Bowlby, Ward Hamilton

Ward Hamilton Bowlby was a Canadian lawyer born October 4th, 1834 to Adam Bowlby and Elizabeth Sovereign Bowlby. Like his siblings, Ward went to school originally at Upper Canada College and eventually to Toronto University where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1856 and a Masters of Arts in 1857. He obtained a Bachelor of Law in 1858 obtaining the first University gold medal in law awarded to Toronto University. In May of the same year he was admitted to the bar and moved to Berlin (now Kitchener). He founded the law firm Bowlby, Colquhoun and Clement with his brother-in-law E.P. Clement and F. Colquhoun. He would practice in this firm until 1903 when he retired from active practice. Bowlby was appointed King’s Council, as well as holding the positions of Crown Attorney and Clerk of the Peace of Waterloo County, a member of the Town and County Council, reeve of Berlin, and a member of the public school board.

Besides his law practice Bowlby also invested in many Canadian companies including Canadian Pacific and Merchant’s Bank. In 1861, at the age of 27, he married 22 year old Lissie Hespeler Bowlby (1839-1920), daughter of one of the founders of the Waterloo area, Jacob Hespeler. The couple lived in Jacob Hespeler’s now historic home from 1870-1877. The couple had one daughter, Annie Hespeler Bowlby Perley, who married an M.P. and who died in London, England after a sudden illness in 1910. Ward died in 1917 after a period of illness, and Lissie died in 1920.

General revisions January 2021 by DR.

• The Reeves and Mayors of Berlin, 1854 to 1870 - Berlin, Ontario : issued in commemoration of its celebration of cityhood, July 17th 1912 (H3126) via the Waterloo Digital Library
• Ward Hamilton Bowlby - Waterloo Region Generations
• Ward Bowlby - Wikipedia