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LWV League of Women Voters of California
San Francisco County, CA March 5, 2002 Election
Smart Voter Full Biography for Christopher L. "Chris" Bowman

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

This information is provided by the candidate

Christoher L. Bowman is a third generation San Franciscan.

In 1948, his family moved to Palo Alto where he attended public schools (K-12). Upon graduating from Palo Alto High School, Bowman attended San Jose State University, receiving his B.A. in 1968. During his tenure at SJSU, he was active in Dorm Government, the San Jose State Young Republicans, Pershing Rifles (a Military fraternity), and the Army ROTC.

Upon receiving his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army Reserves, Bowman served 23 months on active duty as a Signal Corps Officer with service at Ft. Gordon, Georgia, Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey, Ft. Huachuca, Arizona, and Lai Khe and Nha Trang, Republic of Vietnam. In Vietnam, Bowman was assigned to the "Big Red One" 1st Infantry Division and the 8th Psychological Operations Battalion. From 1970-1982, Bowman served as a propaganda officer, Company and Battalion Training Officer, a Battalion S-1 and S-3 for the 351st PSYOP Company (Tactical) and the 353d PSYOP Battalion (Consolidation and Prisoners of War). In 1988, Bowman retired as a Major, USAR.

Upon returning to the States in 1970, Bowman received his M.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University, where he specialized in African Political Development and American Political Institutions. His M.A. Thesis was entitled, "A Psychological/Environmental Model of Non-Rational Decision Making: The Eisenhower Administration's Response to the Congo Crisis".

From 1973-1975, Bowman worked in the San Joaquin Valley town of Tulare as a planner for the California Council of Criminal Justice Planning, and in 1975, he returned to San Francisco where he has resided ever since.

In 1978, Bowman became involved in electoral politics by volunteering for the No on Prop. 6 (Briggs Initiative) campaign. He subsequently volunteered for a number of campaigns -- too numerous to list, and served as a board member for a number of non-partisan organizations, including the Coalition for Human Rights, Foundation Cornerstone, the San Francisco Community Partnership on AIDS, the LIFE/AIDS Lobby, the Bay Area Non-Partisan Alliance, and the Bay Area Pro-Choice Coalition.

Since 1980, Bowman has been active in Republican Party politics, serving initially as an Associate and Alternate, and then as an elected member of the San Francisco Republican County Central Committee, where he served as the Registration Chairman, 1st Vice Chair, Secretary, and Vice Chair for Political Action, and as the Party's Political Director in 1999-2000. Additionally, since 1982, Bowman has been an Associate Member or Member of the California Republican Party, where he served as a member of the Proxies and Credentials Committee and Resolutions Committee. He also has served as a long-time board member of the Log Cabin Club of San Francisco/Concerned Republicans for Individual Rights, with the San Francisco Chapter and the State Board of the California Republican League, and as a member of the Lincoln Club of Northern California.

Professionally, Bowman served as a staffer for State Senator Milton Marks from 1983-1986 where he served as a liaison to the San Francisco Republican Party, the Lesbian and Gay Community, AIDS activists, Veterans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, and worked with gay staffers in Sacramento and with the members of the California AIDS Advisory Committee in creating the California model for AIDS in the mid-1980's.

From 1987, Bowman has served as a political consultant and electoral and public policy analyst, and is recognized as one of the three top demographic experts in San Francisco. His most recent campaigns have included Arlo Smith for District Attorney, the Zoo Bond measure, the campaigns to retain Judges Ernest Goldsmith, Kevin Ryan, and Wallace Douglass, Yes on E campaign (June, 1998), Donna Casey for Supervisor, John McCain for President, Manuel Rosales for Supervisor, and No on Prop. A (Instant Run-Off Elections).

In service to the City, Bowman served briefly as a special assistant to Mayor Frank Jordan in 1992, as a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Elections from 1993-2001, and as a member and the parliamentarian to the Elections Task Force in 1995. In 2001, Bowman worked closely with the Board of Supervisors and the City Attorney's Office to draft Proposition E (which created the Elections Commission, revamped the Ethics Commission, and reformed the role of the City Attorney). The measure won approval at the polls last November. He currently serves as a pro-bono advisor on redistricting to the Director of Elections, Ms. Tammy Haygood.

Bowman is single, and a condominium owner on Cathedral Hill. In addition to politics, he enjoys movies, science fiction, skiing, and classical music.

After a five year hiatus, he is seeking election to the San Francisco Republican County Central Committee on the slate endorsed by Citizens for a Better San Francisco, Former Congressman Tom Campbell, the San Francisco Firefighters, Local 798, and the San Francisco Police Officers Association

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: February 21, 2002 12:23
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