Henry L. Bowden

In the eyes of many Atlantans in the 1950s and 1960s, Henry L. Bowden was “Mr. Emory,” helping to guide the University through tumultuous times with sound judgment and clear vision.

Bowden was on the board of trustees from 1947 until 1979 and, as chair, helped nurture the relationships that led to the landmark Woodruff gift of 1979. “Of the status quo,” he told alumni in a 1961speech, “Emory should want no part.”

Henry Lumpkin Bowden was born in Atlanta, Ga., on July 23, 1910. Bowden received his bachelor’s degree in 1932, and his law degree in 1934, both from Emory University. After founding his own practice, Bowden began serving as Emory University legal counsel in 1948, and became a member of the Board of Trustees in 1949.Bowden was elected chairman of the Board of Trustees in 1957 after the death of previous chair, Charles Howard Candler. Bowden’s tenure as chairman was marked by multiple aggressive capital-development campaigns, and management of social issues on campus relating to integration and intellectual freedom, including the national “God is Dead” controversy of 1965-1966.

During his time on the Board as a member and as chairman, Bowden was involved with the selection the three University presidents: Sidney Walter Martin, Sanford S. Atwood, and James T. Laney. He also shared presidential duties as part of a three-person group, known as “The Troika,” while searching for Martin’s replacement, 1962-1963. When serving as legal counsel for the University, Bowden took steps to challenge the tax exemption status for racially segregated private schools in Georgia. In 1962 he argued and won Emory University vs. Nash, et al before the Georgia Supreme Court, extending this tax exemption to all universities and effectively allowing Emory to legally integrate in the next year. Bowden, along with President James T. Laney, was also instrumental in securing “The Gift,” a donation of $105,000,000in Coca-Cola stock from Robert W. Woodruff, George Woodruff, and the Emily and Ernest Woodruff Fund to the University, then the largest private donation to an institution of higher education.

Bowden was married to Ellen Fleming Bowden, and had three children: Henry Jr., Mary, and Anne. Bowden was also counsel for the City of Atlanta, served on the Board of Trustees of Clark and Wesleyan Colleges, as well as managing his private law practice, Lokey and Bowden, from 1937 to 1995. Bowden died in February 1997.