Background
Bowen was born in Providence, Rhode Island, the son of Ephraim Bowen and Mary (Fenner) Bowen. His father was a prominent doctor in Providence in 1739, and his great-uncle Jabez Bowen was also a prominent Providence physician.
Bowen was born in Providence, Rhode Island, the son of Ephraim Bowen and Mary (Fenner) Bowen. His father was a prominent doctor in Providence in 1739, and his great-uncle Jabez Bowen was also a prominent Providence physician.
In 1757, Bowen graduated from Yale College.
He was a militia colonel during the American Revolutionary War, and served as Deputy Governor of Rhode Island and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Bowen was deeply involved with the Browns in the shipping business, involving slaves, molasses, rum, and the China trade. During the American Revolution, Bowen served in the Providence militia from 1774–1777, holding the rank of colonel of the First Regiment of Providence County from 1776–1777.
He served under William West.
Bowen was Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1778–1779, and from 1781–1786. He was a delegate to the Annapolis Convention in 1786 and the Constitutional Convention in 1790.
He served as a Superior Court judge in 1776, and became Chief Justice in 1781. Bowen was an ardent federalist (pro-Constitution) supporter, and was on the city committee which negotiated a peaceful end to William West"s antifederalist protest on the Fourth of July in 1788.
Bowen served as Chancellor of Brown University from 1785 until his death.
He died on May 7, 1815 in Providence, and is interred in Swan Point Cemetery in Providence.
He was a member of the Providence town council from 1773–1775, and was a representative in the General Assembly in 1777.