Grant L. Bowen

Grant L. Bowen was born on December 7, 1908, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Herbert N. Bowen and Marion Grant. He attended Carson High School and the University of Nevada, Reno, before earning his law degree at Northwestern University Law School and being admitted to the practice of law in Nevada in the mid-1930s.

Bowen devoted much of his early career to public service in Washoe County, serving as Assistant District Attorney from 1931 to 1942 and again from 1947 to 1950, with U.S. Army service in 1942. In 1950 he served as Secretary of the Reno Civil Service Commission. In 1954 he was appointed to the district court bench, where he presided in the Second Judicial District Court until his retirement in 1984 - a judicial tenure spanning three decades.

Beyond the bench, Judge Bowen was a leader in his profession and community, serving as President of the Washoe County Bar and giving three terms as a director of the local YMCA. He was active as a Mason, Knight Templar, Shrine member, and member of the Reno Elks Lodge. He was married to True Giffords Bowen, with whom he had one son, John L. Bowen. He died on March 30, 1992, at the age of 83.