Charles Bowser, towering figure of Phila. civic life, dies
Charles W. Bowser, 80, a Philadelphia lawyer, former deputy mayor and unsuccessful mayoral candidate, has died. In a statement, Mayor Nutter called his passing "a great loss" for the city.
Charles W. Bowser, 80, a Philadelphia lawyer, former deputy mayor and unsuccessful mayoral candidate, has died.
Details of his death are not yet available, but Mayor Nutter said in statement his passing was "a great loss" for the city.
"Charles Bowser was great man, a great lawyer, a friend to many," Nutter said, noting Mr. Bowser's leading role as an African American civic figure.
Mr. Bowser served as a deputy mayor from 1967 to 1969 and ran unsuccessfully for mayor twice in the 1970s.
He also served as executive director of the Philadelphia Urban Coalition (1968-1975); chair of the National Association of Urban Coalition Executive Directors (1973-1975) and executive director, Philadelphia Anti-Poverty Action Committee (1964-1967).
Mr. Bowser also served on the MOVE commission that harshly criticized the city's handling of the 1985 MOVE siege and bombing in West Philadelphia.
A 1948 graduate of Central High School, Mr. Bowser was graduated from Temple University with a bachelors degree in journlism in 1952.
He obained his law degree from Temple Law School in 1957 after serving in the Army as an explosive ordnance disposal expert during the Korean War.
Funeral arrangements are not yet known.