Bower was born in
York, the son of Dr. John Bower, and grandson of
Sir William Nott. The barrister
Sir Edmund Ernest Nott-Bower, was a brother. He was educated at
Cheltenham and
Sandhurst, and served in the army in the
King's Regiment. He was later appointed a
captain of the 5th (Militia) Battalion,
West Yorkshire Regiment. Bower was transferred to the
Royal Irish Constabulary, then served as
chief constable of
Leeds, before he was appointed
head constable of
Liverpool in October 1881. The police force in Liverpool was the largest in the country, and gave a thorough knowledge of police administration on an extensive scale. serving as such until 1925. He was
knighted in 1911, was appointed a Commander of the
Royal Victorian Order (CVO) the same year, and was later promoted to a Knight Commander (KCVO) in the order. ==Family==