed the
other features of the business were discarded, so that now Bowman
Brothers deals exclusively in automotive equipment, doing a wholesale
business that extends into the neighboring provinces of Manitoba and
Alberta, in addition to covering all of Saskatchewan. In 1919, on the 19th
of October, Ira H. Bowman came to Regina to take charge of the branch
establishment located at No. 1827 Cornwell street.  Some idea of the
volume of business transacted in this branch may be gained from the
fact that Mr. Bowman has a force of twenty people under him, three of
whom are traveling men covering the adjacent territory.  Since coming
here he has built u~ the business of his branch and has contributed ma-
terially to the prosperity and growth of the parent concern by his efforts
in this field.
	Mr. Bowman has been twice married, his first wife having been Miss
Ethel M. Hunter of Hawarden, Saskatchewan, to whom he was married
on December 21, 1913.  Mrs. Bowman was a native of Iowa, but was
brought to Hawarden by her parents when a little girl and there grew
up and was educated. She died on the 11th of March, 1918, leaving two
little children: a daughter, Irene Claire, who is now attending school;
and a son, Byron Lloyd, aged five. On November 27, 1920, Mr. Bowman
was married to Miss Ethel W. Gibson, who was born and reared in Mar-
garetsville, Nova Scotia, where she was educated. By her marriage she
has become the mother of a daughter, Winifred Jean, born in December,
1921; and a son, Edwin Manson, who was born on May 4, 1923.
	Mr. Bowman is a member of the Baptist church, which his family
attends. Since joining the business circles of Regina he has been made
a member of the Rotary Club and has also been admitted to the member-
ship of the Assiniboia and Regina Country Clubs.  He is very fond of
motoring, a recreation that finds enthusiastic advocates in the younger
members of his family, and in the fall usually indulges in a little shooting.
Aside from his family life and the amount of diversion needed to keep
a well balanced outlook on life, Mr. Bowman devotes his entire attention
to his business. As he is a young man, really just making a beginning in
his life work, he feels that he can well afford to concentrate his energies
on building the foundation for his future work and leave the pursuit of
outside interests to maturer years. He is well liked in his adopted city
and stands high among the younger business men.



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