Charles W. Bowser, towering political figure in Philadelphia, dies

Charles W. Bowser, 79, a tenacious advocate of racial fairness and an influential civic leader whose two campaigns for Philadelphia mayor inspired a generation of African American political leaders, died Monday from complications of Alzheimer's disease at HCR Manor Care in King of Prussia.

For almost 40 years from the mid-1960s on, Mr. Bowser was a force in the city's civic life while mentoring and encouraging virtually every major black elected official who has emerged in the last 25 years.

From fighting to end the wearing of blackface by Mummers to serving on the commission that investigated the MOVE bombing, Mr. Bowser proved a determined and intellectually gifted lawyer and public servant.

But his most enduring legacy can be found in the office he never was able to achieve for himself.

While Mr. Bowser was not the first African American to run for mayor in Philadelphia, his campaigns in 1975 and 1979 were the first to galvanize black voters. In doing so, they challenged the notion that a black candidate could not win.

"Charlie Bowser convinced the African American community we could do this," said John F. Street, the city's second black mayor.

W. Wilson Goode, Philadelphia's first black mayor, shared that sentiment.

"Charles Bowser paved the way for me," he said. "The fact that he was able to run and do so well gave people absolute confidence that I could be successful in my 1983 campaign."

Mr. Bowser's campaigns taught the fundamentals of politics to the class of young black leaders that followed. Goode trained volunteers for the Bowser campaigns. Street was a volunteer, as were State Rep. Dwight Evans, now chairman of the state House Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, along with members of City Council and holders of other elected offices.

"He was the leading independent political force in the city," Fattah said. Over the years, even as numerous black political figures came to power in the city, Mr. Bowser remained one of the major architects of African American empowerment, he said. "He was a force to be reckoned with over the lifetime of five or six mayors."

Gov. Rendell called him "the most effective African American politician and leader who never held office."

"We've lost a great leader and a moral compass for Philadelphia, someone who fought for others," Rendell said.

He said that while their relationship ran hot and cold over the years, Mr. Bowser was one of his strongest supporters in the 2002 gubernatorial race.