 Bowen was magistrate of Tazewell County, Virginia for several years prior to the Civil War and was presiding judge of the county court a portion of that time.He was elected a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives in 1872, serving from 1873 to 1875 and afterward resumed engagements in agricultural pursuits.Bowen died at his estate called "Maiden Spring" in Tazewell County, Virginia on August 29, 1879 and was interred in the family cemetery on the estate.