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Elias Bowie

Elias Bowie (May 15, 1910-January 26, 2005) was the first African-American to drive in a NASCAR stock car race. He was also a well-known entrepreneur in the transportation sector in Northern California.

Early Life

Elias Bowie was born in San Antonio, Texas, the second of three children of Elias Bowie, Sr., and Hattie Bryant. His father came from Longview, Texas, and his mother was from the Corpus Christi-Rockport area of the Texas Gulf Coast. His parents separated in about 1911, around the time their third child, J.C. Bowie. died soon after birth. Hattie Bryant eventually took her survivng children, Elias, his older sister Jessie, and half-brother Herman Walker back to the Gulf Coast. In the Rockport area, the Bryant family were servants to a well-to-do white family named Picton. Elias and his sister and other relatives worked for the Pictons as cooks, chaffuers, and maids. Elias junior and his siblings grew up around Corpus Christi and Rockport, Texas. In Rockport, Elias finished eighth grade and then engaged in the family business, viz., being basically indentured to a prominent white family.

For several years, Elias was the Picton family chaffeur. In 1937, after declining an offer of lifetime employment as chaffeur to Velma Picton, he moved to Oakdale, Allen Parish, Louisiana, to work for Hillyer-Deutsch-Edwards, Inc., a hardwood furniture manufacturer. He apparently remained there until he entered the Army during World War II.

Bowie was sent to McClellan Field near Sacramento, California, during the war, where he was a cook. After time in Louisiana, he returned to Corpus Christi and ran a small taxicab company. After his military service, Bowie moved to Oakland, California, where a number of his paternal relatives from Texas lived.

Transportation and Auotmotive Career

Bowie's stint as a chaffuer in Texas left him with a love of automobiles. He was also an ambitious businessman. He took on small jobs to finance his dream of building a big chauffeur and transportation company in the San Francisco Bay area. He was a cook and a cabdriver. By the early 1950’s, he could afford a Cadillac and to open his transportation business. He saved his money and bought his first Cadillac. For many years, he would make an annual trip to Detroit to purchase a new Cadillac at the General Motors factory. He was also a baseball fan–his team would be the Yankees before the Giants moved West. In 1951, he drove cross-country to see the Yankees play the Giants in the World Series. Between October4 and October 10, he made made two round trips in his Cadillac between San Francisco and New York to see the three games that were palyed at Yankee Stadium. . On one of his transcontinental trips, Bowie stopped in Kansas City, where he met Ceola Evelyn Owens. She was from Mississippi, but was visiting her sister who lived in Kansas City. A while later, they were married.

In the 1960s, Elias Bowie began operating a gas station on Ellis Street in San Francisco. As an adjunct to this business, he also ran a small jitney service up and down Market Street in San Francisco. Eventually, he gave up the jitney for higher profit margin taxicabs. He named his cab company in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

King Cab Co. did so well in San Francisco that Bowie and a partner opened a branch of the company in San Jose. The San Jose operation was not as successful as the San Francisco division. It struggled for several years until a suitable buyer was found.

The NASCAR Race

The 250-lap NASCAR Grand National Cup event was held on July 31, 1955, at Bay Meadows. The top prize was $2400. Bowie drove his Cadillac; accounts differ, however, as to whether it was a new one or a 1953 model. Many of the nation’s top stock car racers participated.

The race was extremely exciting for stock racing fans as it turned out to be a duel between the country’s No. 1 and No. 2 drivers, Tim Flock of Atlanta and Johnny Kieper of Portland, Oregon. Flock, driving a 1955 Chrysler 300, started in the pole position, but lost the lead to Kieper in his 1955 Oldsmobile after the 17th lap. Kieper was overtaken by Buck Baker on the 81st lap, but regained the lead on the 102nd lap. Kieper took the checkered flag, but a recheck of the matter showed that Flock had regained the lead very late in the race and he was declared the winner.

Bowie started in the 31st position and finished 28th. He took home $90 for his effort.  His performance was described thusly by a local newspaper:

Unintentional comedy relief during the grim racing was provided by Elias Bowie of Oakland driving a 1955 Cadillac in his first stock car race. Bowie toured the course as a Sunday driver checking the scenery. He had the largest pit crew, topped by a lanky double-jointed chap in green fatigue uniform. He also had provided a full tank car of Mobiloil gas. In spite of (or because of) these precautions, Bowie completed the race. ''Italic text San Mateo Times, August 1, 1955.

Elias Bowie died on January 26, 2005, at the age of 94.