Introduction
Jabez Bowen, Jr. (June 2, 1739 – May 7, 1815) was an American shipper and politician. 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.
Early life
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 married Sarah Brown on December 19, 1762, a cousin of Moses Brown and John Brown of the prominent Brown family (see Brown University) of Providence. Bowen was deeply involved with the Browns in the shipping business, involving slaves, molasses, rum, and the China trade.
Political career
He was a member of the Providence town council from 1773–1775, and was a representative in the General Assembly in 1777. 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.[1] 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.
Personal life
Bowen and his first wife Sarah Brown had 11 children together. After Sarah's death, he married Peddy Leonard on May 21, 1801; they had no children together. Bowen's son Henry served as Rhode Island Secretary of State from 1819–1849.
He was a Freemason in St. Johns Lodge #1 Providence, and served as Master of the lodge from 1779–1790, and served as Grand Master in Providence from 1794–1798. Bowen was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1814.