["Birthday Honours", The West Australian, Wednesday 06 June 1917, page 6]
BIRTHDAY HONOURS.
FREMANTLE MAGISTRATE HONOURED.
The notification that his Majesty the King had been pleased to confer the Imperial Service Order upon Mr. Edward Poor Dowley, Resident Magistrate at Fremante, was received with much pleasure by the recipient's many friends in this State.
...
Mr. E. P. Dowley is a native of County Tipperary, Ireland, where he was born in December, 1854. He is a son of the late James M. Dowley, J.P., who for many years was the manager of the Bank of Ireland at Tipperary. After being educated at Ledgely Park in England and at [?Carlon] College in Ireland, he entered Trinity College. Dublin, and having adopted civil engineering as a profession he obtained the degrees of B.A. and B.E. from his University in 1876. In the year 1885 he emigrated to Australia, and in December of the following year he obtained his first appointment under the Crown as resident engineer for Kimberley. In 1889 he was ap pointed to the positiun of Warden and Resident Magistrate for the Kimberley goldfields during the absence of the then Warden, the late J. M. Finnerty, on the latter being appointed to another district. Mr. Dowley was confirmed in his appointment as Warden, etc.. and remained in Kimberley until 1892, when he left on a visit to the old country. In January, 1893, be returned and was appointed Warden of the Murchison goldfield, where he remained until 1900, when he was transferred to Coolgardie in a similar capacity. He again visited the old country in 1903, and on his return to Western Aurtralia in July of the same year he was gazetted to the position of Resident Magistrate at Kalgoorlie, which office he occupied for five years. Subsequently he was appointed to his present position at Fremantle, in succession to Mr. R. Fairbairn. Mr. Dowley has been in the Government service in this State for the past 30 years.
