Extent:
9 box(es)
(6.25 linear feet), includes 311photographs
Collection Number: RBRL315CLB
Repository:
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Abstract: The collection documents the growth and development of the City of Macon primarily during the administration of Mayor Charles L. Bowden (1938-1947). Included are City of Macon financial statements (1928, 1937-1938); Macon Hospital Commission files (1945-1952); correspondence and photographs documenting the commission of USS Macon (1945) and the Macon premiere of God is my Co-pilot (1945); copies of Bowden's speeches and radio announcements; and general correspondence. Of note is the correspondence with Carl Vinson, especially in relation to the commissioning of the USS Macon. Correspondence between Bowden, his wife, Urney Fields Bowden, and their children, Charlotte and Patsy, illustrate family life in Macon in the 1930s and 1940s. The Bowden and Fields families are documented through genealogical research files and correspondence (1883-1889) between Urney Bowden's grandparents, W. G. Fields and Emma Massey (-1902). The papers include correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, financial reports, speeches and announcements, publications and clippings, and memorabilia.
Charles L. Bowden, son of Charles A. Bowden (1953-1915) and Emily Matilda Britt (1854-1933), was born in Forsyth, Georgia on June 13, 1892. In 1908, he moved to Macon, Georgia and, in 1913, married Willie Pearl Minter (1890-1925). The couple had one daughter, Willie Eloise Bowden, born in 1914. In 1938, Bowden married Urney Fields and the couple had two children, Charlotte and Patsy. Bowden served as sheriff of municipal court (1915), Macon police chief (1917), Bibb County police officer (1922-1923), alderman of the second ward (1927-1934), and a member of Macon City Council. He also served a single term as a Bibb County representative in the Georgia General Assembly, but did not seek re-election. In addition to his duties a public servant, Bowden began working as a city salesman with Wofford Oil Company in 1923, rising to zone manager of the middle Georgia district, in 1932, and eventually district manager.
In 1937, Charles Bowden ran for mayor against former mayor Glen Toole and won. Bowden's administration worked to pay down the city's debt and build up a surplus. He served as president of the Macon Community Chest (1937-1939) and encouraged economic development and growth as a member of the Georgia Agricultural and Industrial Board. Bowden actively lobbied Congressman Carl Vinson, chairman of the House Naval Affairs Committee, to name a naval vessel for Macon, Georgia, the USS Macon (CA-132). He was also influential in the development and expansion of several military installments in the Macon area, including the Naval Ordnance Plant, Infantry Replacement Training Center at Camp Wheeler, Cochran Field, and Warner Robins Air Depot. After a long illness, Charles Bowden died in July 1952.
The collection documents the growth and development of the City of Macon primarily during the administration of Mayor Charles L. Bowden (1938-1947). Included are City of Macon financial statements (1928, 1937-1938); Macon Hospital Commission files (1945-1952); correspondence and photographs documenting the commission of USS Macon and the Macon premiere of God is my Co-pilot; copies of Bowden's speeches and radio announcements; and general correspondence. Of note is the correspondence with Carl Vinson, especially in relation to the USS Macon. A small amount of correspondence documents Charles Bowden's career at Wofford Oil Company and his appointment to postmaster. Correspondence between Bowden, his wife, Urney Fields Bowden, and their children, Charlotte and Patsy, illustrate family life in Macon in the 1930s and 1940s. The Bowden and Fields families are documented through genealogical research files and correspondence (1883-1889) between Urney Fields Bowden's grandparents, W. G. Fields and Emma Massey (-1902). The papers include correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, financial reports, speeches and announcements, publications and clippings, and memorabilia.
Before material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original.
