Jehdeiah Bowen

Jehdeiah Bowen (July 19, 1817 – November 18, 1891)[1] was a native of Wales who emigrated to the United States and became an American merchant, pioneer, and politician.

[2][3] A resident of Carbondale, Pennsylvania from 1830 until the 1850s,[4][5] he relocated to Ripon, Wisconsin, where he established a knitting factory and worked with Alvan E. Bovay to form a chapter of the Republican Party.

[6][7] A member of the Democratic Party at the time, Bowen was later described by Bovay as his "chief helper" in making the new chapter a reality.

Traveling to the United States, he settled in Carbondale, Pennsylvania[10][11] and found work as a store clerk.

[6][7] Active as a Democrat in local and state politics, Bowen worked with Alvan E. Bovay to found a new Wisconsin chapter of the Republican Party.