Rezin Pleasant Bowie (/ˈbuːi/ BOO-ee) (September 8, 1793 – January 17, 1841) was a planter, inventor, and mercenary. He also served three terms in the Louisiana House of Representatives. With his brother James "Jim" Bowie, Rezin Bowie smuggled slaves and worked as a land speculator. The brothers set up the first steam-powered sugar mill in Louisiana. Bowie took credit for inventing the Bowie knife, which came to prominence when used by James in the Sandbar Fight of 1827. In his later years Bowie suffered from poor eyesight. He lived with his wife and daughters on a plantation in Louisiana.