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LWV League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
San Francisco County, CA March 2, 2004 Election
Smart Voter Full Biography for Christopher L. Bowman

Candidate for
Republican Party County Central Committee; County of San Francisco; Assembly District 13

This information is provided by the candidate

I am a 3rd generation San Franciscan and a life-long Republican.

My Republican roots go back to the founding of the Republican Party in the State of Iowa in 1856, and my great-great grandparents brought those Republican values with them as they emigrated to California via the Oregon Trail in the late 1850's and settled in Chico, California.

In 1886 my Great Grandfather, P.E. O'Hair settled in San Francisco with his family, and created a four generation family corporation which served San Franciscans for over a Century.

After my birth at Children's Hospital and spending my first 34 months in the Sunset, my family moved to Palo Alto, where I attended public schools, K-12. My father died at the age of 39, but my mother persevered as a medical secretary and helped put my brother and me through Stanford and San Jose State.

I learned Republican politics from both sides of my family. I learned tolerance, civility, and pragmatism, and patriotism from my father's side of the family, and from my mother's side of the family, I learned progressive Republican values of equal rights for women and civil rights for every American, and civic responsibility. My grandmother, Marjorie Doran served as the State's Acting Director of Social Services during the Great Depression and later as Executive Director of the Columbia Foundation and she was a founder of the San Francisco Foundation in the late 1940's. Her sister, Marie Doran Deal, served during WWII as the Director of the California Red Cross.

In 1964, I volunteered for Pennsylvania Governor Bill Scranton at the Cow Palace, and joined the San Jose State College Republicans in 1965. I later became a delegate to the CR's State Convention in 1967, an associate member of the Republican Party in Santa Clara County, and attended the 1968 California Young Republican State convention.

For the next ten years, though, I took a holiday from politics.

Upon receiving my B.A. in 1968, I entered Active Duty as a Lieutenant in the US Army Reserves, and served stateside for 11 months and then a year in Vietnam in Lai Khe with the 1st Infantry Division, and in Nha Trang with the 8th PSYOP Battalion.

I served in the active reserves from 1970-1982 in the Bronx, New York City, and the Presidio of San Francisco in the field of PSYOP, and in 1988 retired as a Major, USAR.

After receiving my M.A. in 1973, I served for two years as a Criminal Justice Planner for the California Council of Criminal Justice Region N Office in Tulare.

In 1975, I returned to the City, received my life-time Community College Instructor's degree, and in 1978 became active again in politics by volunteering with the State Campaign against the Briggs Initiative (Prop. 6).

In 1982, I became an associate member of the California Republican Party and the San Francisco Republican County Central Committee, and in 1987 was appointed by Harriet Ross as an appointee to the CRP, and in 1988 was first elected to the SFRCCC.

As a member of the SFRCCC, I served as its voter registration chair, 1st Vice Chairman, Secretary, Vice Chairman for Political Affairs, and most recently again as its Secretary.

As a member of the CRP, I served four years on the Proxies and Credentials Committee and two years on the Resolutions Committee.

As a Republican volunteer, I have served in a leadership capacity with the Log Cabin Republicans of San Francisco and Log Cabin Republicans -- California; California Republican League at the local and state levels; California Chinese American Republican Association; Coalition for Human Rights; Foundation Cornerstone; founder of the LIFE/AIDS Lobby; and as a member of the Bay Area Non-Partisan Alliance.

Additionally, I was appointed by Mayor Frank Jordan and reappointed by Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr., to serve on the Citizens Advisory Committee on Elections (the precursor to the Elections Commission) where I served from 1993-2001, and by Mayor Frank Jordan to the Elections Task Force in 1995.

Professionally, from 1983-1986, I served on the staff of State Senator Milton Marks in his district office, and in 1987, I began my professional career as a political consultant. In 1992, I served briefly as a special assistant for research and planning for Mayor Frank Jordan, and I taught night school in social studies at Newcomer High School from 1997-1998.

I believe that my combined experiences as a PSYOP officer, long time Republican volunteer, political consultant, and expert on the electoral processes qualify me to be seriously considered by you, the Republican voters of San Francisco in the 13th Assembly District, to serve for another term representing you and the best interests of the Republican Party as we attempt to rebuild and expand the base of the party and make it relevant to the changing political needs of San Franciscans.

I would appreciate your support on March 2nd. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Christopher L. Bowman Secretary, SFRCCC

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: February 24, 2004 12:28
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