William Horton Bower was a lawyer and United States Representative in Congress from the state of North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 for one term (1893–95).

Born near Wilkesboro, North Carolina

Wilkesboro, North Carolina

Wilkesboro is a town in and the county seat of Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,159 at the 2000 census, and it is the second largest municipality in the county. The 2010 Census listed the town's population at 3,044. The town is located along the south bank of the...

, Bower became a prominent attorney in Lenoir, North Carolina

Lenoir, North Carolina

Lenoir is a city in Caldwell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 18,228 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Caldwell County. Lenoir is located in the Blue Ridge foothills. The city also contains the Brushy Mountains, a spur of the Blue Ridge Mountains...

 after being admitted to the bar in 1870. After four years in California, Bower returned to Lenoir in 1881. He was then elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives

North Carolina House of Representatives

The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the state senate....

 in 1882 and to the state Senate in 1884. Bower served as solicitor (district attorney

District attorney

In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...

) of the tenth judicial district of North Carolina in 1885-1886.

Upon the retirement of William H.H. Cowles

William H.H. Cowles

William Henry Harrison Cowles was a North Carolina Democratic politician who served four terms in the United States House of Representatives.-Biography:...

, Bower was elected as a Democrat to represent North Carolina's 8th congressional district

North Carolina's 8th congressional district

North Carolina's eighth congressional district consists of a large portion of southern North Carolina from Charlotte to Fayetteville, including Concord, Albemarle, Monroe, Wadesboro, Troy, Rockingham, Laurinburg, and Raeford...

 in 1892, but was unsuccessful in his 1894 bid for re-election, losing to Republican Romulus Z. Linney, who was running on a Fusion ticket with the Populists.

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