Frederick Bowley

Who was Frederick Bowley?

Frederick Bowley was an American politician, who served as the first executive of the Borough of Queens in New York City.

Bowley was born December 19, 1851 in New York City. He had training to be a butcher, and after buying land in Long Island City, Queens in 1887, he proceeded to operate butcher shops there and in the Queens County towns of Astoria and Flushing.

Bowley was an alderman of Long Island City from 1895 to 1897. In 1898, the final stage in the consolidation into New York City of the city of Brooklyn and their smaller surroundings within New York State included the contraction of Queens County's borders, its designation as a borough of New York City), and Bowley's appointment as Borough President of Queens.

In 1901, he was succeeded by Joseph Cassidy; Bowley later served as county clerk of Queens.

He participated prominently in the formation of "the Queens County Democracy" by Democrats in Queens, to oppose Cassidy's re-election campaign in 1903.

From about 1911 until 1951, a small park in the Long Island City neighborhood was called Bowley Angle after him.

He died on September 15, 1916.